Join Joe McDonald as he reads and expands on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering deeper understanding and practical advice for those on their recovery journey. In this Step 3 AA session, Joe shares a personal reflection on the certainty we often experience in addiction—the certainty that using would change how we felt, even if it didn’t make us better. For many, the drive to seek that feeling led to risking everything, and that certainty was rooted in deeply personal experiences. Joe reminds us that the certainty we need in recovery, the certainty in a higher power, must also come from personal experience.

It is through a direct, personal encounter with a higher power that we begin to grow spiritually and gain the certainty necessary to serve that power. As Joe points out, the world will continue to lie to us about the con ...