Chris S. from Bedminster, NJ speaking on the topic of "First Step freedom, the gift of desperation" at the Nosara Big Book Workshop in Nosara Playa Guiones, Costa Rica - March 24th 2012

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Chris shared a powerful and practical talk on the Gift of Desperation and Step One, breaking down the truth of alcoholism with humor, depth, and clarity. Through vivid stories from his youth and years of struggle, he showed how the phenomenon of craving and the obsession of the mind made alcohol both his relief and his destroyer. He described how restless, irritable, and discontented living—long before sobriety—was the true prison, and how alcohol temporarily quieted the storm that only spiritual recovery could truly heal. Chris emphasized that Step One is the foundation of all recovery: accurately identifying the problem, surrendering fully, and finding motivation born from desperation. With heartfelt urgency, he reminded everyone that understanding powerlessness and unmanageability is not an academic exercise but a matter of life and death. His message—equal parts wisdom and warning—ended with a call to all sponsors and seekers alike: treat the First Step as sacred work, for it is where hopelessness transforms into hope and where the spiritual journey of freedom truly begins.

Music: Deep by KaizanBlu