Drop the Rock is one of the best-selling recovery books ever, with more than 200,000 copies sold to date. It's companion piece, Drop the Rock . . .The Ripple Effect has already sold thousands of copies. Now it's easy for you to get both of these essential recovery books in a convenient e-book bundle. About Drop the Rock, Second Edition Resentment. Fear. Self-Pity. Intolerance. Anger. As Bill P. explains, these are the "rocks" that can sink recovery--or at the least, block further progress. Based on the principles behind Steps Six and Seven, Drop the Rock combines personal stories, practical advice, and powerful insights to help readers move forward in recovery. The second edition features additional stories and a reference section. About Drop the Rock. . .The Ripple Effect In this follow-up to Drop the Removing Character Defects, Fred H. explores "the ripple effect" that can be created by using Step 10 to practice Steps 6 and 7 every day to avoid picking up "the rock"—also known as resentment, fear, and self-pity—again. Drawing on his years of lecturing on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Fred H. reveals Step 10 as the natural culmination of working the previous Steps, providing a crash course on renewing your recovery program through the daily practice of Twelve Step principles. Drop the Rock. . .The Ripple Effect provides multiple perspectives from people successfully working a Twelve Step Program and shows Step 10 as a key to a sober life free of fear and resentment, and filled with serenity and gratitude.
I have read through this book twice now. Once just reading it and the second time to write on my responses to each passage with my sponsor and a couple of sponsees. It was a very valuable experience for me in really getting what these two Steps are all about and a way for me to work them.
About the Author Fred H. has worked in the field of addiction and recovery for thirty-nine years and is the director of the retreat center for a leading addiction treatment program. He is a popular international speaker on the Big Book and the principles of the Twelve Steps.
Recommended Reading Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2001. Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1981. Drop the Rock: Removing Character Defects, 2nd Edition, by Bill P., Todd W., and Sara S. Center City, Minnesota: Hazelden Publishing, 2005. Original publication, Seattle: Glen Abbey, 1993. A New Pair of Glasses by Chuck C. New-Look Publishing Co.: 2008. Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous, 2nd Edition, by Ernest Kurtz. Center City, Minnesota: Hazelden Publishing, 1991. A Program for You: A Guide to the Big Book’s Design for Living, Anonymous. Center City, Minnesota: Hazelden Publishing, 1991. As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. San Diego, CA: Dauphin, 2015. (Originally published 1903.) The Search for Serenity and How to Achieve It by Lewis F. Presnall. Utah Alcohol Foundation, 1959. The Sermon on the Mount: The Key to Success in Life by Emmet Fox. New York: Harper & Row, 1938, 1979.
Drop the Rock is a must-read for anyone, whether they’re in recovery or not. Its insights are impactful and deeply personal. The moment it truly hit me was unforgettable—laying in the bathtub, sinking under the water as I realized just how many resentments I was carrying toward my family, all while constantly blaming them. It was a hard truth to face: I was sober but still acting like an alcoholic.
This book’s message extends beyond recovery—it offers a life mantra for anyone seeking clarity and growth. It helps uncover the emotional baggage we cling to and guides us toward the freedom of letting go. I’m incredibly grateful to have found it.
This is a must for all 12-steppers I will definitely have to read it again I read through the first time without highlighting. Can’t wait to read the second time and see what stands out! It’s a thorough, multifaceted perspective on 6 & 7. If you don’t feel Inspired to press through working these steps this book will inspire and motivate!!!! Then you can push through A reminder to not quit and enjoy the journey because that is where the freedom lies- NOT in reaching a destination Bc .....BIG spoiler alert...... there isn’t one!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is a thought-provoking “self help” book, however, if someone doesn’t have “years in the program” I suspect reading this book would be confusing or feel like a foreign language. I’ve been around ACA and al-anon (and by extension, AA) for a few years and still found this book hard at times (it’s also heavily Christian-oriented, as many of the original books are) yet I also gleaned a ton out of it and want to read it again. I’ve already re-read chapter 4, finding it so impactful.
These books provide excellent additional insight into the twelve step program of AA. Steps 6 and 7 are the core of the program moving the work of putting one's life back together from self- based focus to repair of relations with the world around us on an ongoing basis. The tools here are useful for self reflection and measure of progress toward enhancing your life on an ongoing basis.
I reckon you need to be an adherent of AA to find value in this, and from my experience if that, yep, I’d have a big buy-in, if I could hack the spirituality aspect. No matter how much I try, I just can’t do that
I read this with a group. The group was great. The book was ..... meh, not so much.
Honestly, the outline sucks. It doesn't really have a central thesis, nor does it really go anywhere in particular. It's more like a bunch of thoughts about step six and seven, that are strung together and edited.
In the group setting, it worked. Each page or two has something that you can talk about. But, I wouldn't recommend this for someone to sit down and read.
I listened to this second version on audible and it was good. a little preachy but he has the main ideas and some good ones if you want to change your life and do a little 6th and 7th step work.