Click here to read more from Rick W and see articles about Step 1 , Step 2 , Step 4 and Step 6 . I find Rick’s short articles about what he calls the preparation steps from his excellent book ‘The Prep Steps: Setting Up Action In A.A. full of insights and extremely helpful –Continue reading “Step 8 From Awareness To Responsibility – Chapter 5 The Prep Steps: Why Preparation Makes Action Sustainable By Rick W”
Author Archives: Bruce McPherson
Let the Bulldozer In – Take The 12 Blog September 2026 By Rick W
Hidden in Plain Sight I was in a Big Book study tonight, reading “The Family Afterward,” when another member pointed out something I had never really seen. I’ve read this passage a thousand times. Okay, maybe not a thousand. But enough times that I thought I knew what was there. That’s what happens when I study theContinue reading “Let the Bulldozer In – Take The 12 Blog September 2026 By Rick W”
AA Benefits Vary Between Sexes – Harvard Gazette December 2012 By Sue McGreevey
Study finds differences in they how they participate an important factor A new study finds differences in the ways that participation in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) helps men and women maintain sobriety. Two Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators found that while many factors were helpful to all AA participants, some had stronger effects in men and some in women. ForContinue reading “AA Benefits Vary Between Sexes – Harvard Gazette December 2012 By Sue McGreevey”
The Paradox Of Self Compassion September 2026 By Dr. Kristin Neff
There’s a paradox at the heart of self-compassion. Although the word “self” is right there in the name, self-compassion actually represents a movement away from the perspective of self. In fact, it should probably be spelled “self→compassion.” This movement is reflected in the way I define and measure self-compassion. The Self-Compassion Scale has six subscales, whichContinue reading “The Paradox Of Self Compassion September 2026 By Dr. Kristin Neff”
When Defects Are Less Than Deadly – As Bill Sees It #96
Practically everybody wishes to be rid of his most glaring and destructive handicaps. No one wants to be so proud that he is scorned as a braggart, nor so greedy that he is labelled a thief. No one wants to be angry enough to murder, lustful enough to rape, gluttonous enough to ruin his health. No one wantsContinue reading “When Defects Are Less Than Deadly – As Bill Sees It #96”
Patience and the Process of Healing – A Spiritual Principle A Day September 7th
Some of us came into AA hoping for a speedy recovery, like the way we’d bounced back after that accident and got over the flu right quick. We wanted to put addiction behind us, and then we could get on with life. A mixture of hope and denial convinced us that detoxing would fix us.Continue reading “Patience and the Process of Healing – A Spiritual Principle A Day September 7th”
Don’t Waste the Failure – Take The 12 Blog August 2026 By Rick W
I don’t particularly like failing. I don’t like being wrong. I don’t like discovering that I’ve hurt somebody. I don’t like having to admit that something I was absolutely certain about turned out to be absolutely wrong. I don’t like rejection. I don’t like finding out that despite my best efforts, something simply didn’t work.Continue reading “Don’t Waste the Failure – Take The 12 Blog August 2026 By Rick W”
The Full Serenity Prayer (Long Version) – Sober Speak August 2022 By Shannon M
There’s something profound about those 3 AM moments when sleep won’t come and your mind races with regret, fear, or that familiar restlessness. Maybe you’re three days clean, or three years, or somewhere in between. In those moments, when the weight of “what if” and “if only” threatens to pull you under, you need somethingContinue reading “The Full Serenity Prayer (Long Version) – Sober Speak August 2022 By Shannon M”
The Courage to Face Reality – Grapevine Article November 1957 By Anonymous
I THINK IT WAS ST. THOMAS AQUINAS who wrote that life must be lived, even by those who cannot find the courage to face it. Surely one of the most common reasons that men become alcoholics is that they cannot find the courage to face the realities of life. Yet these remain and, after theContinue reading “The Courage to Face Reality – Grapevine Article November 1957 By Anonymous”
Guide to a Better Way – As Bill Sees It #149
Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confession of shortcomings which the Steps require. But we saw that the program really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness of life as we had been living it. When, therefore, we were approached by those inContinue reading “Guide to a Better Way – As Bill Sees It #149”