Many of the discussion topics chosen are taken from AA literature that may not be generally available to all participants in this meeting. This blog will share this AA literature that a chairperson has chosen that may not be generally available.
Many of the posts come from the over 60 years of archives from the monthly AA magazine, Grapevine. Other sources may include AA literature such as ‘As Bill Sees It’ as well as AA pamphlets.
There is also a growing set of quotes from the AA Big Book , Twelve and Twelve, Daily Reflections, and Living Sober.
All of these posts are categorized to allow quicker access. You can also search on key words that you are interested in learning more about.
If you find this article helpful, you may want to dive a little deeper with this article also from Ray A entitled ‘What Are The Principles We’re Supposed To Practice’ – Bruce M The phrase which concludes the 12 Steps and lays out the path to our continuing recovery raises three key questions: what are…
The winds of change blow through our lives, sometimes gently, sometimes like a tropical storm. Yes, we have resting places—time to adjust to another level of living, time to get our balance, time to enjoy the rewards. We have time to catch our breath. But change is inevitable and desirable. Sometimes, when the winds of…
The Uplift – Inspiration For People In Recovery When I’m asked by people if a Morning Practice would work for them, I always answer with an enthusiastic “YES”. How can I be so sure? There is over 5000 years of evidence that morning practice helps a person heal what has not been working, realize their excellence, and…
My friend Big Adam shared this poem with me. His poem reminds me of this article from Henri Nouven about how hope so fundamentally differs from optimism. Nouven says “the person of hope lives in the moment with the knowledge and trust that all of life is in good hands” and “hope is the trust…
My friend Owen was going through the writing of the beloved circuit speaker Clancy I and came up his list of ‘hidden promises’ associated with each of AA’s steps that I’ve shown below. They are full of hope and inspiration even though we don’t often identify any of them as promises. I also love this…
As many of you know, Allen Berger is a leader in Emotional Sobriety. His book 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety is featured prominently in the Emotional Sobriety section of the gugogs.org website. He is a Gestalt therapist with over 50 years of sobriety. Recently we completed a 5 Saturday series on Emotional Sobriety. – Bruce M. As we…
I love the phrase ‘let the best in me lead the rest in me’ that Dr. Allen Berger came up with. This article can help us realize that within us there is an ‘unsuspected inner resource’ (BB p.567) where we experience a ‘place of neutrality’(BB p.85) and discover this ‘best in me’. It further helps…
Love is a great beautifier. —Louisa May Alcott Meeting life head-on, with a smile, attracts people and situations to us. Our attitudes shape our world—which is not to deny that problems do occur. However, problems can be viewed as special opportunities for personal growth—as gifts, more or less, that we are ready to receive. When…
The woman was old, perhaps ninety. She had the frailness we sometimes see in the elderly, but her life force was strong, vital. She sat in the cafe eating breakfast with a younger woman. “You’ve been through a lot,” the younger woman said. “It must be hard since your husband died. How are you doing?”…
Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects that we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut off all effective communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford. AS BILL SEES…
