Unacceptable – Grapevine Article October 2022 By Allen B.

I stood there in line growing more and more impatient. After all, I had important things to do. I didn’t have the time to stand in line waiting for their social hour to end. My journey in recovery started in 1971. I returned from combat in Vietnam with an alcohol and drug problem. I’m gratefulContinue reading “Unacceptable – Grapevine Article October 2022 By Allen B.”

What Matters Most – Grapevine Article September 2021 By Kristin S.

Sometimes the results of our efforts to make amends take years. Sometimes they come after a lot of painful rejection. God’s timing is often mysterious, but it’s perfect. My dad and I had a rocky relationship while I was drinking. He kicked me out and had very little to do with me near the end.Continue reading “What Matters Most – Grapevine Article September 2021 By Kristin S.”

Changing The Way We See In Our 4th Step – Practice These Principles Ray A.

“We swing from blaming others and getting angry, to blaming ourselves and getting depressed. In either case, we weren’t seeing straight” For us alcoholics, changing the way we see is changing the way we are in every significant aspect of our being: morally, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. Our goal is to be better, not justContinue reading “Changing The Way We See In Our 4th Step – Practice These Principles Ray A.”

To Be Fair-Minded – As Bill Sees It # 113

Too often, I think, we have deprecated and even derided projects of our friends in the field of alcoholism just because we do not always see eye to eye with them. We should very seriously ask ourselves how many alcoholics have gone on drinking simply because we have failed to cooperate in good spirit withContinue reading “To Be Fair-Minded – As Bill Sees It # 113”

Toward Partnership – As Bill Sees It #292

When the distortion of family life through alcohol has been great, a long period of patient striving may be necessary. After the husband joins A.A., the wife may become discontented, even highly resentful that A.A. has done the very thing that all her years of devotion had failed to do. Her husband may become soContinue reading “Toward Partnership – As Bill Sees It #292”

Growth – Grapevine Article June 1976 By Tricia J.

A NEW THOUGHT has been forming in my mind (now that the AA program has put it in working order). I believe that an element most important in building our sober lives is what is left out. Several months ago, my husband and I enrolled in a beginners’ art course. We didn’t become great painters,Continue reading “Growth – Grapevine Article June 1976 By Tricia J.”

The Old Fear Of God Had To Go – Grapevine Article April 1968 By M.M.P.

I found I must turn to God as a child FOR EIGHT years I was a loner in the program, using the Twelve Steps as the tools with which to build my life. In the beginning of my search for a conscious contact with God, I found it was impossible to approach Him still holdingContinue reading “The Old Fear Of God Had To Go – Grapevine Article April 1968 By M.M.P.”

Eliminating Shame Through The Principles and Practices of Alcoholics Anonymous by Steve K.

The word shame is derived from the Indo-European ‘skein’, which means to hide. Shame makes us want to hide from ourselves, and our peers – making shame an existentially isolating state of mind. Feeling shame makes a person dejection-based, passive, or helpless, causing the ashamed person to focus more on devaluing or condemning his entireContinue reading “Eliminating Shame Through The Principles and Practices of Alcoholics Anonymous by Steve K.”

Letting Go Of Hope – Grapevine Article By Mira C.

When hope was replaced by faith, the program really began to work for her Today, I am a grateful recovering alcoholic. I am grateful for reaching what I could only describe as a state of hopelessness and desperation. Craving to fill the void in me, I used to hold onto anything and everything that helpedContinue reading “Letting Go Of Hope – Grapevine Article By Mira C.”

As Good As It Gets – Grapevine Article June 2023 By Greg S.

Today, I set out to do one of the things that gives me a great deal of satisfaction—taking care of life’s day-to-day tasks. In the old days, fun had to be a wild, drunken adventure. Nowadays, I find enjoyment in simple everyday jobs that feature a quiet sort of fun and a sense of accomplishment. Continue reading “As Good As It Gets – Grapevine Article June 2023 By Greg S.”