To perceive is to suffer. — Aristotle In this program, we have given up our compulsive escapes from life. Our escapes may have been through dependent relationships with others, or with money, sex, food, drugs, work, or emotional binges. But now we are learning to live without them, and this has brought us in touch withContinue reading “FEAR (Face Everything And Recover) – Touchstones January 28th Reflection”
Category Archives: Effort
Owning Our Power – The Language Of Letting Go January 19th By Melody Beattie
There is one feeling we need to pay particular attention to in recovery: feeling victimized. We do not need to become comfortable with that feeling. How do we feel when we’ve been victimized? Helpless. Rageful. Powerless. Frustrated. Feeling victimized is dangerous. Often, it can prompt us into addictive or other compulsive behaviors. In recovery, we’reContinue reading “Owning Our Power – The Language Of Letting Go January 19th By Melody Beattie”
Bedevilments Are Transformed Into Promises – Big Book Awakening By Dan Sherman
On page 52 of the Big Book, we have a description of what has come to be known as the ‘bedevilments’. The bedevilments are fundamental life problems many of us were unable to solve in our active addiction and perhaps in our dry drunk state of abstinence without the practice of the Twelve Steps. DanContinue reading “Bedevilments Are Transformed Into Promises – Big Book Awakening By Dan Sherman”
When Age Happens – Grapevine Article February 2026 By Anonymous
The pains of getting older are no fun. But she uses every AA tool she’s got and copes a day at a time I got sober when I was 54, and I’m not so young anymore. Aging with pain has been one of the most emotionally challenging things I’ve had to deal with in sobriety.Continue reading “When Age Happens – Grapevine Article February 2026 By Anonymous”
Are We Really Willing to Change? – Grapevine Article December 1980 By R.B.
SIxth Step – Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character THE FIRST STEP was a cinch for me. I had run out of options, and the results of my drinking had been devastating; so self-debate about drinking simply didn’t exist. I knew I couldn’t drink safely. I did the FirstContinue reading “Are We Really Willing to Change? – Grapevine Article December 1980 By R.B.”
Forgiveness And The Amends Process – A Spiritual Principle A Day January 12th
Many of us want to skip ahead to Step Nine and apologize to those we’ve hurt in hopes of receiving their forgiveness. We desperately want to shed some of our guilt and shame. We may be convinced that getting others to forgive us would provide a shortcut to feeling better about ourselves. We’re reminded thatContinue reading “Forgiveness And The Amends Process – A Spiritual Principle A Day January 12th”
Finding Connection & Losing Self Centered Fear – Each Day A New Beginning January 11th
“Fear is only an illusion. It is the illusion that creates the feeling of separateness, the false sense of isolation that exists only in your imagination.”—Jeraldine Sounders We are one. We are connected, interdependent parts of the whole. We are not separate from each other except in the mind, in our false understanding of reality.Continue reading “Finding Connection & Losing Self Centered Fear – Each Day A New Beginning January 11th”
The Joy Of Living By Rabbi Simon Jacobson
This short reflection is a great way to deepen our understanding of what Bill W in the Twelve & Twelve (p.106) describes as the theme of the Twelfth Step ‘the joy of living’. He also uses a phrase I love to describe our experience in this joy as ‘life is not a dead end, notContinue reading “The Joy Of Living By Rabbi Simon Jacobson”
Relational Sponsorship – 12 Step Philosophy By Steve K
In the context of 12 Step recovery “relational sponsorship” is an ongoing recovery-based relationship that supports humility, accountability, and spiritual discernment through honest dialogue rather than authority or instruction. It’s a form a sponsorship that sometimes follows an initial introduction to the 12 Steps. It’s not written anywhere within the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)Continue reading “Relational Sponsorship – 12 Step Philosophy By Steve K”
From Loneliness To Solitude – Daily Meditations January 4 -6 By Henri Nouven
Henri Nouven, in his classic book Reaching Out, has a powerful way of describing the new ‘response ability’ we can experience ‘with God’ as we encounter our loneliness. He outlines what he describes as this movement from loneliness to solitude. These three daily meditations along with their reflection questions may be a good way toContinue reading “From Loneliness To Solitude – Daily Meditations January 4 -6 By Henri Nouven”