Developing A New Way To Relate & Respond To Pain – Stephen Hayes

Do you feel stuck ? Are you constantly battling with your thoughts and the conflicting noises in your head? Think of this article and the related video as teaching us how to move from that rigidity of the quicksand of being stuck to find a flexible ‘way out’ that can move us in an entirelyContinue reading “Developing A New Way To Relate & Respond To Pain – Stephen Hayes”

Rationalizing Away Our Recovery – Just For Today March 6th p.68

“As a result of the Twelve Steps, I’m not able to hold on to old ways of deceiving myself.”  ❖ We all rationalize. Sometimes we know we are rationalizing, admit we are rationalizing, yet continue to behave according to our rationalizations! Recovery can become very painful when we decide that, for one reason or another,Continue reading “Rationalizing Away Our Recovery – Just For Today March 6th p.68”

My Best Friend – Grapevine Article March 2025 By L.G.

Once alone and full of self-pity, she made a decision to let Step Three introduce her to a partner for life When I came into AA, my will was pretty much dead. I didn’t want to quit drinking and definitely didn’t want to be an alcoholic, but that was where I fit, on the bottomContinue reading “My Best Friend – Grapevine Article March 2025 By L.G.”

Understanding Relapse By Addresssing Shame By Dr. Allen Berger

Relapse is a common characteristic of the chronic disease of addiction. You must address shame if you are going to get and stay sober. Even if you are unaware of feeling shame, it is likely to be an undercurrent in your life—a powerful, hidden undertow that can pull you under if you aren’t prepared forContinue reading “Understanding Relapse By Addresssing Shame By Dr. Allen Berger”

Peeling Back The Layers Of The Onion

Jacque has chosen a mashup of articles that explore how we often replace our dependency on alcohol with another unhealthy dependency. These articles show us how we can work Step 1 and the rest of the steps on these additional unhealthy dependencies which may be revealed. In the Twelve and Twelve, Bill W outlines healthyContinue reading “Peeling Back The Layers Of The Onion”

Our Thinking Problem – Big Book Substitution p.30

One of our group members, Jack, has used this substitution of ‘thinking’ rather than ‘drinking’ as a great asset in his ongoing recovery . I also find this very, very helpful as I move to accept the obsessive thinking that leads to restless, irritable and discontent and then embrace steps 2 and 3 throughout theContinue reading “Our Thinking Problem – Big Book Substitution p.30”

No Ordinary Lunch – Grapevine Article December 2024 By Anonymous

One day in a quiet suburban neighborhood, a meeting of two friends becomes a life-saving opportunity to reach out  A dear AA friend and former sponsor and I decided to have lunch together. She had been a support to me for many years and had sponsored me through very difficult times, including the death ofContinue reading “No Ordinary Lunch – Grapevine Article December 2024 By Anonymous”

Resentment – Atlas Of The Heart By Brené Brown

Understanding resentment—how it works in my life, where it comes from, and how I stay out of it—has been one of my lifelong struggles. This is not something that’s easy for me to share with you, because, on top of struggling with resentment, I’m judgmental toward my own resentment. Let me explain. We know fromContinue reading “Resentment – Atlas Of The Heart By Brené Brown”

Conscience And Step Ten – Spiritual Principle A Day October 24th

“We need to stay in tune with the voice of our conscience and listen to what it’s telling us. When we get a nagging feeling that something isn’t quite right, we should pay attention to it.” It Works, Step Ten Our days of justifying our own bad behavior are mostly behind us. Sure, we stillContinue reading “Conscience And Step Ten – Spiritual Principle A Day October 24th”

False Pride & Self Centered Fear – Experience The Big Book By Dr. Michael H.

Clancy I., in one of his talks, stated that false pride is a killer for alcoholics.  He defined false pride as a compensation for feeling “less than”.   That statement defined my life.  From early childhood, I was constantly seeking approval through actions or achievements.  Just being “Michael” wasn’t good enough.  I never felt OK.Continue reading “False Pride & Self Centered Fear – Experience The Big Book By Dr. Michael H.”