Acceptance & Expectations – 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety – Dr. Allen Berger

Acceptance is one of the “big ideas” in recovery. There is a natural connection between self-acceptance—learning to accept our true self as we are—and learning to accept the world as it is. And the world as it is never fits our expectations. That’s a tough lesson, because a part of us always clings to theContinue reading “Acceptance & Expectations – 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety – Dr. Allen Berger”

Self Acceptance – 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety by Dr. Allen Berger

Acceptance and Self-Acceptance Acceptance comes in two types: acceptance of the world as it is and, more specifically, acceptance of who we are as individuals. Acceptance is one of the “big ideas” in recovery. This is one of the great challenges we face: accepting that life is what it is. When we struggle with addiction,Continue reading “Self Acceptance – 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety by Dr. Allen Berger”

Learning To Feel – Grapevine Article February 2023 by Laura S.

Early in my sobriety, my sponsor Linda told me that I was allowed to call and whine about a situation exactly once. After that, we were going to talk about solutions, not problems. She also gave me a time limit on feeling sorry for myself. I can’t remember if it was 10 minutes or 15Continue reading “Learning To Feel – Grapevine Article February 2023 by Laura S.”

Make Your Immaturity Pay – Grapevine Article March 1965 by Anonymous

Those defects can keep us alive to the need to change TWENTY years ago emotional immaturity was mentioned and discussed in our Fellowship frequently and in depth. We had a monopoly on it in those days. All of us were impressed. The fact that we all had it in varying degrees was universally accepted. ItContinue reading “Make Your Immaturity Pay – Grapevine Article March 1965 by Anonymous”

We Never Give Up – Grapevine Article February 2020 by Alex M.

A man from Nepal reminds him that we don’t have the power to get people sober. We just hope and keep reaching out On a cold morning in February, I got a call from an AA friend who was working with a local ministry group that helped refugees and immigrants who had been given asylumContinue reading “We Never Give Up – Grapevine Article February 2020 by Alex M.”

Turn It All Over – Grapevine Article January 1984 by J.W.

Step Three I WAS WHAT is called a high-bottom drunk. When I got to the AA program, I had not been beaten down enough to have anything even remotely approaching real humility. I was smug, arrogant, self-satisfied, and certain that every area of my life except my alcoholism was firmly and securely under my control.Continue reading “Turn It All Over – Grapevine Article January 1984 by J.W.”

A World With Clear Eyes – Grapevine Article October 2022 by Brent T.

When he was drinking, he was lost in his emotions. The Steps of AA helped bring him back I was a “happy-go-lucky” drunk and an avid party goer. I was almost always happy. But when I had hangovers, I saw the truth of what I was becoming—sad, depressed and demoralized. I tried my best toContinue reading “A World With Clear Eyes – Grapevine Article October 2022 by Brent T.”

Character Building – Daily Reflection April 2nd

Character Building Demand made upon other people for too much attention, protection , and love can only invite domination or revulsion…TWELVE STEPS&TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 44 When I uncovered my need for approval in the Fourth Step, I didn’t think it should rank as a character defect. I wanted to think of it more as anContinue reading “Character Building – Daily Reflection April 2nd”

That Day On The Bridge – Grapevine Article September 1962 by M.D.B

My thoughts were on a collision course with the oncoming train (yet all my troubles were within myself) IN May or June of 1948, I stood on the side of a viaduct in western Oregon and played host to a legion of morbid thoughts. A fast freight train rushed towards the tracks directly below. SinceContinue reading “That Day On The Bridge – Grapevine Article September 1962 by M.D.B”

Faith – Deed or Creed ? A Grapevine Mashup

As I read the Daily Reflection we will be discussing this morning July 4th entitled ‘Natural Faith’ , I realized that for some this reading may feel like a condescending projection about an experience of God that makes certain something that many in AA find otherwise. This article takes extracts from 4 different AA GrapevineContinue reading “Faith – Deed or Creed ? A Grapevine Mashup”