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”
Category Archives: Isolation
In God’s Hands – As Bill Sees It #2
When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God’s hands were better than anything we could have planned. ************ My depression deepened unbearably, and finally it seemed to me as though I were at the very bottom of the pit. For the moment, the lastContinue reading “In God’s Hands – As Bill Sees It #2”
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”
Clancy’s Seven Journaling Questions About Guilt, Resentment, Fear, Feeling Inadequate, and Loneliness By Dallas B
The very well known AA speaker Clancy I. shared these questions with one of his sponsees Dallas B. who published them on the AA resource website step12.com as a tool for sponsors. Thanks to Jim A. who extracted these questions and this background from that very useful website. You can find the full article thisContinue reading “Clancy’s Seven Journaling Questions About Guilt, Resentment, Fear, Feeling Inadequate, and Loneliness By Dallas B”
Powerlessness; We Learn By Doing It Wrong March 23rd 2023 Daily Meditation By Richard Rohr
Father Richard describes the futility of trying to “fix” ourselves: The genius of Twelve Step programs is that they situate powerlessness and surrender right where they belong—at the beginning. They teach how sin or addiction are overcome not through willpower or by control, but much more by recognizing that we are powerless to overcome them. ForContinue reading “Powerlessness; We Learn By Doing It Wrong March 23rd 2023 Daily Meditation By Richard Rohr”
Between Stimulus And Response – Extract From Chapter 22 of Strong Ground By Brené Brown
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” – Victor Frankl I experienced one of the most disorienting experiences in my life when I got sober in 1995. I use the word disorienting because time slowed toContinue reading “Between Stimulus And Response – Extract From Chapter 22 of Strong Ground By Brené Brown”
Remedy for a Lonely Holiday – Grapevine Article December 2025 By Chuck H.
With his wife away and daughter in the hospital, this newcomer’s Christmas was looking bleak. AA to the rescue. I’ve always wondered if our emotions and feelings are closer to the surface during the Christmas season than other times of the year. Is this because I’m reminded of the hope and joy that Christmas represents?Continue reading “Remedy for a Lonely Holiday – Grapevine Article December 2025 By Chuck H.”
People, Places, And Things – Grapevine Article June 1984 By S.C.
A look at the positive side of a familiar AA warning MANY BEGINNERS in my area are fond of saying, “I go to lots of meetings and I stay away from people, places, and things.” I’ve often felt like correcting the speaker by saying, “Surely, you don’t mean all people, places, and things.” I hold my tongueContinue reading “People, Places, And Things – Grapevine Article June 1984 By S.C.”
A Practice Of Thanksgiving – Daily Meditation November 27th By Richard Rohr
Gratitude is strongest, clearest, most robust, and radical when things are really hard. —Diana Butler Bass, Grateful During a time of crisis, historian and author Diana Butler Bass shares an experience of committing to a practice of gratitude: I did the only thing I could think of doing—simply saying “thanks” as I went through the day. IContinue reading “A Practice Of Thanksgiving – Daily Meditation November 27th By Richard Rohr”