Self-pity is one of the most insidious obstacles to lasting sobriety. Both Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson, the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), frequently discussed the detrimental effects of self-pity on alcoholics. In the pages of the Big Book, “Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers,” and various articles in the Grapevine, they highlighted howContinue reading “Self-Pity: A Barrier to Lasting Sobriety – A.A. District 2 Alabama June 2024 By Anonymous”
Category Archives: Navigation
AA and the Oxford Group – By Ray A Author Of Book ‘Practice These Principles’
For the first 12 years of my sobriety, I attended meetings in the Gramercy Park section of New York, near the headquarters of the Oxford Group at Calvary Episcopal Church and their 23rd Street mission, where Bill W. first got sober. AA meetings were still held in the adjacent church building, where Bill, Ebby T.,Continue reading “AA and the Oxford Group – By Ray A Author Of Book ‘Practice These Principles’”
Fear Of Financial Insecurity Will Leave Us – Twelve & Twelve Pages 120 – 122
One of the 9th step promises can be especially elusive for many of us …”fear of economic insecurity will leave us”. I believe the Twelve & Twelve actually goes into a very useful review about how this fear leaves us. It’s important to note that the promise isn’t that economic insecurity leaves us but thatContinue reading “Fear Of Financial Insecurity Will Leave Us – Twelve & Twelve Pages 120 – 122”
The Individual’s Rights – As Bill Sees It #134
We believe there isn’t a fellowship on earth which devotes more care to its individual members; surely there is none which more jealously guards the individual’s right to think, talk, and act as he wishes. No A.A. can compel another to do anything; nobody can be punished or expelled. Our Twelve Steps to recovery areContinue reading “The Individual’s Rights – As Bill Sees It #134”
Step 11: The Contemplative Mind – Daily Meditation December 3rd 2015 By Richard Rohr
We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood [God], praying only for the knowledge of [God’s] will for us and the power to carry that out. The word prayer, which Bill Wilson rightly juxtaposes with the word meditation, is a code word for an entirely different way of processingContinue reading “Step 11: The Contemplative Mind – Daily Meditation December 3rd 2015 By Richard Rohr”
Listening In Recovery – 12 Step Philosophy By Galen T.
Many of us are familiar with the events that brought AA’s two founders together for the first time. On May 11th of 1935 Bill found himself pacing back and forth in the lobby of the Mayflower Hotel in Akron, OH. At one end of the lobby was a bar and at the other a public phone.Continue reading “Listening In Recovery – 12 Step Philosophy By Galen T.”
A Prayer That Transforms – Daily Meditations July 25th 2024 By Father Richard Rohr
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood [God], praying only for knowledge of [God’s] will for us and the power to carry that out. — Step 11 Father Richard connects prayer and meditation to a deepening acceptance of the will of God: The word prayer, which Bill W. used inContinue reading “A Prayer That Transforms – Daily Meditations July 25th 2024 By Father Richard Rohr”
Nine Attitudes Of Mindfulness By Jon Kabat-Zinn
In the article ‘How GUGOGS Meditation Works’, our friend Wayne S describes mindfulness as a “wise companion” that we can take with us into the realities of our everyday life. Wayne suggests our “goal is not to become a great meditator” but rather “for there to be no difference between the clarity and freedom youContinue reading “Nine Attitudes Of Mindfulness By Jon Kabat-Zinn”
Not Self-Affirmation But Self-Acceptance – Extract Chapter 44 From ‘The Courage To Be Disliked’ By Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
PHILOSOPHER: First of all, let’s look at what you were just saying, about your self-consciousness putting the brakes on and not letting you behave in an innocent way. There are probably many people who experience this trouble. So let’s go back to the source again and think about your goal. What could you be tryingContinue reading “Not Self-Affirmation But Self-Acceptance – Extract Chapter 44 From ‘The Courage To Be Disliked’ By Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga “
Making Use Of Telephone Therapy – Living Sober Chapter 10
When we were first trying to achieve sobriety, many of us found ourselves taking a drink without planning to. Sometimes, it seemed to happen practically without our knowing it. There was no conscious decision to drink, and there was no real thought about possible consequences. We had not intended to set off an entire drinkingContinue reading “Making Use Of Telephone Therapy – Living Sober Chapter 10”