Recently I found myself returning to a book I had read many years ago – The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz. As I reflected on his thoughts about these “Four Agreements,” I began to see connections with our efforts to achieve and maintain sobriety. In this article, I hope to show youContinue reading “Connections Between The Four Agreements & Recovery June 2022 By Mark S.”
Category Archives: Perfectionism
Letter To The Mother Of An Alcoholic – Language Of The Heart By Bill W 1944
Dear Mother of “J.”: I cannot tell how poignantly I am stirred by the letter you wrote the Grapevine about your alcoholic son. Just ten years ago my own mother, after years of frantic bewilderment, lost hope. Long a chronic problem drinker, I had come to the jumping-off place. A very good doctor had pronouncedContinue reading “Letter To The Mother Of An Alcoholic – Language Of The Heart By Bill W 1944”
Confusing Wants With Needs – Each Day A New Beginning – January 14th
In a culture where approval/disapproval has become the predominant regulator of effort and position, and often the substitute for love, our personal freedoms are dissipated. –Viola Spolin Wanting others to approve our efforts, our appearance, our aspirations and behavior is perfectly normal, certainly not unhealthy. However, needing the approval in order to proceed with ourContinue reading “Confusing Wants With Needs – Each Day A New Beginning – January 14th”
What We Could Not Do For Ourselves – Grapevine Article April 1989 By Eleanor R.
I can remember the first time I read the following sentence from chapter five of the Big Book: “We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.” I was sitting at a Big Book meeting, only a few months into the program, still pretty shaky and confused. But those words gave me a feeling of releaseContinue reading “What We Could Not Do For Ourselves – Grapevine Article April 1989 By Eleanor R.”
As Good As It Gets – Grapevine Article June 2023 By Greg S.
Today, I set out to do one of the things that gives me a great deal of satisfaction—taking care of life’s day-to-day tasks. In the old days, fun had to be a wild, drunken adventure. Nowadays, I find enjoyment in simple everyday jobs that feature a quiet sort of fun and a sense of accomplishment. Continue reading “As Good As It Gets – Grapevine Article June 2023 By Greg S.”
The Broken Pulley – Grapevine Article June 1992 By Mel B.
Some years ago, I realized that much of the great staying power of the AA program is wrapped up in Step Ten: “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.” In my opinion, this Step suggests the daily practice of Steps Four through Nine and is designed to keep usContinue reading “The Broken Pulley – Grapevine Article June 1992 By Mel B.”
What Prevents Us From Learning From Our Mistakes – Keep It Simple October 9th
A man should never be ashamed to own he was in the wrong.—Jonathan Swift In the past, we felt a mistake was a crisis. We thought we had a to be perfect. Our old ways was to try to hide our mistakes. We were ashamed. We thought making mistakes meant we were bad. Mistakes areContinue reading “What Prevents Us From Learning From Our Mistakes – Keep It Simple October 9th”
Only Try – As Bill Sees It #214
In my teens, I had to be an athlete because I was not an athlete. I had to be a musician because I could not carry a tune. I had to be the president of my class in boarding school. I had to first in everything because in my perverse heart I felt myself theContinue reading “Only Try – As Bill Sees It #214”
Breaking The Trance Of Unworthiness – Tara Brach
In our discussion of our divided self and it’s relationship to our alcoholism and addiction, let’s remember the provocative question of Dr. Gabor Matte that suggests what ‘cause and condition’ may need further exploration: “Addiction originates in a human being’s desperate attempt to solve a problem: the problem of emotional pain, of overwhelming stress, ofContinue reading “Breaking The Trance Of Unworthiness – Tara Brach”
Unsuspected Inner Resource – How Modern Therapy Is Discovering What Is Innate And Healing Within Us by Bruce M.
How can we access the unsuspected inner resource within us as we experience conflicts with those about us and within us As we explore the perhaps many parts within us that comprise the Dr. Jekyll of us attempting to manage better (i.e. parts like our Inner Critic, Striver, People Pleaser, Know-It-All) and the Mr. HydeContinue reading “Unsuspected Inner Resource – How Modern Therapy Is Discovering What Is Innate And Healing Within Us by Bruce M.”