Having been sober in AA for a while, I was encouraged to read some other AA literature as well as the Big Book. One of my favourites is ‘AA Comes of Age’. For those who have not yet had the pleasure, it is about the 20th Anniversary Convention of AA in St Louis and theContinue reading “Ego Reduction and Surrender – Road To Recovery Group Plymouth MA By Chris S.”
Category Archives: Powerlessness
Our Critics Can Be Our Benefactors – Grapevine Article April 1963 By Bill W.
Bill’s View A magazine article criticizing certain aspects of AA reminds us of the need to review our relationships to medicine, to religion and to the world at large. When the Grapevine editors consulted Bill W. on the matter, he suggested a rereading of relevant portions of “Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age” (published in 1957)Continue reading “Our Critics Can Be Our Benefactors – Grapevine Article April 1963 By Bill W.”
After Twenty-Five Years – Grapevine Article March 1960 By Bill W.
For the many groups throughout the AA world who plan to hold twenty-fifth anniversary gatherings this year, our co-founder Bill W. has written this glimpse of the panorama of AA today. GSO has also made available a short version of Bill’s message for groups wishing to use it at “AA 25th” meetings–THE EDITORS. IT isContinue reading “After Twenty-Five Years – Grapevine Article March 1960 By Bill W.”
Learn To Use Misfortune – Grapevine Article April 1984 By W.J.
The best illustration of gratitude I know lies in the story of Louis Braille. Louis was the son of a French shoemaker. One day, his father, working at his bench with Louis underfoot, dropped a sharp instrument known as an awl from the table. It hit the boy in the eye and caused him toContinue reading “Learn To Use Misfortune – Grapevine Article April 1984 By W.J.”
When We Stop Negotiating With Reality – Take The 12 Blog May 2026 By Rick W.
Step One, Acceptance, and the Freedom Found in Surrender One of the most exhausting things an alcoholic ever does is negotiate with reality. We negotiate with consequences. We negotiate with truth. We negotiate with our own patterns, our own pain, our own powerlessness. We say things like: And perhaps the most dangerous negotiation of all: “IContinue reading “When We Stop Negotiating With Reality – Take The 12 Blog May 2026 By Rick W.”
Learning To Support Not Punish Ourselves By Dr. Kristin Neff
The most important boundary I have is with myself. It is not OK for me to condemn or hate myself. Instead of believing and accepting that judgment; I can pause and gets curious about this reaction of so much hate and disgust for myself. What I usually find is that I’m believing a bunch ofContinue reading “Learning To Support Not Punish Ourselves By Dr. Kristin Neff”
Don’t Hand Them the Steering Wheel – Take The 12 Blog June 2026 By Rick W
One of the greatest freedoms recovery offers is the ability to stop letting other people decide who we’re going to be. Most of us arrived in Alcoholics Anonymous with a long list of reasons why we drank, acted out, exploded, withdrew, lied, manipulated, or held resentments. We became experts at pointing to what someone elseContinue reading “Don’t Hand Them the Steering Wheel – Take The 12 Blog June 2026 By Rick W”
Rewiring the Way We Speak, Listen, and Think – Take The 12 Blog June 2026 By Rick W.
Sobriety Didn’t Just Change What I Said, It Changed How I Communicate. How Recovery Rewired the Way I Speak, Listen, and Think One of the most overlooked miracles of recovery has very little to do with alcohol. Most of us came to Alcoholics Anonymous because drinking had become unmanageable. We stayed because we discovered somethingContinue reading “Rewiring the Way We Speak, Listen, and Think – Take The 12 Blog June 2026 By Rick W.”
Letting Go Of Old Beliefs – The Language Of Letting Go June 23rd By Melody Beattie
Try harder. Do better. Be perfect. These messages are tricks that people have played on us. No matter how hard we try, we think we have to do better. Perfection always eludes us. Messages of perfectionism are tricks because we can never achieve that goal. We cannot feel good about ourselves or what we haveContinue reading “Letting Go Of Old Beliefs – The Language Of Letting Go June 23rd By Melody Beattie”
Step 1: From Illusion To Surrender – Chapter 1 Of ‘The Prep Steps: Setting Up Action In A.A.’ By Rick W.
Rick W has written a short, outstanding book about the linkage between preparation and taking the actions suggested in the Twelve Steps. He explains the challenge he addresses with his book this way: I began to notice that the Steps didn’t just ask me to act, they taught me how to become ready to act.Continue reading “Step 1: From Illusion To Surrender – Chapter 1 Of ‘The Prep Steps: Setting Up Action In A.A.’ By Rick W.”