The following is Bill’s answer to a letter asking about the role of will power in staying sober. This article is also included in the book of Bill’s letters entitled “Language Of The Heart” There has always been a lot of confusion about this matter of exerting the will. When the Twelve Steps say “WeContinue reading “Where Will Power Comes In – Grapevine Article May 1962 By Bill W”
Category Archives: Pride
How Our Character Is Revealed By Our Emotions – Practice These Principles By Ray A.
Our moral inventory as laid out in the Big Book is an examination of our character flaws as they relate to three emotions. These are anger, resentment, and fear. We make a list of the people we are angry at and note next to each the “cause” of our resentments (our perception of what theyContinue reading “How Our Character Is Revealed By Our Emotions – Practice These Principles By Ray A.”
Understanding Relapse By Addresssing Shame By Dr. Allen Berger
Relapse is a common characteristic of the chronic disease of addiction. You must address shame if you are going to get and stay sober. Even if you are unaware of feeling shame, it is likely to be an undercurrent in your life—a powerful, hidden undertow that can pull you under if you aren’t prepared forContinue reading “Understanding Relapse By Addresssing Shame By Dr. Allen Berger”
At The Jumping-Off Point – Grapevine Article By S.W.
It wasn’t until he started putting his shoes under the bed that he came to believe I behaved my way into believing. When I came through the doors of my first AA meeting, I was desperate. I had already picked out a bridge abutment that I wanted to smash my car into. The hope wasContinue reading “At The Jumping-Off Point – Grapevine Article By S.W.”
Mashup – Recognizing And Surrendering Our Grandiosity
The belief in how special and unique we are can develop into a grandiosity that we may need to recognize within ourselves. The Twelve & Twelve reminds us of what the results of a study of alcoholics concluded were our most common personality traits The doctors weren’t trying to find how different we were fromContinue reading “Mashup – Recognizing And Surrendering Our Grandiosity”
Feeling Special and Unique – 12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery By Dr. Allen Berger
PART ONE | Humility Humility is the spiritual foundation of recovery. In order to feel worthy, we do not need to be unique. People who do best in recovery are those who surrender and follow suggestions. A common first response to the requirements of recovery is to negotiate, to pick and choose what we thinkContinue reading “Feeling Special and Unique – 12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery By Dr. Allen Berger”
Mashup – Should I Move From A Manager To A Wise Navigator Of My Life
This mashup of two articles should allow us to explore what lies after the dash in the 1st Step …‘that our lives had become unmanageable’. Is our goal in sobriety to manage/control OR is it to learn to wisely navigate through a reality of what we can control and what we cannot? How do weContinue reading “Mashup – Should I Move From A Manager To A Wise Navigator Of My Life”
Getting To Know Our Differentiated Self – 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety By Dr. Allen Berger
I think there is a strong connection between this article and what I like to call the ‘mini-steps’ suggested as responses to a spot inventory of what disturbs us. These mini-steps are suggested in the Twelve £ Twelve in Step 10. Specifically, I see this article as very prescriptive when I find myself taking thingsContinue reading “Getting To Know Our Differentiated Self – 12 Essential Insights For Emotional Sobriety By Dr. Allen Berger”
No Ordinary Lunch – Grapevine Article December 2024 By Anonymous
One day in a quiet suburban neighborhood, a meeting of two friends becomes a life-saving opportunity to reach out A dear AA friend and former sponsor and I decided to have lunch together. She had been a support to me for many years and had sponsored me through very difficult times, including the death ofContinue reading “No Ordinary Lunch – Grapevine Article December 2024 By Anonymous”
Working Incognito – Grapevine Article April 1994 By Susan G.
When people learn that they are suffering from an incurable, progressive disease, they are said to follow a pattern of denial, anger, fear, and acceptance. I know that’s what happened to me. Following a court-ordered drug and alcohol evaluation, I was diagnosed as having severe alcoholism requiring in-patient treatment. I went through the evaluation reportContinue reading “Working Incognito – Grapevine Article April 1994 By Susan G.”