One of the things that’s so toxic about a true resentment is its ability to conceal itself from the resenter. It’s like a spiritual tapeworm that takes up residence in the victim’s moral metabolism and just gorges itself with judgements, anger, self-justification, and other forms of selfishness and self-centeredness that cause us so much unhappiness.Continue reading “Resentment and Forgiveness – Grapevine Article November 1995 by Jim M.”
Category Archives: Sponsorship
Living The Principles – Grapevine Article February 1993 by Tom F
It was 1967 and I was attending my first Southwest Wisconsin AA Conference. I saw him in the crowd and thought, What a weird-looking character. He had large soulful eyes and a haircut so short it made his head look shaved. If he’d been wearing a brown robe, he could have passed for a monk.Continue reading “Living The Principles – Grapevine Article February 1993 by Tom F”
The Good Old Times – Grapevine Article June 1985 by Anonymous
SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I crawled back to AA after a slip lasting more than a year. Along with a deep thankfulness for being home again, I’ve occasionally experienced some irritation (perhaps a stab of false pride) on being told by another member, “I don’t have to drink again–you did it for me!” That slip broughtContinue reading “The Good Old Times – Grapevine Article June 1985 by Anonymous”
Quiet Guidance – Grapevine Article May 1990 by Anonymous
Whenever I hear sponsors mentioned in AA meetings, I think about the sponsors I’ve had since September 1974, when I first got to AA. I remember my first sponsor. Let’s call her Wilma, since that wasn’t her name. I asked her to be my sponsor after my first AA meeting. Wilma was the only oneContinue reading “Quiet Guidance – Grapevine Article May 1990 by Anonymous”
No Longer Alone – Grapevine Article May 2020 by David S
With a sponsor’s tough love and unconditional acceptance, he finished his Fifth Step and got back into life At the meeting, he would sit facing the door. The vigil of a lonely man, I came to think of it as. The kind of vigil I used to maintain on a barstool, hoping for the rightContinue reading “No Longer Alone – Grapevine Article May 2020 by David S”
Unzipping the Steps – Grapevine Article September 2004 by Linda B.
Necessary protection during emotional free fall A man who had begun drinking again after a long period of sobriety spoke in a meeting about how he “had worked the Steps in reverse.” First he quit doing service (Step Twelve), then he let go of his spiritual life (Step Eleven), then he quit taking a dailyContinue reading “Unzipping the Steps – Grapevine Article September 2004 by Linda B.”
Yes to Sobriety – Grapevine Article Web Exclusive by Ken K.
In the aftermath of the tragic death of a sponsee, his sponsor reflects back on life, service, and relapse in AA “Ken, I think something bad happened to Dan.” With those words, spoken softly over the telephone by a fellow recovering alcoholic early one evening last spring, my worst fears as an AA sponsor beganContinue reading “Yes to Sobriety – Grapevine Article Web Exclusive by Ken K.”
Planting Seeds – Grapevine Article June 2020 By Karen C.
After years of hard work, a committee in Northern California starts a successful prison sponsorship program Since 1987, one of the defining characteristics of my sobriety has been my participation in the NorCal (Northern California) Hospitals & Institutions (H&I) Committee. While I’ve loved all my service work, carrying the message of AA to the alcoholicContinue reading “Planting Seeds – Grapevine Article June 2020 By Karen C.”
What Is Sponsorship – AA Pamphlet Questions & Answers On Sponsorship
You can access this important AA pamphlet in its totality by clicking here. Here is a high level excerpt from this pamphlet that establishes a basic understanding of what sponsorship is and how critical it has been been and continues to be in A.A. What is sponsorship?Alcoholics Anonymous began with sponsorship. When Bill W., onlyContinue reading “What Is Sponsorship – AA Pamphlet Questions & Answers On Sponsorship”
Sponsorship Goes Both Ways – May 1998 Grapevine Article AA General Services Office
A.A.’s program of recovery is spiritual, but the hands-on action of two drunks – one sober, the other new or returning from a slip-helping each other is what glues it together, as our co-founders quickly found out. Looking back on their relationship some years later, Bill W. observed, “Dr. Bob did not need me forContinue reading “Sponsorship Goes Both Ways – May 1998 Grapevine Article AA General Services Office”