Unacceptable – Grapevine Article October 2022 By Allen B.

I stood there in line growing more and more impatient. After all, I had important things to do. I didn’t have the time to stand in line waiting for their social hour to end. My journey in recovery started in 1971. I returned from combat in Vietnam with an alcohol and drug problem. I’m gratefulContinue reading “Unacceptable – Grapevine Article October 2022 By Allen B.”

Releasing Expectations & Soaring – Touchstones May 13th

As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might. –Marion Anderson Because of our resentments we sometimes get tense. We say we aren’t going to have contact with our parents until they doContinue reading “Releasing Expectations & Soaring – Touchstones May 13th”

Obstacles In Our Path – As Bill Sees It # 131

We live in a world riddled with envy. To a greater or lesser degree, everybody is infected with it. From this defect we must surely get a warped yet definite satisfaction. Else why would we consume so much time wishing for what we have not, rather than working for it, or angrily looking for attributesContinue reading “Obstacles In Our Path – As Bill Sees It # 131”

The Key To Step 1 – Recovery 2.0 By Tommy Rosen

The 1st Step is the most important one of all, and for so many, this is where the internal struggle begins. Admitting one’s powerlessness is hard enough on the ego, but it also hits on a deep fear that most people hold: the fear of change. One senses that “the party is over.” By reallyContinue reading “The Key To Step 1 – Recovery 2.0 By Tommy Rosen”

As Bill Sees It – Freedom To Choose # 124

Looking back, we see that our freedom to choose badly was not, after all, a very real freedom. When we chose because we “must,” this was not a free choice, either. But it got us started in the right direction. When we chose because we “ought to,” we were really doing better. This time weContinue reading “As Bill Sees It – Freedom To Choose # 124”

What Matters Most – Grapevine Article September 2021 By Kristin S.

Sometimes the results of our efforts to make amends take years. Sometimes they come after a lot of painful rejection. God’s timing is often mysterious, but it’s perfect. My dad and I had a rocky relationship while I was drinking. He kicked me out and had very little to do with me near the end.Continue reading “What Matters Most – Grapevine Article September 2021 By Kristin S.”

Dependence – Unhealthy Or Healthy – As Bill Sees It #72

Dependence—Unhealthy or Healthy Nothing can be more demoralizing than a clinging and abject dependence upon another human being. This often amounts to the demand for a degree of protection and love that no one could possibly satisfy. So our hoped-for protectors finally flee, and once more we are left alone—either to grow up or toContinue reading “Dependence – Unhealthy Or Healthy – As Bill Sees It #72”

Freed Prisoners – As Bill Sees It #234

Letter to a prison group: Every A.A. has been, in a sense, a prisoner.  Each of us has walled himself out of society; each has known social stigma.  The lot of you folks has been even more difficult:  In your case, society has also built a wall around you.  But there isn’t any really essentialContinue reading “Freed Prisoners – As Bill Sees It #234”

The Wily Ego – Grapevine Article December 1962 By Harry M. Tiebout,M.D.

The capacity of the Ego to bypass experience is astounding and would be humorous were it not so tragic in its consequences. Cutting the individual down to size and making the results last is a task never completely accomplished. The possibility of a return of his infantile Ego must be faced by every alcoholic. IfContinue reading “The Wily Ego – Grapevine Article December 1962 By Harry M. Tiebout,M.D.”

To Be Fair-Minded – As Bill Sees It # 113

Too often, I think, we have deprecated and even derided projects of our friends in the field of alcoholism just because we do not always see eye to eye with them. We should very seriously ask ourselves how many alcoholics have gone on drinking simply because we have failed to cooperate in good spirit withContinue reading “To Be Fair-Minded – As Bill Sees It # 113”