And ours too…
From the current online Grapevine issue – “A Child of Woodstock”, additional validation of many years of my adult life. Similar thoughts had been expressed to me well after the divorce when I had seen my ex for the first time in many months. She didn’t appear to be the person I had known and I brought it to my sponsor. His explanation was quite close;
“What is relevant here, as I began to realize slowly in AA, is that it was alcohol that made our marriage possible for all the years we stayed together. We drank as our …read more

I walked into a sandwich shop for lunch today and ran into a young man who had been coming to meetings at my home group for a short while a couple of months ago. He’d been “out” before after a few weeks but had stayed dry this time for a couple of months. I hadn’t seen him recently.
Ordered my sandwich and soda and had a seat with him. It’s funny but I know he didn’t like me when we initially met but we’d grown on each other. We made small talk briefly then I asked him where he’d been going …read more

Since I began writing here at A Dozen Steps one of the more controversial posts I’ve made was about a “Functional Alcoholic.” I feel I am able to speak on the topic because I was more than happy, as a newly sober person, to make claim that I had been influenced by alcohol in a “dysfunctional family” which had a lot to do with my drinking. That is until an oldtimer refused to cosign my bs and interrupted my sharing one night to inform me, in no uncertain terms, that the reason my family was dysfunctional was because I was …read more

Despite caustic, contradictory commentary in opposition to the reality, Alcoholics Anonymous does not demand that you be convinced you are an alcoholic. Once again, from Mel B.;
“In other words, the AA founders were not zealously committed to the task of convincing any person that he might be an alcoholic, or of citing scientific proof that he could never be a controlled drinker. This was something the individual would have to decide for himself, even at the cost of getting drunk again. Is it irresponsible to tell an alcoholic to try drinking again if he thinks he can get away with …read more

Anger is another topic that has received little play in meetings in this locale in recent memory. A lot can be written and said about anger by alcoholics. I am in full agreement with Mel B.;
“What really is behind a temper outburst? A temper explosion is not something that just blows up out of nowhere, a storm without a cause. It is actually a surface manifestation of inner hostility, of the emotions we often call ‘resentments’ in AA. I’ve learned that I am subject to moments of rage only if I allow myself to wallow around in a swamp of …read more

Check out “The Early Akron Pamphlets” at the Hindsfoot site then read “The Akron Manual.”
Quote;
“A.A. is not interested in sobering up drunks who are not sincere in their desire to remain completely sober for all time. A.A. is not interested in alcoholics who want to sober up merely to go on another bender, sober up because of fear for their jobs, their wives, their social standing, or to clear up some trouble either real or imaginary. In other words, if a person is genuinely sincere in his desire for continued sobriety for his own good, is convinced in his heart …read more

Some of you may know that A Dozen Steps really ought to be involved with discussing other fellowships in addition to Alcoholics Anonymous. I find myself getting away from this too often.
Recently I saw someone “out there” attempt to debunk the saying that “alcohol is a drug.” Well, for the singleness of purpose of AA that could confuse folks and I understand.
But for my friends who have problems with drugs that is the type of arrogance that could send someone to their death.
Directly from the Basic Text of Narcotics Anonymous, page 18;
“Thinking of alcohol as different from other drugs has …read more

If you haven’t been following the conversation, it is at “Big Book Prayers.”
I haven’t been able to find the exact pamphlet Ray speaks about but I did find this on AA’s web site: “Cooperating with Court, D.W.I. and Similar Programs.”
My first question to my readers is this – would you feel more comfortable not signing court papers brought to AA by those mandated by a judge?
What appears to be happening is that, in the long run, there are those who claim AA is a religious organization therefore the court mandating violaters to AA is unconstitutional. When an AA member signs …read more

Be clear in the implications that saying this might offer. THIS IS A PERSONAL OPINION! I DO NOT SAY THIS TO REPRESENT ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS! Clear enough?
If you take an unnecessary opportunity to reply to a post about Big Book Prayers to argue that AA is religious in nature then you no doubt are attempting to proselytize an alternative. Else, why argue?
Which means you’re working to try to win a useless argument where no argument had existed.
AA thrives on religious principles. Recovery thrives on religious principles. AA and recovery means that lives which would otherwise have been lost will now be …read more

Because it makes me feel better! That’s right, its about me…
Why don’t I tell you the truth? If I told you the truth you’d feel angry at me. Your feelings would be hurt and I’d be the one who hurt them. You wouldn’t like me anymore. I need to be liked. My insides are judged by your outsides. You don’t like me therefore I’m no good.
So I tell you you did a wonderful job with your drug talk in AA.
Thanks to Robyn, there is a very clear explanation of it which I will quote partially;
“In the past, I would have …read more