By Bill White This article was published on February 16, 2018, in The Selected Papers of William L. White The devastating effects of addiction on physical/emotional health and social functioning have been meticulously catalogued, but far less attention has been given to its toll on character and the role character … Continue reading
By Michael D. Around 2 or 3 am the morning of my 37th birthday – January 20, 1979 – I was in a serious car accident. Like many other alcoholics, I had reached a point where I hated my drinking but also hated the prospect of stopping. The only way … Continue reading
By Clara M. Intro Even Big Book Thumpers have a rough time with “To Wives.” In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, chapter 8 may be the least-thumped, and most skipped, so my first impulse in this critique was to turn the worst bits into Internet memes and declare myself … Continue reading
AA’s Step Twelve: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. By Paul W. Prelude To any unbiased reader, the Big Book’s elaboration on “Working with Others” makes crystal clear … Continue reading
By Thomas B. Commencing on May 3rd and continuing through May 13th, AA Agnostica and AA Beyond Belief surveyed the Secular AA community in regards to the upcoming 85th AA International Convention to be held in Detroit from July 2 through July 5, 2020. Herein follows the five questions on … Continue reading
Addiction is a mask. We wear the mask of alcoholism and/or addiction because we can’t – or simply don’t want to – deal with day-to-day existence. “We withdrew from society, from life itself.” (Bill Wilson) This article aptly describes the life-in-recovery process. “It takes courage to grow up and become … Continue reading
By John S. AA Beyond Belief Since 1945, the International AA Convention has been held every five years, and the next convention will be held in Detroit, Michigan from July 2nd through July 5th, 2020. AA members from around the world will gather in great numbers to celebrate the 85th … Continue reading
By Tom L. The gates restricting access into AA are being essentially blown away with explosions in recent years of secular literature, meetings, websites and conferences. Detonations in North America and beyond make this evident as a real movement, a movement that may save AA as a still-viable recovery program … Continue reading
“If something is true, no amount of wishful thinking will change it.” (Richard Dawkins) Conversely, “If something is false, no amount of wishful thinking will change it.” By Paul W. Introduction Chapter 5 of the Big Book, misleadingly titled “How it Works,” is an introduction to the Twelve Steps themselves … Continue reading
Review By Linda Farris Kurtz Many readers will recognize Katherine Ketcham’s name from the sixteen books she has co-authored with other writers: Under the Influence with James Milam and The Spirituality of Imperfection with Ernest Kurtz to name but two. The Only Life I Could Save: A Memoir is Kathy’s … Continue reading
By Eliza Radeka Originally published on December 21, 2017 in the Boulder Weekly On Wednesday nights, the basement of Boulder’s Pine Street Church fills to capacity for the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) open meeting. Facilitators lead the group in an opening prayer or statement, before members go up one by one … Continue reading