A Broad Highway By Gord A Nelson, British Columbia Two long time members of AA in the vicinity of Nelson, BC were Shirley R and Gord A, and they had discussed the need for a secular AA group several times since about 2014. Gord had also discussed the possibility with … Continue reading
“How It Works” is Chapter 5 of the Big Book. The beginning of it (from pages 58 to 60 in the Fourth Edition) is often read at the beginning of traditional AA meetings. This reading begins with “Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path” … Continue reading
By Michael D. Originally published on June 3, 2015 on addiction.com I was really sorry to read that Dr. David Sinclair, who did so much research in the area of treating alcoholism, passed away at the beginning of April after a battle with cancer. The Sinclair Method is named after … Continue reading
Translating the Big Book into secular language, one day at a time: A review of Daily Reprieve: A.A. for Atheists & Agnostics (2017) By Joe C. “No one knows for certain whether God is or isn’t, so being asked to make that Hobson’s choice is pointless…” This is a portion … Continue reading
Without sobriety, I have zero quality of life. I became a liability to society. I now love myself and have compassion for others. I’m honest and dependable. I respect myself and am respected. I am a professional and love what I do for a living. I am loved by those … Continue reading
One of the favorite quotes I came across in early recovery was the following: “It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” (Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782) Jefferson might well have … Continue reading
By Bill White Originally published on December 8, 2017 on Selected Papers of William L. White The concept of karma holds that one’s fate in this life or future lives is not a random roll of the dice, but a direct product of one’s thoughts and actions. Rooted in many … Continue reading
Once a theist and deacon, he sets out on a spiritual journey with his home group to discover if the Lord’s Prayer truly serves all its members By Christopher S. Santa Rosa, California Copyright © AA Grapevine (October, 2017) On October 21, I am celebrating 19 years of continuous sobriety … Continue reading
By Bill White Originally posted on June 3, 2016 on Selected Papers of William L. White The addiction recovery experience has been sliced and diced in all manner of categories: secular, spiritual, and religious; natural recovery, peer-assisted, and treatment-assisted; and abstinence-based, moderation-based, and medication-assisted, to name just a few. Recovery … Continue reading
Riding the Tide We are a rapidly growing and evolving secular movement within Alcoholics Anonymous. Our “godfather”, if you will, was Jim Burwell, back in the 1930s. That’s where we all – I trust – learned the importance of “widening our gateway”. There were the first agnostic AA meetings in … Continue reading
Recovery Rising: A Retrospective of Addiction Treatment and Recovery Advocacy by William L. White Review by Linda Farris Kurtz, MSW, DPA, Emeritus Professor, Eastern Michigan University School of Social Work I first met Bill White on October 6, 1995 when he arrived at our house to meet with Ernie to … Continue reading