Archive of Old Posts

Okay, so the first eight steps were behind me. I felt as if I had already given so much of myself in the previous steps, but was now faced with moving…

Tradition Nine is astonishing, “AA as such ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.” In the words of Bill W,…

What constitutes a good AA meeting? Please do not ask me for a list of questions which might draw more varied responses than this. Suffice it to say that beauty is…

It was started in 1976 by Marian B and B. Marvis L, Marian and Marvis were working for South Valley Counseling Services, funded by Salt Lake County, After losing their funding,…

There once was a girl. She didn’t know much but that changed. She was confused about what was happening. She thought and thought and just had a gut feeling, and later…

Tradition 8: Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers. “Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional. We define professionalism as the occupation of counseling alcoholics…

My sobriety date is December 4, 1986 and I was introduced to AA through the rooms of Al-anon; for the very first time in my life people listened to me and…

The main theme of Step Seven is the continued progression of Humility, which allows us to move closer to God by moving away from ourselves and the bondage of self.  Attaining…

“Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.” This tradition may be one of the best examples of the miraculous change that can occur when alcoholics are relieved of…

I was three weeks sober when I traveled to Colorado to visit my family for Thanksgiving. I was excited, but scared. I was going back to a town filled with old drinking…

My favorite part of Tradition Six is the idea of devotion to a primary purpose.  In Tradition Five, we’re told that our primary purpose is to stay sober and carry the…

I was asked to share my experience, strength and hope concerning Step 6.  We all arrive in Alcoholics Anonymous from different experiences so I’ll let you know a bit about my…

29th Recovery Birthday Facebook Post (7.15.2015)—Anne L On July 7, 1986, 29 years ago, I woke up sick, shamed, hungover, and in deep animal confusion. I woke up this way most…

God, please help me to complete my housecleaning by admitting to another human being the exact nature of my wrongs. Please remove any fears I have about this step and show…

No Tourists Allowed: Seeking Inner Peace and Sobriety in War-Torn Sudan (Excerpt) by Shannon E. As I sit here soaking in lavender oil and the ease of Sunday morning, I reflect fondly on…

The first time I admitted to another human being, and probably to myself, that I was an alcoholic was to my then husband. We were at one of his friend’s wedding…

Tradition Four While answering the telephones at Central Office, on several occasions I received a call of this nature: “Group is doing it wrong.  Something has to be done. Call the…

Step Four Myth Buster Myth #1 “Writing a 4th step takes a Long Time.” I began my first 4th step with gusto, and then proceeded to ignore it for 3 months. …

The Twelve Traditions A Distillation of A.A. Experience (excerpt) As newcomers, many of us say to ourselves, “Let the group officers worry about the Traditions. I’m just an average member. They’re…

(Excerpts) Published in 1941, this marks a high light in A.A. history. It sparked the first great surge of interest in A.A. THREE MEN sat around the bed of an alcoholic…

My Story Becoming an alcoholic at age 13 was pretty easy, after all I did have a rough start in life. I didn’t have money or fancy clothes, I shopped at the…

My name is Joy D. and I am an alcoholic. When I became a member of AA on February 28, 1986, it changed my life. The willingness to trust in a…

Love is the answer, now what was the question?!! On May 31, 2015, I met a man for coffee at Starbucks that I had met on-line.  Yes, on-line dating!  At my age?  What?  Well,…

Home Groups – That Sufficient Substitute by Pete G. On page 166 of the 75th Anniversary Reprint of the First Edition, our wonderful pioneers wrote of a sufficient substitute.  That substitute…

Our Greatest Danger: Rigidity by Bob P. This is my 18th General Service Conference — the first two as a director of the Grapevine and A.A.W.S., followed by four as a…

Soon you’ll be back out there in the real world again. You’ll find it’s the same old world with the same old problems. No matter where you live, you’ll still have…

From BS to IS by Lisa O. I  like  to  divide  my  life  into  two  periods, before  sobriety  which  I  term  “BS”  and  in  sobriety, for  which  I  use  “IS.”  While …

How many of you have seen the picture titled: “The Man on the Bed”? I hope you have, we own it.  It is an illustration that was done by a Grapevine volunteer…

GENERAL SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES; Facebook  and  other  social  networking  websites  are  public  in  nature. Though  users  create  accounts  and  utilize  usernames  and  passwords, once on the site, it is a public…

So You Think You’re Different by John T. I’m an alcoholic! I was working for a large beer distributor and I was very successful in sales. What a great job, everyone…

The Wreckage of the Present by Preston B.   Over the years I have witnessed people who seem to have been solid members of the program go out and drink again.…

One of the major parts of the foundation we must include in the building blocks of our sobriety is honesty. Without it we’re greatly lowering our odds of making this program…