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MY SEARCH  FOR HIGHER POWER AND SPIRITUALITY By: Alan L. I have searched all my life for my place in the universe with regard to God and religion.  I gave up…

An alcoholic reading through the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous for the first time might be tempted to skip over Chapter 8 since it is titled “To Wives” but on further…

“This ladies AA group began in 1974 with a group of women alcoholics who wanted to meet regularly and listen to recordings made by alcoholics who shared their experience, strength and…

By now on step 8, we are well on our way in a spiritual and healing journey. I believe that each step should be taken individually, I believe especially step 8…

Last week the topic at a meeting I was attending was “principals before personalities”. This led to sharing on being judgmental, our most common defect of character. It’s been said that…

The day before I got sober I learned that every time I tried to help someone I ended up hurting them in some way.  The shock of this led me to…

After we take the preceding step of becoming willing to let our Creator take all of our defects of character, step 7 directs us to take the action of asking our…

In our 12 Steps and 12 Traditions book, the first thing it says on this matter is, “this is the step that separates the men from the boys.” I can’t tell…

“We have emphasized willingness as being indispensable. Are we now ready to let God remove from us all the things which we have admitted are objectionable? Can He now take them…

Chapter 6, titled “Into Action”, is in my experience a guide for the steps 5 through 11 in the program we call Alcoholics Anonymous.  This chapter, as its title suggests, is…

I sobered up in a small group in West Louisiana with six folks who were sober from 2 to 32 years and who believed that everything they needed to know to…

But what about the other victims of alcoholism? What about the scars of those family members? As alcoholics, we know of the heartaches and distress that our families have experienced because…

Step Five Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs So there we were…coffee in hand, sitting across from each other at the…

The language on the first page of Chapter 5 is dire.  It is filled with ominous worlds like ‘Will not completely, constitutionally incapable, naturally incapable, chances less than average, suffer, grave…

Without it we have nothing!  As I began to put together the words that would make up this piece, I didn’t know exactly what it was I was going to say…

A drunk is lying on a bed in a hospital. A doctor is sitting beside the bed. The drunk wails in earnest, “…a wave of depression came over me. I realized…

“Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole” Because of Tradition Four, each group can be autonomous. This means that each group has…

For me, the Fourth Step is not just a list between the pages of a well-hidden journal, but the Fourth Step is a continuous, yet imperfect practice of empathy. Although I…

Having been raised in a religious family, I was, like so many of us were, told what God was. After years of praying as I was educated to pray, of believing…

“Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.” “Each member of Alcoholics Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole. A.A. must continue to live…

Aside from the belligerent behavior and systematic sabotage of my life and everything within it which I held/hold dear, WHAT’S TO BE EMBARRASSED ABOUT? Surely there are millions upon millions whom…

Hello friends of the Fellowship, I’m a happy member of the Acceptance group of A.A. I’m thrilled to be living sober and serving as a part of this miracle we call…

In September of 2011, Christy R, Nick R and I went to the annual Central Office/Intergroup/AAWS/AA Grapevine Seminar in Tucson, AZ. We thought there might be some answers for the questions…

“A.A., as such, ought never be organized.” And as the long form of tradition nine suggests, “Rotating leadership is the best.” Every service position I’ve ever held has brought a new…

Just one last time, I promise then I’ll change. My father glaring back at me holding back every tear in his heart, I was barely legal to pick up the bottle.…

While the Trustees hold final responsibility for A.A.’s world service administration, they should always have the assistance of the best possible standing committees, corporate service directors, executives, staffs and consultants. Therefore…

“Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films. Al-Anon Addition: We need guard with…

“There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer. Taken separately, these practices can bring much relief and benefit.  But when they are logically related and interwoven, the result is…

My name is TC, I was born in Vietnam 01/01/1983. My reason for writing my story is to share my experience, strength, and hope. I’ll be jumping from one subject to…

Concept 10 – Every service responsibility should be matched by an equal service authority – the scope of such authority to be always well defined whether by tradition, by resolution, by…

“Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.” What stood out for me about Tradition 10 is that Bill W.…

“Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.” Earlier in my recovery I was told that Steps 10, 11, and 12 where the ‘maintenance steps”. I’ve…