Once you enter a sobriety routine and tackle numerous struggles without a drink, you might begin to take it easy. It’s easy to “rest on your laurels,” as the Big Book suggests, and become complacent. There’s a desire to cut… Read More »Complacency in Recovery: How to Recognize It and Change Course
It’s easy to compare ourselves to other people in the program. We naturally see the highlight reel of their lives in meetings and feel like ours doesn’t measure up. They may drive up in a nice car, share about good… Read More »No Comparisons: Why We Shouldn’t Judge the Quality of Our Sobriety Against Other People’s
“You don’t understand me” is the most common rebuttal from an addict. It’s a way of keeping people away. We like to think we’re unique in our heartache, despair, and deep understanding of the world. Terminally unique is an AA… Read More »Terminal Uniqueness: Why You’re Not As Different as You Think You Are
When we’ve overcome the immense burden of drink addiction, we’re bound to feel gratitude for what the program has so freely given us. The small asks from our sponsors and meetings do not compare with the gift of removing the… Read More »Service Work: Giving Back in AA, Large and Small
You’ve likely heard “gratitude journals” mentioned a lot. If a sponsor or companion hasn’t explained them to you, you might be wondering, “What’s that? Could I try one?” I’ll explain how I’ve used them and the approaches to getting started.… Read More »Gratitude journals: How to start
During meetings, you’ll start to hear the same slogans over and over. You might get a bit sick of hearing them after a while. However, I’ve come to accept that they serve an essential role in sobriety. The repetition helps… Read More »8 Best AA cliches
Strong sponsorship is a crucial element of strong sobriety. A sponsor is someone who guides you through the steps, meetings, and the fellowship. He or she has worked the program themselves and passes on the knowledge that they’ve acquired. As… Read More »How to Choose a Sponsor: 8 Personal Qualities that Stand Out
When you first get sober, a lot of life feels brand new. It may be the first time you’ve tried living life on life’s terms! Though new responsibilities appear in your life as you try to clean up the past,… Read More »Early Sobriety: The Good Parts
Some 12 step members have a terrible habit of recommending that newcomers stop taking their psychiatric medications. They think you’re not sober if you “depend on pills every day.” They even go so far as to suggest that you shouldn’t… Read More »Why Twelve Step Program Members Shouldn’t Advise You on Psychiatric Medications
Many of us have preconceived notions about how much alcoholics drink. We think that you need to drink x amount per day to be considered an alcoholic. But do these assumptions hold any merit? Hardly. The amounts and frequency that alcoholics consume… Read More »How Many Drinks Per Week Do You Need to Be Considered Alcoholic?