“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
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
You’ve heard expressions like these all the time: “He drives a nice car and has a nice house but drinks like a fish… He’s a functioning alcoholic.” “Her company just promoted her to upper management; she has a beautiful family… Read More »Why The Label “Functioning Alcoholic” Does More Harm than Good
It’s one thing to be physically sober (abstaining from drinking), but quite another to be emotionally sober. Emotional sobriety gets right to the core issue that drinking is our solution. We drink because we cannot handle life or its problems. The… Read More »Emotional Sobriety: What It Means and How to Achieve It
Clearing up Meeting Slang If you’ve been around recovering alcoholics and addicts, you’ve probably heard someone described as “California sober.” The phrase usually means that a person in recovery makes an exception for marijuana. They may be abstinent when it… Read More »The Meaning of “California Sober”