Spirituality is essential to our sobriety.
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BY: T. J. | HOUSTON, TEXAS – July 1981 BEFORE I CAME into AA, I answered to about ten different nicknames. I had as many names as I had roles and masks. But I had no identity. I was whoever you wanted me to be, a sailboat out on a lake with no destination, blown … Read more
I drank for fifteen years, and for the last of those years, there was no question about whether or not I would drink. Today, the AA program and the grace of God have restored my choice. There’s no possibility of my staying sober on my own will or strength. I can’t do it alone. I … Read more
BY: A. D. | GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALBERTA From the November 1957 Grapevine In my opinion, the minute we come down the stairs on meeting night we shed the cloak of the worries for the week to gather here for one purpose–to help one another. For a whole week, as individuals, we have had to make … Read more
OCTOBER 1947 Do You Yearn for Fellowship? Fellowship Alcoholics long for fellowship. As humiliations and misbehavior add up, they withdraw from society–from life itself. The cold fog of loneliness closes down. Even then they are pursued by the Four Horsemen: Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration and Despair. Perhaps you–even though you are not an alcoholic and never … Read more
By: Bill W. Our fellowship has been permitted to achieve–though still in miniature–the “one world” dream of philosophers. Ours is a world in which we can hotly differ, yet never think of schism or conflict as a solution. As a fellowship we ask nothing of wealth or power. As we better use the “language of … Read more
A rocky relationship in recovery I know what it is like to be a total failure as a father. On a cool November evening, I sat on a bench in a park near my house, trying to decide whether I wanted to live or die. My sixteen-year-old daughter rode up on her bicycle. “Dad, please … Read more
BY: RICK N. | DUBLIN, OHIO | November 2009 November, and colder weather, bring for me a time of being inside more often; inside my home as well as more introspection. I use a few simple tools of AA-such as prayer and meditation-to improve my conscious contact with God. My willingness counts as both an … Read more
FEBRUARY 2020 | TOUGH TIMES BY: CHUCK H. | LAGUNA WOODS, CALIF. The December 2006 issue of Grapevine included an article I wrote about my recovery and my marriage. In my story, I told of how I learned to apply the Steps of AA to my marriage and to my everyday life. Upon the suggestion … Read more
BY: J. E. | GUILFORD, CONNECTICUT – June 1962 (abridged) Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. THERE’S a spicy bit of folklore around called “The Hell-Bound Train,” in which the devil taunts a trainload of alcoholic wraiths as follows: “You’ve mocked at God … Read more
When I attended my first AA meeting in June of 2009, I had no idea that my resentments were ruling everything I believed about the world and my personal relationships. Fear had driven me to a level of self-centeredness that had completely cut me off from others and what I call the “spirit of the … Read more
BY: STEVE S. | BLOOMFIELD, N.J. Oh, no! What will these AAs make him do? What does he owe? This newcomer’s first encounter with the Traditions was a pleasant surprise At my very first AA meeting, two large vinyl posters were hanging on the wall. The Twelve Steps were on one poster and the Twelve Traditions … Read more
BY: M. U. | BRIGHTON, COLORADO Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings FOR ME, at first glance Step Seven seemed a cinch, especially in comparison to some of the preceding Steps. As is often the case, on closer examination the seemingly simple proved to be anything but! I thought this Step was only a kind … Read more