Member Stories

With these acquaintances, the common denominator was golf or fishing. That is what bound us to each other. I quit playing golf about 15 years ago and when…

So, I sat with my abuser. Him: “Can you forgive me?” Me: a simple nod. Forgiveness is life’s hardest lesson The sweetest exit on life’s tawdry, bumpy road.…

S ȥ Ɲ Ȩ dz Ƕ ǃ Ȯ comes from esteemable acts. I have begun to see my body . . . differently – as something that I…

OvercominǗ FeaȨ Of Thǃ Futurǃ Whaȵ iȮ thǃ PlaǾ? How Step Two can restore sanity through faith in action This new year brings hope that last year’s dismal…

Newcomer: “I’ve noticed that all the meetings here serve coffee, but not tea. Why?” Old-timer: “Alcoholics have a hard time with tea.” Newcomer: “Any kind of tea?” Old-timer:…

Forceƿ intȆ stillnesȮ FeaȨ of self insteaƿ revealȮ

and I was bored. Restless, irritable, discontent. But by now I had more “selves”. One of these selves was a tough-strong-woman-with-good-recovery-who-said-all-the-right-th ings-at-meetings-and-who-wasn’t-going-to-crack. I made sure I still ticked…

statements of arrogance was, he said, “who are you to believe you could have such an outsized impact on a person’s life?!” I retreated home after that session…

BeinǗ Truǃ tȆ YouȨself Being true to yourself has two different meanings – the one before AA and the one after Before AA, being true to myself was…

BeinǗ truǃ tȆ mɖself This year has been a big old lesson on this. I thought being true to myself meant that I had to ‘live up’ to…

BeinǗ Truǃ tȆ OuȨselveȮ WOW! What a title. On the back of the AA Anniversary Coin, it reads TO THY OWN SELF BE TRUE. Why I love this…

FindinǗ Mɖ Authentiƹ Self The sojourn through my active alcoholism was a dark and nihilistic time. I had become an anxious and angry woman, a chronic people pleaser…

Fullɖ Recovereƿ Alcoholiƹ What does that mean? I am a fully recovered alcoholic. This means if I throw God and AA under the bus tomorrow morning, I could…

GivinǗ Bacdz iȮ thǃ FoundatioǾ My Forgiving, crying, voicing Is the way to peace of mind Honouring the pain and anger Relief emerges you will find Repressing pain…

SyƐƭtoƐư of a SpiƕƌƱƲal AwaƎƈƫƦnƊ I was told that AA is a spiritual program, not a religious program. However in early sobriety, I still struggled with the idea…

My SpiƕƌƱƲal AwaƎƈƫƦnƊ Being me, I had my 1st Spiritual awakening in Rehab in all places. I was sent by my Job to Rhinebeck Rehab, Rhinebeck, NY for…

How I FoƘnƇ My HigƋƈƯ I will never forget the first time I walked into the Rainbow Meeting in Chinatown, Singapore. I was hungover, still half drunk and…

The Eveƕ UnƉoƩdƌƑƤ SpiƕƌƱƲal AwaƎƈƫƦnƊ Through the Twelve-Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous I have the opportunity to be a radically different kind of person. If I were to…

A VitƄƏ ChaƑƤƈ in PerƖƭƈcƗƦƳe A favourite thing about AA for me is that in As a depressed alcoholic, I used to sit in pain one meeting of…

CosƐƌƠ LanƇƩƒrƇ, fix mƜ pƏuƪbƌƑƤ! Cosmic maker of this earth; absent landlord taking rent; Pipes are leaking; weeds are growing; Make yourself known! I am spent Absent landlord,…

HapƓƌƫƢsƖ veƕưƘs Joy The Big Book tells us that God wants us to be happy, Joyous, and free (p. 133). At first reading I thought this statement was…

I had my first spiritual awakening when I took my very first drink…and I remember how I fucking loved it! Because now, I knew what it felt like…

I doƑ’t waƑƱ tƋiư to be abƒƲƗ God God I don’t want this to be about God God I’m embarrassed about the last time I believed in him…

SpiƕƌƱƲal awƄƎƢƫinƊ When I came to the rooms, I was 47. Was there any hope left? I didn’t know but I knew I had nowhere to go with…

FoƛnƊơƴiƕnƙ of RecƕƜƥƲy I am a recovering alcoholic with 3+ years of for the first time I was without that voice in sobriety. At this stage I do…

WitƎ DeƋp PaƏn CamƋ TotƇƒ SurƘƋƮdƥƘ It all starts with the first step! We are powerless over alcohol and our lives have become unmanageable. I am a real…

“My A¨ FoƛnƊơƴiƕn” My AA Foundation, believe it or not, was when I stepped foot into my first home group Sunrise Sunday 9:30am morning meeting. I walked in…

NewƉƕƭƥr firƙƴ imƖƲƋsƙƩoƮs of A¨ What should I do—or not do? Using the same sort of foul language that I used as a thirteen-year-old to impress my parents…

GivƏƔƧ BacƑ is tƎe FoƛnƊơƴiƕn My Forgiving, crying, voicing Is the way to peace of mind Honouring the pain and anger Relief emerges over time The man who…

ReflƋcƚƩoƮs On SobƘƏƥƴy SepƚƋƭbƥƘ 2020 I shouldn’t be alive today. I shouldn’t have a usable brain today. Only through the grace of a benevolent God am I sober…