Introduction: Why Sponsorship Matters in A.A. Recovery from alcoholism isn’t a solo journey, it’s a path best traveled with guidance, support, and the wisdom of people who have walked it before. In Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), sponsorship stands out as one of the most...
For local business owners in recovery, and the family members holding things together, the end of a business after substance use can feel like grief with a price tag. There’s the public sting of closing doors, and there’s the private panic of bills, debt, and income...
Cautionary Tales from Four Decades of Recovery The following accounts are drawn from four plus decades of experience in recovery. To maintain the privacy of those involved, names and locations have been altered. These narratives serve as cautionary examples that...
I was never one to make New Year’s Resolutions, nor did I celebrate New Year’s Eve. I derided New Year’s Eve as “Amateur Night”; a time when non-serious drinkers drank too much and were sick the next day. This year seems different, because I am old, and my wife,...
When I first came into the Al-Anon program, I had spent so much time and energy into isolating, stuffing my feelings and trying to fix and control people, places and things, that I had no idea who I was, what I liked or disliked or even what I what felt. When they...
“Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” -Step 5 from the Al-Anon Family Groups One of the unspoken rules that children growing up in families impacted by alcohol and drug addiction learn is “Don’t Talk.” (Claudia...
“Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” -Step 4 from the Al-Anon Family Groups When I tell my family recovery story, which I do regularly, I try to talk about parts of my life that illustrate the impact the disease of alcoholism has had in my...
“Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” -Step 3 from the Al-Anon Family Groups I have a tendency to over-complicate things. When my mind became open to consider that there could be a Higher Power that just might...
“Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. -Step 2 from the Al-Anon Family Groups I didn’t need to be restored to sanity. I was the sane person in our household. I was the sober one. I was making all the decisions. I was taking...
“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.” -Step 1 from the Al-Anon Family Groups When I was new to family recovery, I wasn’t certain how Step 1 would apply to me. I knew that my life was unmanageable (I was the kind of...
