Recovery Tech: The East Bay Intergroup Helpline
Just a phone call away, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, is the East Bay Intergroup (EBI) Helpline. Available to help alcoholics find current Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and provide current AA meeting directory information using the East Bay Intergroup Meeting guide (HERE). Additionally, there are 12th-step volunteers to talk to […]
AA History: Lois Wilson (Part 2)
by Dan M. Bill had his last drink in December of 1934. The following May, he had his historic meeting with Dr. Bob. He remained in Akron for some time, repeatedly asking Lois to come visit, but she wanted Bill to come home. It was a letter from Dr. Bob’s wife, Anne Smith, that changed […]
AA History: Lois Wilson (Part 1)
by Dan M. In a list of those who shaped the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, there is one important figure seldom given the credit she deserves: Bill’s wife, Lois Wilson. Lois was born March 4, 1891, in Brooklyn Heights, NY, where her father was a physician and her grandfather was a Swedenborgian pastor. The family […]
The AA Grapevine Half-Hour Variety Hour
Each week, long-time AA members Don, Olis, and Sam interview a different member about their experience, strength and hope, in a casual “meeting after the meeting” manner. Special features will enhance each episode. Conceived in 2021, near the end of the pandemic, the Half-Hour Variety Hour podcast was a new way to communicate with members […]
Recovery Tech: AA Meeting Guide App
In 2013, Josh R., web developer, moved to San Jose, got sober and began looking for a convenient way to find A.A. meetings on his phone. The local Intergroup website had listings but didn’t sync well with phones so Josh began to work on a solution. He presented his idea for Meeting Guide to the […]
Ways to Survive (and Maybe Enjoy) the Holiday Season
The holidays can be a difficult time to stay sober for many reasons—from having to attend family events, to not having family events to attend, to proximity to alcohol. Here are some tips to make it through the holidays sober. 1. Marathon meetings and Fellowship events. Almost all regular meetings still take place on holidays, […]
6 Tips on Attending Events Where Alcohol is Served
Negotiating holiday events, whether family gatherings or other parties where alcohol is served, can be tricky. Be prepared—here are some tips to avoid slips: 1. Keep your glass full of a healthy beverage such as sparkling cider or bubbly water (many members recommend against non-alcoholic wine or beer, as they can be reminders of what […]
Best of Heard in a Meeting – Part 5 of 5: I told my wife A.A. was so popular there were no openings…
I told my wife A.A. was so popular there were no openings for new members, but they had put me on the waiting list.
Carry the Message: Inside Visiting Sponsorship Services (IVSS)
Get an inside scoop of what it’s like becoming a sponsor for H&I’s IVSS program at San Quentin.
One IVSS sponsor says the emotional and spiritual rewards are profound. “I get so much encouragement and so much hope… and there is a lot of gratitude for outside sponsorship.”
Heard in a Meeting: The suggestions are all free—you only pay for…
The suggestions are all free—you only pay for the ones you don’t take I was physically sober but my morals were still drunk. I was paying more attention to other people’s sobriety than my own. I was basically living in someone else’s future. I add on to the end of the 10th step, “and when […]