AA History: The 11th Step Prayer
by Dan M. If your only knowledge of the St. Francis Prayer is in the eleventh step of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, you may be surprised that one thing we know of its origin is that it was not written by St. Francis. It first appeared, in French, in the December 1912 issue […]
Sponsorship Cafe: Can’t Stop the Sun—Searching for a Higher Power
by Bill M. A member who was having trouble developing a conception of a power greater than himself was told by his sponsor to go to the shoreline at sunset, and when the sun was halfway below the horizon, to stop it and hold it there. Mother Nature became his first Higher Power, and that […]
Heard in a Meeting: The people who stay sober are people who…
The people who stay sober are people who don’t drink again. I have a God box, and my ego’s not allowed in. I was an only child. And I wasn’t the favorite. I wrote a resignation letter to AA and gave it to the secretary. He said he would not accept it, and so I […]
A.A. History: Bill W. and LSD
By Dan M. To those who don’t know the history, it may be a surprise that Bill W. experimented with LSD in the 50s. It is worth recounting how that came about and what the repercussions were. Since the mid-forties Bill had been friends with Gerald Heard, the Anglo-Irish philosopher. They had a long correspondence […]
Heard in a Meeting: I was at the bar 365 days a year. Except for…
I was at the bar 365 days a year. Except for Leap Year. Sign in fellowship: We’ll laugh at you until you can laugh at yourself. Alcoholics don’t get better so they can carry the message, they carry the message so they can get better. I quit my job in a blackout and couldn’t figure […]
Sponsorship Cafe: When Do You Let Go?
by Bill M. As sponsors, we all want to work with sponsees who are willing and committed, however, that’s often not the case. We alcoholics are rebellious, ego-driven and fearful people who may or may not have received the “gift of desperation” that opens the door to willingness. As a chronic early relapser, my heart […]
June 10 – AA’s 89th Anniversary
On June 10, 1935, the dried-out but still jittery doctor was due in surgery. That morning, Bill W. gave Dr. Bob a bottle of beer—to steady his scalpel hand. The operation was a success. The beer was Dr. Bob’s last. And the two men pledged that day to work to bring Bill W.’s principles to […]
A.A. History: Dr. Silkworth
by Dan M. Dr. Silkworth was the writer of the letters included in the chapter, “The Doctor’s Opinion,” in the front of the Big Book. He was instrumental in viewing alcoholism as an illness, rather than a moral failing, and became one of AA’s greatest supporters. Silkworth treated Bill W. for alcoholism at Towns Hospital, […]
Heard in a Meeting: People usually get to AA for one of the 4 “L”s: Law, Livelihood…
People usually get to AA for one of the 4 “L”s: Law, Livelihood, Love, Liver. The longer I’ve been sober, the better my childhood has become. If I don’t like a meeting, I don’t have to quit AA. I didn’t stop drinking just because I didn’t like a bar. My standard was: As long as […]
Sponsorship Cafe: Sponsorship in Two Dimensions
by Bill M. It had never really pierced my consciousness that legions of suffering alcoholics had found safety and comfort and sobriety in the virtual rooms of AA. … Exploring the whole AA-through-Zoom concept led me to a person who told me he had never met his sponsor face-to-face. Say what? I had just gotten […]
