By Steve K. The ‘program’ of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is often described as ‘spiritual, not religious’ in nature. For many, this is true, as AA’s liberal approach to faith allows its members to relate to the 12 Steps in a way that is meaningful and helpful to the individual. AA philosophy draws from the pragmatism […]
By Steve K. “Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.” The 12 Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous serve as guiding principles to ensure the unity, stability, and effectiveness of the AA Fellowship. While the 12 Steps focus on individual recovery, the Traditions focus on the collective health and well-being of the […]
By Steve K. The AA phrase the ‘Language of the Heart’ is the title of the 1988 book which published Bill Wilson’s (co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous) Grapevine writings from the mid 1940’s –1970. The phrase was originally used by Wilson for the title of his 1960 (July) Grapevine article which conveys the special type of […]
By Steve K. As a long-term member of the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and the current secretary of a local group, I’m ever mindful of the 12 Traditions and the principles they contain which help to guide each AA group and the Fellowship, as a whole. When new members enter the Fellowship of AA […]
By Steve K. To live a spiritual life requires honesty, an open-mind, and a willingness to be humble. This is true in my experience, but I would also suggest that these three qualities of character are deeply interrelated with three other fundamental virtues of living a spiritual life. These are love, courage, and faith – […]
By Steve K. People often say ‘everything happens for a reason’ in response to difficult or seemingly random life events. I’ve always had mixed feelings in relation to this statement, particularly when it’s meant to suggest that some higher power or intelligence is guiding or directing events that happen in life. I think that there […]
By Steve K. As a teenager and young adult, I had very little engagement with religious ideas and lived a hedonistic lifestyle characterised by alcohol and other drug misuse. This lifestyle resulted in me turning to a 12-Step fellowship for help to stop drinking. The 12 Steps suggest belief in a power greater than oneself […]
By Steve K. “The word shame is derived from the Indo-European ‘skein’, which means to hide. Shame makes us want to hide from ourselves, and our peers – making shame an existentially isolating state of mind. Feeling shame makes a person dejection-based, passive, or helpless, causing the ashamed person to focus more on devaluing or […]
By Steve K. A sense of social connection and belonging is an evolved human need. It’s vital to our health and well-being and promotes a sense of self-worth and acceptance. Social isolation and a sense of disconnection is a predictor of poor mental health and is often characteristic of the illness of addiction. “Belonging is, […]
By Steve K. My struggle with acceptance often seems to be related to fear. I identify strongly with this passage in the Big Book: “This short word [fear] somehow touches about every aspect of our lives. It was an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence was shot through with it.” I’ve been […]
12-STEP PHILOSOPHY 