Tradition One

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 […]

How Carl Jung Inspired the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous

By Open Culture There may be as many doors into Alcoholics Anonymous in the 21st century as there are people who walk through them—from every world religion to no religion. The “international mutual-aid fellowship” has had “a significant and long-term effect on the culture of the United States”. Indeed, its influence is global. From its inception in 1935, […]

Transformation Through Suffering, Loss and Trauma

By Steve K. This reflection on the subject of transformation through suffering, adversity, loss, or trauma is particularly pertinent to those who’ve suffered from histories of addiction. People in recovery from addiction have often lived through traumatic experiences and many also suffer with co-occurring health problems. Despite these hardships, their recovery often brings about dramatic […]

The Promises

By Steve K. An important part of the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) that offers hope to those seeking recovery from addiction is the passage in relation to Step Nine, commonly referred to as the ‘Promises’. (1) There are Twelve promises relating to Step Nine. Twelve being a favourite number in relation to AA principles […]

A Daily Reprieve Contingent on the Maintenance of Our Spiritual Condition

By Dr Wendy Dossett Beliefs and emotions are commonly accepted features of spirituality, but spirituality also includes ‘disciplines’ and ‘practices’. While ‘professional’ language and the ‘spiritual’ practices of 12-Step recovery may be framed differently, they are not substantively different discourses. In setting the ‘spiritual programme’ of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) alongside the evidence for AA’s mechanisms […]

Is Addiction A Chronic and Progressive Illness?

By Steve K. The medical view of addiction suggests it’s a chronic and progressive ‘brain disease’ which requires treatment. In using the term chronic, I mean long-term and incurable. “Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory, and related circuitry.”  American Society of Addiction Medicine. (1) This view is supported by Alcoholics Anonymous […]

12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety – A Book Summary.

By Steve K. I have recently read psychotherapist Dr Allen Berger’s latest book ‘12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety’, which offers a comprehensive interpretation of the various characteristics that comprise the concept of emotional sobriety. According to Dr Berger, the phrase emotional sobriety was first coined by Bill Wilson, one of the cofounders of Alcoholics […]