The idea of a justified resentment can seem to be very comforting and yet be quite damaging at the same time, often leading to a somewhat distorted emotional response to an event or a situation. […]
‘Take what you liked and leave the rest’ – Al-Anon Closing Statement The above statement is read at Al-Anon meetings as part of the ‘Suggested Al-Anon Closing’. It gives people the freedom to decide for […]
Emotional pain is just as real as physical pain but is often much harder to see in oneself and other people, and often much more difficult to be really sympathetic to. The nature of emotional […]
To put it in context, the phrase ‘progress not perfection’ is taken from the book Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter 5 entitled ‘How it Works’. The actual phrase is ‘ We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual […]
Doing esteemable things is a piece of advice often given to people in recovery who struggle with the own self-image or self-esteem. Whilst it may seem practical to make yourself feel better by doing good […]
Let it begin with me is perhaps one of the less well-known slogans in recovery, perhaps more commonly associated with Al-Anon or Coda, but it is definitely one of the more effective sayings in helping […]
What Are Character Defects? The phrase ‘character defects’ is often used in 12 Step Recovery, unfortunately not in the context that it was originally intended. This often leads to a more judgmental approach by people […]
Available Here -The Sobriety Handbook What is Sobriety – What does it mean? What seems like a really simple question takes on a very different meaning for someone who has struggled with a serious drink […]
Being gentle and being kind, especially to oneself, are in many ways at the heart of recovery from alcoholism but often get overlooked by a more macho do-or-die culture. Early Recovery It is probably fair […]
Pray as you can, not as you can’t
There is a tendency nowadays by some people to avoid using the word problem and to use the word challenge instead. This has been a trend for a number of years, and has a very […]
The term dry drunk is used a lot in AA and in recovery generally. Some people find it helpful, other people find it a bit judgmental. Whatever it may mean to people, its real value […]
Inner Child Work The nature of inner child work will vary widely between different people and can start in early sobriety or in later recovery. People’s discovery of their inner world, and what it means […]
One of the main benefits of going to meetings in early sobriety is that people hear other peoples stories. Often they will hear things that help them make sense of their own drinking, even if […]
There is much talk in Alcoholics Anonymous about spirituality and religion, and the mix between the two. There is a fairly simple reason for this. Many people who look to get sober have had bad […]
Emotional sobriety is a phrase that was used by Bill Wilson in a Grapevine article, entitled The Next Frontier: Emotional Sobriety, published in 1958, some 20-plus years after he got sober. Originally a letter to […]
12 step programs can be a slightly confusing term for some people. It originates from the organisation Alcoholics Anonymous, which developed a recovery program based around 12 specific steps, which are really statements of experience […]
Many people who get sober do so in a rehab or treatment center. Many people are familiar with the idea of a rehab, but perhaps less clear about what happens there. Most rehabs are residential, […]
‘Before AA, I judged myself by my intentions, while the world was judging me by my actions’ Alcoholics Anonymous, p418, 4th ed.
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