While making my own transition from one fellowship to another, I interviewed people with experience in both AA and NA to find out what’s working for them, and what’s not. For a long time, I considered myself an alcoholic with drug addict tendencies. This is why, for the most part, I was a member of… Continue reading My Journey from AA to NA, with Stops Along the Way
Tag: AA
Recovery Myths That Can Hurt You
I could be saying how well I was doing, while the psychic megaphone over my head screamed, “Can’t you see how lonely I am?” Not surprisingly, I wasn’t drawing healthy people into my world. When the words “feelings aren’t facts” first pierced my brain, I was hooked. My baseline was misery, so it was a… Continue reading Recovery Myths That Can Hurt You
How to Stay Sober at Burning Man and Have the Best Burn of Your Life
I mean, really, you’re never going to be at a meeting in the “default world” sitting between a rainbow unicorn and a naked old guy. Have you ever been to Burning Man, that strange, magical world where anything is possible? Where strangers become friends in under an hour? Where food, water, gifts, and substances are… Continue reading How to Stay Sober at Burning Man and Have the Best Burn of Your Life
Microaggressions: How Subconscious Biases Affect Recovery
An example of a microaggression in the recovery universe: someone from NA asks someone who’s considering Suboxone: “Are you in denial? A drug is a drug is a drug.” No malicious intent is involved, but the fellow member is left feeling disparaged. Politics and Religion: we’re encouraged to avoid these conversations, socially. Conviction can escalate… Continue reading Microaggressions: How Subconscious Biases Affect Recovery
No Vacation from Recovery: A Packing List
Recovery cannot be left to chance but requires planning, even—and maybe especially—on vacation with its temptations: tropical drinks, laissez-faire schedule, swim-up bars, and late nights. For a long time, when my bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and eating disorder were out of control, I believed that the geographic cure, specifically travel, was the antidote to all my… Continue reading No Vacation from Recovery: A Packing List
AA Meetings Are Thriving In A Country Where Alcohol Is Illegal
A new episode of PBS’s “Frontline” offers a glimpse inside Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in Iran. Alcohol is banned in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous is alive and well in a country where the consequences for drinking are severe. Many Iranians are starting to believe the true cost of alcohol—everything… Continue reading AA Meetings Are Thriving In A Country Where Alcohol Is Illegal
Kelly Osbourne Discusses Relapse, Celebrating One Year Sober
“To cut a long story short things got really dark. I gave up on everything in my life but most of all I gave up on myself.” When Demi Lovato ended up hospitalized last month for an apparent overdose, one celebrity to speak out and support her was Kelly Osbourne. Osbourne has been public in the… Continue reading Kelly Osbourne Discusses Relapse, Celebrating One Year Sober
Re-Balancing Act: How to Restore Marital Equilibrium in Recovery
Was I really at an AA meeting as I claimed, or was this the night that I—and all hope for our marriage—would vanish anew? For my wife Patricia and me, it’s been a long road to even. Ish. My wife said “I do” in April 2007 to a man who, despite depression and anxiety issues,… Continue reading Re-Balancing Act: How to Restore Marital Equilibrium in Recovery
Marijuana Anonymous Sparking More Interest In Canada
Marijuana Anonymous uses an adaptation of the 12 steps from Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. For some marijuana users, Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous don’t quite feel like a good fit. That’s why in some areas, Marijuana Anonymous is being introduced as an alternative. According to Vice, the group follows similar routines and readings as… Continue reading Marijuana Anonymous Sparking More Interest In Canada
I’m Open and Willing, Dear Sponsor, but Wait a Minute!
We know “our best thinking got us here,” but that doesn’t mean we need to be open and willing to take abuse or be manipulated. When you first came into the program, you might have heard your “best thinking got you here.” You’re told since your way hasn’t been working, maybe it’s time to try… Continue reading I’m Open and Willing, Dear Sponsor, but Wait a Minute!