AA's "How It Works" for Everyone

Women have had to endure a generic “He” for God all these years. I am not rewriting the Big Book. I am simply asking for a moment to honor my God as a She; for a moment of freedom to express my God as I understand God. After attending AA meetings for 12 years, I… Continue reading AA's "How It Works" for Everyone

My Journey from AA to NA, with Stops Along the Way

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

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

Language Sideways: The Poetry of Addiction

In what ways do current poems of addiction represent the minds of addicts in the throes of active disease as well as after the process of recovery’s begun? Something poet Sam Sax said in an interview for The Fix has me thinking about poetry and addiction. “Poetry for me,” he told writer Christian Arthur, “is… Continue reading Language Sideways: The Poetry of Addiction

Language Matters: A Recovery Scientist Explains the Impact of Our Words

If a person has internalized the negative stereotypes associated with being “an addict,” are they more likely to have a fixed mindset and believe they cannot improve or change? Over 21 million Americans have substance use disorder and fewer than 3.8 million individuals receive treatment each year. 28 percent of the individuals who need treatment,… Continue reading Language Matters: A Recovery Scientist Explains the Impact of Our Words

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