How It Really Works “Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.” When I first read that line in Chapter Five of the Big Book, I found it comforting. At the same time, I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to do everything that was being asked of me. As I…
Author: Jim C.
How It Works ABCs
AA How It Works: The ABCs One of my favorite parts of the Alcoholics Anonymous reading of How It Works, as it is read at meetings, is the last three lines. Those three lines—A, B, and C—cover the essence of the first three Steps, and they continue to resonate with me. A: We Were Alcoholic…
Hitting Bottom
Hitting Bottom I believe I had to hit bottom before I could stop drinking. There had to be something that finally sparked change. For me, it was the realization that I didn’t want to go any lower. I finally saw alcohol for what it really was and knew I couldn’t keep going the way I…
Grateful Alcoholics
Grateful Alcoholics In early sobriety, I used to hear people introduce themselves as grateful alcoholics. I thought they had a problem, and maybe it wasn’t all about alcohol. I couldn’t imagine being grateful for something that had caused so much pain in my life. As time went on, my thinking changed. I didn’t have one…
Avoiding that First Drink
Avoiding That First Drink There are many lessons to be learned from our drinking years, and not all of them come after we get sober. Sometimes, we can look back at the mistakes we made while drinking and learn what we need to do differently if we want to stay sober. I learned in AA…
AA Anonymity
Anonymity in AA: Why It Still Matters Anonymity was a major topic in AA in the 1970s and a frequent subject of discussion. What I learned about it was priceless. It allowed me to build a new life with a clean slate. Coming into AA young was a blessing because I had no documented strikes…