Having completed Steps 1 through 10, Steps 11 and 12 are a call to action. Step 11 is a time to pray, meditate, or consult with your higher power and ask for continuing help, knowledge, and power. For those of us without a recognized higher power, this is a non-step. I have no one to [...]
So, the unexamined life is not worth living. At least that's what Socrates said. Is it true? Do we have to examine the minutiae of ourselves in order to live a fulfilling life? Step 10 of Alcoholics Anonymous requires an honest personal inventory and a commitment to admitting to our wrongs. I did some research [...]
Growing up the child of an alcoholic is not a normal childhood. Unfortunately, I didn't find that out until I was a grown up. I assumed every child made a drink for dad when he got home. I assumed every child stepped over dad, passed out in the hallway, on her way to bed. I [...]
My obsession with Seinfeld continues. In "The Apology," Jerry's friend "Hanky" (played by James Spader) is a recovering alcoholic. As he approaches Step 9 and begins to apologize to people he had harmed in the past, George is miffed for not getting his apology. Apparently Hanky had insulted George years ago by refusing to lend [...]
Alcoholics Anonymous has as an honest and noble goal, one that isn't too daunting for most people - that progress is the goal, not perfection. We can't turn ourselves into perfect little people by reading a book and following the steps. No amount of pleading or divulging or surrendering will keep us from what we [...]
After several years of therapy and sobriety, I had accidentally found myself at the equivalent of Alcoholics Anonymous' Step 6. I had accepted my defects of character, accepted the fact that I wasn't quite the superstar I thought I was, and I was now to become ready to have the higher power remove my defects [...]
Step 5 of Alcoholics Anonymous is a step that I feel I did complete, wholeheartedly. It requires you to share your story, seek advice and accept it. By honestly divulging the truth of your experiences, you can receive honest advice and counsel. Most AA-followers use their sponsor or another AA member for this step. Some [...]
On the television show, "Seinfeld," George Costanza's father celebrates a strange self-styled holiday called Festivus. Among other things, it involves an aluminum pole, a "feats of strength" wrestling match, and the "airing of grievances." Frank Costanza stands at the head of the Festivus table and announces, "I got a lot of problems with you people. [...]
Within days of my last drink, I thumbed through the Yellow Pages and found a female shrink, whose name seemed kind and whose office was within walking distance. I made an appointment and spent the next three years seeing her once or twice a week. In order for her to help me, she insisted that [...]
An alcoholic is an alcoholic, right? Whether male or female, black or white, gay or straight, we're all the same. Wrong. Female alcoholics differ substantially from their male counterparts in many ways. Female alcoholics are far more often the victims of sexual abuse than men. Unfortunately, many of these same women were considered promiscuous or [...]
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