January 28, 2011, 10:29 AMThe New York TimesHealth How Meditation May Change the BrainBy Sindya N. Bhanoo Over the December holidays, my husband went on a 10-day silent meditation retreat. Not my idea of fun, but he came back rejuvenated and energetic. He said the experience was so transformational that he has committed to meditating…
The Next Frontier: Emotional Sobrietyby Bill Wilson I think that many oldsters who have put our AA “booze cure” to severe but successful tests still find they often lack emotional sobriety. Perhaps they will be the spearhead for the next major development in AA — the development of much more real maturity and balance (which…
by Richard HollowayThe Observer, Sunday 19, December 2010Article history It feels irreverent, if not actually blasphemous, to question a work by Karen Armstrong. Since her book A History of God was published in 1993, she has established herself as a historian of religion of magisterial authority. A one-woman industry on the subject, she has produced…
Announcing the new Native American 12 Step online Paltalk Skins meeting. This group was created for those who wish to enjoy Native American spiritual teachings along side the 12 steps and 12 traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. Though we are not affiliated with A.A. we do base our recovery program on the Twelve Steps and Traditions…
In 2007 more than 8,000 A.A. members from the U.S. and Canada participated in a random survey of the membership. Similar studies have been conducted every three years since 1968 by the General Service Office. Alcoholics Anonymous conducts this survey to keep members informed on current trends in membership characteristics. The survey also provides information about…
by William L. White, MACounselor, April 2010, 11(2), 10-19. Addiction recovery mutual aid societies have played a significant role in the resolution of severe alcohol and other drug problems throughout the world and have exerted a particularly profound influence on the professional treatment of addiction (Humphreys, 2004; White, 2004). The purpose of this article is to…
Review by Tom Rachman A version of this review appeared in print on April 24, 2011, on page BR9 of the Sunday Book Review with the headline: Twelve-Step Masquerade. The publishing world never promised great riches to its employees, but compensated with good parties. Conversation was lively, the nibbles were exquisite, the company was often…
By David Colman A version of this article appeared in print on May 8, 2011, on page ST1 of the New York edition with the headline: Challenging the Second “A” in A.A.. I’M David Colman, and I’m an alcoholic. In the 15 years since I quit drinking, I’ve neither spoken nor written those words, and…
by William White, Chris Budnick and Boyd PickardCounselor, April 2011, 12(2), 22-27 Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) stands as the benchmark by which all other addiction recovery mutual aid societies are measured due to its longevity, national and international dispersion, size of its membership, adaptation of its program to other problems of living, influence on professionally-directed addiction…
by Marya Hornbacher For those who don’t believe in God, feel disconnected from the ideas of God presented in organized religion, or are simply struggling to determine their own spiritual path, Marya Hornbacher, author of the New York Times’ best sellers Madness and Wasted, offers a down-to-earth exploration of the concept of faith. Introduction Using the…