White mosque silhouette on a blue starry background.

Book Review: Divine Therapy & Addiction

Centering Prayer and the Twelve Stepsby Father Thomas Keating In this major new work, Father Thomas Keating reflects on the wisdom and legacy of the AA Twelve Step method and its connections to, and similarities with, the Christian mystial traditions of centering prayer and Lectio Divina.  In conversation with a long-time member of AA meetings,…

Details
Colorful chakra wheel illustrating seven energy centers with symbols and keywords.

Recovery Apps for your Phone

iRecovery – Addiction Recovery TrackerBy Hope & Freedom Counseling Services Finally there is a tool that will help you track your recovery from addiction—any addiction. iRecovery assigns recovery points for various recovery activities and then tracks your progress week by week. You may add your own activities to truly customize your own recovery program. The…

Details
Interior of a grand cathedral with stained glass windows and ornate decorations.

How Meditation May Change the Brain

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…

Details
Partial view of a web browser address bar showing 'audible.co'.

Depression, Psychotherapy & Divine Therapy

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…

Details
Gray Buddha statue with colorful abstract background and glowing dots.

Alcoholics Anonymous Membership Survey

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…

Details
A warrior woman stands ready as a giant lion's face looms in the stormy sky at sunset.

Book Review: “In the Rooms ” by Tom Shone

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…

Details
Colorful circular chart representing different world religions with petals and symbols.

Challenging the Second “A” in A.A.

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…

Details