I’ve dealt with depression, among other mental health issues, for most of my life. Having been in counseling since the age of seven, I’m fairly sure that my alcoholism and drug use weren’t the root cause of this, […]

Like most middle-class, suburban Americans, I was raised on a healthy diet of exceptionalism. I believed, without a doubt, that my life had some greater meaning. I may have suffered humble beginnings, but I was […]

I’ve been at this for a long time. Not as long as many others, of course, but half of my life has been spent in these rooms.

You wouldn’t know it from looking at me — well, you probably would, but let me have […]

“… and I’m an alcoholic.”

It took me a long time to say those words, and even longer to mean it.

I’m not sure if alcoholics are contrarian by nature, even if we are typecast as a rowdy, incorrigible bunch. […]

Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered […]

I’ve always looked up to astronauts, even if I consider them to be brave and foolish in equal measure.

They aren’t just tough — they’re smart, and courageous. They further the cause of science and advance the […]

I try not to let alcohol’s dominance of the cultural zeitgeist get to me. I used to drink socially, many moons ago, and I didn’t always abuse it. There are a lot of people out there who can drink without […]

“My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive.” (The Best of Bill, pg. 46)
When we welcome someone new into these rooms, it’s kind of an exciting thing for those of us with some […]

Once we’ve been involved with any 12-step recovery program for a good amount of time, we start to gain confidence. We’re more familiar with the program. We feel better, our minds aren’t cloudy anymore, and AA […]