Aa Beyond Belief

In this episode, I share my experience, strength, and hope at an Alkathon hosted by the Paseo AA Group in Kansas City, Missouri. I talk  about what got me into the AA, how I feel about the first three steps, my experience as an atheist, starting a secular AA meeting, my thoughts on Steps 6 and 7, and the importance of service work.

This episode features a conversation with Steph R., an atheist in recovery who has found a way to make sense of the AA Big Book and to practice the 12 Steps. As Steph shares her experience, an interesting discussion unfolds about the difficulties that atheists and women have with AA's original literature. Steph explains how she learned to place the Big Book into the context of its time, and to glean from the book practical and sensible actions that can be taken to help one stay clean and sober. Steph is a talented public speaker and several of her talks can be found on her YouTube channel. She has also recently started a new podcast called Away, which you can find on iTunes and  YouTube.

Today's episode features a conversation with John M. from the Sober Speak podcast. John is coming up on 30 years of sobriety this year and has posted 52 episodes of his wonderful recovery podcast. Our conversation shows how two AA's one a believer and another an atheist can find common ground through shared experience.  Topics covered in this episode include a discussion about the experience of podcasting about recovery, John M.'s AA story and how in sobriety he found healing from growing up in a home with a mother who suffered from mental illness. 

Voices in Recovery is a new website created by Cindy from the Agnostics and Others group in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Cindy's idea is to feature recorded talks from people in recovery from any and all addictions. The site's focus is on under represented groups whose voices are not often heard. In this episode Cindy explains the site and how a situation at her home group motivated her to do this. 

In this episode, I will be speaking with Jeb B from the Freethinkers group in Denver, Colorado. Jeb was a guest on our podcast about a year and a half ago, and in that episode, he was talking about difficulties his group was experiencing with the Central Committee of Alcoholics Anonymous in Denver refusing to list his meeting.

Today, I'll be joined by my friend, Wes B, from my home group, We Agnostics, Kansas City, and we'll be speaking with Bill W. No, not that Bill W., another Bill W., about his new book, 12 Secular Steps: An Addiction Recovery Guide.

Today I'll be speaking with comedian Max Brockmann based out of Eugene, Oregon. Max is a person in recovery, an atheist, and I think he's pretty funny. I hope you enjoy this podcast.

Dr. Vera Tarman has been working in the field of addiction medicine since 1994 and has been the Medical Director of Renascent, a treatment center in Toronto since 2006. She is a regular contributor to the call-in TV show, Living Clean, Living Well, and was co-host on Addictions Unplugged, a community call-in show about addictions. Although she has spoken on various issues in addiction, her special interest is in the area of food addiction. She's the author of Food Junkies: The Truth About Food Addiction, and she will be a featured speaker at the International Conference of Secular AA to be held in Toronto, Ontario, from August 24 through August 26.

A few months ago, I read a poem that was posted on our Facebook group, written by Robert B from Madison, Wisconsin. In his post, Robert mentioned that at the encouragement of his sponsor, he began to write poetry, which he’s been doing daily since he’s been sober. Since that time, he’s amassed some 4,000 poems. Intrigued, I contacted him to ask if he would like to post his poetry at AA Beyond Belief. That interaction resulted in this podcast.

Can the 12 traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous be enforced? Can AA groups or AA members be punished for not conforming? Can special-purpose groups within Alcoholics Anonymous affiliate with each other and build websites to list their meetings? Join me as I talk with Ben S., the General Service Representative of the Many Paths Group in Urbana, Illinois, and Joe C. from Rebellion Dogs Radio.

Margot Genger author of Shift Happens: Breakdowns During LIfe's Long Hauls, discusses recovery from alcoholism and mental illness while recounting her adventures as an over-the-road trucker in the early 1980s.

In today's episode, I'll be speaking with Bruce H from the Many Paths group in Seattle, Washington. Bruce has been sober for over 40 years, and recently was a keynote speaker at the Widening the Gateway conference in Tacoma. In this episode, we'll talk about what it was like when he was getting sober in the 1970s, and the changes he's seen in AA since that time. We'll also discuss his journey through sobriety, what he's learned, how he approaches the program, and how he has always made a home for himself in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Today, I'll be speaking with Tomas L., from Gothenburg, Sweden. I met Tomas in the secret Facebook group for AA Beyond Belief. One day, we were all posting comments about the use of the Lord's Prayer in AA meetings and Tomas posted something that I found really funny and clever, so I thought that I would have him on a podcast. That interaction from several months ago resulted in this conversation between Tomas and I.

In today's episode, I'll be speaking with Dr. Ray Baker, an expert in the field of Addiction Medicine. Recently, Dr. Baker served on a national expert committee for the Canadian Centre of Substance Abuse, where he helped design and analyze Canada's National Life in Recovery Survey. Dr. Baker was the opening speaker at the "Widening The Gateway" conference in Tacoma, Washington. And he will be speaking at the International Conference of Secular AA to be held from August 24th through August 26th in Toronto, Ontario. Without further ado, my conversation with Dr. Ray Baker.

In today's episode, I'll be speaking with Carol M., the Host City Chair for the International Conference of Secular AA. Carol will update us about the conference to take place in Toronto, Ontario from August 24th through August 26th at the Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel.

Today's episode features a conversation with our friend, Joe C. from Rebellion Dogs Radio, and author of Beyond Belief: Agnostic Musings for 12 Step Life. We'll be airing a conversation that Joe had with his area delegate, Kim S. From area 83. Joe and Kim talk about the recent general service conference about alcoholic anonymous. Kim has a fascinating account of what occurred when the conference approved the adoption of the God Word pamphlet, a pamphlet previously published by The General Service Office of Great Britain, and features the stories of agnostics and atheists in AA. 

Tommy Rosen is the author of Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life. He is a yoga teacher with over two decades of experience with yoga, recovery and wellness. He is the founder and host of the Recovery 2.0: Beyond Addiction online conference series and the hashtag Move Beyond Group Coaching Program. Tommy is a pioneer in the field of yoga and recovery who has helped thousands with a holistic approach to recovery from addictions of all kinds. It was an honor to have him on our podcast, and I hope you enjoy and benefit from the conversation.

Today's podcast features a recording of a panel discussion at the Widening the Gateway Secular AA Conference held at Tacoma, Washington on March 31, 2018. The moderator of the panel was John H. from the We Agnostics Group in Washington DC. John was kind enough to allow us to share this recording with you. John was joined by Mary G. who attends a secular AA women's meeting in Tucson, Arizona, and Bill K. from the Many Paths Group in Burien, Washington. A portion of the original recording that included audience discussion was edited out due to time constraints. You can hear the original recording in full at the website atheisticaa.com. 

In today's episode, I will be speaking with Gary Bell from Hartlepool, England. Gary and I will be discussing a promising treatment for alcohol use disorder, known as The Sinclair Method. The Sinclair Method utilizes the prescription naltrexone to eliminate addiction to alcohol, through the process of pharmacological extinction. Gary, who participated in the documentary film One Little Pill, is well-versed on the subject, from firsthand experience. And I'll think you'll find this an interesting discussion.

life-j is a friend of both AA Beyond Belief and AA Agnostica. He has written several articles for both sites, and was also published in the AA Grapevine. In this podcast life-j shares his story, and we'll talk about his article on the Sinclair Method, his thoughts on recovery, his thoughts about AA, present and future, what he thinks about secular AA, the use and limitation of technology, and a need for improved networking among secular AAs.