Aa Beyond Belief

A few days ago, Benn and I recorded this podcast on Steps Six and Seven. We never know where these conversations will lead, and we are often surprised at the interesting twists and turns we take as we talk about the Steps. I always learn something from Benn, and our conversations inevitably inspire me, and leave me feeling a renewed sense of respect and admiration for the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. I hope you enjoy the podcast and the accompanying essay. A special thanks to Steve K. for his essay Humilty — A Right Sized Ego. His description of humility and its importance to our recovery was invaluable, and was always in the back of my mind as I wrote this.

John C. grew up in Amarillo, Texas where he says, "God was good, and if you're going to be good, you're going to follow God, and the people who love God are the really good people". Today, John resides in "la ville lumière", the city of enlightenment. He's been sober in AA for over thirty years, and he's an atheist. He is the person who suggested the second "A" in WAAFT, and he's presently a member of the board of directors for WAAFT IAAC where he is helping plan the convention that will be held in Austin, Texas this November.

This November at WAAFT IAAC, Jerry F. from Gilbert, Arizona will give a presentation about ongoing changes that have been made to the Big Book, and how he was able to get the General Service Conference to take up the issue with AA World Services, ultimately resulting in a revision to fourth edition. This is a story with a little bit of everything. It's an AA history story, it's a lesson in General Service, and it has all the mystery and intrigue of a detective story. When Jerry first told me about this, I knew it would make for a great podcast. He was kind enough to oblige and to give us all a preview of what he will be presenting in Austin this November.

June of 1989 was my original sobriety date. I was what is described in our literature as a classic “two-stepper.” You could have never convinced me I would ever forget that horrible bottom . . . but I did!

I was transformed by the Twelve Steps, but there wasn't anything supernatural or magical about it. The change I experienced was the result of what I learned from the process. I simply adopted new behaviors that made it easier for me to live a sober life.

In November of 2014, we agnostics, atheists and freethinkers followed AA’s broad highway to Santa Monica, California, and Alcoholics Anonymous has not been the same since. It was there where our imaginations were stirred, and an energy and passion was created that ultimately resulted in the formation of some 125 new AA meetings. We are staying sober by widening the gateway to recovery for others, and doing our part to ensure “that the hand of AA will always be there, when anyone, anywhere reaches out for help”.

After Roger's first year in AA, he learned that his home group "Beyond Belief", had been disenfranchised by the Greater Toronto Area Intergroup. Without warning, their group's web page was removed from the Intergroup's website and their meeting was removed from the local meeting a directory. A vote was taken to remove the Beyond Belief and We Agnostics gropus, and neither group had say in the matter. The groups were in effect "booted out".

My name is Vic L. and I am definitely an alcoholic. I first went to AA on February 11, 1979 when I was 35 years old. I do not distinguish between alcohol or any other drugs (i.e. pot, cocaine, opiates) or any other “dry goods.” I speak only for myself, not for AA, nor for the WAAFT Board of Directors of which I am a member.

Over the years, I've frequently heard in meetings that there's a reason the steps were written in order. The implication being, that to do them correctly, one must work them sequentially, from one through twelve. I think to a certain extent this is true because the steps are based on our actual experience with recovery — and recovery is a process of steady personal growth. We start at the bottom and through a series of actions that include getting honest, asking for help, and making an effort to change — we learn about ourselves and our relationships with other people. I think Step Four in particular requires some preparation, a process to follow. There were a few steps I needed to take before I was ready to make a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself.

Mike started drinking early in life, and by the age of 18 he had already been to jail and treatment. He loved alcohol and he drank for the effect, but quickly lost all control of his drinking and his life. Married with children, Mike was motivated to stop drinking, but in spite of his best efforts, he could never put together more than thirty or sixty days.

It was very nice to sit down and visit Dianne P., who is the Chair of the We Agnostics, Atheists and Freethinkers International AA Convention that will be taking place in Austin, Texas from November 11 through November 13 of this year. This is an AA convention that you don't want to miss. If you can possibly find a way to Austin, you should do it, and I am speaking from experience.

When John H. attended his first A.A. meeting in 1957, he was the youngest person in the room, and the speaker that night was a man in a suit, talking about the business he lost. John's drinking got bad fast and he was never able to put much together, let alone a business. He just couldn't relate, so he he left that meeting and drank for another eight years.

At first glance, this step may seem impossible for a nonbeliever. God and the capital "H" in "Him", make it pretty clear that we will be dealing with the supernatural here. The problem of course is that we are leaving out the most important part — that we made a decision. We are making a decision in this step, a decision to change by committing to the remaining steps in AA's program of recovery.

In this episode John L., the author of A Freethinker in Alcoholics Anonymous joins Kevin P and myself for a conversation about John's early experiences in A.A., and his thoughts on the fellowship today. John's sobriety dates back to February of 1968 when he started attending AA meetings at the Perry Street Workshop where he learned to stay sober through the twenty-four hour plan.

In this episode of AA Beyond Belief-The Podcast, we explore the first two steps in AA's program of recovery. Benn B. from Lincoln, Nebraska joins us for an engaging conversation about these steps from a secular perspective.

Jerry V adapts the "Four Elements of Wretched Old Age" from the Opera L’incoronazione di Popea to his own recovery. The Four Elements of Drunkeness and the Four Elements of his Recovery.

This podcast was produced by Joe C from Rebellion Dogs Radio and we are honored to republish it here on this site. In this episode of Rebellion Dogs Radio, Joe interviews our friend Bob K, author of Key Players in AA History and numerous articles on AA Agnostica and AA Beyond Belief.

This speech delivered by Roger C. at the Widening the Gateway AA Conference earlier this month will go down as a classic. I believe this will be referenced and talked about and listened to for many decades to come. Roger a lover of history has done has found himself in the midst of it, an active participant in events that are helping shape AA's future.

Steve Bergier, a certified SMART Recovery Facilitator in Orange County, California was kind enough to not only submit a story to AA Beyond Belief, but also to spend his Sunday morning having a conversation with me about his experience with SMART Recovery.

Perhaps our greatest asset for helping others is our past, our stories of recovery, and in this episode Holly D. from Orlando, Florida shares her story with us. Like many of us, Holly's drinking and life was out of control before she could get her life off the ground. While some recount the things they lost through drinking, Holly wasn't able to get any of those things to begin with. There was nothing to lose, materially anyway.