October 20, 2026· also filed here
Maybe Now It’s My Turn to Show Somebody Else
Sometimes helping a newcomer means saying less and simply being there. After thirty-eight years sober, I’m realizing that showing up still matters.
Read “Maybe Now It’s My Turn to Show Somebody Else” →September 14, 2026
There’s More Wrong With You Than Just Your Drinking
One of the greatest misconceptions I had as a newcomer in AA was believing that as long as I stopped drinking, I was all better. My sponsor had a different message: “There’s a lot more wrong with you than just your drinking. When you accept that, you’ll start getting better.”
Read “There’s More Wrong With You Than Just Your Drinking” →September 13, 2026· also filed here
Life Doesn't Give a Shit How Long You've Been Sober
Life doesn't care whether you have one day or thirty-eight years sober. Guy writes about the moment he finally asked for help, and how sobriety gave him the tools to survive the punches that kept coming.
Read “Life Doesn't Give a Shit How Long You've Been Sober” →September 7, 2026
We Have Built-In Forgetters
AA repeats the same suggestions for a reason: we forget the pain the moment we start feeling better. On the thousand-pound phone, pride, isolation, and the night I spoke at a meeting the day my mother died.
Read “We Have Built-In Forgetters” →September 6, 2026
YOU'RE NOT GETTING MARRIED—JUST ASK SOMEONE
Asking for help in AA isn't a marriage proposal. You don't need the perfect sponsor—just another alcoholic willing to talk.
Read “YOU'RE NOT GETTING MARRIED—JUST ASK SOMEONE” →September 1, 2026
THE 500-POUND PHONE
A story about the fear that finally made me willing, the sponsor who hung up, and how a 500-pound telephone became one of the tools that saved my life.
Read “THE 500-POUND PHONE” →August 30, 2026· also filed here
How to Get Sober and Actually Stay That Way
There is no trick to it. There is a short list of unglamorous actions that work if you do them, and do not if you do not.
Read “How to Get Sober and Actually Stay That Way” →August 26, 2026
THE GROUP DEPENDED ON THIS 21-YEAR-OLD ANGRY PUNK
How ashtrays, coffee pots, hospital wards, and a blizzard taught me that commitments keep you sober.
Read “THE GROUP DEPENDED ON THIS 21-YEAR-OLD ANGRY PUNK” →August 25, 2026
AA RUINED MY ISOLATION
I sat in that circle while I was in therapy, but I had no intention of telling anyone how I truly felt or what I thought about myself.
Read “AA RUINED MY ISOLATION” →August 24, 2026· also filed here
SHAME WAS EATING ME ALIVE
There was a time when I felt absolutely horrible about myself. The self-loathing and disgust I felt toward the person I had become were ripping me apart from the inside.
Read “SHAME WAS EATING ME ALIVE” →
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