Why does addiction recovery have a mysterious air about it? Science can perform freaking heart transplants and more or less control behavior by manipulating chemical impulses in the brain – yet millions die each year from addiction.  We can use an ultrasound machine and leverage … Read More

“Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” Step 12 AA Step 12 Mandate #1: Carry This Message You know what grinds my gears? When you ask … Read More

“Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”The Eleventh Step I struggled to find whose words best conveyed the punch-you-right-in-the-kisser confrontation … Read More

“Continued To Take Personal Inventory And When We Were Wrong Promptly Admitted It.” You made it through the meat and potatoes. The first nine steps have left you well-fed and plump. Emotional indigestion notwithstanding, I’d argue you’re in a much better position than you were … Read More

You’re likely either terrified at this prospect or thrilled. If you’re anything like me, you’re both simultaneously. Yup, that’s me – driving 100 miles per hour with the emergency break up.  Indeed, I need a map drawn for me to handle even the most mundane … Read More

“Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.” Choice Theory William Glasser, the renegade behaviorism-is-for-chumps psychiatrist, had some radical concepts that I believe can aid us in uncovering precisely the purpose of AA’s Step Eight … Read More