This live stream is all about helping others. How do you go about talking to someone who is reaching out for help? What can individuals and groups do to be more helpful for newcomers? Is advice ever warranted? What about sponsorship? Is it helpful to have a hard-ass sponsor? Is tough-love really a thing anymore?
There are myriad paths we can take with this topic. Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the live chat or by calling us at 844-899-8278. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjL4YmFhPQE
This is the audio version of a story written by Julie B. and posted on AA Beyond Belief on September 25, 2016.
The audio story was narrated and recorded by Len R. from Jasper, Georgia. Len is interested in starting a secular AA meeting in his area. If you would like to join him, you may reach him by email at lenr.secularsobriety@gmail.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_g4vNhXWP0
Barb was adopted into a conservative, Catholic family where she had a happy home life with parents who cared and provided for her. There wasn't anything in her childhood that was especially traumatic, but she did get pregnant in high school and put her baby up for adoption. It was a Catholic school, and though they told her she did the right thing, no counseling was offered and it was never discussed. Barb said, "they just expected me to move on with my life."
As far as alcohol goes, it was always part of life and she never gave it much thought, and though she drank a lot in high school and often more than others, people thought she was fun when she drank. It wasn't until she went to college that her drinking began to interfere with her life. Drinking made it impossible for her to study, and she ended up drinking her way out of school.
Leaving a bad marriage, Barb was raising three children on her own until she met someone and remarried. They drank together, but she was feeling shame around bringing her youngest son to the bars when she went out to drink. Soon, this shame led her to think she had a problem and she found her way to Alcoholics Anonymous.
She loved AA and got heavily involved with service work. AA with its rituals, dogma, and community, reminded her what she liked about the Catholic church. Still, a believer, Barb worked through the Big Book, and the steps. Eventually, burning out on service work, Barb got another sponsor who then encouraged her to sponsor other women, since there is a shortage of female sponsors. This took up a lot of her time.
When COVID came along, Barb stopped attending AA meetings and since she works as a nurse, she began to study the science of COVID. This research led her down a path to explore other areas of science such as quantum mechanics and cosmology. Thinking she might find God somewhere in all of this, it turned out quite the contrary and she began to let go of her belief in a deity and came to understand that she is an atheist.
It's been difficult for her to attend traditional AA meetings, and she even finds some of the secularly formatted meetings a bit dogmatic. Inevitably, there seems to be someone at a meeting who insists that the steps must be worked, and though she finds some value within the principles of the Twelve Steps, she no longer feels it's important to work through them as she had done in the past.
Today, Barb feels better about herself than she ever has in the past. She says she is "okay with who she is today."
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY1Idin-4m4
Marty B. is a recovering alcoholic and a retired airline pilot. He got sober in AA and after his first year of sobriety, another pilot introduced him to Birds of a Feather, a worldwide network of AA meetings established for airline pilots and cockpit crewmembers. In this episode, Marty describes the unique needs of pilots in recovery and how Birds of a Feather offers a helping hand.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXnvJKdNduY
Agnostics and atheists in AA, share their experience, strength, and hope at the 61st Annual Florida State AA Convention, held in Jacksonville, Florida from July 27-30, 2017
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRqUvfQ2mxM
Tom S. was the featured speaker on January 5, 2019. Originally from Alabama, Tom shared his story of addiction and recovery. After he spoke, an interesting discussion ensued on the topic of the primary purpose in AA and whether or not drug addicts are welcomed to attend AA meetings.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN0s9l4lMtY
This is the audio version of a story written by Randy P. and posted on AA Beyond Belief on December 11, 2016.
The audio story was narrated and recorded by Len R. from Jasper, Georgia. Len is interested in starting a secular AA meeting in his area. If you would like to join him, you may contact him at lenr.secularsobriety@gmail.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZO-wlcxAoI
This is our question and answer episode, your opportunity to interview Angela and John. Ask us a question about our own personal journeys in recovery, or maybe about the podcast, our website, or the experience of walking a secular path in AA?
You can send your questions in advance to john@aabeyondbelief.org, or call in during the show at (844) 899-8278. You can also ask questions through the YouTube and Facebook chat either before or during the live stream.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OBxEbw-Z08
In last week's episode, I spoke with Bethany B. and Heather B. about their experiences with sexual harassment and predation in the rooms of AA, and we explored possible solutions to the problem.
This week, we continue that discussion and hear from three women who simply share their stories. Sarah J from Johannesburg, South Africa talks about her experience with emotional exploitation. Lisa X from Rochester, New York recalls a relationship that could have driven her from AA altogether, and Jennifer W from Toronto, Ontario shares a story about how her AA group helped make the meeting a safe space.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sTghNwMLCQ