Category Archives: Meeting Topics – 2026

Below is the reflection for today, focuses on our journey and connection to our higher power, and they understanding that our higher power took us out of the bisque of despair and brought us into a life of recovery.

Please take a moment if you haven’t read the daily reading for today as I read this, I thought about the relationship I had when I first came and what it’s like today.

I’m sure before when I first came to program I feel that my higher power I choose a call God had it out for me. I feel that he enjoyed seeing me struggle and purposely put various obstacles into my life and that somehow he had this sadistical pleasure of just watching me live in darkness in despair that I wasn’t worth it so I got tossed into this week, dark journey of life

The line is still out to me today and touched me was where it said The power I had to grasp with was the power that would anchor me through my worst of woes.

I like the image of the anchor, and that God does an anchor make my connection to God anchor, and that connection is done in various ways, listening at meetings, doing service work, just being a good person in general inside the walls of AA and outside the walls of AA talking and listening to my higher power on a daily basis, which I can’t say I’m always doing this perfectly. I always have to be reminded to take that time to connect with him in various ways. I often do when I walk with my pups in the morning and in the evening.

I confidently can see that today my God never had it out for me. Yes, I was in despair , in darkness from the abuse that I suffered as a child and addiction of alcoholism but what I didn’t understand is he was not causing it. he was there to wrap his arms around me and keep me safe until I can reach the doors AA. Recovery/healing through therapy. What a priceless gift to receive.

My higher power is my anchor not just in the worst times not just in the best of times it’s all the time in between.

What part of the daily reading touch you? What thoughts came up for you after you read this daily reading and how does it relate to you when you first came into recovery? How does it relate to you today? If none of this hit a cord what is on your heart that you would like to share?

I want to share how much I love to hear and read How It Works Chapter 5 of the BB). We read it at every meeting but I am not able to say that I read it and I am present 100% every time. But I love to read HOW IT WORKS. For me How It Work holds 5 key concepts or take away points which are essential to the foundation of my recovery. The first takeaway begins with the importance of following the directions the way our forefathers wrote them because if I follow them I rarely “fail.” at the given situation and I will maintain my sobriety for another 24 hours.

The second point I always take away is being honest. If I am not honest with myself, my HP and the group then life gets murky and chaos will come in waves. Most importantly, the disease of alcoholism will gain momentum and make every attempt to lead me astray.

The third take away is the 12 steps are read which has taught me and continues to show me how to live life and all the situations that occur during a day. Simple put prior to recovery I did not know how to interact with life and others. The 12 steps, traditions and concepts are my blueprint to living life as my HP wanted and wants me to each day.

The fourth takeaway for me is the connection to my HP and knowing he has me at all times and always had me. The difference today is I know my HP cares about me and never had it out for me. He provides me with guidance, and the grace to walk the road of recovery/life. Today I am in my wheelbarrow and my HP is guiding me through my journey of life/recovery. Being in the wheelbarrow is not a passive state, being in the wheelbarrow means that HP is in control, not me.

The last take away is the reminder that I am a human and I strive for progress not perfection. I am human and I have my journey to live to the best of my ability each day my feet touch the ground. So easy to say, so complicated I make it at times, but each day and even within a day, I can restart my strive for progress.

Topic for the week: Embracing Endlessness

A paragraph came across my desk recently that caught my attention:
“Work is endless. Exercise is endless. Parenting is endless. Same with marriage, writing, investing, creating, and more. You get to choose the parts of your life, but many of the important things in life cannot be “finished.” Do not approach an endless game with a finite mindset. The objective is not to be done, but to settle into a daily lifestyle you can sustain and that allows you to make daily progress on the areas that matter. Embrace the fact that life is continual and look for ways to enjoy the daily practice.”

Before, during and after my drinking days, this reminded me of a defect that remains constant. I want to do the work in front of me today and finish it, once and for all! It’s been a lifelong struggle to accept that this is not reality. I cannot finish chores and tasks until they are permanently done, or learn all that I need to and be done, or do all the exercise I need and be done. One of my favorite comedienne / stress management gurus used to say, “when you’re dead, you’re done!”.

I got to thinking about how much this passage applies to my program. There are times when I am prone to engage in a self serving pity party about how hard life is and it seems that the work never ends. I spend time and energy wishing I could ‘finish’ all of the daily AA work that goes into this life of sobriety. I sometimes ask myself, isn’t it ever done?

Thankfully, I have come to understand that in fact the opposite is true. In order to remain sober, I need to make sure the ‘work’ is right there in front of me. It is the daily discomfort and subsequent progress that keeps me sober. Accepting this continuity of never ending work is crucial. I must turn my thinking around and realize that I ‘get to’ embrace the endlessness of the 12 steps and all that this demands of me – service, selflessness and an ongoing relationship with God. I can embrace that I ‘get to’ wake up sober today and look for ways to enjoy the daily practice instead of longing to be finished.

Please share any thoughts you have or strategies you use with the areas of your life that are endless!

Pg 81 BBNow about sex. Many of us needed an overhauling there. But above all, we tried to be sensible on this question. It’s so easy to get way off the track. Here we find human opinions running to extremes—absurd extremes, perhaps. One set of voices cry that sex is a lust of our lower nature, a base necessity of procreation. Then we have the voices who cry for sex and more sex; who be-wail the institution of marriage; who think that most of the troubles of the race are traceable to sex causes. They think we do not have enough of it, or that it isn’t the right kind. They see its significance everywhere. One school would allow man no flavor for his fare and the other would have us all on a straight pepper diet. We want to stay out of this controversy. We do not want to be the arbiter of anyone’s sex conduct. We all have sex problems. We’d hardly be human if we didn’t. What can we do about them? We reviewed our own conduct over the years past. Where had we been self-ish, dishonest, or inconsiderate? Whom had we hurt? Did we unjustifiably arouse jealousy, suspicion or bitterness? Where were we at fault, what should we have done instead? We got this all down on paper and looked at it. In this way we tried to shape a sane and sound ideal for our future sex life.

De, alcoholic.  These passages about sex played a major role in my recovery journey.  I am of the generation when casual sex was the norm while at the same time women were scorned for having casual sex. Many of my resentments and fears came from the shame I felt seeking the love and attention I thought casual sex provided.  

When I was 17, the attention I got from a sexual partner was “love” and I ended up pregnant. My daughter had been adopted soon after birth and I met her when she was in her early 40’s.  I was fortunate that I found myself in a single partner relationship in the early days of sexually transmitted disease.  

When I first thought about a share about sex I recognize that younger generations may have different feelings about casual sex.  I was in my mid 30’s when I got to the rooms and I had no idea what my morals, opinions, or preferences really were until I had spent some time on the steps sorting out my behaviors.  I was an only child with an emotionally absent father and raging/depressed mother.  I looked for “fun” and usually followed those that did not have my best interests at heart.   My coming of age was a time of confusion and mixed messages.  There were really no role models, we were making it up as we went along.  I carry a lot of shame around from those days.  Alcohol was a lubricant that I used as an excuse for what others labeled unacceptable behavior.   

By whose measure was behavior unacceptable? This is exactly what I needed to figure out for myself.  Working the steps allowed me to see for myself what I thought was important, what values I wanted to adopt and what I wanted others to see in me.  Over time I have become a woman value, appreciating what I have and feeling grateful for where I am in my life.  

Pg 84 BB To sum up about sex: we earnestly pray for the right ideal, for guidance in each questionable situation, for sanity, and for the strength to do the right thing. If sex is very troublesome, we throw ourselves the harder into helping others. We think of their needs and work for them. This takes us out of ourselves. It quiets the imperious urge, when to yield would mean heartache.

This can be used as guidance for any behavior we have that isn’t doing us any good.  Helping others takes us out of ourselves.  Praying for the right ideal, for guidance in each questionable situation, for sanity and the strength to do the right thing.  The Serenity Prayer is my go to for this.  What is it in the situation I cannot change?  What can I change?  Wisdom is knowing that I have a choice and the steps offer a way to work through anything.  

Step 2:  “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”

My experience with Step 2 was a mixed bag. I was happy to learn that I might someday be more like “Earth people,” but I didn’t think my Higher Power wanted to be involved. Looking at it now, I see that when I was on  Step 2, I thought my HP was powerless. That’s not exactly correct, though. I’d spent decades deciding what my Higher Power was. I’d concluded that God created me, gave me free will, and expected me (all of us, really) to take it from there. In my mind, God wasn’t powerless. He just had better things to do. And he expected me to do my part.

I talk about an “old man” in my Virginia meetings who really helped me with this dilemma. He pointed out that God would restore me to sanity where alcohol was concerned. He wouldn’t speak to my non-alcohol-related insanity, of which there was plenty. Mike’s explanation made it easier on me. I didn’t have to cure myself, an assignment I didn’t feel very confident about. I could do the Step and let my Higher Power take care of the alcohol part.

As for my insanity in general, that was going to be a much bigger project. My mother couldn’t cope with my emotional nature, so she explained to me and many others that I was insane. I was a child, and I believed her. So, I carried that baggage with me until after I’d returned to AA at 49 years old. By the time my alcohol insanity was solved, I wasn’t buying mom’s old story any more. I mean, everyone in AA was insane in their own way. I was just one nut in that big basket. I’d figured my mother out by then, too, so I was finally okay with me.

One thing I’m particularly grateful for is that Step 2 begins with the words, “Came to believe…” It told me I didn’t have to become sane immediately and that I would have some very powerful help. I could take my time. I could let time take time. Recovery isn’t a race or an endurance test. It’s a process, and Step 2 is an important part of that process for me.

I hope you’ll share with us your thoughts on Step 2. Where are you with coming to believe? And how has Step 2 contributed to your recovery?

I first want to thank everyone for the sober birthday wishes! I just celebrated 11 years this past Tuesday, and I couldn’t be more grateful for my sobriety. I have been under a lot of stress lately at work and in life with a lot of changes happening, and I couldn’t imagine going through it all without being sober. 

There is an excerpt from Chapter 15 in the Big Book: “We learn how to level out the emotional swings that got us into trouble both when we were up and when we were down. We are taught to differentiate between our wants (which are never satisfied) and our needs (which are always provided for). We cast off the burdens of the past and the anxieties of the future, as we begin to live in the present, one day at a time. We are granted “the serenity to accept the things we cannot change” – and thus lose our quickness to anger and our sensitivity to criticism.”

I specifically love the part about casting off burdens of the past and the anxieties of the future because to live anywhere but the present is detrimental to my sobriety. With all the chaos and change I am going through in my life right now, it is easy to sit and think about the past and worry about the future. I have found myself lately just repeating the serenity prayer over and over, and I find so much peace in it. Otherwise, my anxieties could really take over, and in the past, my solution to dealing with those anxieties was to drink them away! Of course that was never really a solution. If I stay in the present, I focus only on what is in front of me and find peace in knowing wherever life takes me, it’s not my problem today. Thankfully this program keeps me so grounded that I have been able to get through all of this chaos lately without even once thinking about a drink. That is a true miracle!

I’d love to hear about your experiences with living in the present and finding your peace while weathering life’s storms.  Speaking of storms, where I am, we are going to get a big snowstorm tomorrow!  I hope anyone else in this storm’s path stays safe and warm!

Topic for the week: Contempt Prior to Investigation

    “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”

     –HERBERT SPENCER

This quote first appeared in one of the Stories in the Back of the Book, first edition, titled An Artist’s Concept. The story was dropped from subsequent editions and the quote was moved to appear at the end of Appendix II called “Spiritual Experience”. This would be on page 570 in the Third Edition and Fourth Edition. I like reading the material that is the closest to the beginning of the formation of the AA construct to get a better comprehension of our program at our roots.

Here is a snippet from that story…

“The next day I met over twenty men who had achieved a mental rebirth from alcoholism. Here again it was not so much what these men told me in regard to their experiences that was impressive, as it was a sense or feeling that an invisible influence was at work. What was it this man had and these other men exemplified without their knowing? They were human every-day sort of people. They certainly were not pious. They had no “holier than thou” attitude. They were not reformers, and their concepts of religion in some cases were almost inarticulate. But they had something! Was it just their sincerity that was magnetic? Yes, they certainly were sincere, but much more than that emanated from them. Was it their great and terrible need, now being fulfilled, that made me feel a vibratory force that was new and strange? Now I was getting closer and suddenly, it seemed to me, I had the answer. These men were but instruments. Of themselves they were nothing.

Here at last was a demonstration of spiritual law at work. Here was spiritual law working through human lives just as definitely and with the same phenomena expressed in the physical laws that govern the material world. These men were like lamps supplied with current from a huge spiritual dynamo and controlled by the rheostat of their souls. They burned dim, bright, or brilliant, depending upon the degree and progress of their contact. And this contact could only be maintained just so long as they obeyed that spiritual law.

These men were thinking straight-therefore their actions corresponded to their thoughts. They had given themselves, their minds, over to a higher power for direction. Here, it seemed to me, in the one word “Thought”-was the crux of the whole spiritual quest. That “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” and so is his health, his environment, his failure, or his success in life.

How foolish I had been in my quest for spiritual help. How selfish and egotistical I had been to think that I could approach God intellectually. In the very struggle to obtain faith I had lost it. I had given to the term faith a religious significance only. I had failed to see that faith was “our common everyday manner of thinking.” That good and evil were but end results of certain uniform and reliable spiritual laws. Obviously, my own thinking had been decidedly wrong. Normal most of the time, it was abnormal at the wrong times. Like everyone’s thinking, it was a mixture of good and bad, but mainly it was uncontrolled.

I had been sticking my chin out and getting socked by spiritual law until I was punch drunk. If one could become humble, if he could become “as a little child” before this powerful spiritual thought force, the pathway could be discovered.”

This writing is absolutely beautiful, and sums up what was intended for us to be once we recover-light, a lamp.

Lamp: a device for giving light

This morning I was thinking about all the concepts, beliefs, and systems I have had contempt for prior to investigation, and what I currently do….I wrote the following in my notebook:

“Sh*tting on things I “oppose”  (in my case it was western medicine) is an act of avoidance so I don’t have to put in the footwork to investigate. If I am “anti” this or that so I can fit comfortably inside my team’s box or bubble, then I have contempt, or resentment. Our book says:  Resentment is the “number one” offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.” pg 64

-and resentments block me from the light that fills my lamp to be of service to the next sick or suffering alcoholic-my primary purpose for being sober.”

So I ask the group to share on your current “contempts prior to investigating” that are currently blocking you off from your maximum source light/HP ;or perhaps something you have worked through, and now see how your perception, belief systems and fear kept you from investigating the other teams side…not necessarily to become apart of that team, but just to keep an open mind and heart to new information and remove resentment??