Alcoholics Anonymous is the largest self-help recovery group on the planet, and has been since it founded the group-therapy niche. However, despite a long and illustrious history of helping people to move past alcohol addiction and alcoholism, AA and its 12-step method has recently fallen under criticism, largely that program focuses on a higher power [...]
I was raised with very clear ideas on how to be a man, and giving in to my emotions was definitely not one of them. It started with "big boys don't cry". Once I mastered holding back the tears, I was taught to hit first and ask questions later. Most of my friends came up [...]
"There is no sin in being poor, but it's damn unhandy." This is something my grandmother used to say, and it reminds me of my recovery journey. I was raised as a Lutheran, however, by the time I was in my late thirties, I had been a member of three different congregations, and they all [...]
Six years ago, I got sober through an intervention that landed me in a 30-day outpatient treatment program that focused heavily on the principles of 12-step programs. After I finished my initial treatment, I found myself attending at least three AA meetings a week for the first year or so. Over time, and as I [...]