In Recovery from Alcoholics Anonymous 's Podcast

We've made it to Bill's Story in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Written in 1938, Bill W. had about 3 or 4 years of sobriety when he wrote Bill's Story for the Big Book, which was published in 1939 and originally titled Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism. 

One of my closest friends, a "normie," joined the podcast to hold my hand as I read Bill's Story. Re-readin...

There's something magical about sitting down with a complete stranger and walking away from it wiser and more secure. That's what Nicole gave me. 

Nicole struggled with heroin and crystal meth addiction, crawled out of the depths of Hell, and, over time, sought what she wanted and got it. Whatever it is, it's looking pretty damn good from over here. 

This is a podcast dedicated to speaking out about the abuse that happens i...

You know what I love about this episode? Alexa is both approachable and relatable, even though I've never met anyone like her. She didn't lean into any negative spirals or bury AA, but redirected me to the fruits of sobriety and the many resources that can get all of us there. 

I left the interview feeling a bit lighter, and after editing this episode I felt this unfamiliar sense: optimism. Alexa gave occasional sound bites abo...

I went into this conversation expecting Leanne to tear Alcoholics Anonymous apart. She's sharp, she's got a loud online presence, and I figured she'd bring the same energy to talking about the program. Nope—she surprised me. This is one of the most positive AA discussions I've had on the show.

Leanne got sober in British Columbia during the pandemic lockdown, working through substance abuse and eventually transitioning at the ...

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) clash because the peer-led, moral-inventory framework of AA can accidentally trigger or feed OCD cycles rather than treat the underlying anxiety. The rigid, dogmatic rules of 12-step programs often morph into new compulsions for someone with untreated OCD. Excessive rumination on program literature, rigidly counting meeting attendance, or repeating steps are parallel...

I'm doubling up this week with a surprise Big Book reading. The Doctor's Opinion...a great PR resource, a terrible step for medical science. In 1938, on the heels of the Big Book release, Bill W. asked Dr. William D Silkworth—his drunk hospital doctor—to write a letter of recommendation for Alcoholics Anonymous. He happily did, as he was happy with Alcoholics Anonymous's impact on chronic alcoholism. He wrote that a pow...

This week, I have a very special guest from all the way down in Phoenix, Arizona—David Riu! He talks about his childhood in a Christian cult, struggling with opiate dependency and homelessness, recovering from substance abuse disorder, getting trapped in the "soft cult" of AA, and leaving the program. He teaches me about harm reduction, Recovery Dharma, SMART recovery, and treatments to overcome drug dependency. He also refle...

Heather, a mental health counselor and former AA member, joins the podcast to provide her lived experience in 12 Step meetings. She goes over the very unwelcome, unsolicited advice from sponsors, dealing with 13-steppers, and how she slowly exited the program. Spoiler: The Orange Papers came into Heather's world, and it got her thinking. We also discuss the spectrum of substance abuse disorder; how some members need to abstain for ...

This week, Theo pulls back the curtain on his time in the rooms. Theo went at AA wholeheartedly: he worked the steps thrice+ over, followed the program with incredible precision, had a sponsor, and had his own batch of sponsees. So what finally made him get out of Dodge? He traces the surprising overlap between Scientology and AA, recounts his exposure to the Freedom Model and Writing the Big Book, and breaks down other paths to so...