About a year ago, we posted Episode 137 about a secular Al-Anon group that started meeting in Boise, Idaho. That episode featured a conversation with one of the group’s co-founders, Kim L., who talked about the challenges with starting the meeting. In this episode, the group’s other co-founder, Chia provided an update on how the group has been fairing and how COVID has actually helped...
Listening is perhaps the most valuable gift we can give to another person, and it is a great strength of AA. People don’t necessarily need to have others solve their problems, but from being heard people can learn to face and resolve their own challenges. This episode is all about the importance of listening when helping people we sponsor, or a new person at a meeting. This was a live...
In this episode, I speak with Mikey J. from Our Mostly Agnostic Group of Drunks (OMAGOD) located in Orlando, Florida, and now meeting online every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:00 pm Eastern. Mikey takes us through the history of the group and what they learned about hosting online AA meetings. Key Points and Topics Discussed The history of OMAGOD and their online meetings. How to keep a...
In this episode, John Huey talks about his thoughts on COVID and alcoholism, and what the two have in common. He thinks back on friends who didn’t survive their drinking and realizes that we don’t think often enough about those who don’t make it. You can read more in John’s essay, A Journal of the Plague Year. Key points and topics discussed Either COVID or alcoholism...
John and Angela celebrate the fifth anniversary of AA Beyond Belief by taking a look back at when and how it all started. Key points and topics discussed Meeting Roger C. at the We Agnostics and Freethinkers International AA Conference. Roger encouraging John to start AA Beyond Belief. John explains why he started the podcast. What about AA Beyond Belief materialized as first imagined and...
Has COVID brought in a new era for Alcoholics Anonymous, or is it our responsibility to help bring one about? As meetings moved from church basements to Zoom, we are now hearing more diverse experiences from a greater number of people, as well as new ideas about the Steps or recovery in general. Maybe sharing our experience as secular AA members is making more of a difference now? That’s...
In this episode, Angela and John have a discussion about making decisions and how they learned to make better decisions in recovery. Angela talked about how attending meetings and working the Steps helped her learn to become more mindful and less reactive, and John talked about the difficult decisions he had to make early in sobriety. This was recorded from our Friday night live stream and...
Our guest for this episode is Sarah Elizabeth from the Sober Gratitudes podcast. Now, I’ll tell you, this isn’t a typical episode for AA Beyond Belief, because Sarah doesn’t identify as either an atheist or agnostic. In Fact, she describes her experience as spiritual, and she attributes her sobriety to a higher power, which she identifies as the God of her understanding. Now, that being said...
Angela and I have a free-flowing conversation covering a variety of topics ranging from our memories and thoughts about or first AA meeting to whether AA Word Services should publish a new book that covers the program of recovery. We take a call from Fred in Virginia and respond to comments on Facebook and YouTube.
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Angela and I talk about friendships and how they were impacted by our drinking and what we learned from our friends in sobriety. When I got sober, I didn’t have any friends left from my drinking days, but Angela continued to maintain those relationships after she got sober. This was recorded from our Friday live stream. We had one caller and several comments from the YouTube and Facebook...
Angela and I take questions from callers and the live chat on Facebook and YouTube, and then we ask each other a few questions. There is an interesting discussion about the importance of self-care, and the need for AA to modernize.
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Angela and I have a conversation with Dale K. about the ” We Agnostics” chapter in Big Book. Dale wrote a secular version of the first 164 pages in the Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous, and in this episode, he explains why. Angela and I have a conversation with Dale K. about the ” We Agnostics” chapter in Big Book. Dale wrote a secular version of the first 164 pages in the...
In this episode, Angela and I are joined by Bri, a friend from my home group, to discuss relationships. We take a look at the issues we faced with relationships while we were drinking, as well as in recovery. Bri goes into detail about some of her early experiences, and Angela talks about the developmental theory of relationships and how that is problematic for people in recovery. Bri got sober...
In this episode, Joe C. from Rebellion Dogs Radio joins Angela and John for a brief overview of the history of secular AA groups. This episode was recorded live on YouTube and Facebook on July 10, 2020. We live stream every Friday night at 7:00 pm on the AA Beyond Belief YouTube Channel, public Facebook page, and our private Facebook group. Key points and topics discussed The first Quad A group...
This episode was recorded from a live stream originally posted on July 3, 2020, on YouTube and Facebook. Angela and I talk about the role that music played in our lives both while drinking and now as sober people. This was a free-flowing conversation that went into other topics.
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Mark K. knows he needs more than AA to stay sober. Before attending his first AA meeting, he was receiving professional help from a therapist who he continues to see to this day, and who encourages him to remain open to any activity or resource that supports his recovery. Mark fully embraces this approach, and in this episode, he walks us through his journey, describing the tools and resources...
This episode features a conversation about the 12 Steps with John C. from Berkeley, California. We talk about how there is often exaggerated importance placed on them. The Steps, which are primarily experiential become an academic exercise for many. Some AA members will talk about finishing Steps, but some don’t have a defined beginning and end. How do you finish Step One for example...
In this episode, I speak with David S., a stand-up comedian in the Kanas City area who has been sober for thirty-seven years at the time of this recording. We talk about his recovery, the challenges of being a secular person in AA, his thoughts about agnostic AA meetings, and how he got involved with performing comedy. Transcript 00:00 John: AA Beyond Belief is a podcast by, for, and about people...
In this episode Angela and I talk about Tradition Three: The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking.” We review the history of the tradition taken from a talk by Barry L., author of Living Sober, that he gave at the 1985 International AA Convention in Montreal. This is followed with a discussion about how we experience the tradition today. This was recorded Live on...
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Adina Slvestri from Life Cycles Counseling in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Silvestri is a licensed family therapist who specializes in treating women with substance abuse issues, children impacted by trauma, and helping people cope with and better handle anger. She is also the host of “The Atheists in Recovery Podcast”, which features guests with an...
In this episode, I’m joined by my friend Sam S. from my home group in Kansas City to discuss the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson. This story is a great metaphor for alcoholism and drug addiction, and though I have always been familiar with story simply by reference in popular culture, I found that actually reading the book and then discussing...
This episode was recorded from our weekly Friday night live stream on YouTube. Every week, Angela and I cover a topic we think may be of interest to secular people in AA, and for this particular episode we were joined by Willow F. to talk about outside issues. We are living through a pandemic the likes of which hasn’t been experienced in over a hundred years, millions of us have lost our...
In this episode Angela and I discuss our experiences speaking at AA meetings and offer tips and suggestions that you may find helpful when speaking at other groups. We talk about the importance of knowing your audience, staying on time and on track, and formats other than the standard “what it was like, what happened, and what it’s like now.” We also cover how to record your...
This episode features a conversation with two people in recovery who were adopted as children. Lisa K., a Korean adoptee describes her struggle with identification as an Asian person growing up with a white family in a white world. David B. Bohl, author of Parallel Universes: The Story of Rebirth shares his personal journey as one who was relinquished at birth as a way of providing some...
Rich S., a physician from Portland, Oregon shares his experience as a healthcare professional in recovery from alcoholism, and he helps us understand the special challenges facing healthcare workers as they confront a global pandemic. Transcript John: AA Beyond Belief is a podcast by for and about people who have found a secular path to sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. Hello, is anybody out...
This episode is a recording from a talk given by Carmen X. in Kansas City, Missouri in February 2019. Carmen begins by noting that she believes she was born with two genetic variations. One that made her a trans woman and the other that made her an alcoholic. She briefly shared her story of recovery, and then the microphone was passed around the room for comments from others who attended the...
Is acceptance the answer to all our problems, or is it only a starting point, or maybe it’s where we end up after going through a process? That’s what this episode is all about. How we understand and incorporate the concept of acceptance into our recovery. This episode was recorded live on Friday, May 22, 2020 on the AA Beyond Belief YouTube channel, public Facebook page, and private...
This episode features a conversation with Gary Chattaway, a recovery advocate from London, England whose work can be found on his website thehumanglitch.com, and his YouTube Channel. Gary is the author of The Human Glitch a short book that briefly describes his experience with alcohol addiction. He is currently working on a new book that will delve deeper into how he overcame alcohol cravings and...
In this episode Angela and John talk with Sam S., who teaches History and Social Studies at a high school in a rural area of Kansas. After sharing her recovery story, an interesting discussion ensues about the challenges she faces as a teacher and person in recovery, and how parents, teachers, and students are dealing with the unique circumstances resulting from the social isolation brought on by...
Although alcoholism runs through his family history, Chad’s growing up years seemed normal to him. He felt loved and secure in his home environment. Looking back if there was anything about him that seemed unusual was a general sense of unease and a tendency toward perfectionism. In this episode Chad talks about his experience with alcoholism, recovery, and the secular AA meetings he...
Inspired by an article published by Aces Too High News on May 2, 2017, this episode features a discussion about the role that adverse childhood experiences plays in the development of addiction later in life. Is addiction a disease or a normal comfort seeking response to childhood trauma, or is it a little of both? Every Friday night at 8:00 pm Eastern Time, John and Angela stream live on the AA...
In this episode Angela and John speak with Jackie S. about the power of pausing and meditation to bring mindfulness to our recover and how we can benefit from that. This episode was recorded as a live stream on our public YouTube channel and our private Facebook group. We stream an episode every Friday night at 7:00 pm Central Time. Transcript 00:00 John: AA Beyond Belief is a podcast by, for...
In this episode, Benn and John meet Bobby C. from Huntington Beach, California. Bobby has been sober since February 27, 1984 and participates in both AA as well as SMART Recovery meetings. Bobby shares his story which evolves into an interesting conversation about anonymity, secular recovery options, and recovery culture. Transcript 00:00 John: AA Beyond Belief is a podcast by, for, and about...
Doug P. has been sober for over 25 years. He left AA approximately eight years ago because he was bored with all the god bit, but returned upon finding a secular AA meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia where he lives. This is his story. Transcript 0:00:00 John: AA Beyond Belief is a podcast by, for and about people who have found a secular path to sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. [music] 0:00:26...
In this episode, Angela and John talk about emotional sobriety while taking calls from listeners, and responding to comments in the YouTube chatroom. The term emotional sobriety originated from a letter that Bill W. wrote to a friend in 1953. Bill, sober for twenty years, was suffering from depression and was frustrated that the AA program didn’t seem to help him with depression as it did...
This episode features a conversation with Bob K., author of Key Players in AA History. We discuss AA co-founder Bill W., the first women in AA, and some of the common misunderstanding’s of the AA founding mythology. We also took calls from listeners who asked questions about the Steps, inconsistencies in the Big Book, and sponsorship. Every Friday night at 7:00 PM Central, Angela and John...
Angela and John talk about platitudes, slogans, and common sayings heard in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. Are they useful? If so, which ones? Are any of them harmful or downright mean? This was recorded live on YouTube as part of our sober distancing series. We took calls, responded to comments in the chatroom and had an all around good time.
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Every Friday night at 7:00 PM Central, Angela and John live stream on the AA Beyond Belief YouTube Channel. You can participate by commenting in the live chat or calling in by phone. This episode featured a discussion of sponsorship and seeking outside professional help.
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In this episode Angela, Benn, and John talk about emotional balance in the context of Step 10. This was recorded from our weekly Friday night live stream on YouTube. Bobby C., Jaren C., and Peter from Vermont called in with their comments.
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Covid 19 has changed everything, and as government entities institute stay at home orders, AA groups have had to move their meetings online. It’s been a difficult time full of uncertainty and change, and unfortunately this will be the new normal for the foreseeable future. In this episode, John, Angela, and Benn share their thoughts and experiences about the crisis and discuss the tools...
John H. from the We Agnostics Group in Washington DC makes another appearance on the podcast to talk about deprogramming from AA. The word “deprogramming” may seem strong, but for those of us who have spent some time in traditional AA, didn’t we have to unlearn a few things? I know that I did, and I’m still unlearning and relearning. If you haven’t met John H...
Angela B. provides an ICSAA update and talks about the One Big Tent Secular AA Conference to be held in Langley, British Columbia on May 16, 2020. Jamison M. joined in by phone to talk about starting a secular AA meeting in Lodi, New Jersey. It’s an interesting story that involves help from a person of faith. Today, the group is thriving and providing a safe and secular space for people to...
As storm Ciara tore its path across the United Kingdom, somewhere in London, Jeremy P. hunkered down and spoke with me for this podcast. A few weeks prior to recording this episode, Jeremy sent me a very thoughtful email about his difficulty identifying with many of the AA speakers he hears on various podcasts. He explained that this is keeping him from saying anything at the meetings he attends...
In this episode, I spoke with Erik Haines , a public health advocate in Canada who has studied and written about how changing attitudes regarding addiction and recovery are impacting public policy, treatment options, and new modes of support for people recovering from addictions of all kinds. Links to some of Erik’s work: “We the North: Rethinking Addiction & Recovery in...
Jaren recently completed an ultra marathon, a 100 mile trek, and while running his thoughts took him back to when he was twenty-five years old and went to his first AA meeting. The people in the room gave him hope because he could relate with them and they to him. At that first meeting, a man made him a promise that if he could stay sober one day at a time, he would have a wonderful life and do...
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. Transcript Well, thanks for coming, everyone. And my name is Tom and I’m an addict. And that’s probably...
Angela and I concluded our series on the Twelve Steps by live streaming this episode on YouTube and taking calls. Glenn G. from Jacksonville called in and talked about his work with his Area to have a secular AA workshop at the Florida State convention. It was a fun conversation fitting for this step, which as far as I’m concerned is about enjoying life. This is how I see Step 12 today: ...
PJ, originally from Ireland, migrated to Sydney in in 1989 and got sober in 1993. Having come from an Irish tradition of oral storytelling he naturally gravitated towards the wonderful Sydney AA storytellers, who shared their experience, strength, and hope. This has proven to be a mainstay of his sobriety with the tried and tested formula of sharing in a general way what we used to be like, what...
Continuing with our Wednesday Secular Speaker Series, today we present to you Lisa K. who spoke at the KC Secular AA Speaker Meeting on December 8, 2018. Lisa, a Korean adoptee shares her experience as an adoptee and how it impacted her alcoholism and recovery. Transcript Hi. Thank you. My name’s Lisa. I’m an alcoholic. And it’s really good to be here tonight. I’ve shared...
Angela and I had a nice conversation about Step 11, which in its traditional wording seems difficult for a secular person to even be interested in pursuing. However, for me and for Angela as well, this step wasn’t about making a conscious contact with a god. I liked the way that Angela described this step. She sees it as “being about openness and taking the new space in our lives and...
John talks about starting a secular AA meeting from his own experience as well as what he has learned from others. After defining what makes an AA meeting “secular”, he talks about why you might want to start a meeting, and how to go about finding a meeting place and getting the group registered with GSO. Topics covered include: What makes an AA meeting secular. Reasons for...
In this episode Joe K. from The Only Requirement Group in Chatham, New Jersey shares his story of recovery as an atheist in Alcoholics Anonymous, and his experience with helping to start a secular AA meeting. Transcript 00:01 John: AA Beyond Belief is a podcast by, for and about people who have found a secular path to sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. [music] 00:29 John: Last week, I posted...
This week’s secular speaker is Bill H. who has been sober in Alcoholics Anonymous for 52 years. This recording is from a talk he gave in Kansas City, Missouri on December 1, 2018. Bill talks about his early days getting sober in AA in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, his days on the AA speaker circuit, and how he approaches recovery today. Transcript Bill: My name is Bill and...
Angela and John discuss Step 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. A step that many see as an effort to continue keeping our side of the street clean, but it can also be looked at as striving to live at our full potential. At other times this step is best expressed by the acronym H.A.L.T., take care of yourself and try not to become too hungry...
Archer Voxx, author of The Five Keys: 12 Step Recovery Without A God, and Alcoholics Anonymous Universal Edition spoke on the topic of emotional sobriety at the 2018 International Conference of Secular AA in Toronto, Ontario. Archer describes emotional sobriety having an awareness of the negative impact that unhealthy dependencies on people, places, and things can have on our emotional well...
In this episode, John H. from the DC We Agnostics Group talks about his secular recovery as described in a series of articles he authored and posted at atheisticaa.com. The series entitled Toward a Secular Recovery features five articles: Making a Decision, Meetings, Sharing, Abstinence, and Helping Others. John is a talented writer whose work can be found at his personal website john-huey...
On Wednesday, January 1, 2020, at 7:00 pm Central Time, the AA Beyond Belief Podcast will be posted as a live stream on our YouTube Channel, our public Facebook page, and our Private Facebook group. This will be a live call-in show where you can participate by calling our toll-free number 844-899-8278. This number will only work for callers from the US and Canada. Those of you outside the US and...
In this episode, Angela and John take a look at the amends steps, 8 and 9. John talks about his experience with direct and indirect amends, and explains why in some situations he felt that indirect or “living amends” were the better choice. Angela describes the process she used as she learned it from the book, The Alternative 12 Steps: A Secular Guide. Transcript 00:00 John S: This...
A few days before Christmas, I spoke at the Paseo Group’s Alkathon in Kansas City, Missouri. I wasn’t terribly prepared for my talk, but I arrived about half an hour early which gave me time to jot down a few ideas on a napkin. Using the napkin as a guide, I talked about the language of recovery, the action I took and continue to take in recovery, and my thoughts about the steps and AA literature...
In this episode, you will meet Kim L., who helped start a secular Al-Anon meeting in Boise, Idaho. While Kim isn’t entirely uncomfortable at traditional Al-Anon meetings, she was motivated to start a secular meeting because she knows of people who wouldn’t avail themselves to the help they can find in Al-Anon because of their perception that it is religious. Unfortunately, her group...
Are the Twelve Steps really relevant in the 21st Century, and is there any point for an atheist or agnostic to work out secular interpretations? Maybe it’s better to abandon them altogether? John H. from the We Agnostics Group in Washington DC thinks so, and he makes a compelling case in this talk that he delivered at the third biennial International Conference of Secular AA that was held...
Angela is back to discuss the steps from a more secular point of view, and in this episode, we take a look at steps six and seven, which in their original wording read as “were entirely ready to have God remove all of these defects of character”, and “Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Sounds like these are steps that should be completely discarded if you are an atheist, agnostic or...
This episode features a talk by Wes B., who attends meetings at the Freethinkers and We Agnostics groups in Kansas City, Missouri. Addiction to drugs and alcohol brought Wes close to death several times, and as a self-described strident atheist, he had difficulty with the overly religious language that he was confronted with during treatment and at the AA meetings he attended early in his...
Barbara G. had her last drink in Munich, Germany in 1983, and the god bit gave her trouble from her first AA meeting. However, she quickly learned to interpret the Steps to comport with her agnostic worldview. Now living in Maryland, Barbara attends meetings at the We Agnostics, Atheists, and Freethinkers group in Frederick, Maryland. In this episode, Barbara briefly shares her story, and then we...
In this episode, Gregg O., Chair of the Host Committee for the International Conference of Secular AA provides an update on the conference to be held from October 30 – November 1, 2020, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. Registration is $125 and is now open at the Secular AA website. Conference attendees will receive a special hotel rate of $129 per night, which is available...
In this episode, Angela and I continue our discussion of the 12 Ssteps, today, focusing on Step Five, which involves sharing our story with another person. We cover a lot of ground here, taking a look at who we should choose to listen to our fourth step, what role should that person play as the hearer, what value is gained from doing this and how thorough should we be. This is followed with a...
I met Douglas at my home group We Agnostics, and last summer after a meeting, we were talking about recovery-related movies as topics for future podcasts and he suggested “The Way Out”, a short film by Jim Greco. Douglas has been skateboarding his entire life, and Jim Greco is a professional skateboarder who made this film about his 11th and 12th year of sobriety. This sounded like an intriguing...
In this episode you will meet Dave E. from Toronto, Ontario. Our conversation begins with Dave sharing his personal story of recovery, the difficulty he had with interpreting the god-speak that he heard in AA meetings, and the relief he felt from finding secular AA meetings. Later in the podcast, we talk about what we do with our sobriety, how we spend our time, and what we do to stay engaged and...
This episode features a talk by Benn B. from Omaha, Nebraska who visited Kansas City last summer to speak at the KC Secular AA Speaker Meeting. Benn covers a lot of ground in this short talk. He describes his years growing up before he started drinking, how his drinking became a problem, and his experience with AA as he got sober. The overall take-away is the important role a supportive community...
In this episode Angela and John discuss Step Four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. We will continue discussing this step as we go into Step Five, and we would love to hear from you. Please email your experiences, questions, or comments about this step to john@aabeyondbelief.org, and we may discuss your email on that episode. Transcript 00:00 John: This is AA Beyond...
In this episode, Gary S. from Sun City West Arizona provides information about the third biennial Arizona Secular AA Conference, which will be held on November 9th at the 24th Street Conference Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Jeffrey Munn, author of Staying Sober Without God: The Practical 12 Steps to Long-Term Recovery from Alcoholism & Addiction will serve as the keynote speaker at the...
Step Three, in its original form reads as “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” The words “God” and “Him” lead many nonbelievers to disregard this stop altogether. However, is there a more practical way to view this step? In this episode Angela and John take a secular view of a step which is essentially...
This episode features a recording Joe C. speaking in Kansas City, Missouri at the anniversary celebration for the We Agnostics and Freethinkers groups. Joe is from Toronto’s Beyond Belief group. He is the host of the podcast Rebellion Dogs Radio, and author of “Beyond Belief: Agnostic Musings for 12 Step Life. “ Transcript 00:00 John S: This is episode 123 of AA Beyond Belief...
Angela and John respond to listener email and then have a conversation about Step Two. In its original form, Step Two reads, “came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” In everyday language, one might say, “I can stop drinking and have a decent life.” It is essentially the experience finding hope that sobriety is possible, but...
This episode features a panel discussion about the twelve steps that was conducted by Jeffrey Munn, author of Staying Sober Without God, and myself. It was nice to meet Jeffrey and an honor to participate on this panel with him. Jeffrey discussed the Steps as he wrote them for his book and then went into a little detail behind some of those steps. I shared my experience with the Steps since I was...
This episode features a discussion of the 1994 film, When a Man Loves a Woman. The film starring Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia does an amazing job in depicting the relationship between an alcoholic and her spouse and how the dynamics of the relationship changes as the alcoholic gets sober and begins to recover. Benn B. and John S. bring their own experiences as recovering people into the conversation...
In this episode, Angela B. and John S. discuss the first step in the recovery process, which for many of us is whatever happened that helped us escape the grip of denial, admit we had a problem with alcohol and to seek help. Angela and John go into more detail about Step One and the principles behind it, while covering a few other topics along the way. Transcript 00:00 John S: This is episode...
This episode features Wally K. from the Atheists, Agnostics, and All Others group in Boise, Idaho. Wally has been sober for 47 years, and this is his story. Links: Secular AA Meetings in Boise Atheists, Agnostics, And All Others Website Transcript 00:37 Wally K: Thanks for having me, John, I appreciate this opportunity. We don’t have a lot of speaker meetings here in the greater Boise...
On September 7, 2019, the Secular Ontario AA Roundup will be held at the First Unitarian Church at 170 Dundurn Street South, Hamilton, Ontario. Registration and information can be found at the website soaar.ca. In this special bonus episode, I’ll be speaking with Murray J. and Carolyn B. who will go into more detail about what you can expect at the roundup. Read more about SOAAR at AA Agnostica...
This is the first in a series of episodes dedicated to understanding and working the Twelve Steps as an atheist, agnostic, freethinker, or anyone interested in a secular approach to the Twelve Steps. Angela B. from the Agnostics, Atheists, and All Others group in Boise, Idaho will bring her insight and perspective as co-host with John S. for the duration of the series. In this episode, Angela and...
If you would like to attend a secular AA meeting, but don’t have one in your community, there are now several online meetings listed on the Secular AA website that you might want to try. In this episode, I speak with four women from The Sober She Devils, an online secular women’s meeting. Carol, Gail, Kimberly, and Maria join me to talk about their experiences with the meeting and how...
Today’s episode features a conversation with Mike Collins, founder of sugaraddiction.com and Chair of the Food Addiction Institute, an organization that is making headway informing the public about sugar addiction as a substance abuse disorder. Mike and I talked about the science of sugar addiction, the experience of detoxing from sugar, the necessity of abstinence, and the importance of a...
This episode features a conversation with John H. from the We Agnostics Group in Washington, DC. John, who describes himself as a “determined atheist” is of the opinion that the Secular AA organization should sever its ties to traditional AA, and he explains his reasoning in this discussion. John is a talented writer whose work can be found at his personal website john-huey.com, and...
In this episode, I talk about my experience at AA Beyond Belief, both the podcast and website. I discuss the challenges and rewards that come from doing this work, and what you can do to get involved to help. Transcript 00:00 JOHN S: Hello and welcome to AA Beyond Belief-the podcast. I’m your host, John S. [music] 00:20 JOHN S: This episode is going to be a little bit different than what...
Staying Sober Without God: The Practical 12 Steps to Long-Term Recovery from Alcoholism & Addictions, by Jeffrey Munn is a welcomed addition to the growing library of secular recovery literature. Munn’s reasoned and practical approach while targeted for atheists and agnostics, can be used by anyone interested in learning about the Twelve Steps, and regardless of their addiction. In this...
This episode features a conversation with Lena R. from the We Agnostics Group in North Bay, Ontario. Lena discusses her experience of working with her District to approve a request to add the “secular” category for her group on the Area meeting directory. After considering Lena’s arguments, the District voted unanimously to approve the group’s request. This is an uplifting...
The opioid epidemic is a crisis, it’s an emergency, and thousands of people are dying. In fact, more people have died from the opioid epidemic than the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. The Toronto Overdose Prevention Society is responding to the crisis in their city by creating and operating pop-up safe injection sites. These sites cost about $150 a day to operate and because they don’t...
For this episode, I spoke with my friend Simon P., who I met a few years ago at the We Agnostics group in Kansas City. Simon has recently started a secular AA speaker meeting which has been doing well. In fact, we have turned the meeting into a podcast, which is fun but also makes the meeting more accessible. It was nice to have Simon over to my house and to get to know him better as he shared...
Today’s episode features a recording of a talk given by Angela B. from the Atheists, Agnostics, and All Others Group in Boise, Idaho. Speaking at the Saturday Night Live Speaker Meeting in Boise on December 28, 2018, Angela shares her recovery story and how she experiences the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous as an atheist. Transcript 00:00 John S: This is episode 108 of AA Beyond Belief:...
“Esprit Ouvert” is French for “Open-mindedness”, and it’s the name of a new secular AA group that meets in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec every Friday night at 8:00 pm. In this episode, Ernest B. and William B. talk about what motivated them to start the group, the challenges they faced, and how their group approaches the AA program from a totally secular...
In this episode, I share my experience, strength, and hope at an Alkathon hosted by the Paseo AA Group in Kansas City, Missouri. I talk about what got me into AA, how I feel about the first three steps, my experience as an atheist in AA, starting a secular AA meeting, my thoughts on Steps 6 and 7, and the importance of service work. Transcript 00:00 John S: This is Episode 106 of AA Beyond...
This episode features a conversation with Steph R., an atheist in recovery who has found a way to make sense of the AA Big Book and to practice the 12 Steps. As Steph shares her experience, an interesting discussion unfolds about the difficulties that atheists and women have with AA’s original literature. Steph explains how she learned to place the Big Book into the context of its time, and...
Today’s episode features a conversation with John M. from the Sober Speak podcast. John is coming up on 30 years of sobriety this year and has posted 52 episodes of his wonderful recovery podcast. Our conversation shows how two AA’s one a believer and another an atheist can find common ground through shared experience. Topics covered in this episode include a discussion about...
Voices in Recovery is a new website created by Cindy from the Agnostics and Others group in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Cindy’s idea is to feature recorded talks from people in recovery from any and all addictions. The site’s focus is on under represented groups whose voices are not often heard. In this episode Cindy explains the site and how a situation at her home group motivated...
00:00 John S: This is Episode 102 of AA Beyond Belief, the podcast. [music] 00:23 John S: Well, I have to tell you it’s good to be back at podcasting again. And I apologize to listeners for leaving and being away for so long without giving you advance notice. The truth of the matter is, I wasn’t expecting to be gone for as long as I was. Something just happened to me. I think I got...
00:00 John S: Hello, this is Episode 101 of AA Beyond Belief, the podcast. [music] 00:21 John S: Today, I’ll be joined by my friend, Wes B, from my home group, We Agnostics Kansas City, and we’ll be speaking with Bill W. No, not that Bill W., another Bill W., about his new book, Twelve Secular Steps: An Addiction Recovery Guide. This is John and I’m here with Bill W., who has...
Transcript 00:00 Announcer (Recording): Max Brockmann! [applause] 00:03 Max Brockmann (Recording): Hello, fellow humans. My name is Max, and I like to tell jokes. Let’s do that together right now. Sometimes I can smoke a plant. I won’t say which plant, but I will say this, it starts with Marijua… And it ends with both of my arms stuck in Pringles cans. [laughter] 00:38 Max...
Transcript 00:00 John S.: This is Episode 99 of AA Beyond Belief, the Podcast. [music] 00:25 John S.: Dr. Vera Tarman has been working in the field of addiction medicine since 1994 and has been the Medical Director of Renascent, a treatment center in Toronto since 2006. She is a regular contributor to the call-in TV show, Living Clean, Living Well, and was co-host on Addictions Unplugged, a...
Transcript 00:00 John S.: This is AA Beyond Belief The Podcast, Episode 98 [music] 00:24 John S.: A few months ago, I read a poem that was posted on our Facebook group written by Robert B. from Madison, Wisconsin. In his post, Robert mentioned that at the encouragement of his sponsor, he began to write poetry, which he’s been doing daily since he’s been sober. Since that time...
Can the 12 traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous be enforced? Can AA groups or AA members be punished for not conforming? Can special-purpose groups within Alcoholics Anonymous affiliate with each other and build websites to list their meetings? Join me as I talk with Ben S., the General Service Representative of the Many Paths Group in Urbana, Illinois, and Joe C. from Rebellion Dogs Radio...