The Future of AA, NA and Other Recovery Mutual Aid Organizations

by William L. White, MACounselor, April 2010, 11(2), 10-19.  Addiction recovery mutual aid societies have played a significant role in the resolution of severe alcohol and other drug problems throughout the world and have exerted a particularly profound influence on the professional treatment of addiction (Humphreys, 2004; White, 2004). The purpose of this article is to…

Narcotics Anonymous: Its History and Culture

by William White, Chris Budnick and Boyd PickardCounselor, April 2011, 12(2), 22-27  Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) stands as the benchmark by which all other addiction recovery mutual aid societies are measured due to its longevity, national and international dispersion, size of its membership, adaptation of its program to other problems of living, influence on professionally-directed addiction…

Waiting: A Nonbeliever’s Higher Power

by Marya Hornbacher For those who don’t believe in God, feel disconnected from the ideas of God presented in organized religion, or are simply struggling to determine their own spiritual path, Marya Hornbacher, author of the New York Times’ best sellers Madness and Wasted, offers a down-to-earth exploration of the concept of faith. Introduction Using the…

Buddha, Meditation & The 12 Steps

by Kelly O’Rourke Johns I drive through the quaint St. Paul, Minn., neighborhood withhardly a glance at the stately old homes that line the street or the moss-covered buildings of Macalester College. I can feel my chest constrict with stress and my neck stiffen as my thoughts race through several heavy worries—an ill friend, a diabetic uncle, fin- ancial…

Buzz Aldrin – Man on a Mission

by Steven Diogo  Buzz Aldrin the Icon and Buzz Aldrin the Man are two very different creatures. The icon laughs at death, rides wild rockets like bucking broncos and contem- plates the mysteries of life in the wondrous cosmos outside his Apollo window.  The man focuses on mission, procedure and detail. He is a military man and engineer.…

The God Problem

Reconciling spirituality and recoveryby Steven Diogo Despite what is presented as a wide view of spirituality in Twelve Step programs—with a focus on developing one’s own concept of a higher power—many still chafe at any mention of God, higher power or any entity that is not grounded in the physical plane. For these people, it is…

Study Explores How A.A. Helps Members Stay Sober

Among the many ways that participation in Alcoholics Anonymous helps its members stay sober, two appear to be most important – spending more time with individuals who support efforts towards sobriety and increased confidence in the ability to maintain abstinence in social situations. Social contacts, self-confidence crucial to successful recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous Among the…