12 steps

My books and other things.
My Instagram.

To me, people often make the 12 Steps sound terrible.
Something to endure or get through. Something laborious and unpleasant.

I love the steps. 
In this episode, I explain some of why this is. 

January 2024: Secular AA's monthly world-tour of speaker meetings is hosted by Our Mostly Agnostic Group of Drunks (OMAGOD), based out of Orlando, Florida.

Our speakers this month are:

• Alison P
• Emily C
• Josh S
• Scott B

..with Mikey J as emcee.

Following these talks is sharing from around our agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA world. This is an open and welcoming meeting inviting others to share their thoughts about the speakers' shares and should be interesting for anyone, newcomer and long-timer alike (or just curious).

OMAGOD meets in-person Tuesday and Saturday nights and online Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights - for more information, check out www.omagod.org.

Next stop: Colorado! Secular AA’s monthly Global Speaker Tour will be featuring Godless Heathens of Colorado on Sunday, Feb 4 at:

• 2 pm EST
• 1 pm CST
• 12 pm AZ
• 11 am PST
• 7 pm UK
• 6 am AEDT (Monday)

Everyone is welcome to join our monthly open/public secular AA meeting.

ZOOM ID 864 4074 0033
Passcode 121212
(CON TRADUCCIÓN SIMULTÁNEA INGLÉS<>ESPAÑOL)

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

Sometimes it sounds like we are just supposed to do a bunch of things to stay sober, and cross our fingers, and hope one of them works.

But the Big Book is very clear and direct about what we need to do in order to remain sober. 

In this episode I talk about the man I called my sponsor for over thirty years, and the different phases I went through with both him and sponsorship. 


My books and other things.
My Instagram.

Today, my guest Stefani, will share her personal journey of being the wife and mother of loved ones who have struggled with substance abuse. So often it’s when we are in our most painful experiences we find purpose, miracles and God. During this time Stefani heard a divine voice promise “I will work a miracle in your life.”

Resources:

stef.sheehy@gmail.com

Heaven Will Find You by Sheldon Lawrence

The Blessings I Witnessed Today: A Bible-Based Gratitude Journal

Season 1 Wonders and Miracles: Stories of Miraculous Moments in Everyday Lives

Visit www.wondersandmiracles.com for more stories or to submit a story. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @wondersandmiracles

Traducción Española

December 2023: Secular AA's monthly world-tour of speaker meetings is hosted by the Friends of Secular AA this month: Secular OA, Secular NA, Secular Al Anon, Secular ACA, and Secular CoDA. Spanish translation is available! 
Our speakers this month are:

• Jim D of OA
• Ken S of NA
• Sheila K of Al Anon
• Jill B of ACA
• Matt H of CoDA

..with Jim D as emcee. This episode is also available in Spanish! See the next episode.

Following these talks is sharing from around our agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA world. This is an open and welcoming meeting inviting others to share their thoughts about the speakers' shares and should be interesting for anyone, newcomer and long-timer alike (or just curious).

In addition to the recording, several good resources were made available in the meeting chat, repeated here for all to see and use:

~~~

Sitios de internet de Comedores Compulsivos Seculares

https://secularovereaters.org/

https://www.secularserviceboardofovereatersanonymous.org/

~~~

Taller sobre Libertad Alimentaria,

20 de enero, sábado, de 8 a 9:30 a. m.,

durante siete sábados,

https://forms.gle/SCcHEAnJx13qzM4e9

https://tinyurl.com/FoodFreedomWorkshopJan20

~~~

Narcóticos Anónimos Secular

www.secularna.org

Grupo privado de Facebook "The Secular NA Coffee Shop"

~~~

Hijos Adultos de Alcohólicos Secular

www.acaagnostica.com

~~~

Al Anón Secular

www.rivenwoodbooks.com

any.faith.or.none@gmail.com

secular.alanon.step.study@gmail.com

boisesecularalanon@gmail.com

www.anyfaithornone@gmail.com

~~~~

CoDA Secular

Grupo de Apoyo a la Codependencia Agnóstico Humanista y Ateo

www.atheistcodependent.com

aha.codependents@gmail.com

~~~~

For January we're pleased to be hosted by Our Mostly Agnostic Group of Drunks (OMAGOD) (who are also hosting ICSAA 2024 in Orlando, FL on September 20-22). This speaker tour will be a panel discussion of OMAGOD homegroup members sharing their experience, strength, and hope. This enlightening discussion will be held on the first Sunday of January (7-JAN) at noon AZ, 2pm ET, 11am PT, 7pm UK, and 6am AEDT (their Monday, 8-JAN).

Everyone is welcome to join our monthly open/public secular AA meeting.

ZOOM ID 864 4074 0033
Passcode 121212
(CON TRADUCCIÓN SIMULTÁNEA INGLÉS<>ESPAÑOL)

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

December 2023: Secular AA's monthly world-tour of speaker meetings is hosted by the Friends of Secular AA this month: Secular OA, Secular NA, Secular Al Anon, Secular ACA, and Secular CoDA. Spanish translation is available! 
Our speakers this month are:

• Jim D of OA
• Ken S of NA
• Sheila K of Al Anon
• Jill B of ACA
• Matt H of CoDA

..with Jim D as emcee. This episode is also available in Spanish! See the next episode.

Following these talks is sharing from around our agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA world. This is an open and welcoming meeting inviting others to share their thoughts about the speakers' shares and should be interesting for anyone, newcomer and long-timer alike (or just curious).

In addition to the recording, several good resources were made available in the meeting chat, repeated here for all to see and use:

~~~

Sitios de internet de Comedores Compulsivos Seculares

https://secularovereaters.org/

https://www.secularserviceboardofovereatersanonymous.org/

~~~

Taller sobre Libertad Alimentaria,

20 de enero, sábado, de 8 a 9:30 a. m.,

durante siete sábados,

https://forms.gle/SCcHEAnJx13qzM4e9

https://tinyurl.com/FoodFreedomWorkshopJan20

~~~

Narcóticos Anónimos Secular

www.secularna.org

Grupo privado de Facebook "The Secular NA Coffee Shop"

~~~

Hijos Adultos de Alcohólicos Secular

www.acaagnostica.com

~~~

Al Anón Secular

www.rivenwoodbooks.com

any.faith.or.none@gmail.com

secular.alanon.step.study@gmail.com

boisesecularalanon@gmail.com

www.anyfaithornone@gmail.com

~~~~

CoDA Secular

Grupo de Apoyo a la Codependencia Agnóstico Humanista y Ateo

www.atheistcodependent.com

aha.codependents@gmail.com

~~~~

For January we're pleased to be hosted by Our Mostly Agnostic Group of Drunks (OMAGOD) (who are also hosting ICSAA 2024 in Orlando, FL on September 20-22). This speaker tour will be a panel discussion of OMAGOD homegroup members sharing their experience, strength, and hope. This enlightening discussion will be held on the first Sunday of January (7-JAN) at noon AZ, 2pm ET, 11am PT, 7pm UK, and 6am AEDT (their Monday, 8-JAN).

Everyone is welcome to join our monthly open/public secular AA meeting.

ZOOM ID 864 4074 0033
Passcode 121212
(CON TRADUCCIÓN SIMULTÁNEA INGLÉS<>ESPAÑOL)

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

This is the audio of the session "Creating a Successful Secular AA Meeting" by Nathan H from Day 1 of Virtual ICSAA 2023. Recordings from the conference are being edited for public sharing and are being uploaded as they are made ready. Follow/subscribe to us on buzzsprout to be alerted as your favorite episodes are available. For information on ICSAA 2024 in-person in Orlando in September, check out www.aasecular.org/in-person-conference and register soon!

If you have thought about being of service to A.A. by creating a new space for secular alcoholics to gather, or want to improve an online meeting, I invite you to attend this seminar. In this 90-minute interactive session, we will discuss ideas that are useful in creating a successful online meeting and benefit existing meetings that could use a little help. We will look at how the Covid pandemic changed the A.A. meeting experience and how we can maintain some of the useful traditions of face-to-face meetings in an online environment. Topic discussion will include items like:
What does “successful” even mean?
What makes a good meeting?
What does it mean to be an A.A. group?
What does it mean to be a Secular A.A. group?
Meeting format and structure.
Getting the word out.
Meeting presentation.
Service Staffing.
Security.
The Group Conscience.

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

This is the audio of "Las Vegas Secular Sobriety" from Day 2 of Virtual ICSAA 2023. Recordings from the conference are being edited for public sharing and are being uploaded as they are made ready. Follow/subscribe to us on buzzsprout to be alerted as your favorite episodes are available. For information on ICSAA 2024 in-person in Orlando in September, check out www.aasecular.org/in-person-conference and register soon!

This was a session hosted by the founder of the first Las Vegas secular AA meeting (Keith W) and as many of the Vegas cohort as we can muster. History and the special challenges of Vegas sobriety.

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

Traducción Española

This is the audio of Bill W's session, "Dopamine and the Twelve Steps" from Day 1 of Virtual ICSAA 2023. Recordings from the conference are being edited for public sharing and are being uploaded as they are made ready. Follow/subscribe to us on buzzsprout to be alerted as your favorite episodes are available. For information on ICSAA 2024 in-person in Orlando in September, check out www.aasecular.org/in-person-conference and register soon!

Presented by biologist Bill W., author of “Twelve Secular Steps: An Addiction Recovery Guide” - Our pious AA founders were surprisingly insightful in characterizing addiction as a disease with two indispensable components: an allergic reaction to alcohol coupled to an unstoppable obsession to keep putting it into our bodies. But they would not recognize the modern-day disease model, which emphasizes a complex interplay of neurobiology, environment, and molecular genetics. Have these comprehensive (and complicated) modern-day insights have rendered “traditional” 12-Step recovery obsolete? Our answer should be a resounding no! This is especially evident if we distill 12 Step recovery down to its secular core, which consists of the essential actions and practices that have created 12 Step recovery since the humble beginnings.

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

This is the audio of Bill W's session, "Dopamine and the Twelve Steps" from Day 1 of Virtual ICSAA 2023. Recordings from the conference are being edited for public sharing and are being uploaded as they are made ready. Follow/subscribe to us on buzzsprout to be alerted as your favorite episodes are available. For information on ICSAA 2024 in-person in Orlando in September, check out www.aasecular.org/in-person-conference and register soon!

Presented by biologist Bill W., author of “Twelve Secular Steps: An Addiction Recovery Guide” - Our pious AA founders were surprisingly insightful in characterizing addiction as a disease with two indispensable components: an allergic reaction to alcohol coupled to an unstoppable obsession to keep putting it into our bodies. But they would not recognize the modern-day disease model, which emphasizes a complex interplay of neurobiology, environment, and molecular genetics. Have these comprehensive (and complicated) modern-day insights have rendered “traditional” 12-Step recovery obsolete? Our answer should be a resounding no! This is especially evident if we distill 12 Step recovery down to its secular core, which consists of the essential actions and practices that have created 12 Step recovery since the humble beginnings.

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

Traducción Española

This is the audio of Dr. Anna Lembke's session "Radical Honesty: How Telling the Truth Changes our Brain and Promotes Recovery" from Day 1 of Virtual ICSAA 2023. Recordings from the conference are being edited for public sharing and are being uploaded as they are made ready. Follow/subscribe to us on buzzsprout to be alerted as your favorite episodes are available. For information on ICSAA 2024 in-person in Orlando in September, check out www.aasecular.org/in-person-conference and register soon!

Professor Anna Lembke is Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford and the New York Times bestselling author of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence which decodes complex neuroscience into applicable strategies that explain and promote recovery. An expert in treating addictions of all kinds, in this talk Lembke discusses the biology and psychology of radical honesty: Telling the truth in all things large and small. She illuminates how radical honesty strengthens the prefrontal cortex, engenders a plenty-mindset, and ends the cycle of destructive shame that perpetuates addiction. Drawing on lessons from scientific research as well as the lived experience of people in recovery, students will learn how honesty as a daily commitment can help curb desire and encourage contentment and connectedness.

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

This is the audio of "Steps 1, 2, 3... and Beyond" from Day 2 of Virtual ICSAA 2023, hosted by Mike G. Recordings from the conference are being edited for public sharing and are being uploaded as they are made ready. Follow/subscribe to us on buzzsprout to be alerted as your favorite episodes are available. For information on ICSAA 2024 in-person in Orlando in September, check out www.aasecular.org/in-person-conference and register soon!


For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

This is the audio of "Steps 1, 2, 3... and Beyond" from Day 1 of Virtual ICSAA 2023, hosted by Michele W. Recordings from the conference are being edited for public sharing and are being uploaded as they are made ready. Follow/subscribe to us on buzzsprout to be alerted as your favorite episodes are available. For information on ICSAA 2024 in-person in Orlando in September, check out www.aasecular.org/in-person-conference and register soon!

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

Traducción Española

This is the audio of Bill Schaberg's session from Day 2 of Virtual ICSAA 2023. Recordings from the conference are being edited for public sharing and are being uploaded as they are made ready. Follow/subscribe to us on buzzsprout to be alerted as your favorite episodes are available. For information on ICSAA 2024 in-person in Orlando in September, check out www.aasecular.org/in-person-conference and register soon!

William Schaberg, author of Writing the Big Book: Stepping back from his typical focus on the 18-month period from October 1937 to April 1939, Schaberg expands his scope to consider what was going on in the Fellowship from December 1934 to 1939 – a time that Bill Wilson called "The Flying-Blind Period." In this presentation, Schaberg underlines just how "blind" that period actually was and how clueless all the main participants were about where they were going to finally end up in mid-1939. Once again, this is a "challenging the creation myths" presentation, encouraging people to set aside many of the 'hallowed' stories they have so often heard about early A.A. history and inviting them to take an "unfiltered" look at what the facts actually tell us about that time.

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

This is the audio of Dr. Anna Lembke's session "Radical Honesty: How Telling the Truth Changes our Brain and Promotes Recovery" from Day 1 of Virtual ICSAA 2023. Recordings from the conference are being edited for public sharing and are being uploaded as they are made ready. Follow/subscribe to us on buzzsprout to be alerted as your favorite episodes are available. For information on ICSAA 2024 in-person in Orlando in September, check out www.aasecular.org/in-person-conference and register soon!

Professor Anna Lembke is Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford and the New York Times bestselling author of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence which decodes complex neuroscience into applicable strategies that explain and promote recovery. An expert in treating addictions of all kinds, in this talk Lembke discusses the biology and psychology of radical honesty: Telling the truth in all things large and small. She illuminates how radical honesty strengthens the prefrontal cortex, engenders a plenty-mindset, and ends the cycle of destructive shame that perpetuates addiction. Drawing on lessons from scientific research as well as the lived experience of people in recovery, students will learn how honesty as a daily commitment can help curb desire and encourage contentment and connectedness.

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

Traducción Española

This is the audio of Kevin Griffin's session from Day 2 of Virtual ICSAA 2023. Kevin Griffin, Buddhist author, teacher, and leader in the mindful recovery movement, speaks on "Buddhism and the Twelve Steps." Recordings from the conference are being edited for public sharing and are being uploaded as they are made ready. Follow/subscribe to us on buzzsprout to be alerted as your favorite episodes are available. For information on ICSAA 2024 in-person in Orlando in September, check out www.aasecular.org/in-person-conference and register soon!

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

This is the audio of the session "Secular Big Book Study" from Day 1 of Virtual ICSAA 2023. Recordings from the conference are being edited for public sharing and are being uploaded as they are made ready. Follow/subscribe to us on buzzsprout to be alerted as your favorite episodes are available. For information on ICSAA 2024 in-person in Orlando in September, check out www.aasecular.org/in-person-conference and register soon!

We gather weekly to read the text as written in The Big Book and discuss with a secular perspective. The words as written, the religious angle, and the time in which it was penned has challenged some alcoholics to weave the language into modern-day terms and modern-day realities. Most weeks feature a discussion leader that will introduce the reading and talk about how they relate to the content. This session was led by Marsha F. and Nathan H.

For more info on secular AA including Zoom meetings, in-person meetings, and virtual gatherings, check out:
- https://aasecular.org
- secularAA@gmail.com

Secular AA is AA sobriety without the God-stuff, one of the fastest growing subcultures within Alcoholics Anonymous offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org

On this episode of the Modern Day Overthinker podcast, I spoke with Ramiro Antonio Perez about his battles with addiction, mental health, and building a new life. I appreciate Ramiro for being so open and audience with me during our talk (recorded 11/11/23) and hope to have many more conversions with him in the future. New episodes of the Modern Day Overthinker podcast are released every other Monday. This one was a little late, but I promise it is worth the wait.

Keep up with everything MDOT here: 
www.moderndayoverthinker.com

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Fly Over State Pictures
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