Secular AA's Podcast

As AA staggered into the digital age, thanks in part to COVID-19, many firsts are coming to Alcoholics Anonymous.  This recording, on Juneteenth, no - not an outside issue - was the first International AA Black, Indigenous, People of Colour panel focusing on secular AA. 

This was the first ever International Conference of Secular AA hosted in Europe. The whole world was invited but on note, this was the first time ICSAA was hosted outside of USA/Canada. It was a great conference: moving, invigorating, trail-blazing and hopeful. AA is growing and widening our gateway - all for the better, we think. Marsha from Toronto moderates a panel of five AA members from around the world; we're sure you'll enjoy this episode of ICSAA the Podcast. 

Secular AA is AA sobriety that is neither religious nor irreligious, focusing on the practical, humanist tools of Alcoholics Anonymous and borrowed from the wider recovery community. Secular AA is a growing subculture within AA, offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org 

 Agnostics and Atheists in AA group from Poland

z Międzynarodowej Konferencji Świeckich Anonimowych Alkoholików w Europie: 19 czerwca 2019 r. Jest to polski panel świeckich AA w języku polskim z tłumaczeniem na język angielski.

from the International Conference of Secular Alcoholics Anonymous Europe: June 19, 2019. This is the Polish Secular AA panel in Polish with English translation.

https://aasecular.org or https://ecularaa.eu 

Photo: AA World Service Conference Approved book, Living Sober translated from English to Polish

Secular AA is AA sobriety that is neither religious nor irreligious, focusing on the practical, humanist tools of Alcoholics Anonymous and borrowed from the wider recovery community. Secular AA is a growing subculture within AA, offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org 

Every first Sunday of the month, International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA) offers some local flavor from around the world. This recording comes from the Freethinkers Living Sober Group in the Verde Valley of Arizona, recorded at high noon their time June 5th 2021. ICSAA board members Geri and Joe host with our guests, John R, Suzanne P and Randy P. 

Previously we've been to London, Montreal, Cape Town, Orlando and kicked of with speakers from Dublin and Oregon. Every first Sunday will be Zooming somewhere else:
Zoom ID: 864 4075 0033
passcode: 121212

Announcements include: 

• the June 19 EURO ICSAA Virtual with two Zoom meetings from 11 AM to 11 PM UK/IE time. CLICK HERE for program info
• the "in person" 4th biennial ICSAA from Washington DC October 29th to 31th. 2014 was Santa Monica, 2016 was Austin, 2018 was Toronto and we were planning for Washington 2020 but we've been COVID postponed. We're following the science and guidelines as is the Hyatt Regency Bethesda, Maryland, USA where we are meeting. The special ICSAA hotel rate of $129/night (not including taxes) will remain in place for 2021. Dr. George Koob, the Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, will remain the Keynote Speaker for ICSAA2021 and the focus will remain on the latest science on alcoholism and recovery. Find out more: www.SecularAA.org 

For information or to get involved, email us: [email protected]
For AA meetings for atheists, agnostics and freethinkers visit: OMAGOD.org (our mostly agnostic group of drunks)

Secular AA is AA sobriety that is neither religious nor irreligious, focusing on the practical, humanist tools of Alcoholics Anonymous and borrowed from the wider recovery community. Secular AA is a growing subculture within AA, offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org 

Welcome to the International monthly secular AA speaker world tour, brought to you by ICSAA: International Conference of Secular

AA. May 2, 2021, was the date of our Zoom meeting and our "London Calling," episode is represented today by the Rainham Agnostics, Atheists and Freethinkers AA group form an east suburb of London England.

We get a brief history of secular AA through the last four decades in the United Kingdom. We hear from Lisa, who came to AA about two years ago and Miles, in recovery for decades, who found sobriety while living in  Reykjavik, Iceland, going to treatment and not knowing the language.

The theme: Living sober - the practicalities, makes this a great AA meeting with diverse sharing of AA's many paths to recovery. Enjoy the episode. For more information google "secular AA Zoom meetings" to get to know us, or lurk and/or visit at https://aasecular.org for information and access to our social media. 

Secular AA is AA sobriety that is neither religious nor irreligious, focusing on the practical, humanist tools of Alcoholics Anonymous and borrowed from the wider recovery community. Secular AA is a growing subculture within AA, offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org 

This was the first world tour of First Sunday of Every Month secular AA speaker meeting, on Zoom January 3, 2021 with Kim from Eugene OR and Declan from Dublin IE. Included is a little informal pre and post-meeting chit-chat. The plan is to visit a new city/town every month and bring a local flavor of atheist/agnostic AA to the world. February we’ll be in Orlando with the OMAGOD group, March will be Cape Town South Africa, hosted by the Secular Serenity AA group, April will be from Montreal, London in May and Cottonwood AZ in June—all of the first Sunday of the month. 

We conducted a poll, asking members what the want from the International committee/board and the ICSAA website. Here’s what members have to say. 

Five Questions: What role should ICSAA play & what should www.aasecular.org provide?

#1 Answer: 77% agree the website should keep a list of secular AA meetings times and location.

#2 Answer: 67% agree the secular AA board should facilitate communications within the fellowship

#3 Answer: 55% agree we should consider more virtual secular AA conferences

#4 Answer: 53% agree we should have more information about starting secular meetings and events

#5 Answer: 5% agree we should only focus on a biennial face-to-face conference and keep it simple.

Every new edition of the book Alcoholics Anonymous (1st: 1939, 2nd: 1955, 3rd: 1976, 4th: 2001) includes a new Foreword looking at AA today. AA writes, “Taking advantage of technological advances, for example, A.A. members with computers can participate in meetings online, sharing with fellow alcoholics across the country or around the world. Fundamentally, though the difference between an electronic meeting and the home group around the corner is only one of format. In any meeting, anywhere, A.A.’s share experience, strength and hope with each others, in order to help other alcoholics...”

20 years after writing that a global pandemic proved this to be true. While not every member enjoys Zoom AA meetings and gatherings to the same extent they looked forward to face-to-face gatherings, we have a generation of AA’s who got and stayed sober online, having never been to a community center or church basement to meet AA members. Interestingly something about the above Foreword excerpt really got some members upset. In 2006 the General Service Conference Literature Committee was told by the fellowship to remove: Fundamentally, though, the difference between an electronic meeting and the home group around the corner is only one of format. And so, they did. New printings of the 4th Edition since 2006 don’t have that ironically prophetic statement in the Big Book. 

Today’s recording will challenge the suggestion that online AA is second class AA. You’ll hear and feel the sobriety and joy. 

Find out more about secular AA and the International Conference of Secular AA @ https://aasecular.org 

Secular AA is AA sobriety that is neither religious nor irreligious, focusing on the practical, humanist tools of Alcoholics Anonymous and borrowed from the wider recovery community. Secular AA is a growing subculture within AA, offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org 

This recording from April 4, 2021 is the fourth monthly International secular AA speaker world tour stop. We’re in Montreal, we’ll hear from Izzy D, Robert B & Bianca. Recorded from the audio of our zoom meeting, what you’re missing is the theme acted out. Hats off to Spring invited attendees to wear a hat and there were some good sports and creative headdressings. The chat is always alive with shared information and humour and I connection. I guess what I’m saying is while I’m sure you’ll enjoy the audio, join us live for a First Sunday of Every Month International Conference of Secular AA events. For more information, google Secular AA or type aasecular.org into your browser. Questions? Email us at [email protected]

A little history, a July 1, 2018 AAagnostica article by Guy F, discusses the first secular AA meeting in the Provence of Quebec and probably the first French speaking meeting for atheists and agnostics in North America. Les Libre Pensure started meeting on a Sunday night in Saint-Hyacinthe. Today, secular AA is found in Montreal in both official languages.

For more about our monthly International secular AA speaker series visit us @ https://aasecular.org  

Madames, et Misuers, et tout, autre, Beivenue a Montreal.

Secular AA is AA sobriety that is neither religious nor irreligious, focusing on the practical, humanist tools of Alcoholics Anonymous and borrowed from the wider recovery community. Secular AA is a growing subculture within AA, offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org 

On the first Sunday of every month, the International Conference of Secular AA hosts a secular speaker meeting. March 7, 2021 it's from the Secular Serenity Group of Cape Town South Africa. This was a wonderful meeting moderated by Rose, giving a history of secular AA in South African and heartfelt sharing from Gershwin, Graham and Russel. 

April, it's Montreal, Canada, May is London UK and Cottonwood AZ is our Zoom destination for June. July - Dec To Be Announced. 

For more information on secular AA or our International Conference of Secular AA events, visit https://aasecular.org 

Secular AA is AA sobriety that is neither religious nor irreligious, focusing on the practical, humanist tools of Alcoholics Anonymous and borrowed from the wider recovery community. Secular AA is a growing subculture within AA, offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org 

The first Sunday of every month the International Conference of Secular AA hits the road to bring the taste, experience, strength & hope of a new host group/city. February 7th, ICSAA Zoom experience is poolside in Orlando for a pretend virtual Winter Vacation. Members dressed in pool and patio garb or their favorite Disney character. Mickey J chairs, with a little history from Our Mostly Agnostic Group of Drunks, Andy B and Jeremy provide the tragedy and triumph. Visit https://aasecular.org for information on upcoming events. 
Just for a teaser, we're in Cape Town South Africa March 7th, April 4 is Montreal, May 2nd is London UN and we're in Cottonwood AZ June 6th. Lock on for future events (First Sunday of the Month) Noon PST, 3 PM EST, 8 PM GMT, 10 PM Cape Town, 7 AM Monday AEST.

Secular AA is AA sobriety that is neither religious nor irreligious, focusing on the practical, humanist tools of Alcoholics Anonymous and borrowed from the wider recovery community. Secular AA is a growing subculture within AA, offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org 

Unintended consequences for secular AA is that atheists & agnostic groups and our meetings are zooming. How many more people are finding an attachment to AA while maintaining the authenticity of our secular worldview? No one, anywhere could visit one or two or three irreligious AA meetings a day - not a year ago anyway.
The International Conference of Secular AA celebrates the science of addiction/recovery and folk-wisdom of AA with a 1/2 day virtual free mini-conference December 5, 2020.

We kick off with Dr. George Koob, director of the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAAA) talking to a packed house and an engaged audience. For slides of Dr. Koob's presentation, email us at [email protected]

In the second 1/2 hour we talk with our audience about diversity and AA and how zoom helps remove barriers of language, age, creed, gender, sexual orientation as well as the other barriers that are mitigated by virtual AA. How many people are finding recovery and how many stay clean and sober during COVID-19

For more recording from this and past ICSAA conferences, visit us @ https://aasecular.org
To view Dr. Koob's slides, visit Rebellion Dogs Publishing HERE

Secular AA is AA sobriety that is neither religious nor irreligious, focusing on the practical, humanist tools of Alcoholics Anonymous and borrowed from the wider recovery community. Secular AA is a growing subculture within AA, offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org 

The first International gathering of agnostics, atheists and freethinkers in AA was in Santa Monica in 2014. In 2016 it was Austin and Toronto hosted 2018. Washington was going to host the in-person ICSAA2020 but that has been postponed to 2021 (fingers crossed at time of recording). So - we went virtual for our December 5, 2020 ICSAA gathering.

This is "It came from the Kitchen!"
Not an outside issue: Are gender bias and sexism holding AA back?
Marya Hornbacher is an award-winning journalist and bestselling writer. Her books include Waiting: A Nonbeliever’s Higher Power; Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia (which has been published in twelve languages), and the New York Times bestseller Madness: A Bipolar Life; She also wrote the recovery book Sane: Mental Illness, Addiction, and the Twelve Steps, and the novel The Center of Winter.  

Marya is joined by Beth H from Phoenix AZ and Heather C from Los Angeles CA.

Secular AA is AA sobriety that is neither religious nor irreligious, focusing on the practical, humanist tools of Alcoholics Anonymous and borrowed from the wider recovery community. Secular AA is a growing subculture within AA, offering 100 agnostic/atheist/freethinkers AA meetings every day + regional events and the International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA). More @ https://aasecular.org