Secular AA's Podcast

Recovery from addiction significantly influences relationships, both romantic and platonic. No matter how we interact, relationships with others significantly impact our recovery. This panel will discuss how we engage with other people in recovery as well as dealing with interactions with other people who might not be in our recovery network.

This recording is from ICSAA 2024, Sunday 9:00 AM, September 22, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, led by Chad C. and Stephanie F.

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 

Beth Aich is the author of We're Not All Egomaniacs: Adapting the Twelve Steps for Alcoholics with Low Self-Esteem.

Some of us come to Alcoholics Anonymous feeling terrible about ourselves and are told, bewilderingly, that our problem is too much ego and a lack of humility. Bill W. described himself as an egomaniac. He put his own needs and wants ahead of others, was grandiose, felt entitled, and thought he was all-powerful. He called this the alcoholic personality type and designed a program to crush the ego as the foundation of sobriety.

But what about alcoholics who normally put others’ needs before their own and see themselves as less-than, unentitled, not enough, defective, impostors, losers? Our egos need building, not deflating. The Steps can be modified to build and strengthen our sense of self, to grow from a place of feeling unlovable into a strong sober person, no longer dependent on alcohol or external validation to feel good.

This recording is from ICSAA 2024, Saturday 10:30 AM, September 21, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, led by Beth H.

The presentation slides can be found on www.aasecular.org/icsaa2024, direct link 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 

Glenn Rader is the author of Modern 12 Step Recovery: Updated Steps Support from Science and Psychology Practical Guidance. 

Today’s talk is about cognitive distortions, which are irrational and exaggerated ways of thinking common with anxiety, depression and substance use disorder, including alcoholism. In the rooms, we hear the term "stinking thinking." For Glenn, it's all the same. Dwelling on the negative, overgeneralizing, catastrophizing and black and white thinking, Glenn shares some of the traps about his personal journey and how observing thoughts, investigation and other cognitive behavioural theory practices (CBT) have helped him along his recovery journey. 

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

Traducción Española

September  2024: Secular AA's monthly world-tour of speaker meetings is hosted by We Agnostics from Tempe, Arizona. Our speakers this month are:

• Andrew N
• Gary S
• Diana E

..with Beth H 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).

Next month (October, 2024) Secular AA will be having our Biennial General Membership Meeting on Sunday, October 6th with simultaneous translation 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
- [email protected]

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 

In this panel, speakers discussed the dual themes of 'tolerance and diversity', as well as the experience of a person who identifies as a sexual and/or gender minority within AA. Attendees were invited to share their diverse experiences within AA.

This recording is from ICSAA 2024, Saturday 9AM, September 21, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, led by Chad C. and a panel of alcoholics.

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 

Negotiating closeness and autonomy in a relationship, leaning into conflict and dealing with it--this is an introduction to Emotional Sobriety and Relationships with Dr. Allen Berger, clinical psychologist and author of 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety, day one of the 10th anniversary International Conference of Secular AA at the Double Tree Hilton Universal Studion Hotel in Orlando September 20th to 22nd, 2024

Allen Berger website: https://abphd.com/
The podcast: Emotional Sobriety 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 

Last month (August 2024), JEB celebrated 46 years of sobriety, and he is a retired Licensed Professional Counselor. In an interactive session, we will explore what has been for JEB the most important part of Step 12 practicing the Steps as a program of living, applying what we first learn as we clean up the wreckage of our past. In Step Twelve of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Bill wrote about this lifelong practice, “Here we begin to practice all the Steps in our daily lives so that we and those around us may find emotional sobriety.” This session will present a Personalized Version of the Steps, based upon the actions Bill described on pages 60 through 88, minus the make-believe old ideas, with questions we can ask ourselves in measuring our progress. He called this “a spiritual program of action,” choosing the word “principle” to emphasize that we now have principles for living, “a course of action." (The true meaning of both step and principle in 1939)

This recording is from ICSAA 2024, Saturday 3PM, September 21, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, led by The Ever-Grateful JEB.

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 

"Who is Hank Parkhurst and his role in the founding of AA and why is he forgotten?"

This recording is from ICSAA 2024, Saturday 10:30 AM, September 21, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, led by Geri B.

The presentation slides can be found on www.aasecular.org/icsaa2024, direct link 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 

Alcoholism is a family disease. If you have been impacted by another person's drinking, Al-Anon is for you, whether that person is still drinking or not. Come share the experience, strength and hope of panel members, who each have different relationships with the disease of alcoholism: some as parent, adult child, or spouse of alcoholics, and some recovering alcoholics who are dual members of both Al Anon and AA.

This recording is from ICSAA 2024, Sunday 10:30 AM, September 22, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, led by Tracy C, Alex, and Marilyn.

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 

October 2024: This month's speaker tour is instead Secular AA's Biennial General Membership Meeting, held on Sunday October 6th, 2024. During this session, general membership votes were held on:

• the location of ICSAA 2026,
• nominated members to the Board of Secular AA,
• and ratification of Board-amended Bylaws.

This is an open and welcoming meeting and should be interesting for anyone, newcomer and long-timer alike (or just curious).

Next month's Secular AA Global Speaker Tour will be featuring "Beyond Belief" from Ottawa, ON on Sunday, November 3rd with simultaneous translation 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
- [email protected]

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