I heard someone in a meeting say, “the great thing is that there are no experts in Al-Anon.” What does this mean and why is it a great thing? Aren’t we all experts on our own stories? One expression of this idea is found in Tradition 8: Al-Anon Twelfth Step work should remain forever non-professional,...

The post There are no experts in Al-Anon — 343 appeared first on The Recovery Show.

Are you struggling with co-parenting your children with an alcoholic? What are your challenges? What tools have you found? Join Lynne and Linzi as they share their experience in a conversation guided by these questions. What was it like before, co-parenting with an alcoholic before recovery? What made you realize that this wasn’t how you...

The post Co-parenting with an Alcoholic – 342 appeared first on The Recovery Show.

In episode 337, I talked with Amanda and Becky about how recovery and activism intersected for them. I got a lot of feedback about that episode with some very thoughtful sharing. This episode has your voices, without any discussion or comment by me. I want to thank everyone who contributed. You have given me a...

The post Activism and Recovery – Your Voices – 341 appeared first on The Recovery Show.

What is it like being married to an alcoholic minister who is beloved of his congregation? How might it cause you to behave in crazy ways? Today I am sharing with you a talk by Barbara K, recorded in 1993. I listened to this recently and I thought she captured so well the ways in...

The post Married to an Alcoholic Minister – Barbara K – 340 appeared first on The Recovery Show.

Do you feel that IT is your fault? How can recovery help you understand what is really your responsibility and what is absolutely not? Spencer and Eric discuss these questions along with shares from many of you. This topic was inspired by the scene “it's not your fault” from the movie Good Will Hunting. A...

The post It’s Not Your Fault – 339 appeared first on The Recovery Show.

The serenity prayer asks for the wisdom to know the difference. What does this mean? And how does it happen? Ester joined me for a conversation about these questions. We thought we might structure our conversation by starting with the idea of “Knowing when I don’t know.” Then how “wisdom to know the difference” in...

The post Wisdom to Know the Difference – 338 appeared first on The Recovery Show.

How can recovery, the serenity prayer, and the traditions of Al Anon guide me in working for societal change? When should I “let go and let God” and when should I work to “change the things I can”? Spencer, Amanda, and Becky have a wide-ranging discussion around these questions and others. We were joined virtually...

The post Activism and Recovery with Amanda and Becky – 337 appeared first on The Recovery Show.

Do you find yourself becoming irritable and unreasonable. Maybe without knowing it? How does your program of recovery help you out of that? Eric, Spencer, and several of you share our experience, strength, and hope around these questions and many others. The suggested Al-Anon/Alateen opening says Our thinking becomes distorted by trying to force solutions,...

The post Irritable and Unreasonable – 336 appeared first on The Recovery Show.

Humans are “obligatorily gregarious”. We need other people. When we don't have the connections we need, we suffer. We suffer emotionally with depression, anxiety, and hyper-vigilance. But we can also suffer physically with symptoms like high blood pressure and heart disease. In these days, we are all isolated. Some more, some less. Our usual ways...

The post The Impact of Isolation — 335 appeared first on The Recovery Show.

Once again, we hear your voices. Topics range through Meetings as Medicine, Step 7, patience and tolerance, loss, and the length of shares. Readings and Links A listener wrote about using Discord for recovery meetings. Eric sent us a link to an Insight Timer meditation about patience. I talked about the reading from Hope For...

The post Many Voices – 334 appeared first on The Recovery Show.