Author: Tony Harte

Welcome to Step 8! Hopefully, you got a good start on dropping the rock in Steps 6 and 7. This step continues the process of letting go of old baggage so we can move forward in sobriety with a clean slate. It is essential to address and resolve as much guilt and shame stemming from our past actions as possible. The step reads: “Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.” Step 8 can be broken into two separate pieces of work. The first is creating our list, and the…

“Confessions of an English Opium-Eater” is a true story, written in 1821 by Thomas De Quincey about his experiences with using opium, a powerful drug made from poppies. The book was one of the first of its kind to explore drug addiction in such a personal and honest way. De Quincey shares both the pleasures and the deep suffering that came with his use of the drug. At first, De Quincey describes how opium made him feel good. He talks about feeling happy, creative and full of ideas. But later, he shows how things changed. The drug began to take…

How was Step 6? Most of us can easily identify our significant character flaws, but have you taken the time to uncover the more subtle ones? I hope so! Welcome to the 7th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous. Step 7 marks a turning point in the spiritual journey of recovery.   This step reads: “Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.”   It may appear simple at first glance, but it involves a profound inner transformation that requires humility, vulnerability and a sincere desire for change. In Step 6, we became ready or willing to let our defects go, and now we are…

“The Lost Weekend” takes us into the depths of addiction as it follows a five-day binge taken by the main character, Don Birnam. It is an honest and painful look at the struggles of addiction. Decades after the book was published in 1944, this raw and sometimes disturbing portrait of addiction remains relevant. We are forced to confront the psychological and physical toll addiction takes on its sufferers. It all happens over a long weekend in New York City, when Don Birnam, a struggling writer whose life has been consumed by his insatiable thirst for alcohol, spirals to the depths…

“Experience, Strength & Hope” is a powerful collection of 56 stories from the first three editions of the Alcoholics Anonymous “Big Book.” Over time, the stories in “The Big Book” have been changed to keep them relevant. These changes are done with great care and infrequently. Thankfully, all the stories preserved here, offering readers a deeper understanding of AA’s early days and the people whose recovery helped shape the movement. Each chapter shares the personal journey of someone who faced the pain of addiction and found hope through AA. Some stories describe people who had lost everything— homes, families, jobs.…

“Trainspotting” by Irvine Welsh is a raw and gritty novel that tells the story of a group of young men living in Edinburgh, Scotland, who are caught up in heroin addiction. The book is made up of short chapters, each told from a different character’s point of view. Most of the story follows Mark “Rent Boy” Renton, a smart but troubled man trying — and often failing — to get clean. The book doesn’t sugarcoat anything. The characters are often rude, reckless, and selfish, but they’re also real. They’re trapped in a cycle of addiction, poverty and bad decisions. Welsh…

Congratulations! You have worked hard to get to AA Step 6. Working on steps one through five involves some heavy lifting, friends. Making it this far also demonstrates that you are serious about your recovery. Few who are not serious about sobriety would dare to be this honest with themselves! The 6th Step is about taking the next logical step: “being ready to allow these identified character defects to be removed.” This next step is particularly crucial as it marks a significant shift from self-assessment to a willingness to change deeply ingrained behaviors and shortcomings. For this step, a willingness to…

Welcome to a guide for working on the 5th Step. Having the courage to complete the 4th Step is undoubtedly cause for a pat on the back. That was a heavy lift in preparation for the rest of our journey. Step 5 of Alcoholics Anonymous states: “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” Bill Wilson, co-founder of AA, often emphasized the transformative power of Step 5. He shared his experience of admitting his wrongs to another person, describing it as a turning point in his recovery. In “Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age,” Bill wrote, ”This…

Welcome to the final article on the Hero’s Journey. In Part One, we covered the first four phases; in Part Two, we covered phases five through eight. As we have gotten further down the path, have you been able to recognize part of the journey in your story? It never ceases to amaze me how closely our recovery from addiction follows this same path. Next, we will experience our first reward and start taking the road back. After that, we experience the resurrection, followed by a return with the Elixir to end the journey. Let’s continue. Phase 9: The Reward…

Are you starting to understand that you have been on a Hero’s Journey? In Part One, we went through four of the twelve stages of the Hero’s Journey. These are challenging phases, but I hope something in your story resonates with the path traveled so far. This article will cover the following four stages as we cross the threshold and enter the Special World. Our first encounter in the Special World will be tests, allies, and enemies, followed by Approaching the Inmost Cave and the critical Ordeal phase. Let’s continue. Phase 5: Crossing the Threshold We arrive at the moment…

As someone in recovery, have you ever thought of yourself as a hero? Yeah, me neither. I tend to be hard on myself sometimes and do not zoom out to see the whole picture of who I have become or what I have accomplished. By studying the Hero’s journey, a timeless storytelling framework, I have learned that we in recovery are indeed heroes. I will be laying out this journey over a three-article series, and I want to invite you along on this adventure. If you are sober today, you are a hero. The Hero’s Journey Life doesn’t always go…

Welcome to Step 4! How did Step 3 go? Step 3 is more straightforward for some than others with the mention of God, but it is a critical step for all of us. This step is one of the most challenging yet rewarding on our journey. It requires us to take a deep, honest look at ourselves, identifying our strengths, weaknesses, and behavior patterns. The step reads, “We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” This step requires self-examination, honesty, and courage. When we examine the teachings of Stoicism, an ancient philosophy, we see that they also value…

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz is a short but powerful book that offers a simple yet profound path to a happier and more peaceful life. It draws from ancient Toltec wisdom, but don’t let that scare you off—it’s not a dry, mystical textbook. Ruiz breaks down complex ideas into four easy-to-understand agreements that anyone can apply daily.  The book argues that we often create unnecessary suffering for ourselves by believing and acting on lies and negative self-talk we’ve learned since childhood. These “agreements” we make with ourselves, often unconsciously, can hold us…

Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers is an important contribution to the historical literature of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.). While its focus is on Dr. Robert Smith’s contributions as co-founder of A.A., the book provides a picture of how a foundling fellowship grew and prospered. It highlights the challenges, triumphs, and personal struggles of the individuals who shaped this remarkable program.  One of the book’s strengths is its in-depth portrayal of Dr. Bob, a man whom the more flamboyant Bill W. often overshadowed. Dr. Bob and Bill W were a perfect match as co-founders. While Bill took a clear leadership role in…

J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis is a moving and personal story about growing up in a struggling working-class family. The book follows Vance’s childhood in the Appalachian region of Ohio and Kentucky, showing both the hardships and strong traditions of the people he calls “hillbillies.”  Vance’s family experienced both love and problems. Growing up in a broken home where his father left when he was a toddler and his mother had a substance use disorder, J.D.’s maternal grandparents primarily raised him. He details his mother’s struggles with addiction, multiple relationships and marriages,…

How did Step 2 go? (Read Step 2 Here) For some, especially agnostics and atheists, it can be a significant challenge. As we will continue to see in Step 3, 12-step programs provide a broad doorway for us to enter when it comes to the form that power greater than ourselves takes. It allows anyone with a desire to stop drinking and an open mind to take this critical Step. Step 3 reads, “We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” Like innumerable people with substance abuse…

I bought my copy of The Varieties of Religious Experience when I read that Ebby Thacher had recommended it to Bill W. Bill went on to reference it as a key resource in forming the spiritual aspect of AA’s 12-step program. It is a significant exploration of human encounters with the divine. James was a philosopher and psychologist who had a long tenure at Harvard. His approach to the topic blends viewpoints from these two perspectives well. A couple of things to keep in mind: first, the book was published in 1902. It is from a series of lectures he…

Welcome to Step 2 of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.).  In  Step 1, we admitted our powerlessness over alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable. The focus of Step 1 was to be honest with ourselves and surrender. Step 2 reads, “We came to be aware that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” Working on this step offers us a path from hopelessness to hope. This involves removing our ego and believing that a power greater than ourselves will help us achieve and maintain sobriety. A paragraph in Chapter 5 of the A.A. Big Book describes our…

Eliot Taintor’s September Remember is a moving and often humorous exploration of alcoholism and recovery set in 1940s America. The novel was first published in 1945 and then republished in 2015. This long-lost novel provides insight into the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and the struggles faced by alcoholics of the time period. The story follows Avery Rickham, a man whose love for adventure and “the bottle” leads him down a destructive path. After a particularly devastating bender lands him in a police station, Avery is forced to take a hard look at his life. He reluctantly attends an…

Carl Erik Fisher’s The Urge: Our History of Addiction is a remarkable exploration of addiction, using his personal experience, historical insights, and a call for greater understanding. Fisher, both a psychiatrist specializing in addiction and someone in recovery himself, is well-positioned to publish a work of this nature. Retelling his addiction and recovery story makes this book informative and profoundly human. Fisher begins with his journey—a medical student grappling with substance use while working in a system ill-equipped to offer real support. From there, he takes us back in time, uncovering the roots of addiction in ancient cultures, religious practices,…

Discover how the timeless wisdom of Stoicism can enhance your journey through the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. This monthly series dives deep into each step, exploring practical tools for self-reflection, emotional resilience, and lasting recovery. By integrating Stoic principles like courage, discipline, and acceptance, you’ll gain fresh insights into the transformative power of AA while building a foundation for inner peace and personal growth. Whether you’re new to recovery or seeking to deepen your understanding, these articles offer a roadmap for a stronger, more meaningful sobriety. Don’t miss the opportunity to redefine your recovery journey—step by step, month by…

Attending meetings is crucial when practicing a 12-step program. These meetings provide support, guidance, and a sense of community. Whether you’re struggling with something recovery-related or dealing with another issue, meetings can be a lifeline. Practicing Stoic principles while engaging with others and participating in meetings can significantly enhance the value you get from 12-step meetings and, by extension, your sobriety. A core theme throughout stoicism is what they termed the “Dichotomy of Control.” It is the idea that we can only control our thoughts, actions, and attitudes, while external events and other people’s actions are beyond our control. This…