Call for DA H.O.W. Bloggers

For a variety of reasons, I’m going to have to reduce my work on “Getting Out From Going Under.” But this blog is so important to me as a resource that I am hoping you can help to keep it going. Therefore, if you are working the DA H.O.W. program, I invite you to share your experience, strength, and hope on this blog.

As of 4/1/13, I am hoping to have a few other members who will be able to write once every couple of weeks or even just contribute as the spirit moves them. I will also continue to post as I can as well.

If you are interested, please email me at moneysober at gmail dot com for more information.

The Value of Silence

“I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.” Publilius

When I was in my 20’s, I had a very tough time socializing. I was self-conscious and talked way too much. A very dear friend of mine taught me an invaluable lesson that has stood the test of time for all the decades since.

Advice VS. Experience, Strength, and Hope

I have learned from painful experience that there is a big difference between giving advice and the experience, strength, and hope (ESH) that we are encouraged to share as sponsors and in our outreach calls.

Principles of DA

In addition to the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions, did you know that there are 12 principles of our program? These were developed by various members of Alcoholics Anonymous and provide a guidepost for practicing the opposite of your defects.

Giving Service at Meetings

Yesterday, I wrote about service burnout. In that post, I mentioned how one can give service at a meeting, thereby fulfilling two program requirements in one.

Program Burnout … a Plea to Sponsors & Members

Throughout my over two decades in recovery programs, I have seen people leave due to program overwhelm. Most notably, I have seen sponsors push sponsees, as well as sponsees push themselves, to do more service than they can handle.

We walk a tightrope. Yes, we do these programs to have a life, but how do we find time to both live our new life and stay true to our program, giving back what we have so generously been given?