Just out of curiousity...Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Also what other books besides BB and 12&12 do you consider must haves in your recovery library? thanks
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God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
This is just for me, but the first few months the best thing I did was
Keep it simple
That means I got a sponsor and met with him a few times a week and we read out of the Big Book and when we got to a step we worked it
Plenty of time to worry about the all the other books after working the steps in 90 days of continuous sobriety
First things first
better to do one thing well then a lot of things not at all, The BB and the 12 and 12 have enough information to keep you busy for a couple of years frankly, get 6 months and I will give you a library of amazing books that I read, but for every -real- alcoholic I have ever met, reading all the inspirational books in the world didn't help until they got humble, honest, open minded, willing, a sponsor, and worked the steps
-- Edited by LinBaba on Friday 21st of January 2011 10:04:00 PM
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it's not the change that's painful, it's the resistance to change that is painful
I agree with GG. 'Living Sober' has some great stuff in it. I also read 'Came to Believe' . As far as my BB, it's a daily read for me, along with the Grapevine magazine that I subscribe to. PM me your physical address and I have a copy of 'Came to Believe' sitting here with your name on it Steve. ;0)
Brian
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Nothing ever truly dies. The universe wastes nothing. Everything is simply, transformed. :confuse:
I read my big book several times a week probably, and also agree that "Living" Sober" is good.
There is a funny little book called "Don't let the Bastards Grind You Down" that has a lot of good pointers / explanations about what you go through in early sobriety. I enjoyed that.
I also find the Bible very helpful.
"Sober for Good" is an overview of various roads to sobriety. It is very objective and makes the point that, while other methods besides AA do exist, the vast majority of people who recover well do it through the traditional 12 steps and complete abstinence.
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Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and unto God that which is God's.
I can send you a copy of the book 'Came to Believe' courtesy of the treatment center I work for (I'm there now) and may be able to get a hold of 'Living Sober' for you as well. I'll be watching my in box. Oh, and no need to thank me, like I said it's courtesy of the treatment center.
Brian
Steve...YGPM.
-- Edited by Klaatu on Saturday 22nd of January 2011 02:20:54 AM
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Nothing ever truly dies. The universe wastes nothing. Everything is simply, transformed. :confuse:
Steve I made two step meetings my regular meetings. Matter of fact, these were both home groups for me. This had me reading two steps a week. I did those two meetings for 3.5 years, wound up reading the whole 12 & 12 over 30 times in those meetings. Yes I was hard headed and needed to hear it that many times.
When I told my al-anon sponsor (who was a double-winner) that I realized I was an alcoholic, she told me to begin by reading 2 pages out of the Big Book every single day.
I have one of those brains that says, "More! More!" I think I bought all the books, and got a subscription to Grapevine. But my sponsor almost always references the Big Book and the 12x12.
Living Sober was the book my first sponsor gave me. Then I bought a BB & Daily Reflections. Next was 12 x 12 & 24 hour. Now I'm reading the Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text and cross-referencing the chapters on stepwork between it and the Big Book.
However, Steve, the only book that ever KEPT ME SOBER was the instruction manual that came with my cell phone.
I read living sober cover to cover. It was an easy read for my fried brain. Then I read the first 164 and stories from the big book. When it came to the 12 and 12, I read that in step meetings and then again some when working the steps. In the first year, I did read daily reflections every day, but stopped.
If you go to BB study meetings you will forcibly read the literature. Not that you shouldn't read some on your own. I know people that picked up most their knowledge of the big book this way (through step meetings) because they were not very good at reading.
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Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
In addition to making sure I have a Step Meeting and/or a Big Book Study meeting in my regular routine, I rely a lot on Gorski's Staying Sober and Ketchem's Eating Right to Live Sober. I also like Tools for Fools: for Alcoholics and Other Human Beings by William M. , but it may be out of print.
An excellent new book with daily essays has just been published by "one of us", which is being considered for "Conference Approval". This is Living in the 12 Steps of Recovery, by A. Messenger. I highly recommend it. I helped in a minor way with the pre-publication review of a couple of chapters and I now read it every day for myself. livingtwelvestepsrecovery.com or a.messinger349@gmail.com (tell him you heard about it from LeeU :) There's a picture and some excerpts on the web site.
Steve-P.S. If you are interested in Christian literature (you mentioned Celebrate Recovery the other day) a good book is Serenity: A Companion for Twelve Step Recovery. It cross-walks the 12 steps with various passages in the New Testament, Psalms & Proverbs. In my opinion, it is spiritually congruent with A.A. literature and does not contradict the science of addiction, as some other works of this type do. It really is a "companion" piece.
All the books recommended are great, read them all in my first year, they sit behind me on a shelf. My BB and 12 x12 sit beside me.
the one I treasured the most in my first year, was that little 24 hours a day, a really small book, can keep in your pocket, I was a working person, and when at work I really needed something on me, would take that blessed little black book into the bathroom, and read, it has a Thought, Meditation, and Prayer for each day of the year. that always sits next to me to, so when you flip to what ever day it is, like today, you have what needs to me meditated on, today.......Sobriety Spell used to Post them daily, then she left with school pressures, and so that is when we no longer get the luxury of seeing them daily posted on MIP.
You sound good Steve, so happy to see you working at it this hard.
Read from BB and 12x12 regularly each week at book studies for both and at home. I love the reflections in the Alanon daily reader, "One Day At a Time". The thoughts there are good for everyone, well written I share them with others a lot.
My current AA recovery faves:
-Came to Believe -There's More to Quitting Drinking Than Quitting Drinking -You Can't Make Me Angry -A New Pair of Glasses -Pass It On
Bill recovered alcoholic. When I was new I was constantly grasing.imean I read every thing to try to keepvmy mind off the drink. When iask Him for help I got it. No hocus pocus! After about two weeks of asking for help it dawned on me that I did not think about picking it up .and for the most part it has not returned.I am obsessed with feeling good! And my problem is that I am hardly ever satisfied. What I did not know that I do now is that I was suffering from being un treated. Sure they will be the disputers and opimionaters made that word up lol! Once I became hopeless and I mean I did not have an idea left on how I was gonna fix me! After reading that book which by the way my sponsor tells me to study everyday! That is our basic text. It has all the answers to my problems. Since going thru these steps many times I no longer have to graise.like a deer al fowa ys on the go never satisfied. Now after practicing this solution.meat and potatoes baby fat happy content. No longer searching .I have peace serenity. A purpose I can be helpfull useful .I feel like Gods favorite drunk! He has giving me so much! Happy doing steve .alls I want to know is do you have a sponsor? And what step does he have you on? And tell me how that step applies to you? I imagine that as many posts I do on this site.far aceeds what inventory I do that is required. And when my sponsor sees what I'm spuing on here he might have some thing loving to say I doubt it but he is my sponsor .! I got to work and I continue to do the work.
