The Recovery Show » Finding serenity through 12 step recovery in Al-Anon – a podcast
Episodes
Making Decisions – 354
09 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Do you have trouble making decisions? What have you learned in recovery helps you make decisions? Eric, Spencer, and several of you share about indeci...
Voices – 353
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is on your mind? This episode is built from your voices, sharing your experience, strength, and hope. Sharing your dilemmas and questions. Readin...
Inner Child – 352
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How is your Inner Child? What can you do to heal its hurts and help it grow? Becky joined Spencer to talk about how she has come to know and heal her ...
Feeling my feelings – 351
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How are my recovery tools helping me to live with grief and loss? How am I feeling my feelings today? My father died a few days ago. I am grieving his...
My Life was Unmanageable – 350
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
My life was out of control, but I still thought I could control my loved one’s drinking. Cold Wednesday in April. The beginning of the story but als...
Service in Al-Anon – 349
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“When I got busy, I got better”. I’ve heard this as an encouragement to service in recovery. What is service, and how can it support my recovery...
Teen Depression and Self-harm – 348
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How can we use our recovery tools to help us when our loved ones are suffering from mental illness? Is it harder when our loved one is our child? Robe...
If I am not the Problem, there is no Solution – 347
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If I’m not the problem, then there is no solution. Huh? How does this make sense for my recovery. Spencer, Eric and several listeners share our thou...
Gratitude 2020 – 346
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are you grateful for right now? Where do you have gratitude that isunexpected? How has the practice of gratitude helped you throughturbulent, str...
Slow Recovery – 345
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Recovery takes time. That’s a good thing. Why? Ester leads us through a conversation about slow recovery, guided by these notes. Recovery, like ever...
Calming the Anxiety — 344
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This has been a rough week for many of us in the United States, and outside the United States. As political processes wind their way through; as the p...
There are no experts in Al-Anon — 343
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Co-parenting with an Alcoholic – 342
17 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 the...
Activism and Recovery – Your Voices – 341
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
Married to an Alcoholic Minister – Barbara K – 340
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
It’s Not Your Fault – 339
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 Eri...
Wisdom to Know the Difference – 338
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Activism and Recovery with Amanda and Becky – 337
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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” a...
Irritable and Unreasonable – 336
14 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you find yourself becoming irritable and unreasonable. Maybe without knowing it? How does your program of recovery help you out of that? Eric, Spen...
The Impact of Isolation — 335
03 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Humans are “obligatorily gregarious”. We need other people. When we don't have the connections we need, we suffer. We suffer emotionally w...
Many Voices – 334
18 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Once again, we hear your voices. Topics range through Meetings as Medicine, Step 7, patience and tolerance, loss, and the length of shares. Readings a...
Patience and Tolerance – 333
06 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you finding it difficult to be patient? How are you tolerant of a world that isn’t going the way you want it to go? Definitions Tolerance is a p...
Steps 1, 2 and 3 – 332
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Spencer was a guest on the Sober Speak podcast, with a conversation about Steps 1, 2, and 3 in Al-Anon. Sober Speak has mostly an AA focus, but the ho...
Choosing Love Over Fear One Day at a Time – Julie L – 331
15 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Julie joins us to tell her story. She grew up with an alcoholic father and an “untreated Al-Anon” mother. As a child, from the age of 10, ...
Boundaries Today – 330
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why are boundaries important to me right now? How am I setting and keeping healthy boundaries, today? A couple of listeners shared their experience of...
The God Word – 329
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Did the God language in the 12 steps put you off? How have you worked this program of recovery in that case? Spencer and 3 listeners contribute their ...
Hope means possibility – 328
24 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How do we find hope when it all seems hopeless? Eric and Spencer have a conversation about hope, inspired by these discussion points and questions. Ho...
Fear – 327
10 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What do you fear? What tools do you use to let go of, move through, and live with fear? Barb joins me to talk about fear. We had scheduled this conver...
Dual Program Members – 326
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a member of more than one recovery program? How do you balance them? How do they support each other? Listeners and members of more than one re...
Recovery in a time of Isolation – 325
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you “sheltering in place”? How are you able to participate in recovery when you can’t meet face to face with other members? Spencer and Mary...
Fear and Anxiety – 324
20 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In a recent online meeting, the almost unanimous choice of topic was fear and anxiety. We were all feeling it in one way or another. We started with a...
Josh R – Recovery Dharma – 323
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you struggle with the God language in the 12 steps? Josh did. His inability to fully engage with the steps was probably a factor in his relapses. J...
Online meetings
15 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Much of the information here is (at best) out of date. The authoritative source for online Al-Anon meetings is on the Al-Anon World Service website: A...
Deborah C – Hands Off Pays Off – 322
12 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Although Deborah came from an alcoholic family, and married an alcoholic, she only came to Al-Anon when her son was having problems with alcohol and d...
Diana H – Born Into Crazy – 321
06 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Trigger warning: Diana's story includes some violent and abusive episodes from her childhood. You can skip forward to about 21:00 to avoid those descr...
Surrender to Win – 320
25 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to “Surrender to Win”? Have you had this experience? Barb and Spencer dig into these questions. How does this topic of &...
More voices – your sharing – 319
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sharing experience, strength, and hope in your voices. Thoughts on apologies and amends. A mother wants to help her adult son who drinks too much. A s...
A Walk in the Woods on a Snowy Day — 318
10 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Saturday morning, I awoke to fresh snow. I had a fairly hectic and noisy time going to the gym, getting ready for the day, etc. Then I stepped out int...
Peggy G – Speaker – 317
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, I’m sharing with you a talk by Peggy G. I hope you’ll enjoy Peggy’s sense of humor as much as I did. Peggy talks about feeling rejected a...
Men in Al-Anon – 316
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Men are a minority in Al-Anon. Is this a problem? An asset? What is your experience? Join Spencer and several guests, both men and women, as we share ...
Belonging — 315
21 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The only requirement for membership in Al-Anon is that there is a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend. How many other groups are so inclusiv...
Integrity – 314
14 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is integrity and what does it have to do with recovery? Definitions the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral upright...
Being Heard – 313
09 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Is your voice heard, even when others disagree? Why is it important that everyone has an opportunity to be heard? How do you practice listening in you...
Bill W with Lois W, Ebby T, Sister Ignatius and Mort J — 312
31 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
I'm pleased to share this recording of Bill Wilson, co-founder of AA, speaking at the AA International Convention in Long Beach, CA, in 1960. The reco...
Holiday Toolkit – 311
24 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What’s in your holiday toolkit? Do you dread spending holidays with family? What tools have you found to make the experience tolerable or even joyfu...
Your voices — 310
11 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is created by your voices, both written and recorded. Sam asks why some members shy away from service, while she finds it a vital part of...
Gratitude 2019 – 309
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Every year around Thanksgiving, I give special attention to the things that I am grateful for. This is my list for 2019. This year I created an "A to ...
Our Program Tools – 308
22 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Al-Anon program provides so many tools. There are slogans and steps, and new ways of approaching life’s troubles. Which ones do you use comforta...
Aaron J — It’s not about me — 307
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today, I am pleased to share with you a talk by Aaron J, speaking in 2012. I identified with his certainty that it was his “job” in life to take c...
Karen B – Living the Traditions – 306
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Karen shared her story in episode 262, Third Time is the Charm. Things have changed since then, and we start by catching up on recent events. Then we ...
A Respite – 305
22 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What does recovery have to do with a weekend "up north"? The post A Respite – 305 appeared first on The Recovery Show.
Take it or Leave it – 304
11 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We often say “take what you like and leave the rest.” How can I apply this concept of “take it or leave it” in my life? The post Take it or Le...
Michele B – My Solutions were my Problems – 303
24 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Michele B has an inspiring story of adversity and recovery. Note: The original posting of this talk had audio “glitches” that made it unli...
Jennifer – Free from Obsession – 302
07 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jennifer's adult son has been drinking alcoholically for his entire adult life, some 30 years. She wrote and offered to tell her story, where she is n...
Geneviève – Together we can make it – 301
29 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Geneviève started recovery at the age of 14 as a member of Alateen. There, she found a family she had never had. She didn't think she needed Alateen,...
What you found here – 300
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Recovery Show has reached the grand age of 300 … episodes. Or, if you prefer, over 6 1/2 years. I asked you to tell me what you found here, ...
How to Sabotage a Relationship – 299
07 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this recording from an IDAA (International Doctors in AA) conference in 2004, Tom and Gail H share their experience, strength and hope about how th...
Saying No — No is a complete sentence – 298
31 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is it hard for you to say “no”? Do you avoid responding instead of saying “no”? Or, maybe you say “yes” when you want to say “no”. “...
Mary Pearl T on Step 12 – Episode 297
24 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in ...
Spiritual Awakenings and Experiences – 296
09 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What was your spiritual awakening? What spiritual experiences have you had? Step 12 starts with “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result ...
Kerri K – Speaker talk – 295
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A listener and erstwhile guest, Carrie, suggested this talk. She writes, Such an incredible story! Chock full of life experiences, wisdom, humor and h...
Spencer and Amy — a couple in recovery — 294
25 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, my wife, Amy, and I were guests on the podcast Sober Speak. This is our sharing — what it was like, what happened, and what it is like now...
Lynne – Grief can be a wonderful thing – 293
19 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Lynne tells her story – what it was like, what happened, and what it's like now. She touches on grief both before and after entering recovery, on pa...
Sayings, Quotes, Proverbs, and Parables – 292
12 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You can also read a transcript of this episode. Do you have a few sayings or quotes that support your recovery? How do you use them? Spencer and Eric ...
Step 11 with Mary Pearl T – 291
30 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How have you deepened your conscious contact with your higher power? What is your practice of prayer and meditation? Mary Pearl T leads us on an explo...
But One Purpose – 290
21 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our 5th tradition says, Each Al-Anon Family Group has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. How do we do this? How has this supported and w...
Applying the Serenity Prayer – 289
14 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How do you have the serenity to accept the things you cannot change, the courage to change the things you can, and the wisdom to know the difference? ...
Mary Pearl T on Step 10 – 288
30 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Step 10 says “We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.” Mary Pearl T gives us her usual insigh...
Marc and Michele’s son is in prison – 287
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is someone you love facing jail or prison because of their drinking or addiction? How do you live through something like that? Michele and Marc share ...
Mary Pearl T on Steps 8 and 9 – 286
09 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Step 8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever po...
Contentment and even Happiness – 285
02 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Suggested Al-Anon Welcome says, in part “… it is possible to find contentment, and even happiness, whether the alcoholic is drinking or not.”...
Acronyms and Alliterations – Episode 284
27 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Do you QTIP? Have you practiced the 3 A's? Spencer and Eric, with support from many listeners, talk about some of the acronyms (such as HALT or FEAR) ...
March Roundup 2019 – Episode 283
12 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Have you attended an AA or Al-Anon convention? My wife and I went to the March Roundup in Detroit, so I thought I'd give you a little trip report. If ...
Mary Pearl T on Step 7 – Episode 282
05 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Please enjoy Mary Pearl T's thoughts on Step 7, “Humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings.” Upcoming Upcoming topics include “acr...
How do you trust? – Episode 281
26 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When do you decide to trust (or not to trust) someone? How do we trust others in the program? What fears might stop us from trusting? What is trust? (...
S-Anon – Episode 280
19 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Brian joins The Recovery Show to talk about his experience in S-Anon. What is S-Anon? It is a 12-step program, similar to Al-Anon, for those who have ...
Do you like yourself? – Episode 279
13 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Do you like yourself? Can you love yourself? Can you trust yourself? In a recent meeting, the topic was Step 5, “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and ...
What do we do here? – Episode 278
05 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is this podcast about? We’re not Al-Anon, exactly. What are we? I got a letter from a listener who asked some questions. It made me think that ...
Bob S Jr Talk – Episode 277
29 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The son of “Doctor Bob”, Bob S., Jr., in a talk from an Al-Anon conference in 2003. A listener wrote about coincidences and recommended ep...
Would you rather be right or happy? – Episode 276
21 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is your first thought when you hear this question? Do you believe that “right” is “truth” and that there is only one possible “right an...
Kate C grew up with alcoholism – Episode 275
18 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Kate C shares her story, experience, strength, and hope. She grew up with an alcoholic mother, in a family that separated when she was 8. She didn't f...
Mary Pearl T on Step 6 – Episode 274
09 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to be “entirely ready”? How can we trust our higher power to remove our defects of character? Mary Pearl T continues her worksho...
The Year in Recovery 2018 – Episode 273
02 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
I hear from you about what happened in your recovery in 2018, and what you are aspiring to in 2019. Readings and links I read from One Day at a Time ...
Peace in the Darkness – Episode 272
26 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Do you feel that you are lost in the dark? Do your fears become larger and more real in darkness? Can darkness ever provide comfort and peace? My musi...
Mary Pearl T on Step 5 – Episode 271
18 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Why does Step 5 ask us to share “the exact nature of our wrongs”? What do we gain from this? Continuing our series of talks by Mary Pearl T, we co...
Do you Believe? – Episode 270
11 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Do you believe all things happen for a reason?Do you believe that God can do for us things that we can’t do for ourselves?Do you believe in coincide...
Gratitude 2018 – Episode 269
27 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What are you grateful for in 2018? Sure, I can write a gratitude list. I am grateful for those of you who sent in your expressions of gratitude. Readi...
Mary Pearl T on Step 4 – Episode 268
17 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As promised, here is a presentation by Mary Pearl T on Step 4, “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” Please call u...
What about Gratitude – Episode 267
06 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What about gratitude? How do you practice gratitude? Or, do you more often forget? At two meetings this week, I was reminded of the importance of prac...
Singleness of Purpose – Episode 266
30 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we gather in Al-Anon groups? How do we maintain our singleness of purpose? It’s been hard this week not to lose hope and to give in to despai...
In all our affairs: Step 1 plus dementia – Episode 265
23 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Step 12 asks us to “practice these principles in all our affairs”. This has led me to a new insight into how Step 1 is active in my life today. In...
Mary Pearl T on Step 3 – Episode 264
09 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As promised, here is a presentation by Mary Pearl T on Step 3, “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we und...
Mary Pearl T on Step 2 – Episode 263
02 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As promised, here is a presentation by Mary Pearl T on Step 2, “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.&...
Karen B – Third time is the charm – Episode 262
26 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Karen B tells her story and shares her experience, strength, and hope. Karen grew up in a loving family that nonetheless carried the family...
Enabling or Empowering? – Episode 261
19 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How have you enabled your loved ones’ alcoholism? What is enabling, anyway? How do you know when you’re doing it and when you are empowering them,...
Meditation on September – Episode 260
11 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode.What does September mean to you? How do you handle times of transition? I've been thinking about September. I guess ...
Mary Pearl T, Step 1 – Episode 259
05 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Pearl T shares on Step 1, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.” Please call us at 734...
Perspective – Episode 258
28 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to “place our problem in its true perspective”? Can a change in perspective change everything? Our suggested opening says “as ...
I am Powerless – Episode 257
22 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Read a transcript of this episode. A “first step” meeting came at just the right time for me, this weekend. My mother had fallen and broke...
Tom – His sister needed Al-Anon – Episode 256
16 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Tom grew up in a loving, chaotic family. As an adult, he found recovery for his alcoholism, but didn't know how to cope with the alcoholics around him...