Articles

Service and General Service By Douglas W., (webservant@aascv.org) Often attributed in recovery circles; and in A.A. language, I hear the same truth in “Freely ye have received; freely give …” (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 110) A little over a week ago I was asked to lead a meeting, and I…

The Search for a Higher Power By Kimberly Cooper kimberlycooperstudio@gmail.com The word God almost kept me out of Alcoholics Anonymous. Like many people, I heard the word God and immediately recoiled. I was thrown out of Catholic school in seventh grade. I imagined judgment, rigid religion,…

Self-Support By Carolyn W. Hello friends! I’m Carolyn and I am an alcoholic. I am currently serving as a Class B (Alcoholic) Trustee and an AAWS Director. I will be rotating soon and I am very grateful for this wonderful opportunity to reflect on my experience with self support. I imagine if you…

Personal Move By Douglas (webservant@aascv.org ) “Yes, there is a substitute and it is vastly more than that. It is a fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. There you will find release from care, boredom and worry… Thus we find the fellowship, and so will you.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 152) I’m…

The Actor Leaves the Stage By Kimberly C. kimberlycooperstudio@gmail.com In the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, in Chapter 5, “How It Works,” there is a passage often referred to as the “actor” passage (pages 60–62). It describes the alcoholic as an actor trying to run the whole show — arranging…

The Recovering Corker Column info@aascv.org Dear Corker, I am curious about Tradition 7. What does it mean for a group to be self-supporting? — Just Curious Dear Curious, I have gone to the 7th Tradition in the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions book. For AA groups to exist and function we had to…

Spring Cleaning as a Newcomer Akeem A.(rashinatkinsonperez@gmail.com) The month of April and experiencing the 4th step. The 4th step was and continues to remain one of my most important steps and an assessment of myself. Before the gift of sobriety I was unaware about anything pertaining to a…

Getting Involved in Pre-Conference By Douglas (webservant@aascv.org) How to Have a Voice in General Service I used to think “General Service” was something other people did—people with more time, people who knew the “right words,” people who had been around longer or had some kind of special…

A Day In The Life Of SCV Central Office By Judy F., info@aascv.org Hi, I’m Judy and I’m an alcoholic as well as your special worker at your local Santa Clarita Valley Central Office. It’s Monday, March 23rd of 2026 and the office was opened at 10:00am to the ringing of the phone. Someone calling…

Protecting Our Fellowship By Douglas W., webservant@aascv.org Protecting Our Fellowship: Why Conference-Approved Literature Matters When I first came to Alcoholics Anonymous, I was handed the book of Alcoholics Anonymous that connected me to millions of alcoholics worldwide. We read the same…

The Recovering Corker Column info@aascv.org Dear Recovering Corker, Dear Corker, How do people typically feel at their very first meeting of AA? What can I expect? Thank you. Anonymous Dear Anonymous, At the first meeting there may be mixed emotions. Nervousness.  Anxiety about not knowing anyone,…

White Knuckling A Daily Code for the Newcomer By Kimberly C. kimberlycooperstudio@gmail.com There is a phase of sobriety no one romanticizes. It happens before you have a sponsor. Before you understand the language. Before meetings feel like home. Before the word “God” means anything other than…

Giving Through Scott H. Chair of the General Service Board I had the opportunity to stand on the stage at the 2025 International Convention and gain a real-time perspective on the line in Tradition One where it says that “each of us is a small part of a great whole.” While we may each be a small…

Constants By Judy F. Info@aascv.org I have been attending a book study workshop for years and soon we will be finishing up our in-depth study of the 12 Traditions. Each time we have gone through the Twelve and Twelve we go a little deeper and since it is basically the same group of women, I get to…

The Recovering Corker Column info@aascv.org Dear Recovering Corker, Do I have to call myself an “alcoholic” at meetings? And do I have to talk? Dear Friend, No and no. In AA meetings people often introduce themselves by stating their name and their disease, but you don’t have to. You can simply…

The Home Group By Douglas W., webservant@aascv.org This article is based on a Conference Approved pamphlet called The AA Group…Where It All Begins ( P-16 ). Before I continue, I want to emphasize that Conference Approved Literature is important. Many people skip reading and studying these…

10,000 Hours By Kimberly C. kimberlycooperstudio@gmail.com They say it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something. I’ve always loved that idea, not because it’s neat or motivational-poster tidy, but because it’s so inconvenient. Ten thousand hours is a long time. Long enough to get bored….

AA Is Not a Social Club – The Spiritual Weight of Step One By Anonymous I felt compelled to write this article partly because AA’s unofficial “annual membership drive” is approaching. Every New Year, resolutions are made, and many people decide to quit drinking, at least for 2026. The other reason…

The Gift of Sobriety — A Holiday Tale By Kimberly C. kimberlycooperstudio@gmail.com The juxtaposition of my holidays pre- and post-sobriety reminds me of those magazine ads for diet pills or miracle weight-loss shakes: two photos of the same woman side by side. The “Before” image shows her…

The Fifth Step: Where Secrets Lose Their Power By Douglas W., webservant@aascv.org I recently started working with a few new sponsees in one month. Experience tells me most will fade away around the Fourth Step—but for those who make it this far, something extraordinary awaits. The Fifth Step…

The Recovering Corker Column info@aascv.org Dear Recovering Corker, I have not had a “bright light” or “burning bush” experience since completing the twelve steps. Does this mean I haven’t experienced the spiritual awakening as it is mentioned in step twelve? Spiritually Fit Dear Spiritually Fit,…

Self-Supporting Through Our Own Contributions Judy F., info@aascv.org Isn’t it amazing how the Traditions build on each other – how Tradition Eight relies on the Seventh Tradition to support our service centers. I don’t think many A.A. members think beyond their immediate meeting when it comes to…

My Illuminated Pocket By Kimberly C. kimberlycooperstudio@gmail.com When I first came into Alcoholics Anonymous a year and a half ago, I found myself clinging to one line in A Vision for You: “Abandon yourself to God as you understand God.” The words struck a tuning fork somewhere deep in my ribs….

Self-Pity & Selfishness: Twin Traps that Block the Sunlight By Douglas W., webservant@aascv.org Self-pity and selfishness keep me centered on myself and cut me off from the sunlight of the Spirit. The AA program gives me precise actions to move from “Why me?” and “What about me?” to “How can I…

The Recovering Corker Column info@aascv.org Dear Recovering Corker, Recently at a meeting, a member was looking for people who might be interested in participating in a CPC Committee. Something about working with the professionals in our community. Who wants to go around breaking their anonymity…

Happy Holidays From Central Office Judy F., info@aascv.org Another year will soon be drawing to a close for Santa Clarita Valley Central Office and with heartfelt gratitude can say it is just the fiscal year that draws to a close and not the doors. Gratitude month, which has been the tradition of…

Hospitals & Institutions and Me By Andy G. Giesing72008@yahoo.com How has Hospitals & Institutions worked to strengthen my recovery? Like most of you when I started this journey of sobriety (second time around) October 25th, 2022, I was looking for a softer easier way. When I first heard…

White Knuckling: What I Learned in My First Year of Sobriety By Kimberly C. Before I took Step One, something in me constantly whispered what I already knew: “I can’t keep living like this.” I was becoming a living and breathing carbon copy of my favorite poet Charles Bukowski – emptying myself at…

Keeping Commitments by Douglas W., webservant@aascv.org Growing Up and Following-Through I didn’t come into Alcoholics Anonymous with an abundance of follow-through. I came in with intentions. Grand plans. Apologies that sounded like commitments but dissolved the moment life got loud. Alcoholism…

The Recovering Corker Column info@aascv.org Dear Recovering Corker, I recently attended our local AA Convention and was confused by everyone wearing name badges at a public venue. Based on our eleventh tradition – “our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need…