August 26, 2026 In General Information, Legacy of Recovery By Rick W.
Sometimes seeing the whole program makes it easier to understand the parts. I’m going to begin with a disclaimer because I can already hear somebody somewhere reaching for their Big Book. This is not an attempt to rewrite the Big Book. It isn’t a replacement for the Big Book. It isn’t a “new and improved” …
August 11, 2026 In General Information, Legacy of Recovery, Legacy of Service, Legacy of Unity By Rick W.
Bill’s famous milestone message published in the March 1960 issue of the AA Grapevine is striking because it is not really an anniversary piece. It is a warning against complacency disguised as a celebration. What caught me most is how many of the dangers he names, money, power, personality, publicity, governance, fear, and distraction from …
August 1, 2026 In General Information, Legacy of Recovery, Legacy of Service, Legacy of Unity By Rick W.
Dr. Jung told Rowland. Rowland told Ebby. Ebby told Bill. Bill told Dr. Bob. Thank God someone told me. That simple progression is more than a clever slogan on a T-shirt I recently saw. It’s the story of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s the story of my recovery. And if you’re sober today in A.A., it’s your …
July 3, 2026 In General Information By Rick W.
Dear Stepping Stones Family, We are overjoyed to share news of a historic homecoming made possible with help from generous supporters. Yesterday, Stepping Stones successfully acquired the most important artifact in 12-Step history—the original hand-edited manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous—the “Big Book.” This foundational document will return to the place where Bill and Lois Wilson lived, …
July 1, 2026 In General Information By Rick W.
There is an old saying that history often turns not on miles, but on inches. One phone call. One introduction. One conversation. One decision. When we study the history of Alcoholics Anonymous, we naturally focus on names like Bill W. and Dr. Bob. And rightly so. But if we only study the men whose names …
June 22, 2026 In General Information, Legacy of Recovery, Legacy of Service, Legacy of Unity By Rick W.
Sobriety Didn’t Just Change What I Said, It Changed How I Communicate. How Recovery Rewired the Way I Speak, Listen, and Think One of the most overlooked miracles of recovery has very little to do with alcohol. Most of us came to Alcoholics Anonymous because drinking had become unmanageable. We stayed because we discovered something …
June 20, 2026 In General Information, Legacy of Unity By Rick W.
Few topics in Alcoholics Anonymous seem capable of creating as much discussion, and sometimes as much tension, as the question of how members identify themselves in meetings. Most of us have heard the phrase “and a…” at some point. A member introduces themselves as an alcoholic and something else. For some, this feels natural, honest …
June 18, 2026 In General Information, Legacy of Recovery By Rick W.
Three Years Later Exactly three years TODAY, I created a blog post called Inside the Mind of an Overthinker. To this day, it remains the most-read article on this website by a wide margin. Apparently, there are a lot of us living inside our own heads. LOL! As I revisited that post, I found myself smiling. …
June 9, 2026 In General Information By Rick W.
A Letter That Revealed the Man The inspiration for this reflection came during my monthly sponsorship family meeting tonight with my sponsor and sponsor brothers. We are usually in the Big Book when we come together for our monthly meeting, but tonight, my sponsor chose to read the famous correspondence between Bill W. and Carl …
July 29, 2025 In General Information By Rick W.
Last night at my home group, the chair did an amazing job of connecting Step 3 to Step 12 and chaired a beautiful discussion about how once we turn our will and lives over to the care of God as we understand God that the natural next step is to give it away. Once we …
