Women face unique challenges at the start of their recovery, but still other problems as well as blessings lay ahead. Father Bill’s guest is Diane Cameron, author of Out of the Woods: A Woman’s Guide to Long-Term Recovery . Diane addressesissues that include sex, family, work-life balance, the empty nest, caregiving, aging … and many more. In addition to authoring several books, Diane is a journalist, columnist, blogger, and a woman in long-term recovery herself. Gifted with a sense of humor and...
Jun 28, 2025•51 min•Season 46Ep. 1
Tom Powers, Jr. grew up in the shadow of Bill Wilson but that didn’t keep him from descending into the pit of his ownalcoholism. To climb out of his illness he needed to find a ladder and climb it as if his life depended on it because it did. In this series, Father Bill interviews Matt D. archivist for All Addicts Anonymous, the 12-Step Fellowship Tom and his father founded to reflect the original and more spirituallygrounded pioneer program. They discuss a 1973 paper Tom wrote titled “The Twelv...
Jun 21, 2025•41 min•Season 45Ep. 5
Tom Powers, Jr. grew up in the shadow of Bill Wilson but that didn’t keep him from descending into the pit of his ownalcoholism. To climb out of his illness he needed to find a ladder and climb it as if his life depended on it because it did. In this series, Father Bill interviews Matt D. archivist for All Addicts Anonymous, the 12-Step Fellowship Tom and his father founded to reflect the original and more spirituallygrounded pioneer program. They discuss a 1973 paper Tom wrote titled “The Twelv...
Jun 14, 2025•39 min•Season 45Ep. 4
Tom Powers, Jr. grew up in the shadow of Bill Wilson but that didn’t keep him from descending into the pit of his own alcoholism. To climb out of his illness he needed to find a ladder and climb it as if his life depended on it because it did. In this series, Father Bill interviews Matt D. archivist for All Addicts Anonymous, the 12-Step Fellowship Tom and his father founded to reflect the original and more spiritually grounded pioneer program. They discuss a 1973 paper Tom wrote titled “The Twe...
Jun 07, 2025•47 min•Season 45Ep. 3
Tom Powers, Jr. grew up in the shadow of Bill Wilson but that didn’t keep him from descending into the pit of his own alcoholism. To climb out of his illness he needed to find a ladder and climb it as if his life depended on it because it did. In this series, Father Bill interviews Matt D. archivist for All Addicts Anonymous, the 12-Step Fellowship Tom and his father founded to reflect the original and more spiritually grounded pioneer program. They discuss a 1973 paper Tom wrote titled “The Twe...
May 30, 2025•48 min•Season 45Ep. 1
Tom Powers, Jr. grew up in the shadow of Bill Wilson but that didn’t keep him from descending into the pit of his own alcoholism. To climb out of his illness he needed to find a ladder and climb it as if his life depended on it because it did. In this series, Father Bill interviews Matt D. archivist for All Addicts Anonymous, the 12-Step Fellowship Tom and his father founded to reflect the original and more spiritually grounded pioneer program. They discuss a 1973 paper Tom wrote titled “The Twe...
May 23, 2025•45 min•Season 45Ep. 1
After doing Two Way Prayer for many years, a friend encouraged me to try integrating it with Inner Child Work. This certainly wasn’t anything the Pioneers in AA had even done. And yet, Carl Jung who played such an important role in the beginnings of AA would no doubt have encouraged it. In this single episode, Fr. Bill shares some basics on what the process entails and how it integrates with Two Way Prayer. It includes portions of a chapter from Bill’s new book with sample inner child writings. ...
May 15, 2025•41 min•Season 44Ep. 1
This series focuses on Harold Begbie’s book Life Changers . First published in 1922 it describes key elements in Frank Buchman’s program of radical change from which AA drew so many of its principles and practices. Studying the source material for the 12-Steps can give us insights into the transformational process the Group was trying to achieve both in individuals and in nations. They can prove invaluable to anyone whose recovery has lost its “zing” or to individuals unable to recover because o...
May 04, 2025•58 min•Season 43Ep. 4
This series focuses on Harold Begbie’s book Life Changers . Published in 1922 it describes key elements in Frank Buchman’s program of radical change from which AA drew so many of its principles and practices. Studying the source material for the 12-Steps can give us insights into the transformational process the Group was trying to achieve both in individuals and in nations. They can prove invaluable to anyone whose recovery has lost its “zing” or to individuals unable to recover because of a “w...
Apr 26, 2025•46 min•Season 43Ep. 3
This series is focused on Harold Begbie’s book Life Changers . Published in 1922 it describes key elements in Frank Buchman’s program of radical change from which AA drew so much. Studying the source material for the 12-Steps can give us insights into the transformation process the Group was trying to achieve both in individuals and in nations. These can prove invaluable to anyone whose recovery has lost its “zing” or to individuals unable to recover because of a “watered down” recovery approach...
Apr 19, 2025•34 min•Season 42Ep. 1
This series is focused on Harold Begbie’s book Life Changers . First published in 1922 it describes some of the key elements in Frank Buchman’s program of radical change from which AA had its birth. Studying the source material for the 12-Steps can give us insights into the transformation process the Group was trying to achieve both in individuals and in the lost culture of the times. Understanding these more fully and putting some of them to work for us can prove invaluable to anyone whose reco...
Apr 11, 2025•45 min•Season 42Ep. 1
I was invited to share with the “As Bill Sees It – AA Group” in Sheffield, England on March 30th , 2025. The speaker shares on one of Bill Wilson’s writings. I chose a selection from the 12 & 12: “When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone. He has been granted a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being...
Apr 02, 2025•36 min•Season 41Ep. 1
Jeff and Debra Jay are the co-authors of Love First: A Family’s Guide to Intervention. Now in its third edition, their book has helped thousands of families find new lives in recovery. The series addresses how families can be empowered to help a loved one still in denial, how to prepare properly for an intervention, and how the intervention can best be assured to succeed. In this episode Father Bill and Jeff discuss what happens on the day of an intervention along with some suggestions for speci...
Mar 26, 2025•56 min•Season 40Ep. 4
Jeff and Debra Jay are the co-authors of Love First: A Family’s Guide to Intervention . Now in its third edition, their book has helped thousands of families find new lives in recovery. The series addresses how families can be empowered to help a loved one still in denial, how to prepare properly for an intervention, and how the intervention can best be assured to succeed. In this episode Father Bill and Jeff continue their discussion of laying the foundations for a successful intervention. If y...
Mar 19, 2025•50 min•Season 40Ep. 3
Jeff and Debra Jay are the co-authors of Love First: A Family’s Guide to Intervention. Now in its third edition, their book has helped thousands find their way to new lives in recovery. The series addresses how families can be empowered to help a loved one still in denial, how to prepare properly for an intervention, and how the intervention can best be assured to succeed. In this episode Father Bill and Jeff explore laying the foundations for a successful intervention. If you’ve ever been told ...
Mar 12, 2025•49 min•Season 40Ep. 2
Jeff and Debra Jay are the co-authors of Love First: A Family’s Guide to Intervention. The book is now in its third edition and has helped thousands find their way to new lives in recovery. Recognized national leaders in the field of intervention, the authors lay bare some of the myths that continue to keep so many alcoholics and addicts trapped in their illness. The series will address how families can be empowered to help a loved one still in denial, how to prepare properly for an intervention...
Mar 08, 2025•55 min•Season 40Ep. 1
The Serenity Prayer has long been associated with Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s a prayer uniquely fitted to meeting the needs of alcoholics and addicts as we begin our recovery journey or face trials along the way. On first reading it, Wilson said, “Never had we seen so much A.A. in so few words.” (AA Comes of Age, p. 196.) In this episode Fr. Bill shares some thoughts on the prayer in both its short and longer forms. Show Notes: Who Wrote the Serenity Prayer, by Fred R. Shapiro, Yale Alumni Magazi...
Feb 26, 2025•33 min
William Schaberg is the author of an important new book that’s “a must read” for every 12-Step member ready to separate recovery myth from recovery miracle. This episode focuses on chapter one of Schaberg’s sure to be classic Writing the Big Book titled Challenging the Creation Myths. He and Father Bill explore what Wilson referred to as “the flying blind” period before the Big Book was written. It’s just one of the many myths Schaberg carefully examines as he traces the Big Book’s writing throu...
Feb 19, 2025•56 min•Season 38Ep. 1
Over thirty years ago an AA archivist gave me a book that changed my life. It’s one of the best descriptions of the Oxford Group program out of which AA would later blossom and grow. Published in 1933 and titled WHAT IS THE OXFORD GROUP? the anonymous author lays out many of the principles and practices that Bill Wilson drew from in writing the Big Book. If you’re ready for a life-changing shift to your program, this series may be for you. The book is available free through a link in the show no...
Feb 07, 2025•29 min•Season 36Ep. 6
Over thirty years ago an AA archivist gave me a book that changed my life. It’s one of the best descriptions of the Oxford Group program out of which AA would later blossom and grow. Published in 1933 and titled WHAT IS THE OXFORD GROUP? the anonymous author lays out many of the principles and practices that Bill Wilson drew from in writing the Big Book. If you’re ready for a life-changing shift to your program, this series may be for you. The book is available free through a link in the show no...
Jan 29, 2025•28 min•Season 36Ep. 5
Over thirty years ago an AA archivist gave me a book that changed my life. It’s one of the best descriptions of the Oxford Group program out of which AA would later blossom and grow. Published in 1933 and titled WHAT IS THE OXFORD GROUP? the anonymous author lays out many of the principles and practices that Bill Wilson drew from in writing the Big Book. If you’re ready for a life-changing shift to your program, this series may be for you. The book is available free through a link in the show no...
Jan 22, 2025•33 min•Season 36Ep. 4
This episode tackles a subject that’s pretty much taboo in 12-Step meetings: SIN. It was a key concept in the Group and Bill Wilson called it by different names in the Big Book. Don’t let prejudice or negative past experiences keep you from listening. You may find a “life-changing” key to your Program. Show Notes: What is the Oxford Group? https://stepstudy.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/what_is.pdf...
Jan 15, 2025•55 min•Season 36Ep. 3
Over thirty years ago an AA archivist gave me a book that changed my life. It’s one of the best descriptions of the Oxford Group program out of which AA would later blossom and grow. Published in 1933 and titled WHAT IS THE OXFORD GROUP? the anonymous author lays out many of the principles and practices that Bill Wilson drew from in writing the Big Book. If you’re ready for a life-changing shift to your program, this series may be for you. This episode completes chapter one and is focused on the...
Jan 08, 2025•40 min•Season 36Ep. 2
Over thirty years ago an AA archivist gave me a book that changed my life. It’s one of the best descriptions of the Oxford Group program out of which AA would later blossom and grow. Published in 1933 and titled WHAT IS THE OXFORD GROUP? the anonymous author lays out many of the principles and practices that Bill Wilson drew from in writing the Big Book. If you’re ready for a life-changing shift to your program, this series may be for you. The book is available free here: https://stepstudy.org/w...
Jan 02, 2025•39 min•Season 36Ep. 1
Michael T. recovered young and has been sober in AA for many years. But when he discovered AA’s original Pioneer Program things inside him started to change. The Four Absolutes took hold and doing God’s will became the driving force. Art was Michael’s means of expression and science fiction began blending with his 12-Step recovery. In this second episode Michael shares a modern recovery myth titled THE KEY OF WILLINGNESS. It’s an old truth set in modern form. Be sure to watch this episode on You...
Dec 26, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 35Ep. 2
Michael T. recovered young and has stayed sober in AA for many years. But when he discovered AA’s original Pioneer Program things inside him began to change. The Four Absolutes took hold and doing God’s will in the world became a driving force. Art became Michael’s means of expression and science fiction began blending with his 12-Step recovery. In this first episode Michael shares his recovery story. He explains how a modern myth found expression in what the Big Book terms, “the fourth dimensio...
Dec 18, 2024•53 min•Season 34Ep. 1
In modern society it appears that many men – and not a few women – are seriously and dangerously out of touch with their emotions. Opportunities abound to isolate and to self-medicate. When we begin recovery many of us find ourselves emotionally vulnerable and often immature. This series focuses on why this is and offers methods and exercises for connecting with and caring for our emotional selves. Father Bill continues interviewing therapist Laura Jones Swann, author of Men and Emotions … It’s ...
Dec 11, 2024•58 min•Season 34Ep. 5
In modern society it appears that many men – and not a few women – are seriously and dangerously out of touch with their emotions. Opportunities abound to isolate and to self-medicate. When we addicts and alcoholics begin recovery many of us find ourselves emotionally vulnerable and often immature. This series focuses on why this is and offers methods and exercises for connecting with and caring for our emotional selves. Father Bill continues interviewing therapist Laura Jones Swann, author of M...
Dec 04, 2024•59 min
In modern society many men – and not a few women – are seriously and dangerously out of touch with their emotions. Opportunities abound to isolate and to self-medicate. When we addicts and alcoholics begin recovery many of us find ourselves emotionally vulnerable and immature. This series focuses on why this is and offers methods and exercises for connecting with and caring for our emotional selves. Father Bill continues interviewing therapist Laura Jones Swann, author of Men and Emotions: It’s ...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 34Ep. 3
In modern society many men – and not a few women – are seriously and dangerously out of touch with their emotions. Opportunities abound to isolate and to self-medicate. When an addict or an alcoholic begins recovery many of us find ourselves emotionally vulnerable and immature. This series focuses on some reasons for this and offers methods and exercises for connecting with and caring for our emotional selves. Father Bill interviews therapist Laura Jones Swann, author of Men and Emotions: It’s a...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 34Ep. 2
