How It Feels to Join AA
November 1987
By:
Beatrice
She didn't believe she needed to stop drinking - From the November 1944 Grapevine
More Is Not Necessarily Better
May 1977
By:
C. C.
| North Hollywood, California
When we're happy, we're the happiest; when we're sad, we're the saddest. If one is good, two are better. We are the "excessive" people
It's a Selfish Program
March 1970
By:
B. F. P.
| Manhattan, New York
All right, you're kind and considerate and noble and you're always helping other people. The fact still remains, it's a selfish program
Second Chance
February 1970
By:
Howard G.
| Chino, California
Some tests are brutal but this member finally found God in his heart
Twenty-five Years on a Bar Stool
June 1969
By:
C. H. H.
| Fairfield, Connecticut
You AA nuts are sure missing a lot!
Lessons Learned
june 2026
| Young & Sober
By:
Bill B.
| Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
When he was younger, he relapsed a lot. Now sober, he can see how his experience can help others
Family Can Wait
January 2026
| Stories for Day Counters
By:
Elizabeth J.
| Columbus, Ohio
A dry, unhappy newcomer faces spending the holidays with family in a cabin far away. What could possibly go wrong?
What Will Be Will Be
November 2025
| Early days of AA
By:
Jill S.
| Asheville, North Carolina
As dangerous flood waters surrounded her, she used everything she learned in AA to find peace
Beyond Human Help
Web Exclusives
| Grapevine Online Exclusives
By:
Liza P.
| Middle Park, Victoria
Finding a spiritual awakening through the 12 Steps
Devil’s rejects
December 2021
| Remote Communities & Sober Holidays
By:
Rob S.
| Burnaby, British Columbia
Sobriety can be tough at an isolated oil camp. But these guys stepped up and made AA happen and even found time to celebrate
Boy Meets Girl on AA Campus
August 2024
| Dating & Relationships
By:
Dan J.
| New York, New York
How a tumultuous relationship at seven years sober brought him closer to prayer, the program and other sober guys
Right in front of me
March 2019
| What’s On Your Mind?
By:
Anonymous
Broken hand, no phone, locked out of his van and running late. Perfect time to do the Third Step Prayer
A Warm Room on an Icy Day
July 2015
By:
Ray G.
| Knysna
On a January morning in Amsterdam, a man tries to sober up in a place he least expected
A Gift Unexpected
December 1976
By:
T. H.
| Albuquerque, New Mexico
When the miracle happened, that cold December 24 became a day in summer
AA TALKS. . .How Do You Make Them?
March 1967
By:
R. T.
| Manhattan, New York
It seems remarkable to me that. . .nothing much has been written on this all-important subject of how one goes about making an A A talk.
A Dry Drunk's Last Stand
February 2003
By:
Steve S.
| Douglaston, New York
After white-knuckling it for weeks, another warrior comes in from the combat zone
Humility
February 1977
By:
I. P.
| Rochester, New York
It took the pain of humiliation, and a caring sponsor, to help her attain the peaceful joy of
Laughing In Recovery
Web Exclusives
| Grapevine Online Exclusives
By:
Alex K.
| North East, Md.
We’re travelers on the same journey. Let’s laugh a little
A Changing Concept of God
Web Exclusives
| Grapevine Online Exclusives
By:
Jeff S.
| Pinckard, Ala.
God and healing in sobriety
Staying Afloat
October 2022
| Relapse
By:
Rick R.
| Poway, Calif.
These holes are like my defects of character. I can become willing to patch those little holes. Or I can risk sinking altogether.