We have the author of We Sober Agnostics as our guest talking about his journey in recovery, what he has to offer in terms of The Survival Guide for Agnostics, Atheists And Non-Believers in 12-Step Programs. Our musical contribution is Montreal synth pop-rock band Your Ex And I (YXNI) and their 2023 debut "For all the Loves."
I really enjoyed my chat with Michael; it was joyful to get to experience his recovery, view of life and approach to living sober. Today's show has music and a 12-Step Life book that are both brand new this year and both sound familiar. Synth-pop: Going back to my early recovery, The Human League, Depeche Mode, New Order, Yazoo, and so on, I find in today's indie world, nothing someone loves ever dies. There are people today making the music you love if you are tiring of adult contemporary "best of the 70s, 80s, 90s" nostalgia.
So too with ye olde recovery, be it a big book meeting or Life Ring or She Recovers, what is old is new again with slightly different haircuts. Michael has been an atheist/agnostic since last century but he's comfortable in mainstream AA, prefers face-to-face meetings and we hear all about it today.
I hope you enjoy our chit-chat as much as I did.
I think We Sober Agnostics is well suited for it's target audience; the freethinker in regular AA, ambivalent about their place in AA and AA's place in their sobriety. What the 2020 Great Britain membership survey tells us is more people in mainstream AA are atheist. They don't like that label maybe but, do they believe in a prayer-answering, sobriety-granting supernatural force? No. And I am pretty sure that's what atheism means - a worldview without a supernatural, personal higher power. The 2020 Survey shows us that at least nine out of ten AAs have found some power greater than themselves. Of those who do, 2/3 have a humanist, secular, material world concept... the process (or program), the collective wisdom of the room (or Zoom), an inner resource, etc, etc. This overwhelming majority aren't relying on secular AA meetings or bolting for SMART, LifeRing or other more contemporary peer 2 peer groups. They find a way to fit in, not bothered by ye olde Big Book language.
For secular AA regulars I think there are some good meeting-starter sections in here, too.
Michael has a blog, another good way to “test drive” his ideas and writing style. Check out the latest from MIchael HERE
Also, I expect people who don't like recovery books won't like this one, people who only like recovery books in a certain style will prefer what they already enjoy to this newbie. But I'm glad we have a new booklet this year. Keep them coming, folks.
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