))
International Conference of Secular Alcoholics Anonymous - atheists & agnostic in AA stories, panels, speakers, meetings... This is the podcast page for ICSAA recovery #addiction #recovery #atheism #ICSAA #secular #secularAA #alcohol #self-help #mutual-aid
The Beyond Belief Sobriety Podcast features stories of interest to people seeking a secular path to addiction recovery. We post episodes each week featuring a personal recovery story or an interview with an author or expert in addiction science. In addition to the audio podcast episodes posted here, we also live stream on Friday night at 7:00 pm Central. You can support our podcast by becoming a member of our YouTube Channel or a supporter on Patreon.
Safe Recovery- is a new show designed to address Predatory behavior in 12 step meetings, and it's culture. Join us to discuss new approaches in our world, our culture with alcohol and drug overuse. "Empowerment" not "Powerless" is our slogan. We will discuss and explore alternatives to AA. We want to support men and women who have written new books on healing from alcohol dependency/drug overuse. Alternative healing, both spiritual and secular to create our better selves is what we are all a ...
A contemporary look at addiction, recovery and mental health - less dogma, more bite. The author of Beyond Belief: Agnostic Musings for 12 Step Life shares interviews with writers, artists, film-makers, treatment professionals and shares the latest research.
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
Hollywood hosts Int'l secular story time May 1 2022
1:19:16
1:19:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:19:16
Debra B moderates a panel on "finding our muse in recovery; can I be creative and sober?" Sri P, Kathleen F and Meagan P - who celebrates 13 years sober in AA - share what it was like, what happened and what it's like now. To visit our meeting live, check the meeting link below. We gather on Zoom the first Sunday of each month, generally UTC -5 (11…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 267: Road to Recovery with Danny Castro
49:25
49:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:25
Danny grew up in a religious household and drinking was considered a sin. When he was around sixteen, he began to question the teachings of his religion. One question: Where does it say in the bible that you can’t drink? He waited until he was twenty-one before he has his first drink. In this episode, Danny describes how his drinking progressed, ho…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 266: How to Handle AA as an Atheist
43:49
43:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:49
In this episode Ben and I had a conversation about how to navigate Alcoholics Anonymous as an atheist, agnostic, freethinker, or otherwise secular person. We briefly touched upon what a person can expect to experience at their first AA meeting, and how to handle the overtly religious nature of most AA meetings. Topics covered in this episode includ…
In this episode, we meet Robert Stump who has been the Executive Director of LifeRing Secular Recovery since 2012 when the founder, Marty Nicholas stepped down. In this episode Robert shares his personal story of recovery and how he found LifeRing to support him in his sobriety. His journey began in 1997 when the only available option was Alcoholic…
For this episode, I had a conversation with Jack J. from Bristol England. Jack is a recovered sex addict who has created a new peer support group called Secular Organizations for Sexual Sobriety (SOSS). In this interesting conversation, Jack explains how his experience with other mutual aid groups inspired him to start this new secular option. Jack…
Kimiko values inclusion and believes the best way to help people is to meet them where they are. Though, she may prefer a more secular and practical approach to recovery for herself; she can easily adjust and relate to someone who values spirituality, and who is comfortable using spiritual language to describe their experience. As she shares her st…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 262: Roger C. and the Story of AA Agnostica
48:40
48:40
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
48:40
This episode highlights a website that has been a welcome refuge for alcoholics seeking to decouple religious faith and sobriety. Roger C. founded AA Agnostica a decade ago to publish the kind of information he could find nowhere else: Narratives about the experiences of secular members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Through his tireless work, Roger has …
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
Kingston (Ontario) Beyond Belief and secular friends ICSAA April 2022
1:38:20
1:38:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:38:20
The first Sunday of each month features the International Conference of Secular AA story time world tour. Every month, different home groups and AA communities from around the world take turns hosting an AA speaker meeting. This lets us get to know our fellow AAs and their journeys, worldwide. Hosted by Kingston's Beyond Belief Friday nooner, we he…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 261: Dr. Daniel Hochman | Self Recovery
53:23
53:23
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
53:23
Our guest for this episode has built a unique online addiction treatment program that features many modalities because – as we know – recovery isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. Dr. Daniel Hochman, a psychiatrist and founder of SelfRecovery.org, shares a platform that weaves together science, behavioral change and self-knowledge to sustain not …
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
from Virtual ICSAA 2020 Brian Gill, MSW & Dr George Kolodner on Coping in the New Normal
45:44
45:44
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
45:44
Two speakers who will be part of the in-person 4th Biennial International Conference of Secular AA (ICSAA) - Washington DC, scheduled for October 28-30, 2022 - give us a sneak preview from their 2020 "Addiction, Mental Health and Recovery in thee time of Zoom and social distancing" presentation. See what they got right about COVID life for people w…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
News & Announcements for Week of April 3rd, 2022
12:48
12:48
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
12:48
I just wanted to take a few minutes to touch base and fill you in on what’s happened on the podcast, livestream and in the Beyond Belief Sobriety community. Podcast The podcast is doing well. I’ve been consistently posting an episode every week. I always post on Wednesday morning. So, if you subscribe to the podcast, you probably get a notice on yo…
Gabe Rosales, is a professional musician, and a sobriety and criminal justice advocate from San Juan Capistrano, California. He got sober in 2007 after serving time in prison for crimes committed during the time he was actively drinking and drugging. The experience inspired him to earn a degree in Criminal Justice with the goal to help reform the s…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 259: The Sinclair Method with Katie Lain
35:26
35:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:26
In this episode we meet Katie Lain, an advocate and mentor for the Sinclair Method, which is a means for treating Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) based on the principal of pharmacological extinction. Those who use this method to treat AUD will take the drug Naltrexone one hour prior to drinking. Naltrexone is an opiate blocker that over time removes one…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 258: Measuring Addiction Treatment Outcomes
42:09
42:09
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
42:09
When Joanna Conti’s daughter was admitted to the hospital and placed on a 24-hour hold for a life-threatening addiction to alcohol; she wanted to find the most effective rehab for her daughter. After calling several addiction treatment centers, Joanna was surprised that none of them were measuring treatment outcomes and were therefore unable to tel…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Beyond Belief Sobriety News and Announcements: March 12, 2022
13:17
13:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
13:17
Weekly Meeting Tuesday March 15th at 8:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM Central, 6:00 PM Mountain, and 5:00 PM Pacific. It’s a Zoom Meeting with ID 883 3035 4802. I’ll open the room about 15 minutes early. No password required. This week our speaker will be Serge Prengle, author of “The Twelve Proactive Steps.” Serge has […]…
In this episode, you will meet Lea Lauks, the author of Fireflies: Finding Light On A Journey Through Addiction. Lea, a gifted writer, put her talent to use painting with words, a realistic picture of the recovery process with all its ups and downs, challenges, and triumphs, and promise of a hopeful future. In this […]…
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
Kansas City We Agnostics, ICSAA world tour of secular AA storytime March 2022
1:13:17
1:13:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:13:17
We hear from Ginny, Diane, Amber Brianna and friends - some from Kansas City We Agnostics meeting and others Zooming in. If there is a theme, this month it's where the healthcare profession meets secular AA and peer-to-peer support more broadly. We have people talking about the role of of treatment and medical intervention, and we have a healthcare…
Weekly Listener Meeting We had our first weekly listener meeting on Tuesday, March the 1st. The meeting was a success. Beth Aich, the author of “We’re Not All Egomaniacs” spoke for about thirty minutes, and then we opened the floor for comments and questions. There were 27 people at that first meeting. This Tuesday, March […]…
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
Beth H We Are Not All Egomaniacs ICSAA 2021
53:26
53:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
53:26
Beth H from Arizona, (pen-name Beth Aich) tells her story with inspired We Are Not All Egomaniacs: Adopting the Twelve Steps for Alcoholics with Low Self-Esteem. Not everyone share's the Bill W narrative of Type-A self-centered person with a drinking problem who needs ego-deflation at depth to find and keep sobriety. Beth finds that when faced with…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 256: Atheism and Sobriety: Personal Responsibility and Recovery
57:31
57:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
57:31
John Huey discusses the second essay in his five-part series on Atheism and Sobriety. This episode focuses on personal responsibility and recovery from the perspective of an atheist, and how John’s atheism was a primary driver of his recovery. Personal Responsibility and Recovery – An Atheists View By John Huey To be yourself in a […]…
R
Rebellion Dogs Radio
1
Carl Erik Fisher author of The Urge: Our History of Addiction
1:14:06
1:14:06
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:14:06
Rebellion Dog Radio EPISODE 68 features guest, Carl Erik Fisher. A Columbia University Psychiatrist, host of Flourishing After Addiction podcast, author of THE URGE: OUR HISTORY of ADDICTION, Carl Erik Fisher talks about his research, his work and his lived experience. Our musical feature on Episode 68 is Goodnight Sunrise with their song debuting …
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 255: Atheists, Agnostics, and Alcoholics Anonymous
47:34
47:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
47:34
Anne Porter has been a listener of this podcast for a number of years, but recently she felt compelled to contact me after listening to “Episode 208: Ibby A”, and “Episode 250: Atheism and Sobriety”. In these episodes, I expressed a reluctance to serve as a sponsor, and I spoke derisively about the concept of […]…
As a person in recovery, I learned that community and connection are vital to my well-being, and as a podcaster, I know that I’m connecting with thousands of people from all over the world, many of whom I may never meet. It’s a tremendous experience and I’m grateful for this opportunity. Now, I want to […]…
This episode features a conversation with RJ Zimmerman and Montee Ball from the Untapped Keg podcast. RJ and Montee share their personal stories and talk about how and why they started their podcast. An interesting conversation develops covering topics such as; the difficulty many men have with expressing their feelings, being open about our recove…
This episode features a conversation with Aaron Reed, author of “Another In The Fire”, a book that chronicles Aaron’s addiction to methamphetamine, his experiences as an international drug smuggler, and then finding recovery in a Colombian prison. What we discussed What interested Aaron to work in Cambodia. His first experience using methamphetamin…
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
Monthly International Secular AA Storytime Meeting from Georgia
1:31:46
1:31:46
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:31:46
On the first Sunday of every month ICSAA (International Conference of Secular AA) Zooms around the globe to bring secular AA storytelling from a different local around the globe. February 6, 2022 we have Georgia on our mind with southern hospitality from Megan, Christopher, Mary and friends. You need to hear it to believe it to understand life for …
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 252: Psychedelics and Addiction Treatment
40:38
40:38
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:38
In this episode, we have a discussion with Ted Perkins about the use of psychedelics to treat addiction and other mental health challenges such as PTSD, and clinical depression. About Ted Perkins When Ted grew up, he was surrounded by alcohol use as something entirely normal and necessary as part of life. His parents worked […]…
R
Rebellion Dogs Radio
1
Replay: Episode 53 is a welcome letter to anyone new to secular Alcoholics Anonymous
1:12:36
1:12:36
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:12:36
This show was first published when secular AA was just growing into the digital new normal of Zoom AA. It was an experimental time and since February 2020, more new varieties of agnostic, atheist, freethinkers, irreligious AA meetings had sprung up and stuck. Many of these new meetings have never had a brick-and-mordar home. They are the trend whic…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 251: SMART Talk with Joe Gerstein
38:08
38:08
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
38:08
Welcome to SMART Talk! In this episode Arthur and I spoke with Joe Gerstein, founding President and a current Board Member for SMART Recovery. Joe has facilitated SMART Recovery meetings since its inception. He has developed many of the tools in the SMART toolbox and he helped start SMART meetings in several countries around the […]…
R
Rebellion Dogs Radio
1
Replay: Talking to Writing the Big Book author William Schaberg in the Fall of 2019
1:12:00
1:12:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:12:00
Writing the Big Book: The Creation of A.A. by William Schaberg We have to go back to 1979, the seminal scholarly account of early history, Not God: The History of Alcoholics Anonymous by Ernie Kurtz. It took 40 years for the next deep dive of this caliber. In 2019, Writing the Big Book: The Creation of A.A. by William Schaberg drew on over a decade…
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
Spiritual Bypassing: John R's journey, ICSAA December 2021
49:15
49:15
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:15
Transpersonal-psychologist John Welwood, coined the term, “spiritual bypassing,” He defined spiritual bypassing as using “spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep personal, emotional ‘unfinished business,’ to shore up a shaky sense of self, or to belittle basic needs, feelings, and developmental tasks.” This presentation is moderated by John R fro…
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
Stonehenge AA Freethinkers ask, "Why the 12 Steps?" @ ICSAA 2021
1:16:04
1:16:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:16:04
The occasion: International Conference of Secular AA December 11th, 2021 Stonehenge AA Freethinkers Step meeting started on Zoom in the pandemic. In this recording, we are treated to how this AA group runs their regular meeting. We kick off with Jeffery Munn's Staying Sober Without God: The Practical 12 Steps. We were pleased to present this meetin…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 250: Atheism and Sobriety | The Moral Center
53:59
53:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
53:59
In this episode, I have a conversation with John Huey about atheism and sobriety. This is the first in a series of essays that John will be writing about atheism and sobriety, and in this essay, he examines the moral structure of atheism and how that relates to recovery. ‘What is the “Moral Structure” of […]…
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
Living Sober Ch 24 Emotional Entanglements with Geri B at ICSAA 2021
51:31
51:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
51:31
The International Conference of Secular Alcoholics Anonymous all day Zoom event's grand finale, held December 11th, 2021, was a reading from AA conference approved Living Sober with discussion to follow. Chairperson, Geri B of Las Vegas NV spoke about the value of the practical book of AA life: Living Sober. This 1975 record of the first 40 years o…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 249: SMART Talk with Arthur Shenker
51:15
51:15
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
51:15
Arthur Shenker is a certified meeting facilitator for SMART Recovery and works as SMART’s National Outreach Liason to introduce SMART Recovery to treatment facilities. Arthur previously appeared as a guest on Episode 220 where he shared a little of his own personal story and talked about the SMART tools and how to use them. Recently, Arthur […]…
R
Rebellion Dogs Radio
1
What a CONCEPT: AA and Public Controversy
1:14:26
1:14:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:14:26
Alcoholics Anonymous starts the year—January 1, 2022—in self-inflicted public controversy: "The way our ‘worthy’ alcoholics have sometimes tried to judge the ‘less worthy’ is, as we look back on it, rather comical. Imagine, if you can, one alcoholic judging another!" Bill W. In the UK, AA’s General Service Office retaliation against it’s own group …
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
We Agnostics Hong Kong January 2022 secular AA speaker meeting
1:10:08
1:10:08
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:10:08
Happy 2022 from the International Conference of Secular Alcoholics Anonymous (#ICSAA) Our monthly world tour of International speaker meetings Zooms to the world in January from We Agnostics Hong Kong with Jim, Shari and John speaking to us. Ireland, the Netherlands, Australia, Mexico and members from coast-to-coast in USA, Canada, Shanghai and Hon…
Scott’s Story Scott J. was attending AA meetings for seven years and was sober, happy, and doing well. In fact, his life improved so much that he didn’t think he needed as many meetings. Eventually, he stopped going altogether and began playing computer games. Initially, his gaming wasn’t a problem, but this changed when he […]…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 247: A New Year for Beyond Belief Sobriety
50:04
50:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:04
Happy New Year. I like New Year’s Day because I can’t help but reflect on the year that has passed and think about all the ups and downs, the people I’ve met, and what I learned along the way. I do that with my life in general, so why not do the same with the […]By Beyond Belief Sobriety Podcast
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 246: The Language of Recovery a Conversation with Dave G.
40:47
40:47
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:47
Dave G. enjoys his sobriety. He runs, dances, and swims in the open sea. He gives back by talking at schools about his experience with addiction and recovery, and through his involvement in Toastmasters, he is working on improving his speaking skills even more. As we talked, I noticed a recurring theme throughout our conversation—language. […]…
R
Rebellion Dogs Radio
1
Episode 66 Blast from AAs past. Listen to the Jim B Memorial Gathering
52:24
52:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
52:24
Jim B was 36 years, two months, four days sober, an atheist, and one of the first few dozen to get sober in Alcoholics Anonymous when he died September 8th, 1974. Jim B outlived both “official” founders, Dr. Bob and Bill W. Listen here for the moving stroll down the lane of AA history. For a twist to the story, visit Rebellion Dogs Radio page. As J…
B
Beyond Belief Sobriety
1
Episode 245: After Gambling with Jamie Salsburg
47:46
47:46
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
47:46
Jamie Salsburg is the host of “The After Gambling Podcast.” He is a former problem gambler who hasn’t gambled since July 15th, 2010, and he created the website and podcast “After Gambling” to help people who are struggling with compulsive gambling. He also provides peer support for recovering gamblers, as well as their friends and […]…
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
Not an Outside Issue: Secular OA, NA, CoDA
48:49
48:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
48:49
While Alcoholics Anonymous is not affiliated with Al-Anon or other peer to peer support—including 12-step fellowships—there has always been cooperation, since our early days. Today, many of us fall prey to more than affliction, simultaneously or one addiction at a time. Friends we haven’t met yet await us in many mutual-aid groups. At the 2021 Inte…
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
LGBT*QIA+ at Int'l secular Alcoholics Anonymous 2021
55:25
55:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
55:25
People, meet Brianna, Marsha, Lyra D, Janie B, Charlize and Adam M. "LGBTQIAP+, find out what it means to me!" From the OMAGOD room at the International Conference of Secular AA 2021, we heard from a sampling of Alcoholics Anonymous' gender and sexual identity members. We can find sobriety in AA without accepting anyone else's beliefs nor denying o…
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
Youth Enjoying Sobriety in Secular AA 2021-12-11
53:27
53:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
53:27
North American and European youth join in for the 2021 International Conference of Secular AA ( #ICSAA ) to talk recovery over Zoom. Join Teun, Zoe, Adam and Lina, who kick off the conversation; joining in are fellow atheists, agnostics and freethinkers in Alcoholics Anonymous. AA is a peer-to-peer community where people get and/or stay sober. All …
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
Exploring Fact & Fiction about AA's 12 Steps with Bill Schaberg
1:18:44
1:18:44
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:18:44
William Schaberg wrote Writing the Big Book: The Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous (2019) after over eleven years of primary documentary research. William reflects on the three things the research revealed that drastically altered his core beliefs about early AA: 1. Bill Wilson was a fabulous storyteller and not a reliable source for accurate histor…
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
The Family Afterward 2021 with Penny M, Stasia & Frank S
56:25
56:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
56:25
The 2021 International Conference of Secular AA, December 11 2021, presents a third decade of the 21st century contemporary update from our 80+ year old text, Alcoholics Anonymous. From "The Doctor's Opinion" to "A Vision for You," we take to heart how the book wraps up: "... the book is meant to be suggestive only. We realize that we know only a l…
Barb was adopted into a conservative, Catholic family where she had a happy home life with parents who cared and provided for her. There wasn’t anything in her childhood that was especially traumatic, but she did get pregnant in high school and put her baby up for adoption. It was a Catholic school, and though […]…
s
secular AA's Podcast
1
The Doctors Opinion 2021 with Two Dr Pauls on Addiction/Recovery today.
55:53
55:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
55:53
Dr Paul F has worked as a physician in the field of addiction medicine and occupational medicine for more than twenty-five years. His interest in addiction medicine has morphed over those years into a greater curiosity related to addiction recovery science and treatment. Dr. Paul S, full-time addiction medicine physician, focusing on occupational a…
R
Rebellion Dogs Radio
1
Religionless Spirituality with Ward Ewing on Rebellion Dogs Radio
1:14:43
1:14:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:14:43
“A person’s spirituality, then, is built on three internal processes: the way we perceive the world about us, how we feel about that world, and the choices we make—conscious and unconscious—in response to our perceptions and our sensations. These three processes are intertwined and naturally reinforcing.” Rev. Ward Ewing, Twelve Steps to Religionle…
