I’ve been focusing on gratitude this month as we head towards Thanksgiving, and in Twelve Step circles, celebrate Gratitude Month.
Gratitude and the Battle between Good and Evil
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Recovery & Growth
Recovery & Growth — what we offer to readers on this topic...
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With a Grateful Heart For Lois W. and Annie S.
Gratitude is a popular topic in Al-Anon and Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) meeting rooms, particularly in November. Most members readily acknowledge thankfulness for the improvements in their lives and their ability to meet their challenges as a result of their Twelve Step recovery.
Recovery for All – More of my story
Readers often ask why I don’t say more about my own recovery journey in my posts. In exploring the Recovery Month theme of “recovery for all”, today’s post tells some of my recovery story and why I think it is important to share. While Recovery Month is ending, I will continue to write regularly on recovery for individuals and families.
Recovery Month 2025 Reflecting on Our Roots – A Marriage That Changed the World
It is Recovery Month, 2025. This is my 38th September in Recovery. 39 years ago was an ugly September in my life. The very notion of recovery back then was foreign, threatening and beyond my comprehension, yet here I am, with much to celebrate. One of my reflections this year is on a remarkable book published earlier this year that I had the opportunity to be involved with, A Marriage That Changed the World: Lois and Bill Wilson and the Addiction Recovery Movement. It focuses on how the union of Lois and Bill Wilson evolved into a partnership that has changed everything. This couple modeled recovery and resilience in ways that have rippled across time and transformed the way we heal from addiction on every continent and in every culture. While we live in a world of many pathways of recovery, they have common roots that were nurtured in no small way by their hands ninety years ago.
Gratitude for the Gifts of the Sea
I spent four days last week at a Twelve-Step Recovery Convention in Ocean City, MD. Being back at the beach reminded me of my end-of-summer reflections and shoutout to Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s book Gift from the Sea. Today’s post reflects on my gratitude for both the gifts from the seashore and from recovery.
Why Recovery Month Matters
September is National Recovery Month. This week’s post focuses on substance use disorders and other addictions and how they impact millions of people. Learning that recovery is possible is everyone’s responsibility.
Exploring Recovery Magic – Lessons for All
Last Tuesday, June 10th, was the 90th anniversary of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous and the topic of my post. My co-author Joy Jones, and I had the privilege of attending the Founders Day weekend in Akron last weekend. This week’s post offers all readers – in recovery or not – a taste of the amazing energy and magic we experienced.
Addictions, Families and 90 years of Recovery
Today is the 90th anniversary of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, marked by the day Dr. Bob Smith had his last drink and began sobriety. Bill Wilson introduced him to what became the Steps and principles of A.A. at a historic Mother’s Day meeting a few weeks earlier in Akron, Ohio. Alcoholic drinking for decades led Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith to despair; it was a physical, economic, and spiritual bottom that was destroying them and their families. From this meeting, Alcoholics Anonymous was born. Today’s post celebrates this miracle and all its good that has changed the world over the past 90 years.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act and Faith in Action
Last week I began to think about writing a post about the pain the Appropriation bill passed by the U. S. House of Representatives on May 22, 2025 will cause, if it becomes law. I experienced an attack of deep sadness; I lost all energy to do anything for a day. This post is about the challenge of learning about and feeling the pain in the world. How do we hold on to faith, believing that all will be well?
Lessons from Wiscosin Art Museums
Geraldine and I spent three days in Cedarburg, WI last week. It is an amazing historic town founded in 1885. Its early days were as a mill town along Cedar Creek. It maintains the character of a small mill town and is full of life, arts, music, and fun. Geraldine’s brother and wife settled there over thirty years ago and raised two outdoor loving and artistic daughters.
About Tom Adams
Tom Adams writes and speaks on topics vital to the intersection of our personal lives with our community and global lives. He has for decades been engaged in and written about nonprofit leadership and transitions, spirituality and spiritual growth, how we each contribute to a more just and equitable world and recovery from addictions and the Twelve Step recovery movement.