Magazine

February 2013: The Road to Relapse

What are the behaviors that will take us back out? This member has a list

Is your sobriety dead on arrival? Mine was—at least twice. On one of those occasions, my body almost arrived DOA too. But this doesn’t have to be.

I have been in the rooms of AA for almost 38 years now, and I’ve noticed something I’ve come to call “retrograde sobriety.” I’ve definitely recognized this in myself, or I would not have the clarity to see it in others. Old-timers used to refer to it as a “dry bender.” I like to think of it as a chronic dry bender. Here are some signs that help me notice retrograde sobriety:

• When I’m in a meeting and I think... Login to read more
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