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Last year, we celebrated a decade of Beyond Belief: Agnostic Musings for 12 Step Life. Published in 2013, while neither the folk-wisdom and science of recovery from addiction had changed exponentially, language and pronouns have evolved. Also, the culture of secular 12-Step recovery has been transformational. So our 10th anniversary, 3rd Printing offers a few updates:

� A new Preface looks back at this decade. We didn't know what kind of traction Beyond Belief would have but on 30,000 bedside tables, and meeting library tables, and smart devices and reading nooks, Beyond Belief has found a home. Of course, we have 1�5-star reviews, but it’s mostly positive; many readers report being on their seventh or eighth lap of the book and it isn’t getting old for them. At Rebellion Dogs Publishing, we posted the whole new Preface; no one who has a dog-eared copy needs to spend again to read it-it’s free on our website.
� You judged a book by its cover and so we have added a hardcover to the eBook and paperback offerings. That’s not something print-on-demand could do in 2013. In fact there’s a couple of choices, a laminate hard cover and, for now anyway, a 10th anniversary edition with dust jacket� just like a real book.
� Pronouns that include everyone, person-first identification that can be less stigmatizing. We are adding current census data and updated links in our notes and bibliography section. You are helping us; typos, errors and incongruencies have been amended � thank you.

We are so happy to be part of a thriving community. Some, who were closet atheists, speak their truth with candor in 2024 AA. In peer-to-peer recovery, an irreligious approach is rightsized now, as reflected in updated secular narratives and literature, worldwide agnostic and atheist AA meetings, Zoom brought us one hundred secular meetings a day, and we have with virtual and in-person International and regional gatherings.

It’s not just AA—NA, OA, Adult Children of Alcoholics, AlAnon, CoDa, all have irreligious 12-step offerings now. That will serve a need and help more people. The non-12 Step mutual aid world has grown too. SMART Recovery and Life Ring are part of what many of us rely on now. I attended my first Refuge Recovery meeting in 2014, and benefited from the literature from She Recovery, Women for Sobriety and other non-12 step communities.

So visit Rebellion Dogs Publishing online or email me if
you have questions about this 10th anniversary update or new writing projects underway.

And in 2023 we saw more evidence that the grand-daddy of 12-stepery, AA, seems to be coming of age again.

There is a new membership survey in the UK and USA/Canada, the literature desk is updating pamphlets and even opening the door to revisions of seemingly sacred texts. It’s all about portraying the diversity of AA experience today.

Our latest podcast review the issues being faced right now and offers ways any interested parties can have their say. If you feel unheard, listen up! � and join the conversation

https://rebelliondogspublishing.com/rebellious-radio/blog/how-baby-boomers-are-holding-aa-back-and-4-ways-to-fix-it

Generation X author Douglas Coupland recently wrote, "The boomer generation is the only one that unselfconciously uses the pronoun 'we' when describing itsef; X, Y, and beyond flee from the room the moment someone says, 'we.'

“We stood at the turning point,�

“We beg of you to be fearless,�

“…we continued to practice these principles in all of our affairs,�

“God as we understood Him.�

It sounds like Coupland is looking right at "we" AAs as he makes generational distinctions. Episode 32 of Rebellion Dogs Radio takes a wide-angle look at demographics with some help from Pew Research Group. We look at some challenges with bringing up the idea changes to the literature with "unselfconscious" Boomers. That won't go well, but we have four ideas of how we can overcome communication-breakdown and ensure 12-Step rooms are as Next-Generation friendly as "we" surely are for Boomers (my generation).

Stream or download the show for free and if you like, join the conversation.

Almost exactly three years since Beyond Belief: Agnostic Musings for 12 Step Life (2013) was launched, it meant something to hit the 5,000 mark. If I had been in the writing game for the money I would have written something else. Instead, I wrote what my library was sadly missing and unavailable.

I'm a Canadian. There's a myth that 5,000 books sold is a best-seller (in Canada). "Best-seller" is just an industry marketing ploy. Like the music industry gives awards to its own and so does the film and pretty much every other industry, Best-seller is a game that people who sell books and people who sell advertising play. In Canada, McLeans and Globe & Mail have a list of stores they call and the top sellers in those store are Canada's best sellers. Why would the industry draw attention to DIY (Do it yourself) authors and small publishers when their franchise is in decline?

I remember something about this from the music industry in the 1990s. There is still a "Top 40 list" but who cares? In the 1980s, if you were into music, you might not have liked all the top songs, but you knew them. The internet created a reality whereby the industry lost control of the message. More music is bought and enjoyed than ever before but it's more democratic. While niche musical acts find ways to grow audience, the pop-charts isn't the millionaire maker that it once was. Once, hundreds of people made millions of dollars in the music biz. Now millions of people make hundreds of dollars.

I know that most authors sell a few hundred and have boxes of books in their basement. What I am most pleased about is that more books were bought in 2014 than 2013 and in 2015 more were bought than in 2014. That's really happy news for someone who buys bus passes with his royalty payments. Chances are I can keep moving in 2016. For anyone who cares or is maybe thinking of writing a book, here's some of my stats:

27% of buyers bought eBooks
73% like paperback

Total sales came from:
Book stores 22%
Amazon 37%
Direct from Rebellion Dogs Publishing 14%
Kindle eBooks 21%
Direct from publisher eBooks 2%
iBooks, B&N, Kobo (all other eBooks) 4%

Beyond Belief is strictly print-on-demand. If I printed 2,000 or 5,000 books in one go, my costs would be down and margins would be up. But Amazon prints its own books through Create Space and I can't attract as many readers or ship books for the same low price that they can. If you're thinking of writing a book, don't do a large print run until you have shelf-space in stores. While you can order my book at any book store, I have only a couple dozen dedicated stores that turn over inventory of Beyond Belief. Each new indie book seller was found one at a time.

While Beyond Belief is the first secular daily reflection book for addicts/alcoholics, there are plenty of others. AA has it's own (Daily Reflections) and they sell 5,000 every 11 days. On Amazon, The Language of Letting Go has been top 10 in this category ever since it came out in 1990 - that's not a typo and Hazelden's Twenty-four Hours A Day is a top-twenty, too. So I haven't made a dent in the old-guard, The self-help/wellness genre is a $10 Billion per year biz in the USA alone. 800,000 daily reflections/daily devotionals are sold every year. So three years later it's big bis: 2,400,000, Joe C 5,000. I don't mind telling you I am proud, anyway.

Not having 5,000 friends or family members, I know that hundreds of people - like you on GoodReads - have been recommending Beyond Belief. It's humbling and moving that so many would get behind this.

Thanks everyone.

Now for starters, Amazon.CA (CANADA) is about 1/10th the size of Amazon.COM so being #1 here isn't a well paying job. In fact, being a #1 author in Canada doesn't earn me as much as people earn who have(other) disabilities. Disability pension from the government (ODSP)pays those who can't work. So let's put this in perspective: It's flattering and I appreciate everyone who shopped around, added Beyond Belief to their basket and pressed, "BUY." Where would I be without you? So it's heartwarming and really, really important to me.

But it's not the end of my day job. I don't know what it takes to be a full time writer in this country but being #1 for a week, clearly isn't enough. I won't be trading my bus pass in on a new car anytime soon.

And what I have learned from the music industry is everything is fleeting. #1 like a hug; who wouldn't want it? But we do need to keep it in perspective; I didn't buy the books, someone else did. And I didn't tell everyone who bought the book to buy the book; other people are recommending it.

I was on TALK RECOVERY Radio in Vancouver on Thursday and that must have something to do with it. Want to hear it? Check out TALK RECOVERY Radio 100.5 FM in Vancouver here:

Thanks, one and all. I wanted a secular daily reflection book that respected AA's adaptability but encourages taking and leaving what one wants (and leaving the rest). I yearned so much that I spent five years writing it. What I didn't know was that you wanted one, too.

Someone else could have written this; I am worthy, but not essential. But the task was in front of me and I met it with the courage you taught me. We're sitting at about 3,300 sold, with another 150 - 200 being bought every month. So that will be a Canadian best-seller(5,000 copies for non-fiction) by the end of the year - print-on-demand, self-published and written by an unproven writer. Oh My Dog, it's a secular miracle, lol.

Thanks, one and all.

Rebellion Dogs Radio Episode IX - We Agnostics & Freethinkers International AA Conference Podcast from Santa Monica CA, November 6th to 8th, 2014.

Rebellion Dogs Radio Episode IX brings you highlights of the first ever We Agnostics & Freethinkers International A.A. Conference. So much content is available on this and we include many links included in this blog. Rebellion Dogs Radio # 9 will include segments from the keynotes given.

Hear the radio show hosted by author, Joe C. about WAFT IAAC on POD-o-MATIC.



Hear the show or download the PDF blog from Rebellion Dogs Radio:



Hundreds of AA members were in attendance including members of AA World Service, delegates from Turkey, England, France, Japan and four Canadian Provinces and over 20 USA States.

Phyllis H., A.A. General Service Office GM, Marya H, author of Waiting: A Nonbeliever's Higher Power and Class A Trustee, Reverend Ward Ewing are some of the speakers featured on the radio show..

We're doing it again in 2016, We Agnostics, Atheists & Freethinkers International A.A. Conference will be in Austin Texas and we'll do it again, somewhere, every two years.


General Service Conference Chair Emeritus Reverend Ward Ewing talks about the traps of feeling like a phoney and the dangers of specific theology creeping into AA meetings under the guise of "spirituality." GSO General Manager, Phyllis H. shares a few prime Bill W. writings and shares what other founders and trusted servants have said about both celebrating AA diversity and the dangers of dogmatic or rigid interpretations of AA's message. The author of Waiting: A Nonbelievers Higher Power, Marya H. is no stranger to Rebellion Dogs. We have a snippet of her talk included, too.

To those who know her, Marya was as poetic, prepared and thoughtful as we’ve come to enjoy. She was sincerely delighted to be part of this humble bit of AA history. Marya’s story of one is one of being entirely ready when she ran thin on alcoholic bottoms, she was sincere and willing to do what might work—regardless of the suggestions compatibility with her worldview. She acknowledged that the language of the Steps (ie: the God stuff) doesn’t talk to all of us and certainly falls short of giving answers. While she sees that people stay sober praying and turning it over, what was a nonbeliever to do to work the Steps?


Some links of interest (where to hear or buy more of the talks) at

Or check it out at


Reification vs. Loosing touch with our primary purpose. Protecting the integrity of the message to the point that we don't progress or grow? How do we balance on the teeter-totter of Chaos at one end, Rigidity at the other. Both spell danger.

Our podcast this week looks at liberal and conservative concerns and looks at possible win-win scenarios.

Don't you just love sharing books, movies and music with people you care about? I do, so here it goes. I've been podcasting. In real life I am a radio host and this year I have been broadcasting about addiction and recovery with a style I call, "more bite, less dogma: Rebellion Dogs Radio."

On Episode 06 I talk about some of the great freethinkers who have been putting out books over the last few years - Marya Hornbacher, John Lauritsen, Philip Z and more. Follow these links to listen to the show or download the transcript. Let me know what you think.

For 30 years, Toronto has celebrated lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual & queer (LGBTQ) Pride. This year, Toronto was host to Word Pride. According to the World Pride Toronto website the full diversity of celebrants June 22 to 29th, 2014 is an estimated attendance of over 1.2 million people honoring the history, courage, diversity and future of Toronto’s (and the world’s) LGBTTIQQ2SA communities. The full acronym includes: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer/ Questioning, 2 Spirited, Allies.

What can 12-Step based societies learn from World Pride? Are we ahead of or behind the curve in terms of inclusivity and anti-discrimination? Let’s have a look.

Over 100 same-sex couples, who came to Toronto for World Pride, got legally hitched while they were here because same-sex marriages aren’t recognized where they live. Lesbian Premier of Ontario (Y’all have Governors of States; we have Premiers of Provinces), Kathleen Wynne, was out for the parade. What’s so civilized about Canadian politics is an extension of what is healthy about Canadian society. Our heads of state are not subject to narrow questions like, “What’s going to be different for Ontario with a queer Premier?� or “How does being a lesbian affect your policy making?� Premier Wynne was grilled about her policies and service record in the recent election but I don’t remember any member of the media asking her about her sexuality. After all, they don’t ask other politicians what they do in the bedrooms or back alleys of our nation.

The Pride Parade finished just before a summer storm hit Toronto and Pride concluded in the streets of Toronto, graced by a rainbow that stretched across the sky.

That’s what a harassment-free, discrimination-free society can look like; within the society, people are sexually diverse but neither right nor wrong. We are straight but not narrow,LGBTQ—out, closeted or discreet if you prefer. Be proud or conflicted. Neither is abnormal and neither is reserved for any gender identification or sexual orientation bias. Toronto Ontario Canada isn’t in a state of happy-ever-after. There is still discrimination, harassment and issues that deserve attention and compassion. To many who visited here last week, Toronto is a breath of fresh air. “To come from such a conservative city where we live in Erie, to here where it is such an amazing, amazing display of people and humanity,� Kathy Czarnecki-Smith told CBC News.

World Pride week got me thinking about what diversity and inclusion can look like. It’s all fine and good to have someone from AA say, “This is Joe from the Beyond Belief group—you know—that group for atheists and agnostics.� Why not just say, “This is Joe from the Beyond Belief group�? Every designated other through AA history has gone through it: she’s an alcoholic—how shameful; We’d like to help the negro alcoholic but we have our reputation to think of; He’s an alcoholic but he’s so young; Pete’s an addict; who can blame him, being gay and all. That is a slice of real life in our 75 year history. So why should AA members with a natural, not a supernatural, worldview be any different? In tribes, like AA or any other subcultures, the majority marginalize the minority, be it intentional or systemic? Today, typical statements towards members who reject the sobriety-granting God idea, include, “How do you stay sober without God? That sounds like a dry-drunk. Keep coming honey, you’ll get it eventually.�

A highlight at the 1985 World Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous in Montreal, was a talk given by Barry L about our Traditions and great strides made between AA and our relationship with the LGBTQ community. At a gay and lesbian meeting, attended by about one thousand members, Barry recalls, “We weren’t in closets; we were sealed in vaults.� Barry L was making light of when he got sober 40 years earlier, when AA was in our early years and homosexuals were considered to be sexual deviants. In 1945 there was no Gay Pride. There was secrecy. Our Third Tradition suggests to members and groups who can join Alcoholics Anonymous. Membership is not granted; it is an inherent right to anyone with a desire to stop drinking.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (The 12 & 12) presents 24 essays by Bill W about our Steps and Traditions. In the essay on Tradition Three, “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking,� there are three examples that tested our seemingly reckless inclusivity in the early years.

There is the story of a man whom Bill called “Ed.� We know this to be loosely Jim B’s story—the defiant atheist who thought AA would be better without all this God malarkey. He offended many members who wanted him out. And they were about to cast out the one for the betterment of the many. The story goes as follows:

"The elders led Ed aside. They said firmly, 'You can’t talk like this around here. You’ll have to quit it or get out.' With great sarcasm Ed came back at them. 'Now do tell: Is that so?' He reached over to a bookshelf and took up a sheaf of papers. On top of them lay the Foreword to the book Alcoholics Anonymous, then under preparation. He read aloud, 'The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.' Relentlessly, Ed went on, 'When you guys wrote that sentence, did you mean it, or didn’t you?'
Dismayed, the elders looked at one another, for they knew he had them cold. So, Ed stayed."

Ed, or Jim B., not only stayed but he helped establish AA in both Baltimore and Philadelphia. He lived sober, outliving both official cofounders. In the 12 & 12, there is a second story of a sexual deviant who sought refuge in Akron AA.

In a talk Bill gave at his 35th year of continuous sobriety, he expands on this Third Tradition story:

"For example, a fellow came to Dr. Bob and said, 'I’m an alcoholic; here is my history. But I also have this other complication. Can I join A.A.?' Bob threw it out to all the other deacons, while the poor guy waited.

Finally, there was some kind of hearing on it among the self-appointed elders. I remember how perfectly Bob put it to them. He reminded us that most of us were practicing Christians. Then he asked, 'What would the Master have thought? Would He have kept this man away?' . . . The man came in, was prodigious worker, and was one of our most respected people.

So, out of antecedents like this one, our Third Tradition was born: that any person having a drinking problem—if he says so—is entitled to join A.A., and nobody can deny him this right. This, indeed, is a great irony—enormous freedom welling up out of grief and slavery to the bottle.�

Imagine asking the question, “What members or groups would Jesus have us exclude from AA?� That’s the standard Dr. Bob asked the God-fearing deacons to measure their actions by.

Another story is told from Barry L’s firsthand account as he was answering the phone and minding the door to the 41st Street (AA) clubhouse. In Barry’s 1985 talk , he recalls:

"One of the chores you could do is answering the phone, sitting at the desk and greeting visitors. One day a policeman on the corner sent in to see us, a black man. That in itself was unusual in Manhattan in 1945. We had no black AA members then; we did not really start seeing black members in AA until 1946. But the black man came in and he had long blonde hair, a-la Veronica Lake. He was also a master cosmetician. He was a wonder with a brush on his face. He was absolutely beautiful. Strapped to his back were all his worldly belongings. He said he was just released from prison and he needed help. He began to tell us his problems. Among other things, he was homosexual and he was a dope-fiend. . . I asked a number of the older members who had been around for some time “what should I do?� and they all left. No all, I shouldn’t say that. One dear old soul—a gal named Fanny—stayed and really tried to help the man.

But she didn’t get too far; she didn’t really know the answer to this so I thought I would call the man who had been sober the longest. So I put some coffee down for the man and I called Bill. I told him the story, 'We don’t really know what to do, he needs all kinds of help.' Bill listened and then he was quiet for a few moments and then Bill said, 'Did you say this man is a drunk?' Oh yes, we could all tell that, instantly. 'Well,' said Bill, 'then I think that’s the only question we have any right to ask.'� (Thunderous applause from the Montreal audience).

Montreal Canada hosted the 1985 World Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous

Also, when Barry was almost a year sober, he tells the story of how three AA women took him to lunch to talk with Bill about the ideas of special groups for gays and for lesbians. Barry recalls that Bill said that this could be the best thing to come down the pipe, but he wasn’t sure. Could Barry come and see him again when he was 18 months sober? At that time Bill thought both Barry and he could think about the matter more. Barry never did return to have that talk because by the time he was 18 months sober, there were so many gays and lesbians it hardly seemed necessary.

Under the employ of Alcoholics Anonymous, Barry was a staff writer. He wrote Living Sober and the pamphlet Do You Think You’re Different? He also recorded the General Service Conference and wrote the General Service Conference Report. By the early 1970s there were many groups/meetings for gays and lesbians. Barry tells the story of this significant crossroad:

"It was my job in 1973 and 1974 to write the Conference Report and those were the two years that the question of listing lesbian and gay groups arose. That came about from some pressure from some wonderful people in Southern California. All kinds of wonderful things come out of Southern California. They wanted to list themselves as gay groups or lesbian groups and the General Service Office, of course, has a very ticklish job. They really shouldn’t do anything that hasn’t been done before, without direction from the General Service Conference. So, they brought it to the Conference to decide and it was debated in 1973 to some hot length and finally the chair, getting very smart, said, 'I think we’ll table the question to next year.' But that put it on the agenda for next year so everyone knew about it and it would have to be settled the next year.

If you don’t know what the General Service Conference is, ask your sponsor. The Conference has absolutely no power over any of us—not one bit. It has the power of example, it has some moral authority, but that’s all. The Conference does not like to do anything by halves or even by bare majority. The Conference proceeds generally on almost complete unanimity.

So in 1974, in the Conference, the question went back and forth, back and forth for two days and two nights. Much of the agenda was wiped out. I remember one man said, 'If you are going to list the sex deviants this year, next year you’ll list the rapist [groups].' Someone else said something like if you’re going to list this kind of deviant, what other type of deviant are you going to list?

The delegate from one of the Northern States—or maybe it was a Canadian Province, I am not sure—was a delightful woman about three feet tall and she went to one of the middle microphones. She pulled the microphone down to her mouth and said, 'Where I come from, alcoholics are considered deviants.' (Laughter and cheering from the audience)

The debate went on but when the vote came that night, only two voted against it. It was almost unanimous; I think it was 129 to two.

January 20, 1961, in the presidential inauguration, John F. Kennedy referred to the American Constitution of a century and three quarters prior, stating that human rights were not granted by the generosity of the state but from all mighty God. I imagine Bill W, like many US citizens, listened to, or may have even seen—JFK being the first every TV presidency—this speech.
One could imagine AA’s founders reflected on the structure of our fellowship as a society. Ours is a society whereby rights and freedoms are expected. AA protects the rights of members and groups through servitude—not leadership or governance.

It isn’t lost on me that, constitutionally, my rights as an unbeliever are granted by God. What is meant by this? To suggest that if one denies God, one would forgo their human rights bestowed by Him is narrow, if not flawed reasoning. Human rights must be respected by one another. Basic human rights to dignity and freedom are beyond the scrutiny of others. So while atheists ought to respect a believer’s right to worship, the believers ought to respect the freethinker’s right to govern themselves in accordance to their own conscience.

In Canada, as in the USA, everyone has the rights and freedoms of conscience, religion, thought, belief, expression, peaceful assembly and association. Bringing it back to our AA fellowship, these rights that are beyond challenge of critical finger pointers are bestowed upon members and our groups.

We have discussed the individual and how our history shows that, when faced with others that are unfamiliar to us, while our instinct is to marginalize, our Traditions has taught us to embrace our differences. This is especially reinforced by Tradition Three.
What about our groups? Consider the subtle message within Tradition Five, “Our primary purpose of every A.A. group is to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.� The key is in the word “its message—not “the message� or “our message� but each group’s message. As an aside, NA did change the Fifth Tradition to read, "the message," although in the narrative about the Tradition in the basic text, there is no suggestion the "the" message is the 12 Steps or any specific message beyond hope.

And how does each group determine its message? Tradition Two and Four celebrates the autonomy and authority of group conscience. Each group can outline their own message.

A muckers or back-to-basics group’s message is that hope and recovery comes through the working of the Twelve Steps, done in a certain way, over a certain time frame. Other groups don’t even read the (suggested) Twelve Steps at their meeting. That may give the message that fellowship—the sharing and caring of fellow members—is the secret sauce of contented recovery. So young people’s groups, women’s groups, nonbelievers meetings or LGBTQ groups don’t all talk a uniformed talk or offer exactly the same brand of AA hope. Some AA groups don’t bat an eye at talk of drugs (as well as drinking) while others kick up an “outside issue� fuss if you discuss smoking pot or prescription drug misuse. Some meetings include prayer in the formalities. Atheist and Agnostic groups tend to see its AA message as a more secular solution.

AA accommodates and includes new groups, be they special interest or general purpose. Regardless of how or why a new group starts, a collective voice is found and a message of hope is expressed.
What we find at Pride is the celebration of, instead of the narcissism of, small differences. Everyone comes together to celebrate our diverse culture and not to scapegoat or ridicule others for their uniqueness. Sure, Monday comes and many of us will fall back in with our tribe. It’s no crime to seek the company of like-minded people. But the point is we came together and we will again. Without shouting out our tenets of honesty, open-mindedness and willingness, the variety of celebrants that come and sing and dance to “We are Family� at Pride celebrations all around the world should inspire us in AA. We have a living program, and an evolving fellowship that, through a spirited language says we are AA members and groups—not all the same, but all equal and all united.

At the 63rd General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous, April 21 to 27, 2013, after 11 years as a nonalcoholic Trustee, Ward Ewing stepped down as AA’s Chair of the Board. Taking over for Ewing, fellow non-alcoholic Trustee, Terry Bedient is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Vice-President of the Medical Society of New York and is a trustee of the New York Lawyer Assistance Trust, which oversees substance abuse programs for attorneys and judges.

Reverend Ward Ewing, in his role as Chair Emeritus for the General Service Board will be only a phone call away, should AA World Service need to consult him. “Before I worked for AA,� Ward tells us, “I was the head of a theological school in Manhattan. I am an ordained Episcopalian minister (Anglican Church in Canada and UK).�

Bill Wilson formed the original A.A. Board of Directors with 21 Trustees. Class A (nonalcoholic) Trustees made up 14 of the positions and seven were Class B (alcoholic). As Alcoholics Anonymous matured, the mix of Trustees reversed to 2/3 Alcoholic Trustees. Nonalcoholic Trustees bring leadership, connections and expertise in areas such as corrections, medicine, media or, in Ward Ewing’s case, spiritual/religious acumen.

No matter what fellowship we call home, as we transition from recovery to service, we appreciate that the Steps and Traditions of every fellowship were adopted from, or in reaction to, Alcoholics Anonymous. Rebellion Dogs spoke with Ward about his tenure as AA’s Chair, some of the accomplishments on his watch and some of the rough waters that face the next Board of Directors.

What are the advantages to Chairing the A.A. World Services Board for a non-alcoholic Trustee?

“Class A trustees have one foot in—one foot out. The Board has faced a couple of really tough conversations over the last few years. Alcoholic Trustees and Delegates line up pretty quickly on one side or the other of issues. I really don’t have a commitment to one outcome or another, as a Class A Trustee. I have come to understand that my job as the Chair is to facilitate group consciences, not to present and push an agenda. By the end of the first year I learned that the authority comes from the group conscience. To facilitate that consensus, I think it is to my advantage that I am not predisposed to any particular outcome.

“Jim Estelle is a Chair Emeritus for the General Service Board (Chairman of the Board 1993 to 1997). Recently we spoke on another topic and he was reflecting on how people assume that, because he isn’t an alcoholic, he doesn’t really understand the Traditions and the Concepts so he can talk about them, shooting from the hip and if people don’t agree with him, they just dismiss him.� Ward laughs. “That’s a lot of freedom.�

“I do believe that the Board exists to serve the fellowship; the fellowship really does make the major decisions and the board sees these decisions through. At the Board I often heard that there are no emergencies in AA. When urgency creeps in, there is a feeling that we have to get this or that done. The system of building a substantial majority is compromised. Anxiety violates our democratic process. The program is happening at the local level, and, with respect to what is going on in New York, there’s time to get it right. Being a nonalcoholic helps me to help the Board and/or the Conference take the time to find its substantial majority.

The press has a hard time honoring anonymity. A nonalcoholic face of A.A. is acceptable to the press and doesn’t violate our Tradition of anonymity. That’s another gift Class As can bring to the fellowship.�

Ward, do you think you were brought in for your religious prowess?

“One concern on both sides of the Canada/USA border is the issue of religion and spirituality. I am part of institutionalized religion—I wouldn’t call it organized religion because we aren’t very well organized—but I am a part of that world and AA is clearly not a religion. Religion has a set theology and liturgy and there are professionals who run the organization. These professionals have the answers and their job is to persuade others to accept and believe what they believe. Frankly, it’s all in the head. That’s religion and I am not against religion; I am one of these professionals paid to encourage people to be religious and I hope some are, but it doesn’t belong in AA.

“Spirituality is something everyone has. We wake up with it in the morning. It is love and hate, anger and joy; we are spiritual beings because we are affected if people love us or hate us or ignore us. In a spiritual program we have no creed or specific theology or rituals. Now there are some rituals in AA and I think we have to be careful about these. In the South they almost always end meetings with the Lord’s Prayer but when they did that at the world conference in San Antonio in 2010, I was surprised and frankly I was a little shocked. Again, I consider myself reasonably religious and I want you to be religious but don’t try to make A.A. religious. The line between religion and spirituality has to be maintained strongly in this fellowship.

“Religion is taught at the head level, ‘Here’s the book and here’s what it means and this is what we do here.� Spirituality is shared, not intellectually but at the level of the heart. What changes people’s lives is one suffering alcoholic hearing their story coming from another alcoholic’s lips and a story of despair becomes a story of hope. Too much talk of God in the group can be a barrier. We are all spiritual beings on a spiritual journey but we all in different places. Our job is to help each other see where we are in their spiritual journey and to help see where our strengths are on this journey and how we each can grow. It is not our job to tell another that our way is the better way. God doesn’t need my protection and I am not here to tell you or anyone how to manage your spiritual journey—I have a hard enough time managing my own.�

Ward pauses for a moment and continues, “A new pamphlet is coming out about the spiritual journey including stories of atheists and agnostics. Some people are very upset about that but I am very excited. What some of us miss, who have theistic faith, is the spiritual qualities of those with no such faith. They have a story to tell and spirituality is communicated through stories. That’s why this pamphlet isn’t about what to believe or not believe. It will be people sharing their stories.�

These are stressful, challenging times for any organization. What lies ahead for A.A?

“According to printers, A.A. is one of the USA’s largest publishing companies. I can’t see that being the case 20 years out or even ten years from now. We sell one million Big Books each year. Then there’s the Grapevine. Is it really AA’s meeting in print if less than 10% of the fellowship subscribes to it? We are enthusiastically marketing the digital version and features of Grapevine.

“I am someone who has many years of congregation leadership. I think AA does a fabulous job in regards to dealing with the whole spiritual relationship to self-support. In this age of wealth becoming so concentrated, A.A. continues to limit personal contributions or bequests.

“When I was first interviewing as a Class A Trustee I got my first surprise. In the interview process I was asked if I had any questions and I said yes I do. ‘With any board I have ever been on there is an expectation to make contributions (financial) which I am willing to do but I am curious to what extent I would be expected to contribute. Can you tell me how much you would expect me to contribute financially to AA?� ‘Yes,� they said, ‘we can tell you how much—zero. We don’t accept contributions from nonalcoholics.� That blew me away. They explained that the Seventh Tradition is an expression of thanksgiving for the health and new life that one has received from the fellowship.

“With the goodwill we have in A.A. we could go gang-busters if we wanted to start building endowments. AA isn’t about making money. We would absolutely destroy the connection between spirituality and the financial end of this fellowship.

“I am getting ready to give a talk to a church about what the church can learn from AA. I can’t wait to tell them, ‘Limit contributions.’� Ward laughs. “They are going to shake their heads, ‘How can you even talk about something like this?� But if they want to treat contributions as an act of gratitude then you don’t fund-raise in the same way.

“Of any organization I know, AA does the best in connecting the spirituality aspect of the program with the financial aspect. The challenge now is that currently only 40 to 45% of our income comes from group contributions. The rest is from literature sales. We have people studying this and talking about it right now. In an era of electronic Big Books and so on, no one is predicting that revenue will increase instead of decrease. But I have a sense that if the fellowship is well informed the money will be there. We’ve been talking about it at Regional Forums and in this economic downturn our reserve fund is increasing. This year we’ll be at about 11 or 12 months of operating expenses and that’s our prudent reserve. If we hit our target we will be reducing literature prices. The fellowship has always been supported by its members but I must say we also enjoy very competent management. Looking forward, money isn’t an area I have a lot of concerns with.�

As Ward Ewing handed over the reins of the lowest job on A.A.’s inverted triangle of service, he reminds us that it is the groups, not the General Service Office that runs A.A. GSO serves the will of A.A.—never dictating to the groups or members. Ward cautions us to avoid being dogmatic in our rituals and not to fear whatever the future holds in store.

At the time Ward Ewing talked with Rebellion Dogs his final duty of Chairing the 63rd General Service Conference, unfortunately, the spirituality pamphlet which includes stories of atheists and agnostics was not approved by AA’s trusted servants.

Sadly, the idea of officially saying to the world that our Godless brothers and sisters are welcome equals among us isn’t a change that 21st Alcoholics Anonymous is ready for. Bill Wilson, when A.A. was only 25 years old, said to us in the July 1965 Grapevine, “Let us never fear needed change. Certainly we have to discriminate between changes for the worse and changes for the better. But once a need becomes clearly apparent in an individual, in a a group, or in A.A. as a whole, it has long since been found out that we cannot stand still and look the other way. The essence of all growth is a willingness to change for the better and then an unremitting willingness to shoulder whatever responsibility this entails.�

Hear Ward Ewing talking at Unity Day in 2011

The story behind the book Drunk Mom reminds me of the struggle that the song "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" went through. Eddie Schwartz wrote the song and couldn't find anyone who believed in it. There's a funny story about a label flying him down to LA to record some demos but they didn't want to do that one. He begged them and said, "Let's do it; if you don't like it, leave it off the demo tape." He recorded "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," they hated it and the producer ordered the engineer to erase the reel to real 1/4 inch. I mean, they really hated it.

Lucky for Eddie, the engineer had already made a cassette tape of the demo. It was another year before anyone showed an interest. Peter Frampton was going to record it but while he was on tour, unknown, Pat Benatar was with her agent listening to demos at "Brand X" music and she heard the song being played through the wall. She just had to have that song. The agent didn't think it was a good idea but Pat Benatar wouldn't have it. Zeitgeist's influence in the sausage factory rock industry of the day was just waiting for a feminist anthem to break the trampy 80's mold. Pat Benatar (with Eddie's song) became a sensation in every music market in the world. Pat Benatar was the first female-fronted rock act to be aired on MTV.

Looking back, having any man sing it would have been uneventful.

Remember, no one who was in the know at gatekeeper central believed in the song. They were wrong. Drunk Mom has released in Australia and in Canada. Based on the splash of publicity the book is about to get in the UK, that market is about to drop the book too.

The USA says, "No way." According to Drunk Mom's Doubleday Canada (Random House) team, Random House USA acquisition loves the book but sales say it is unmarketable. People love "Momoires;" people love crash-and-burn addiction stories but never the two shall meet.

I bet, Random House will soon see that if they don't release it, someone else will and like Eddie's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," Drunk Mom will have her Mother's day.

The book was like heroin for me. I couldn't stop reading and everything else was secondary. Around 1/2 way through I thought I should try to pace myself because I would soon be out. I regretted it being over. Jowita has a real ease with wielding a metaphor. One addict she describes in treatment as being the type of person others are drawn to, like a camp fire. English is a second language for Jowita but she is never apologetic or overcompensating. The story is unabashed and beautifully vulgar.

Here are two "Hit Me With Your Best Shot's." One by composer/writer, Eddie Schwartz and the one that changed the world, by Pat Benatar.


Drunk Mom: A Memoir