Secular Literature

A Secular Sobriety will help alcoholics and addicts to understand the fellowship and program of Alcoholics Anonymous "without having to accept anyone else's beliefs or having to deny their own." It includes a secular and non-sexist version of the first 164 pages of the Big Book bringing a 78 year old text into the 21st century. A Secular Sobriety brings truth to AA's claim to be "spiritual, but not religious." The author offers insightful commentary regarding AA's fellowship, program, organization and its primary text. Succeeding over the misery of addiction is within the reach of any person regardless of personal beliefs. There is no reason for religious conversion to be a part of any 12 Step program.

Finally, a daily reflection book for everyone from Rebellion Dogs Publishing. Beyond Belief is the first secular daily reflection book written in a contemporary language for today's addicts and alcoholics in recovery. From the Foreword by Dr. Ernie Kurtz (author of Not God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous & The Spirituality of Imperfection): "The book is aimed at a general 12-Step readership, but it is mindful that there heretofore exist no such aids for unbelievers, freethinkers, and the unconventionally spiritual. Given that the latest Pew Research survey found that twenty percent of the American people list their religious affiliation as 'None,' it is certainly time that the Recovery world took into consideration this population's needs. Beyond Belief addresses that need in a confident, non-aggressive way. I doubt that any believer will find anything objectionable in its pages. This believer, for one, finds much that is spiritually helpful."

This book does something remarkable by describing how human behavior and recovery from alcoholism, once commonly understood in religious terms in AA, are now better understood in a secular fashion. Common Sense Recovery: An Atheist's Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous presents the key elements of recovery from alcoholism - some of which are detailed in the 12 Steps - in a refreshing and non-religious manner and is helpful to atheists, agnostics and everyone else in recovery in the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.

"A celebration of the varieties of recovery experience.” From the foreword by William L. White, author, Slaying the Dragon: The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America.

“There are many versions of the 12-Step program of recovery. In fact, there are about as many versions as there are alcoholics in AA who use the program to get sober and to maintain their sobriety.” Thus begins The Little Book: A Collection of Alternative 12 Steps.

In 1991, two women were successfully working the 12-Step program… and they were atheists. They knew the program worked, and translated the Steps into secular terms. This ground-breaking book - as valuable today as it was when it was first written - is their sharing of this secular translation.

In The Alternative 12 Steps: A Secular Guide to Recovery, Martha Cleveland and Arlys G. show how the 12-Step program can be interpreted and worked by those who simply do not believe in an interventionist deity. At the same time the authors conscientiously maintain the intention and integrity of the program - its values, scope and depth. A chapter is devoted to each Step. The language is clear, engaging and personal.

This book is an inspiration for those uncomfortable with the “God bit” in 12 Step recovery meetings and fellowships. A History of Agnostics in AA is a perfect blend of two essential parts for a book of this sort: personal experience and research.

The book is divided into three main parts: Our History, Problems in AA and Moving Forward. The history goes back to Jim Burwell, the first atheist in AA, and to the very first agnostic AA meetings. It also taps into the discrimination against nonbelievers in the fellowship. In the second part, several problems within Alcoholics Anonymous are discussed, and one of these turns out to be “Conference-approved” literature. Finally, the last part, Moving Forward, is all about a secular movement gaining momentum within AA, promising to make AA less God-focused, more inclusive and thus more modern.

"Living Sober" is an extremely informative book which does not offer a plan for getting sober but does offer us sound advice about how to stay sober. Basic, essential information from Alcoholics Anonymous. As the book states, ""Anyone can get sober. . .the trick is to live sober."

"A Freethinker in Alcoholics Anonymous is written by an A.A. member with 46 years of continuous sobriety, who believes that he owes his life to the A.A. Fellowship.

There are plenty of books that attack Alcoholics Anonymous or defend it uncritically or supplement it with personal testimonies or various tweaks. A Freethinker in Alcoholics Anonymous will be the first one to celebrate and defend the things in A.A. that are right, but also, with no holds barred, to criticize the things that are wrong and ought to be changed."

• AA Beyond Belief

In Waiting, best-selling author Marya Hornbacher uses the story of her own journey beginning with her recovery from alcoholism to offer a fresh approach to cultivating a spiritual life. Relinquishing the concept of a universal “Spirit” that exists outside of us, Hornbacher gives us the framework to explore the human spirit in each of us–the very thing that sends us searching, that connects us with one another, the thing that “comes knocking at the door of our emotionally and intellectually closed lives and asks to be let in.”

Gain a clear understanding of the science and latest research behind the success of the Twelve Steps, a critical program used by millions of people around the world to stay sober and one of the greatest social movements of our time.

"Women’s recovery can differ from men’s, and each person’s recovery is in many ways unique. That’s why Stephanie Covington has designed A Women’s Way Through the Twelve Steps to help a woman find her own path-and find it in terms especially suited to the way women experience not just addiction and recovery but also relationships, self, sexuality, and everyday life. Unlike many ”rewritten” Twelve Step interpretations for women, this guide works with the original Step language, preserving its spirit and focusing attention on its healing message."

• AA Beyond Belief

This groundbreaking, short book by Archer Voxx is the best resource available for people who have trouble with the “god stuff” of the 12 Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Five Keys provides insight into the program that makes the religious elements transparent and allows you to work the program without a God or Higher Power.

The twelve-step program has proved to be a fully effective treatment for alcoholism and other addictions. Segal shows how the program can bring relief from depression, anxiety and discontent in non-addicts too. As a first-rate philosopher and cognitive scientist, he offers an incisive science-based account of the psychological causes of restlessness, irritability and discontent and explains how the program works to overcome them. As a practitioner of the steps, he provides clear, easy-to-follow but thorough instructions for anyone, addict or not, wishing to do them. This book is must-reading for anyone seeking psychological good health and peace of mind.