Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholic's Anonymous, wrote in 1952, "If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root some unhealthy dependence and its consequent demand." Wilson suggested that if we could identify and continually surrender these unrealistic and unrecognizable demands, that we may then be able to accomplish what he imagined to be recovery's next frontier - something he called emotional sobriety.
Flash forward 70 years, and join psychotherapists and best-selling authors Thom Rutledge and Dr. Allen Berger, who have taken up the mantle of exploring Bill Wilson's new frontier. Welcome to Emotional Sobriety.
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Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholic's Anonymous, wrote in 1952, "If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root some unhealthy dependence and its consequent demand." Wilson suggested that if we could identify and continually surrender these unrealistic and unrecognizable demands, that we may then be able to accomplish what he imagined to be recovery's next frontier - something he called emotional sobriety.
Flash forward 70 years, and join psychotherapists and best-selling authors Thom Rutledge and Dr. Allen Berger, who have taken up the mantle of exploring Bill Wilson's new frontier. Welcome to Emotional Sobriety.
Bright Sunshine in the Rat Park with Dr. Carl Erik Fisher
Emotional Sobriety: The Next Step in Recovery
48 minutes 54 seconds
5 months ago
Bright Sunshine in the Rat Park with Dr. Carl Erik Fisher
Allen, Thom, and Patrick welcome addiction psychiatrist Carl Erik Fisher of Columbia University to discuss emotional sobriety. In the pursuit of “making sense of what happened to him” after his addiction hit a point of critical mass and he decided to seek help, Dr. Fisher wrote The Urge: Our History of Addiction and began regular episodes of the Flourishing After Addiction podcast to look for answers. How did we get here, how are we recovering, and how can we carry a message of education and hope?
Our relationship to community, to Self, and to our own self-esteem are dynamics which must evolve for us to find that “quiet place in bright sunshine” Bill mentions in his 1958 letter.
Learn more about Dr. Fisher on his website:
https://www.carlerikfisher.com
His podcast, Flourishing After Addiction:
https://pod.link/1581713114
Allen and Patrick will be in Dublin for the Recovery Reimagined conference next week, which can be attended virtually or in person:
https://friendlycircleberlin.org/recovery-reimagined-2025
Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com/
Follow us on social media.
Podcast Twitter: @EmSobrietyPod
Instagram: thomrutledge2
Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs
Friendly Circle Berlin Workshop Group meets every Monday @ 7:30pm (Berlin), 6:30pm (Ireland & UK), 1:30pm EST, 10:30am PST
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5505019905
Allen’s book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/
Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):
https://zoom.us/j/330149513
Password: 375986
For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g
Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519
We’d love to stay in touch in between meetings.
We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments.
Emotional Sobriety: The Next Step in Recovery
Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholic's Anonymous, wrote in 1952, "If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root some unhealthy dependence and its consequent demand." Wilson suggested that if we could identify and continually surrender these unrealistic and unrecognizable demands, that we may then be able to accomplish what he imagined to be recovery's next frontier - something he called emotional sobriety.
Flash forward 70 years, and join psychotherapists and best-selling authors Thom Rutledge and Dr. Allen Berger, who have taken up the mantle of exploring Bill Wilson's new frontier. Welcome to Emotional Sobriety.