2018 Holiday Greeting from the Back to Basics “Team”

2018 can be best described as a year of transition as we expanded our horizons and made numerous new and improved presentations. Our “marching orders” for the year have been:

    “They are coming in younger and younger and sicker and sicker and in order to save their lives, we must get them through the Steps quicker and quicker.” (Wally P.)

As a result of this change in focus, our seminars, workshops, and meeting formats have become even more effective. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. It is beyond our wildest dreams that Back to Basics, Back to the Basics of Recovery, and Basic Recovery have become such important programs throughout the world for overcoming addictive and compulsive behaviors.

In addition to the seminars, workshops, and presentations we made this year, we used Skype and Russian translators to take members of the recovery community in St. Petersburg and Moscow through the Steps. We also conducted a Skype sponsorship workshop in St. Petersburg.

We presented Back to the Basics of Recovery in Iceland in support of the Icelandic translation of the book along with the “Fifty Key Paragraphs” handout we use to take newcomers through the steps “quickly and often.” The Icelanders converted the “Fifty Key Paragraphs” into a small, pocket sized pamphlet that is being used throughout the country.

Also, in our travels we met the team that is translating Back to the Basics of Recovery into Norwegian and the lady who had translated Back to Basics into French two years ago. We are planning visits to Norway and France in 2019.

We are in the process of converting the Spanish translation of the Back to Basics book into Kindle and Nook versions so they can be distributed to those in need at a price they can afford, considering the per capita income of those living in Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Some of our new programs include:

Basic Recovery is for all addictive and compulsive behaviors. This is typically a 2 ½-3 hour mid-week workshop or an all-day (10:00 am to 3:30 pm) seminar during which attendees take ALL Twelve Steps using the Surrender, Sharing, Amends and Guidance format. Attendees include treatment center alumni and members of ALL Twelve-step recovery programs. For these workshops and seminars, we use the “Big Book” with passages converted to gender neutral and modified for all addictive and compulsive behaviors. Basic Recovery has also been adapted for those who are incarcerated and those in drug court, or other diversion programs.

In the Symbols of Recovery workshop, we use the square, triangle, circle and red cross to rep-resent the recovery process. Because it is an introduction to the Steps, this 1-1 ½ hour workshop was originally designed for those in their first 30 days of treatment. However, we have presented this workshop many times to the entire recovery community.

Basic Recovery for Co-dependency is for family members of the addict or obsessive/ compulsive. This presentation is typically a 2 ½-3 hour mid-week workshop or an all-day (10:00 am to 3:30 pm) seminar during which family members take the Four Spiritual Activities of Surrender, Sharing, Amends and Guidance using modified “Big Book” passages and supplemental co-dependency literature.

The Sponsorship book is being revised one more time before publication. We are adding a chapter on “Skype or Telephone Sponsorship” as well as a chapter on “Women Sponsoring Women.”

For additional information on our life-saving efforts, please contact us at our Tucson, Arizona World Headquarters (our garage).

Tele: 520-297-9348 ~ ~ E-mail: wallyp@theriver.com or b2bfbsl@gmail.com

Web: www.aabacktobasics.org or www.facebook.com/backtobasicsofrecovery

Happy Holiday Season,