About Misery Is Optional

Where do the talks come from?

The information on this site is the result of consultation with a number of long-standing members,based in Europe, the US and Africa,who were all sponsored through the steps the same way. Most of the writing was done in London, but not all of it (for example most of the 4th-step material was written in Africa). Wherever it was written every final version produced after much consultation of the others. This actual website www.miseryisoptional.info was created in Michigan. The website that describes how this material can be presented through the format of an AA meeting, www.aabeginners.com , was created in California. We call these meetings Beginners meetings.

Why were they written?

The talks developed initially out of a desire to capture accumulated experience of recovery before it was lost. This was sparked off when one of the older members of this circle died (in sobriety) taking his experience with him. Those who remained applied themselves to the task and the talks were written in their original form as handouts for their sponsees, to help them in going through the steps and in turn sponsoring others. They are to be seen as an aid to taking people through the AA programme of recovery and as a secondary-level addition to, rather than replacement of, the long-established primary aids -- meetings, sponsorship and the Big Book. It was these sponsees who initially suggested that it might be helpful to make this information more widely available through a meeting format. From this the Beginners meetings developed.

Who wrote them?

After reflection, the writers have decided that they would rather remain anonymous. This is not in order to be mysterious, but because in accordance with Tradition 12 they would prefer the writings were judged on the basis of the principles they espouse rather than the personalities of those who wrote them. They feel that this would make for greatest usefulness.