What is the Grapevine?

A.A. Grapevine is the international journal of Alcoholics Anonymous in print, digital and audio. Written, edited, illustrated, and read by A.A. members and others interested in the A.A. program of recovery from alcoholism, Grapevine is a lifeline linking one alcoholic to another. Often referred to as our “meeting in print,” A.A. Grapevine communicates the experience, strength, and hope of its contributors and reflects a broad geographic spectrum of current A.A. experience with recovery, unity, and service. Founded in 1944, Grapevine does not receive group contributions, but is supported entirely through magazine and web subscription sales and additional income derived from the sale of related items. The awareness that every A.A. member has an individual way of working the program permeates the pages of Grapevine, and throughout its history the magazine has been a forum for the varied and often divergent opinions of A.A.s around the world. As such, articles are not intended to be statements of A.A. policy, nor does publication of any article imply endorsement by either A.A. or Grapevine. As Bill W. expressed it in 1946, “The Grapevine will be the voice of the Alcoholics Anonymous movement. Its editors and staff will be primarily accountable to the A.A. movement as a whole… Within the bounds of friendliness and good taste, Grapevine will enjoy perfect freedom of speech on all matters directly pertaining to Alcoholic Anonymous…. Like the Alcoholics Anonymous movement it is to mirror, there will be but one central purpose: The Grapevine will try to carry the A.A. message to alcoholics and practice the A.A. principles in all its affairs.”

Copyright by A.A. Grapevine, Inc.; reprinted with permission

Below is a list of books available from Grapevine

If you would like to order any of the following, please contact:

district17.grapevine.pa.aa@gmail.com

AA in the Military.

      The Language of the Heart. Bill W. was the Grapevine’s most prolific contributor, writing more than 150 articles, from his first in June 1944 to his last in December 1970. Here in one volume are all of Bill’s Grapevine articles, including his first thoughts about the Traditions, his battles with chronic depression and spiritual pride, memories of an all-night drinking spree with Ebby, and a vivid description of how he came to organize the Steps (there were six in the first draft)     The Best of Bill. A handsome new edition of five of Bill W.’s most powerful Grapevine articles sharing his thoughts on faith, fear, honesty, humility, and love. This edition also includes “Why Alcoholics Anonymous Is Anonymous,” Bill’s Grapevine article from January 1955.     Voices of Women in AA. Voices of Women in AA is a collection of 61 stories from Grapevine. The book begins with articles by or about women who contributed to AA early in its history, followed by stories by some of the program’s earliest female members. Sections are devoted to spirituality, sponsorship, life changes, relationships, family, careers and friendships. The collection concludes with a chapter devoted to women’s meetings. The stories demonstrate the various ways women alcoholics—often with great courage—find sobriety in AA and embrace the program to live rich and rewarding lives.   Our Twelve Traditions. In this collection of stories from AA Grapevine, members write about their experiences with the core principles contained in AA’s Twelve Traditions. Born of the trial-and-error experience of the Fellowship’s earliest years, the Twelve Traditions provide the spiritual and practical underpinning for AA’s ongoing adventure of living and working together. Seen through the eyes of individual members, the stories in this book offer groups, as well as members, workable solutions to difficult problems.   Making Amends. Making Amends features 55 candid, firsthand stories from AA Grapevine magazine of members’ experiences with Step Nine of the AA program. The book includes chapters on making amends to parents, children, family members, exes, financial institutions, friends and coworkers. These powerful stories illustrate how practicing Step Nine can help us, as AA’s co-founder Bill W. wrote, “know a new freedom and a new happiness.   Forming True Partnerships. This collection of Grapevine stories shows the many ways members use the Twelve Steps, sponsorship, and the tools of the program to improve and repair relationships, old and new. When we were drinking, many of us had, as the Step Four chapter in the AA book ‘Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions’ puts it, “a total inability to form a true partnership with another human being.” With candid and colorful stories on families, friendships, marriage, divorce, dating, romance, coworkers, sponsorship and pets, this book covers a wide range of experience from sober alcoholics on how we form true partnerships with others.   Sober & Out. Sober & Out is a collection of stories by AA members who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (and a few friends) from the pages of AA Grapevine. They share their experience, strength and hope with alcoholism as well as their personal struggles and hard-fought triumphs. The stories in this book show that—like most alcoholics—LGBT AAs struggle to fit in, stay sober and find peace in their lives. By working the Steps, following the Traditions, doing service, and finding a Higher Power, they are now living sober in the Fellowship of AA.   The Grapevine Daily Quote Book. This pocket-sized book captures the first 365 days of the Grapevine Daily Quote, which first appeared in June 2012. The quotes—contributed by AA members, with many written by AA’s co-founders—were selected by the Grapevine staff. All of these passages first appeared in the pages of Grapevine as part of members’ stories and other submissions, and many of them can now be found in Grapevine’s themed book anthologies. Each page offers an inspiring passage of experience, strength and hope to bring into your daily life.   No Matter What: Dealing With Adversity in Sobriety. All recovering alcoholics have had to deal with adversity throughout sobriety…a serious illness, an ugly divorce, the death of a child, the loss of a house to fire or to the bank. Despite the fear, pain or self-pity we are in when these tragedies strike, drinking is not an option. The stories in this book show how AA members use the tools of the program and embrace the Fellowship to deal with tough issues.   One on One: AA Sponsorship in Action. In this collection, AA members write about their experience with sponsorship, including how to choose one, getting the courage to ask someone to be a sponsor, sharing their past and present with them, working with those having trouble staying sober, dealing with the loss of a beloved sponsor and more. From the early days of the program, this special one-on-one bond of sponsorship has been considered vital to getting sober, staying connected and living a full, happy life.   Happy, Joyous and Free: The Lighter Side of Sobriety. Getting sober can be painful and amazing, but it also can be pretty darn amusing. This collection of stories from the Grapevine shows how, in recovery, AA’s have learned to laugh. It’s full of light and humorous stories about our early mistakes, navigating drinking events, funny things sponsors say, interesting Twelve-Step calls, holiday adventures and more. They remind us to not take ourselves so seriously and to always strive to be “happy, joyous and free.”   Into Action – Stories from AA Grapevine. This collection of Grapevine stories shows the many ways members work the program of AA. Written by men and women, young and old, with different lengths of sobriety, the articles in this book highlight how members practice the Twelve Steps, use our literature and slogans, and get into service, sponsorship and fellowship. The stories demonstrate the various ways members get active in AA to stay sober, carry the message and live rich and rewarding sober lives.     Young and Sober: Stories from AA Grapevine. In this collection of Grapevine stories about the joys and challenges of getting sober at an early age, AA members talk about recognizing their disease even though their drinking may have only lasted a few years. Written by members who got sober in their teens, 20s and 30s, the articles in this book are about growing up young in AA, finding ways to connect when feeling different, getting involved in service and learning how to live a sober life joyously.   Emotional Sobriety: The Next Frontier. In this collection of Grapevine stories, sober women and men describe the transformations sobriety can bring as they practice the principles of AA in all aspects of their lives. Many discover that happiness is a by-product of giving without any demand for return. Others embrace the present with gratitude to claim moments of real peace — “a quiet place in bright sunshine,” as Bill W. put it in the essay that gave the impetus to this book. We invite you to join the journey.   Emotional Sobriety II Only through his own painful, closely observed experience could Bill W. have identified “the next major development in AA … real maturity and balance.” He was telling us that emotional sobriety is our next frontier. Here are the creative, heartfelt insights of several dozen sober seekers whose articles in the Grapevine offer insights that can light the way to our own “quiet place in bright sunshine.”   Step by Step. Real AA’s, Real Recovery shows how AA members of all ages and all lifestyles from around the world; spiritual, religious and atheists; newcomers and old-timers have recovered and found a new way of life by working the Twelve Steps. Discover a variety of experiences from AA’s that have written about the Steps for the pages of Grapevine from the 40’s to the present.     Spiritual Awakenings – Journeys of the Spirit. Read about the journeys of the spirit AAs have taken on the way from alcoholism to recovery: Their return to the abandoned faith of their youth. Their discovery of an entirely new Higher Power. Their integration of personal philosophies with the principles of the Steps and Traditions. And the practical ways they put their spiritual values into operation in their everyday lives. On the spiritual journey, we follow many paths.   Spiritual Awakenings II. The greatest gift that can come to anybody is a spiritual awakening”- Bill W. Grapevine, December 1957 Only in the challenging, dynamic daily lives of AA members do the Twelve Steps come to vibrant life. In theses stories from the pages of Grapevine, published since 1944, sobriety’s message of miracles and redemptions is shared with passion and humor in 74 colorful voices.   A Rabbit Walks into a Bar. A collection of the best jokes and cartoons over the decades that have appeared in Grapevine. With chapters that cover topics from “The Drinking Life” and “Newcomers in AA” to “Life in AA” and “AA Wit and Wisdom,” readers will find plenty to laugh about. Plus, a special chapter is devoted entirely to Victor E., Grapevine’s classic and lovable recovering alcoholic character. Guaranteed to tickle your funny bone, alcoholic or not.   Voices of Long-Term Sobriety. In this collection of stories from AA Grapevine, old-timers share their wealth of experience in staying sober through good times and bad.         Beginners’ Book: Getting and Staying Sober in AA. In this collection of AA Grapevine stories, AA members share what helped them get sober and handle their new lives of recovery. Full of useful suggestions, insights, and solutions to problems common to the newly sober, this book provides solid tools of recovery.       In Our Own Words: Stories of Young AA’s in Recovery. collection of personal stories from the Grapevine that focuses on the difficulties faced by alcoholics who are young in years and the sober joys that await them. The book contains: honest accounts of drinking in the lives of young adults, how they managed to get and stay sober, the impact that practicing the principles of AA has had on their lives, and, the challenges and rewards of finally learning to live and to love, one day at a time.   I Am Responsible: The Hand of AA. A special collection of stories on the theme of the 2005 International Convention celebrating the 70th anniversary of AA. Written by AA members and eminent nonalcoholic friends of the Fellowship, the thirty-eight stories look at the impact of AA’s Responsibility Declaration and what it means to individuals and to the Fellowship as a whole.   The Home Group: Heartbeat of AA. A collection of Grapevine articles illuminating the varied experiences of belonging to an AA group today.         Thank You for Sharing — Sixty Years of Letters to the AA Grapevine. In this lively anthology of letters, spanning seven decades of Grapevine publication, AA members talk about sobriety, the AA program, their Higher Power, the Big Book, and much more as they wrestle with the great questions that concern the Fellowship. Think of it as an AA conversation among sober alcoholics now in its sixtieth year.