Ep 226 What AA Old Timers Get Wrong — with Carrie

Carrie is back! Between the two of us, we have 54 years of recovery—and a lot to say about AA old-timers. What even makes someone an old-timer, and why does time sober so often translate into authority?

We talk about the hierarchy around sober time, “AA math,” sponsorship and service, the difference between longevity and expertise, predatory old-timers, and the recovery beliefs we once accepted and passed on ourselves. We also get into what happens when you stop treating sober time as a measure of wisdom, healing, or how much someone else should listen to you.

Carrie's Substack

Timestamps:

00:00 What AA Old Timers Get Wrong Intro

04:24 Good People In AA

07:53 54 Years of Recovery

14:48 Sober As Long As You Drank

16:23 Counting Recovery Time

22:22 Quitting w/o Centering It

25:19 Sponsors Who Shame You

30:16 What is an AA Old Timer?