Welcome to The Recovering Urchin. This is a website for recovering alcoholics and addicts, and people who love us.
I am a recovering alcoholic and addict. I have been sober for 28 years, and I believe that my experience, strength and hope can benefit others, and hopefully help someone recover from alcoholism/addiction. I will share my story sometime soon, in a post on this website.
You are probably wondering “why use The Recovering Urchin as a website name?” Good question. Some of the answer has to do with AA’s Traditions, and some of it has to do with me.
AA’s Eleventh Tradition notes that “we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films”. That was published in 1950, and it is as true today as it was when it was written. When it was written, there was no internet. Had the internet existed in 1950, the Eleventh Tradition would state “at the level of press, radio, films and the Internet”. An A.A. Guideline on the Internet notes that “the internet, social media, and all forms of public communications are implicit in the last phrase of the short form of Tradition Eleven, which reads “at the level of press, radio and films””. The Guideline later notes that we should avoid using our full name, or full-face photographs.
So you won’t see my full name or my photograph on this site. Because of the need for anonymity at the level of the Internet, I am using a pseudonym on this website: The Recovering Urchin. I am in recovery (28 years as I write this), and I refer to people as “urchins”. I don’t know why, but I do. I refer to my children as “the little urchins”, my wife as “Mrs. Urchin”.
I am the Recovering Urchin.
I promise you a few things about this website. First, I will remain anonymous. Second, I will not share any of your personal information with anyone, ever.
If I share parts of any of your stories (I am considering some guest blogs) I will either use only your first name, or a pseudonym.
I will try to write something recovery-related to you, about once a week. I may miss a few weeks for travel or work, but I will try.
I promise that all of the content on this site will be free.
There will not be a “Comments” section on this site, because I do not want to monitor the Comments section for trolls. I did that on another site, and it wasn’t any fun. So no Comments section.
I will try to share my experience, strength and hope with you, as it pertains to alcoholism and addiction. My hope is that my experience may benefit someone that I may never meet.
I will try to follow the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions on this website to the best of my ability. Some of my recovering friends have promised to check on me, and let me know how I am doing. I will try to be free of resentment, fear, and ego on this site, unless I am sharing an experience where those topics are warranted.
I wish you peace in sobriety.
With Love,
The Recovering Urchin
