Afterglow

1 day ago

15 min read

October 2026

“We were not created to live in self-centered isolation, but in a river of spiritual and physical connectedness with the Creator and with one another."

-ABA pg 157

The word afterglow usually brings to mind warmth, light, and a sense of well-being that lingers after something meaningful has passed. In our ABA literature, the first word of Step One is "We." That word reminds us that “we were not created to live in self-centered isolation, but in a river of spiritual and physical connectedness with the Creator and with one another. We were never meant to live as liars, cheats, or thieves, but to dwell in the shimmering glow of honesty” (pg. 157).

This ABA gathering is a testament to our willingness to move out of the shadows and into the light. Our disease thrives in isolation, and isolation so often gives rise to dishonesty. By contrast, the organizing, service, and shared participation required to create such a retreat strengthen our recoveries. No one person could put on an event like this alone. We need recovering members to help create the workshops and meetings, and we need attendees who are willing to show up, participate, and receive what is offered. For some, this experience will be life-changing: “The shock waves of that bonding cracked open the walls of our prison and allowed the light of Hope to filter in” (pg. 62).

When members return home, that light can ripple outward through the fellowship. We all benefit from those who have made the journey, because the connection, healing, and excitement generated at the retreat can strengthen our meetings, our fellowship, and the bond of sponsorship. What is learned and received there does not remain in one place; it travels back with each member and has the power to influence the program in ways we may not yet fully see.

At the same time, returning home also brings an adjustment period. This reentry can feel blissful as we continue to transform our lives, and it can also be challenging. We may experience a period of contraction as we miss the deep contact and shared presence of the retreat, especially those of us who rely on the program virtually. During this time, we can reach out to others who attended, and we can also connect with those who wanted to be there but, for various reasons, were unable to attend. In this way, the afterglow continues—not as something we try to hold for ourselves, but as light we carry forward and share.

Personal Reflection: May the Afterglow Light our Way

As the fall equinox arrives, I find myself thinking about the idea of afterglow—that soft, lingering light that remains after the sun has begun to set. How is this a metaphor for recovery, and how does it align with the conclusion of our monumental International ABA Retreat 2026?

(The half moon walking home

the evening I wrote this)

There is something tender about leaving a place, a season, or a way of life that has held so much growth, uncertainty, courage, and connection. For me, this is not about leaving the retreat itself, since I was unable to attend this year, but about this particular season of my life. The end of summer, my daughter’s entrance into kindergarten, and beginning to work with a dietician all mark a period of significant transition. Working with a dietician involves a process of surrender and re-nourishment, and I am experiencing new levels of letting go in multiple areas of my life.

It seems apropos these transitions, including the act of surrendering my food and body to the changes that come with the re-nourishment process, that have all coincided with the timing of the retreat. I can feel myself leaving old ways behind and opening space for the unknown. The retreat may be ending, and this season of my life may be changing, but what has happened does not disappear when “I walk out the door.” Like the equinox, this moment feels like a threshold: a reminder that change can be both an ending and a beginning, and that I do not have to keep everything the same in order to carry its light with me.

Recovery is about growing, changing, and moving forward. It is not about returning to who I was before or holding tight the parts of me I fear losing; it is about learning to live differently, carrying forward what I have discovered, making space for something new, and trusting that even as the days grow darker and the seasons change, there can still be warmth, light, and hope. The afterglow is proof that something meaningful has happened, and that its light can continue long after the moment itself has passed.

-Anonymous

Looking through an open fence at a path through the fields at sunrise

May the afterglow light your way

as we continue down the road

on this journey together,

one step at a time.

adult coloring page with the word serenity colored in purple

UK ABA International Retreat Afterglow

Enjoy this compilation of retreatants’ experiences and the many voices who have expressed the afterglow of what unfolded there.

*All the art in this section was created at the retreat...Rock on ABA!

painted rock with the words #your body is welcome here

"My body is exactly as it needs to be today."

"If I judge my body, I'm really saying the God made junk."

"Getting there practically is beyond me...

I need surrender and other people."

"Choose your pain?"

"You gotta get to the HEART. The HEART is LOVE."

painted rock that says "I love myself" with a heart and flower

"It seems impossible.

But I am willing to surrender for today.

Peace is possible.

A little nudge is often all that's necessary."

Why set myself up?! (Talking about looking at myself in the mirror below my neck).

painted rock with a tea cup and words around reading "Have a cup of positivi-tea"

"I want to be at peace

in my body."

painted rock that reads "God is trustworthy"

painted rock with happy face heart and rays of color coming out

"My interpretation of life causes pain! God does not see these distorations...

Therefore, surrender is the answer. Telling a fellow helps. It is simple! I don't need to be happy always = peace in the moment."

painted rock with waves of yellow and blue looking like sunshine and the sea

"Thought: I won't have energy, I won't be comfortable, I won't get what I want if I'm fat.

Flipped Thought: I will have all my hopes, I will feel amazing if I am fat. I will live in discomfort and my hopes will be shattered if I'm thin.

True because otherwise obsession, more energy when nourishing adequate."

painted rock of an orange and blue dinosaur with a matching orange and blue dinosaur stuffy

"My body is an instrument NOT an ornament."

**Discover more retreat reflections and artwork

in next month's issue!

open journal with a pen and pressed flowers laying across the pages

Questions for reflection...

What is something from this season of your life that you want to carry forward with you?
Where have you noticed an “afterglow”—a lasting sense of warmth, growth, connection, or meaning—even after something has ended?
What are you learning to release as you move into a new season?

How has your understanding of recovery, healing, or growth changed over time?
What parts of yourself have become stronger, softer, or more compassionate through a difficult season?
Where are you being invited to trust the process, even when you cannot yet see what comes next?

branch with flowers blooming on a sky blue background

Community Conversations Board Summary

Join us Thursday, October 8th, for our last one currently scheduled.

The following article reviews the Community Conversations from August. It does not include the conversation that took place at the retreat.

Overall message

ABA members want a stronger voice and want to help, but the current structure, limited communication, unclear roles, time-zone barriers, and restrictive requirements make participation unnecessarily difficult. The same small group of people is carrying too much of the work.

1. Meetings need representation too

August's strongest structural concern was that only registered groups can have GSRs, while meetings cannot.

· ABA has approximately 40 groups and meetings, roughly half in each category.

· This potentially leaves about half of ABA's gatherings without formal representation.

· Several longtime members did not understand the difference between a group and a meeting.

· Participants questioned whether the distinction still serves ABA, particularly now that most gatherings are online.

· There was strong support for allowing meetings to elect GSRs, even if the larger group-versus-meeting distinction requires a separate conversation.

Board question Can meetings be permitted to elect GSRs now while ABA separately reviews whether the group and meeting distinction should continue?

2. GSR participation is too limited

The conversations identified approximately 14 to 17 designated GSRs, but usually only 4 to 8 attend GSR meetings.

Barriers included:

· Many people do not understand what a GSR is or what the role requires.

· New GSRs are sometimes appointed without being told about GSR meetings.

· Registration and communication processes can feel confusing or fragmented.

· Meeting times exclude Australia and New Zealand and can also be difficult for the UK.

· Members may fear the time commitment or feel unqualified.

· Some sobriety requirements restrict an already-small pool of possible volunteers.

Suggestions included:

· A simple GSR orientation, written guide, or short video.

· Mentoring from an outgoing GSR.

· Alternate GSRs or shared or rotating GSR responsibilities.

· A GSR in training position.

· Publishing the entire year's meeting schedule in advance.

· Alternating meeting times so different regions are not always excluded.

· Making registration and onboarding much simpler.

3. Sobriety requirements and levels of service need review

Participants agreed that current sobriety requirements can prevent willing members from serving, especially because ABA sobriety can be difficult to achieve and define. There was no single consensus about the right requirement.

· Some supported substantially lowering sobriety requirements for service positions.

· Others believed GSRs and voting committee members should have meaningful sobriety time.

· One meeting allows members to chair after 30 days of attending ABA rather than requiring a particular amount of sobriety.

· Mentoring, shadowing, and in training positions were suggested as compromises.

A specific proposal was to create different levels of service participation:

· Members with at least 30 days of ABA sobriety could attend any committee meeting.

· They could listen, learn, contribute ideas, and assist with appropriate tasks.

· They would not have to meet the full sobriety requirement simply to participate and begin learning.

· A longer, clearly defined sobriety requirement would remain in place before someone receives committee voting rights.

· This could create a pathway from early participation, to committee service, to full voting membership while immediately widening the pool of help.

This was a proposal raised during the conversation, not a decision or unanimous recommendation.

Board question Could ABA create a tiered service model that welcomes members into committees after 30 days of ABA sobriety while maintaining a longer sobriety requirement for voting rights?

4. ABA has a serious contribution gap

September focused heavily on the Seventh Tradition.

· Only about 4 of approximately 40 groups and meetings contribute consistently.

· Members expressed surprise and concern when they heard how low that number was.

· Those contributions are quarterly; no group was reported as contributing monthly.

· ABA's ordinary monthly expenses are just under $1,000 Canadian.

· ABA ran a deficit during the previous two years.

· Since approximately April, income has been covering costs, partly because the board reduced expenses and the new website increased individual contributions.

· Retreat expenses make the current year more expensive than a typical year.

Members said many groups probably do not understand ABA's financial structure, its expenses, or what their contributions support.

5. Groups need clearer financial guidance

Members wanted transparency without using fear or crisis language.

· Publish a clear, current breakdown of ABA's monthly costs.

· Explain what contributions pay for and why General Service support matters.

· Give groups a suggested monthly contribution rather than a mandate.

· Explain the prudent-reserve model and encourage groups to send funds above their prudent reserve to the GSA.

· Compare a personal contribution to an ordinary expense, such as a cup of coffee.

· Discuss finances regularly at business meetings instead of waiting for a crisis.

· Clarify whether and how an online meeting may help support an in-person meeting with substantially higher costs.

The board may need to distinguish between preserving group autonomy and offering useful guidance. Participants were asking for enough information and structure to help groups act responsibly, not necessarily for the board to control groups.

6. Members need to understand all the ways they can contribute

Financial support is not limited to one method. ABA could explain that members may contribute through:

· A recurring monthly personal donation to the GSA.

· A one-time annual donation for people who struggle to remember monthly contributions.

· Contributions collected through their meeting and then sent to the GSA.

· Direct contributions to individual meetings.

· Serving as a meeting treasurer.

· Other forms of service at the meeting, committee, and global-service levels.

Members should be able to choose the method that works best for them rather than assuming there is only one correct way to contribute.

7. Financial and service education should use existing platforms

Participants suggested using the ABA podcast and Instagram to discuss:

· The Traditions and what it means to be fully self-supporting.

· Why financial support matters and the different ways members can contribute.

· Global service at every level.

· The relationship between service and recovery.

Members could share their experience with specific topics, such as Tradition One or what service has meant in their recovery. This may reach people who never attend a business meeting, GSR meeting, committee meeting, or Community Conversation.

8. Contributing needs dedicated time during meetings

A contribution link placed briefly in a busy Zoom chat is easily overlooked, especially near the end of a meeting when announcements, phone numbers, and other information are also being shared.

Participants suggested creating a consistent 60-second Seventh Tradition pause near the end of every meeting:

· Display the contribution link and QR code on the screen during the pause.

· Give members a quiet, uninterrupted minute to contribute if they choose.

· Treat the pause as the online equivalent of passing a physical basket at an in-person meeting.

· Keep the pause optional and free from pressure; its purpose is to provide time, not require a contribution.

· Screen-share the contribution page rather than relying only on a link in the chat.

Other practical suggestions included:

· Make the contribution link and QR code easy for GSRs to bring back to their meetings.

· Use card readers and QR codes at in-person meetings.

· Promote the existing ABA contribution page consistently.

· Continue pursuing a global payment option that accepts different currencies and reduces conversion fees.

9. Service roles need clearer explanations and more support

Newer members described hearing positions announced quickly without understanding:

· What the acronyms mean or what the role involves.

· How much time the role takes.

· Whether they are qualified and what the sobriety requirement is.

· Who will help them learn the role.

Suggestions included plain-language role descriptions, shadowing and co-service, in training positions, different participation levels for nonvoting and voting members, mentoring by the outgoing person, smaller tasks, and support during the first few weeks. Sponsors could also introduce service as a recovery tool.

10. Personal invitations work better than general announcements

This was one of September's strongest themes. Flyers, newsletters, website pages, group chats, and repeated announcements have produced limited participation. Members said they are more likely to respond when someone:

· Calls them personally and explains why they would be good at a role.

· Invites them to attend one committee meeting without immediately committing.

· Offers one manageable task.

· Follows up, helps them learn, and builds a relationship before asking for more.

Recent personal shoulder-tapping helped rebuild the website and personnel committees, providing practical evidence that this approach works.

11. The same people are carrying too much

· Board members rotate among committees, and active GSRs take on additional committee work.

· Some seven-day meetings cannot find seven people to cover basic weekly roles.

· People willing to help are quickly handed multiple responsibilities.

· Committees are struggling because they do not have enough members.

· This creates burnout and makes ABA's service structure fragile.

Members are also managing eating disorders, jobs, families, and other service commitments. Recruitment should be direct and persistent but realistic and encouraging rather than shaming. Opening committee meetings to newer members before they qualify for voting rights could widen the service pool without immediately placing large responsibilities on them.

12. ABA can offer guidance while respecting group autonomy

A recurring tension was that members want more consistency and guidance while each group remains autonomous. One participant suggested avoiding language such as best practices or minimum expectations, which may sound controlling.

Instead, ABA could offer experience-based guidance using language such as:

In the spirit of Unity, we have found that the following are often very helpful . . .

This could introduce practical suggestions related to recovery, service, finances, safety, business meetings, GSR participation, and welcoming newcomers. Examples might include:

· Get a sponsor and participate in service.

· Personally welcome and speak with newcomers.

· Volunteer to greet visitors or chair a meeting.

· Attend business meetings and support the Seventh Tradition.

· Consider becoming a GSR or joining a committee.

· Follow shared safety guidance for online meetings.

This approach would allow ABA to share what has worked across the fellowship without presenting the suggestions as rules or interfering with group autonomy. It could also provide a path from discussion to implementation.

Board question Could ABA develop a short, fellowship-wide list of experience-based suggestions introduced with In the spirit of Unity, we have found that the following are often very helpful?

13. Business meetings should be made more visible

One group holds a short monthly business meeting at the beginning of its regular meeting. This allows everyone, including newcomers, to hear the Traditions, the treasurer's report, current service needs, decisions about contributions, and how the meeting operates.

Some members considered this an excellent model. Others reported that their groups opposed it because they did not want attendees to feel forced to participate in business. It may be best presented as a recommended practice or trial rather than a requirement.

14. Zoom safety needs a fellowship-wide response

Zoom bombing and inappropriate private messages were reported in both conversations and across multiple meetings. Participants requested:

· One clear, one-page safety guide.

· Specific technical instructions for hosts and co-hosts.

· Guidance about private chat, participant identification, removal, and reporting.

· A central method for notifying other meetings when the same person targets multiple gatherings.

An age and safety guidelines page already exists, but members may not know about it or may not be able to find it easily. The board should review the existing guidance, confirm that it addresses current Zoom problems, simplify or update it if needed, and distribute it to every meeting, group, GSR, host, and co-host.

What's next...

Follow-up already underway

The August and September GSR Committee meetings show that several ideas from the Community Conversations are already being discussed or acted upon:

· A QR code linking to ABA's contribution page has been created for meetings and possible newsletter use.

· The committee discussed creating a virtual Seventh Tradition basket by pausing for one to two minutes while the contribution link or QR code is displayed.

· A regular GSR update for the newsletter was proposed to improve communication with groups.

· Sample meeting materials, including an agenda and newcomer information, were shared for future review.

· The committee recognized that the group-versus-meeting distinction and service sobriety requirements require broader discussion involving newer and longtime members.

· Members expressed concern that ABA must begin assigning and implementing Community Conversation suggestions rather than continuing to discuss them without follow-through.

· Although quarterly Community Conversations were suggested, another recommendation was to focus first on implementing the ideas gathered through the conversations already held.

Most important decisions or assignments

To keep the board discussion focused, consider assigning or addressing these seven items:

1. Allow meetings, not only groups, to elect GSRs.

2. Review GSR and service-position sobriety requirements.

3. Consider a tiered service model that allows members with at least 30 days of ABA sobriety to attend and assist committees while maintaining a longer requirement for voting rights.

4. Create simple GSR and service-role onboarding, mentoring, and alternate or in training options.

5. Provide transparent financial information and a suggested monthly contribution for groups.

6. Encourage meetings to include a consistent 60-second Seventh Tradition pause, with the contribution link and QR

code displayed as the online equivalent of passing a basket. Continue using the podcast and Instagram for financial and service education.

7. Review, update, and distribute standardized Zoom-safety guidance.

Larger questions for future work

· Could ABA offer fellowship-wide, experience-based guidance in the spirit of Unity while continuing to respect group autonomy?

· How will recommendations from these conversations be assigned, implemented, and reported back to the fellowship?

Short statement to read to the board

Across both Community Conversations, members repeatedly described the same basic problem: people care about ABA, but our structure makes it difficult for their voices, contributions, and service to reach the wider fellowship. Meetings without GSRs are underrepresented, many members do not understand service roles, international time zones exclude people, and the same small group continues carrying most of the work. Members want clearer guidance, easier onboarding, mentoring, direct personal invitations, better financial transparency, and practical tools such as QR codes and dedicated contribution time.

One specific suggestion was to create different levels of service participation. Members with at least 30 days of ABA sobriety could attend committee meetings, learn, contribute, and help with appropriate tasks, while a longer sobriety requirement would remain in place for voting rights. This could welcome more people into service without eliminating meaningful standards for decision-making.

Members also suggested a consistent 60-second Seventh Tradition pause near the end of online meetings. Displaying the link and QR code while giving people a quiet minute to contribute would be the online equivalent of passing a basket at an in-person meeting. The purpose would be to provide an actual opportunity to contribute, not to pressure anyone.

The conversations raised several matters for board consideration: allowing meetings to elect GSRs, reviewing sobriety requirements, developing suggested financial guidance, using the podcast and social media for education, improving contribution tools, reviewing Zoom-safety procedures, and offering experience-based guidance in the spirit of Unity while still respecting group autonomy.

Keep on Glowing!

iceberg diagram and poster for ABA workshop

Melting the Iceberg

CA$0.00

November 8, 2026, 2:00–4:30 p.m.Virtual Event

This workshop will have long term members sharing their experience of the Iceberg Theory and how to melt it. All the SSC (Self-Support Committee) Workshops are fundraisers for ABA. When you register and make the contribution of your choice, a confirmation e-mail will sent to you with the details.