About this episode

The episode explores the biblical roots of Alcoholics Anonymous and critiques the effectiveness of simply telling someone to stop drinking.

Most people don't know the 12 steps of AA came straight out of a Bible study group in the 1930s. Two guys who lived through addiction break down the real, faith-rooted history of AA — and why "just stop drinking" never works.

People in this episode

Guest: Two guys

Topics covered

• addiction
• faith
• 12 steps
• Bible study
• history of AA

Keywords

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• 12 steps
• addiction recovery
• faith-based support
• Bible study group

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: AA

Books & works: Bible

More episodes of UPD Podcast

• Addiction, anger, and second chances feat. Shattered Darkness Podcast · July 21, 2026 · 1h 6m
• The Sin of Empathy | A Conversation with Dr. Joe Rigney · July 7, 2026 · 1h 6m
• Spiritual Warfare and the Reality of Following Jesus (plus our Ten Commandments recap) · June 30, 2026 · 1h 1m
• The 10th Commandment | You shall not covet feat. Sam Powell · June 23, 2026 · 1h 19m
• The 9th Commandment | You shall not bear false witness feat. Pastor Matt Sanders · June 16, 2026 · 1h 23m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the UPD Podcast podcast page.