This is the official website of the general service office g. The group i became sober with never told me i couldnt leave or there is no other way to get sober. First published in 2010 as a paperback, the ez big book of alcoholics anonymous was released as an ebook shortly afterward. Fullblown alcoholics in the book alcoholics anonymous. And besides, we are sure that our way of living has its advantages for all. The 164 and more book, ebook, and web site are all concordances which display passages from the big book alcoholics anonymous, the twelve steps and twelve traditions, and the a. Alcoholics anonymousthe big book has served as a lifeline to millions worldwide.
We, of alcoholics anonymous, know thousands of men and women who were once just as hopeless as bill. This is not referring to someone who simply has a drinking problem, or on occasion drinks too much, or someone who has developed a mild alcohol use disorder. Hopeless in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. The story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism is often referred to in alcoholics anonymous meetings aa as the big book. My 10 favorite lines from the big book of alcoholics. Hopelessness in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book.
Bills story w ar feverran high in the new england town to which we new, young of. Dec 12, 2007 the best thing that can happen to a real alcoholic like me is to land in a nest of big book thumpers. We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a power. People with alcohol problems also suffer from higherthannormal rates of. A personal story on page 407 called acceptance was the answer is also wellknown among aa membership. My old manner of life was by no means a bad one, but i would not exchange its best moments for the worst i have now. It was written to depend and broaden the understanding of the 12 steps. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change, the courage to change the continue reading thursday rise and shine big book study opener closer. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Foreword to first edition this is the foreword as it appeared in the.
This big book study article shows where you can find the information in the book, alcoholics anonymous, that explains how and when bill w. Is it ok to use nonconference approved literature in meetings. The point of view often given by big book literalists for preferring the term recovered, rather than recovering, is that its used in the forward to the first edition, and commonly, throughout the big book. Recovery from depression and the big book depression. Since the first edition appeared, in 1939, it has helped millions of men and women recover from alcoholism. We hope no one will consider these selfrevealing accounts in bad taste. Quotes from alcoholics anonymous minnesota recovery. It is the basic text of the fellowship of alcoholics anonymous, and has helped large numbers of alcoholic men and women, young and old, recover. Alcoholics anonymous, from the title of its own book. The forward to printings of the aa big book, preceding the third edition, provide the reader with a sense of the changes that have occurred, since the beginning of aa. This is the fourth video for the chapter the doctors opinion from the book alcoholics anonymous. Videos or graphic images may not be downloaded, copied or duplicated without the express written permission of alcoholics anonymous world services, inc.
To them, their alcoholic life seems the only normal one. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. I dont have an alcohol problem, i have a living problem. Copyright alcoholics anonymous world services, inc. But the big book says, next day found me drinking both gin and sedative. As of december 2009, 30,664,881 copies of the big book have been sold or otherwise distributed source aa gso ny. Bob and the good old timers, aa comes of age, vol ii of best of the grapvine and pass it on. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoholic problems and explain our fellowship. Thursday rise and shine big book study opener closer script. But his face falls when we speak of spiritual matters, especially when we mention god, for we have reopened a subject which our man thought he had neatly evaded or entirely ignored.
First published in 1939, alcoholics anonymous sets forth cornerstone concepts of recovery from alcoholism and tells the stories of men and women who have overcome the disease. Sorting and rendering passages in the proprietary format of the 164 and more concordance does not in any way imply affiliation with or endorsement by either alcoholics anonymous. The ez big book of alcoholics anonymous was written by a longtime aa member who has been a professional writer all her life. The original manuscript of a l c o h o l i c s a n o n y m o u s this is an electronic reproduction of the 1938 original manuscript of alcoholics anonymous. The irrationality of alcoholics anonymous the atlantic. Alcoholics anonymousthe big bookhas served as a lifeline to millions worldwide.
Isnt aa supposed to offer no particular understanding of god. I didnt connect with the big book of alcoholics anonymous until over a year into my sobriety. Quotes from alcoholics anonymous minnesota recovery page. It has become a regular shelf item among those who believe in god, understand the importance of the bible. We, of alcoholics anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. This was the version of the big book distributed to friends and colleagues of aas founders before the first edition was printed. Nov 14, 2014 the following is an excerpt from the big book. From the start, though, you could say i had some problems with the material. Within 3 years, the ebook sold over 15,000 copies worldwide without any marketing.
A community thirty miles away has fifteen fellows of alcoholics anonymous. Alcoholics anonymous quotes by alcoholics anonymous. Aa step one 20 questions test worksheet a 20question test that was used by many a. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of gods will. Notable quotes from the book alcoholics anonymous, known as the big book in. Window of opportunity this young alcoholic stepped out a secondstory window and into a.
Thursday rise and shine big book study opener closer script welcome to this saa telemeeting big book study. Rightly and naturally, we think well before we choose the per. For me, it was not the method the book describes but the stories that first hit home so deeply. A study of aas book twelve steps and twelve traditions. The big book alcoholism is referred to several times as a hopeless condition of mind and body. Jun 03, 2015 this was the version of the big book distributed to friends and colleagues of aas founders before the first edition was printed. Many times i have gone to my old hospital in despair. That means we have written a book which we believe to be spiritual as well as moral. This is the fourth edition of the big book, the basic text for alcoholics anonymous. There is a solution w e, of alcoholics anonymous, know thousands of men and women who were once just as hopeless as bill. Click to see many more medallions stepping stones to recovery for men. With the appearance of the new book a great deal began to happen. Northwest arkansas alcoholics anonymous that aint in the book. By working the twelve step program as described in the big book of alcoholics anonymous and living in the disciplines of steps 10, 11, and 12 everyday, i am able to remain abstinent from alcohol and all mindaltering substances.
E, of alcoholics anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. Most people with a drinking problem have moments where they wake up and. Some day we hope that alcoholics anonymous will help the public to a better realization of the gravity of the alcoholic problem, but we shall be of little use if our attitude is one of bitterness or hostility. A study of aa s book twelve steps and twelve traditions. Once, outside of a meeting, i overheard a conversation between another sober student and a woman who lived in the town where i went to school. We agnostics i n the precedingchapters you have learned something of alcoholism. Alcoholics anonymous big book hardcover huge selection of aa medallions. Also the book was written to show how aa functions through the twelve traditions. The big book page xiii from page 63 to 84 in the big book, the first one hundred the authors of the big book show us exactly how we go from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body, to a state where we have been recover ed and become happy, joyous and free. We, of alcoholics anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of. Lets open this meeting with a moment of silent meditation, each in their own way, followed by the serenity prayer.
Big book changes these are the changes that have been made in the program portion of the big book the first 164 pages and the roman numeraled pages since it was first published on april 10, 1939. She was explaining why so many local residents disliked the students. Big book index first 164 pages 3 subject pages paragraphs proper use of will power 85 1 prospects decision 95 3 quit playing god 62 through 63 3 then 1 repairing the damage 99 1 resentment 64 3 restless, irritable, and discontented xxvi 4. All sections of this country and many of its occupations are represented, as well as many political, economic, social, and reli.
The big book makes several references that aa is not the only way im paraphrasing additionally aa is a spiritual program which includes references to god. The aa program of recovery, from a once seemingly hopeless state of mind and body, is contained within the first 164 pages of the aa big book. Our literature big book is the program of aa not the meetings, etc. The big book includes an assertion first made in the second edition, which was. It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. For them, we hope these pages will prove so convincing that no further authentication will be necessary. Therefore, the main problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind, rather than in his body. Alcoholics anonymous saved my life, but now ive lost my faith. The best thing that can happen to a real alcoholic like me is to land in a nest of big book thumpers. Pp 2829 there is a soluton a design for living the eaa. On page 2 of my big book it says, we have recovered, and been given the power to help others.
The text got this name because the first edition of the book had rather thick pages, making the book even thicker than its content would suggest. That includes my wonderful, faulted, evangelical first sponsor, rob. It seems to go along with that other humble line from the big book we know only a little this next sentence sounds like a typical aa meeting, if i go there wanting to learn and continue growing. Living in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12 traditions. The big book also contains stories of members of aa who share their experience getting sober. That was a time when a handful of alcoholics discovered a solution to their seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. The original manuscript of emotional sobriety and food. By the early 2000s, i was so desperate to get sober that that something. W e, ofalcoholics anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. But we saw that it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it.
It seems to go along with that other humble line from the big bookwe know only a little this next sentence sounds like a typical aa meeting, if i go there wanting to learn and continue growing. The 12 steps and 12 steps was written 14 years after the big book. Wilson, one of the founders of alcoholics anonymous aa. Because the first men i met at the meetings were totally into the big book of aa, i in turn was totally into it. Here is another example of a common misconception spread by wordofmouth. The 12 promises of aa begin on page 83 of the fourth edition of the big book. The story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism generally known as the big book because of the thickness of the paper used in the first edition is a 1939 basic text, describing how to recover from alcoholism, primarily written by william g. Hopelessness in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps. With publication of the second edition in 1955, the third edition in 1976. That means we have written a book which we believe to. Difference between big book and 12 steps and 12 traditions.
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