Why all this insistence that every A.A. must hit bottom first?

Just resign from the debating society and quit bothering yourself with such deep questions as whether it was the hen or the egg that came first.

By their example they showed us that humility and intellect could be compatible, provided we placed humility first.

Rebellion dogs our every step at first.

How can they possibly place their common welfare first?

How well they saw that their common welfare came first.

Alcoholics Anonymous saved my life, and it comes first.

Hence our common welfare comes first.

Although financial recovery is on the way for many of us, we found we could not place money first.

First Things First

Hence our common welfare comes first.

The stories added to this edition represent a membership whose characteristics -- of age, gender, race, and culture -- have widened and have deepened to encompass virtually everyone the first 100 members could have hoped to reach.

What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God.

As long as we placed self-reliance first, a genuine reliance upon a Higher Power was out of the question.

When the broker returned to New York in the fall of 1935, the first A.A. group had actually been formed, though no one realized it at the time.

The spark that was to flare into the first A.A. group was struck at Akron, Ohio, in June 1935, during a talk between a New York stockbroker and an Akron physician.

We know that little good can come to any alcoholic who joins A.A. unless he has first accepted his devastating weakness and all its consequences.

The real tests of the situation are your own willingness to confide and your full confidence in the one with whom you share your first accurate self-survey.

He now returned home, leaving behind his first acquaintance, the lawyer and the devil-may-care chap.

Many an A.A., once agnostic or atheistic, tells us that it was during this stage of Step Five that he first actually felt the presence of God.

The ink wouldn't be dry on the first ad before an awful shriek would go up from the dry camp.

The principle that we shall find no enduring strength until we first admit complete defeat is the main taproot from which our whole Society has sprung and flowered.

Step One showed us an amazing paradox: We found that we were totally unable to be rid of the alcohol obsession until we first admitted that we were powerless over it.

When we see a man sinking into the mire that is alcoholism, we give him first aid and place what we have at his disposal.

First, Alcoholics Anonymous does not demand that you believe anything.

Very soon, though, his assumed authority to run everything begins to be shared with the first alcoholics he has helped.

Had they fired me first, and had they then taken steps to see that I was presented with the solution contained in this book, I might have returned to them six months later, a well man.

The first, and one of the most difficult, has to do with forgiveness.

We had lacked the perspective to see that character-building and spiritual values had to come first, and that material satisfactions were not the purpose of living.

To some people we need not, and probably should not emphasize the spiritual feature on our first approach.

The family will be affected also, pleasantly at first, as they feel their money troubles are about to be solved, then not so pleasantly as they find themselves neglected.

After three years of trial and error in selecting the most workable tenets upon which the Society could be based, and after a large amount of failure in getting alcoholics to recover, three successful groups emerged -- the first at Akron, the second at New York, and the third at Cleveland.

Let's look first at the case of the one who says he won't believe -- the belligerent one.

This much could be a fragment of what is called meditation, perhaps our very first attempt at a mood, a flier into the realm of spirit, if you like.

Step Three represents our first attempt to do this.

Every A.A. has found that he can make little headway in this new adventure of living until he first backtracks and really makes an accurate and unsparing survey of the human wreckage he has left in his wake.

Though we may at first be startled to realize that God knows all about us, we are apt to get used to that quite quickly.

So we of A.A. do obey spiritual principles, first because we must, and ultimately because we love the kind of life such obedience brings.

Only a few knew of it at first but, within a short time, it was billboarded throughout the entire company.

Their very first case, a desperate one, recovered immediately and became A.A. number three.

No doubt the universe had a "first cause" of some sort, the God of the Atom, maybe, hot and cold by turns.

When first challenged to admit defeat, most of us revolted.

War fever ran high in the New England town to which we new, young officers from Plattsburg were assigned, and we were flattered when the first citizens took us to their homes, making us feel heroic.

They explained their need and inquired if she had a first class alcoholic prospect.

At the start, this was all we needed to commence spiritual growth, to effect our first conscious relation with God as we understood Him.

Or do we first consult those who are to be gravely affected?

And this had been true, apparently, ever since man had first crushed grapes.

During those first days of convalescence, this will do more to insure his sobriety than anything else.

Other thousands came to a few A.A. meetings and at first decided they didn't want the program.

Though you have talked with the family, leave them out of the first discussion.

But out of this frightening and at first disrupting experience the conviction grew that A.A.'s had to hang together or die separately.

We are without defense against the first drink.

What sort of thinking dominates an alcoholic who repeats time after time the desperate experiment of the first drink?

But there was always the curious mental phenomenon that parallel with our sound reasoning there inevitably ran some insanely trivial excuse for taking the first drink.

Not only had I been off guard, I had made no fight whatever against the first drink.

Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental defense against the first drink.

Again it was the old, insidious insanity -- that first drink.

There was much talk about the mental state preceding the first drink.

Then came the insidious insanity of that first drink, and on Armistice Day 1934, I was off again.

Our behavior is as absurd and incomprehensible with respect to the first drink as that of an individual with a passion, say, for jay-walking.

I rather appreciated your ideas about the subtle insanity which precedes the first drink, but I was confident it could not happen to me after what I had learned.

Compared to this prospect, the ten thousand dollars under consideration wasn't much, but like the alcoholic's first drink it would, if taken, inevitably set up a disastrous chain reaction.

Show him the mental twist which leads to the first drink of a spree.

Show him, from your own experience, how the queer mental condition surrounding that first drink prevents normal functioning of the will power.

And the truth, strange to say, is usually that he has no more idea why he took that first drink than you have.

These observations would be academic and pointless if our friend never took the first drink, thereby setting the terrible cycle in motion.

Without necessarily taking that first drink, we often get quite far off the beam.

The first edition appeared in April 1939, and in the following sixteen years, more than 300,000 copies went into circulation.

This is the Foreword as it appeared in the first printing of the first edition in 1939.

That is why the first edition of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous," published when our membership was small, dealt with low-bottom cases only.

"Bill's Story," "Doctor Bob's Nightmare," and one other personal history from the first edition were retained intact; three were edited and one of these was retitled; new versions of two stories were written, with new titles; thirty completely new stories were added; and the story section was divided into three parts, under the same headings that are used now.

Since Dr. Silkworth's first endorsement of Alcoholics Anonymous, medical societies and physicians throughout the world have set their approval upon us.

At first engage in general conversation.

After all, no man can build a house until he first envisions a plan for it.

Our first example is a friend we shall call Jim.

It was his first experience of this kind, and he was much ashamed of it.

Often it was while working on this Step with our sponsors or spiritual advisers that we first felt truly able to forgive others, no matter how deeply we felt they had wronged us.

In the first few chapters a number of sudden revolutionary changes are described.

Then came our first few excursions into major publicity, which were breathtaking.

Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last.

In the first flush of spiritual experience they forgave each other and drew closer together.

One of its first fruits is emotional balance.

These are the first fruits of Step Four.

At first glance, it did look like a good thing.

This resulted in A.A.'s first group, at Akron, Ohio, in 1935.

One of our Fellowship failed entirely with his first half dozen prospects.

Since Step Four is but the beginning of a lifetime practice, it can be suggested that he first have a look at those personal flaws which are acutely troublesome and fairly obvious.

At first he goes along because he must, but later he discovers a way of life he really wants to live.

But first I'd have to find a drunk to work on.

The best reason first: If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking.

The first impulse will be to bury these skeletons in a dark closet and padlock the door.

Though none of these principles had the force of rules or laws, they had become so widely accepted by 1950 that they were confirmed by our first International Conference held at Cleveland.

It was out of this vast welter of explosive experience that A.A.'s Twelve Traditions took form and were first published in 1946 and later confirmed at A.A.'s First International Convention, held at Cleveland in 1950.

Our first job is to sidestep the traps.

This being so, we think it logically follows that sobriety -- first, last, and all the time -- is the only thing we need to work for.

This was our first lesson in the practical application of anonymity.

First let's look at a really good prayer.

This reopening of emotional wounds, some old, some perhaps forgotten, and some still painfully festering, will at first look like a purposeless and pointless piece of surgery.

When I first looked at A.A. my reaction was just like yours.

To him the alcoholic has often seemed a fool of the first magnitude.

When World War II broke out, this spiritual principle had its first major test.

At first many of these feel lonely, hurt, and left out as they witness so much domestic happiness about them.

To be sure, we feel it is something that might help us to meet an occasional emergency, but at first many of us are apt to regard it as a somewhat mysterious skill of clergymen, from which we may hope to get a secondhand benefit.

After coming from our first meeting, or perhaps after we have finished reading the book "Alcoholics Anonymous," we usually want to sit down with some member of the family and readily admit the damage we have done by our drinking.

One of the first members of A.A., entirely contrary to his own desires, was obliged to conform to group opinion.

Then we learn, often to our consternation, that this is only the first milestone on the new road we are walking.

Our first nameless groups of alcoholics were secret societies.

We learned that if we were seriously disturbed, our first need was to quiet that disturbance, regardless of who or what we thought caused it.

As we work the first nine Steps, we prepare ourselves for the adventure of a new life.

He had felt only the first nip of the wringer.

Our first objective will be the development of self-restraint.

First of all, he wanted to become a "channel."

First of all, we had to admit that we had many of these defects, even though such disclosures were painful and humiliating.

First of all, we had to quit playing God.

But first of all we shall want sunlight; nothing much can grow in the dark.

First off, they can be told that the majority of A.A. members have suffered severely from self-justification during their drinking days.

If that is so, this step may be postponed, only, however, if we hold ourselves in complete readiness to go through with it at the first opportunity.

"Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity."

One -- Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.

They may even begin to suspect it had never been any good in the first place.

Still goaded by sheer necessity, we reluctantly come to grips with those serious character flaws that made problem drinkers of us in the first place, flaws which must be dealt with to prevent a retreat into alcoholism once again.

If the Creator gave us our lives in the first place, then He must know in every detail where we have since gone wrong.

Therefore, the first portion of this volume, describing the A.A. recovery program, has been left untouched in the course of revisions made for the second, third, and fourth editions.

Therefore, our first practical move toward humility must consist of recognizing our deficiencies.

The first principle of success is that you should never be angry.

This is a condensed version of the original "long form" A.A. Traditions as first printed in 1946.

Yet it is true that our first printing gave many readers the impression that these personality changes, or religious experiences, must be in the nature of sudden and spectacular upheavals.

This is the Foreword as it appeared in the first printing of the first edition in 1939.

Sixteen years have elapsed between our first printing of this book and the presentation in 1955 of our second edition.

(*) True when this book was first published.

Since this book was first published, A.A. has released thousands of alcoholics from asylums and hospitals of every kind.

It was out of this vast welter of explosive experience that A.A.'s Twelve Traditions took form and were first published in 1946 and later confirmed at A.A.'s First International Convention, held at Cleveland in 1950.

When A.A.'s Traditions were first published, in 1946, we had become sure that an A.A. group could stand almost any amount of battering.

In later life he finds that real happiness is not to be found in just trying to be a number one man, or even a first-rater in the heartbreaking struggle for money, romance, or self-importance.

The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success.

We first saw Fred about a year ago in a hospital where he had gone to recover from a bad case of jitters.

So it is that we first see humility as a necessity.

They comfort the melancholy one by first showing him that his case is not strange or different, that his character defects are probably not more numerous or worse than those of anyone else in A.A.

Though Tradition Nine at first sight seems to deal with a purely practical matter, in its actual operation it discloses a society without organization, animated only by the spirit of service -- a true fellowship.

It is only where "boy meets girl on A.A. campus," and love follows at first sight, that difficulties may develop.

At this first sitting, it is necessary only that we make a general admission of our defects.

At first, some of us did not believe we needed this help.

At first some of us tried to avoid the issue, hoping against hope we were not true alcoholics.

Maybe we are doing fine on only two of them, the First Step and that part of the Twelfth where we "carry the message."

Cessation of drinking is but the first step away from a highly strained, abnormal condition.

This is the first step in recovery.

A.A. had taken its first step in the formation of Tradition Three.

Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning, which many of us had never attempted.

Every newcomer in Alcoholics Anonymous is told, and soon realizes for himself, that his humble admission of powerlessness over alcohol is his first step toward liberation from its paralyzing grip.

We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength.

Even in the present century, American newspapers were afraid to print an account of the Wright brothers' first successful flight at Kitty Hawk.

Should his own image in the mirror be too awful to contemplate (and it usually is), he might first take a look at the results normal people are getting from self-sufficiency.

It will be the first tangible evidence of our complete willingness to move forward.

At first that "somebody" is likely to be his closest A.A. friend.

Being the founder, he is at first the boss.

At first the elders could look only at the objections.

At first, the society was composed entirely of alcoholics trying to help one another.

But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first -- then and only then do we have a real chance.

In country after country where the A.A. seed was planted, it has taken root, slowly at first, then growing by leaps and bounds when literature has become available.

The first thing apparent was that this world and its people were often quite wrong.

First Things First

For the first time, he lived in conscious companionship with his Creator.

He attended church for the first time in many years.

We A.A.'s are active folk, enjoying the satisfactions of dealing with the realities of life, usually for the first time in our lives, and strenuously trying to help the next alcoholic who comes along.

When we reached A.A., and for the first time in our lives stood among people who seemed to understand, the sense of belonging was tremendously exciting.

In it alcoholism was described from the alcoholic's point of view, the spiritual ideas of the Society were codified for the first time in the Twelve Steps, and the application of these Steps to the alcoholic's dilemma was made clear.

Every newcomer, every friend who looks at A.A. for the first time is greatly puzzled.

I admitted for the first time that of myself I was nothing; that without Him I was lost.

Many of us have felt, for the first time, the Presence and Power of God within its walls.

Your husband will be the first to say it was your devotion and care which brought him to the point where he could have a spiritual experience.

Even our severest and most justified critics will frequently meet us more than halfway on the first trial.

So intense, though, is our fear and reluctance to do this, that many A.A.'s at first try to bypass Step Five.

But once over the first two or three high hurdles, the course ahead began to look easier.

In the first two Steps we were engaged in reflection.

We'll think now about the man who first uttered the prayer.

On your first visit tell him about the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.

(*) This refers to Bill's and Dr. Bob's first visit to A.A. Number Three.

(*) This refers to Bill's first visit with Dr. Bob.

At first, we couldn't see the real issue involved.

Refusing to place God first, we had deprived ourselves of His help.

If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse; we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment.

First, we searched out the flaws in our make-up which caused our failure.

First, we take a look backward and try to discover where we have been at fault; next we make a vigorous attempt to repair the damage we have done; and third, having thus cleaned away the debris of the past, we consider how, with our newfound knowledge of ourselves, we may develop the best possible relations with every human being we know.

The tyrant alcohol wielded a double-edged sword over us: first we were smitten by an insane urge that condemned us to go on drinking, and then by an allergy of the body that insured we would ultimately destroy ourselves in the process.

First we will wish to be reasonably certain that we are on the A.A. beam.

Because of resentment and drinking, he had not paid alimony to his first wife.

We suggested he write his first wife admitting his faults and asking forgiveness.

This present volume proposes to broaden and deepen the understanding of the Twelve Steps as first written in the earlier work.

When Tradition Nine was first written, it said that "Alcoholics Anonymous needs the least possible organization."