From the books ...
Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) and
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (12 & 12)
FRIENDS occurs
105 times
(
Definition from Merriam-Webster Online)
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to display the full page from the Big Book
1.
... friends.
12&12 p.43,
Step Four
Going to the
extreme, he
can
become a
miser, or even
a
recluse who
denies
himself both
family and
friends.
2.
... friends.
12&12 p.63,
Step Six
So
declares a well-
loved
clergyman who
happens
to be one of
A.A.'s
greatest
friends.
3.
... friends.
12&12 p.133,
Tradition Two
4.
... friends.
12&12 p.135,
Tradition Two
Let's
turn again to the
deposed founder and his
friends.
5.
... friends.
12&12 p.138,
Tradition Two
Here was the
true voice,
welling up out of my
friends.
6.
... friends?
12&12 p.141,
Tradition Three
How could we
know that
thousands of these sometimes
frightening people were to make
astonishing recoveries and
become our
greatest workers and
intimate friends?
7.
... friends.
12&12 p.181,
Tradition Eleven
On almost every
newsfront, the
men and
women of the
press have
attached
themselves to us as
friends.
8.
... friends.
12&12 p.184,
Tradition Twelve
New
prospects could find us only through a few
trusted friends.
9.
... friends.
12&12 p.186,
Tradition Twelve
He also
wanted to tell others who had
tried to
help him -- his
doctor, his
minister, and
close friends.
10.
... friends.
BB p.3,
Bill's Story
I made a
host of
fair-
weather friends.
11.
... friends.
BB p.4,
Bill's Story
I was
finished and so were many
friends.
12.
... friends.
BB p.80,
Into Action
This brings to
mind a
story
about one of our
friends.
13.
... friends.
BB p.95,
Working With Others
He should not be
pushed or
prodded by you, his
wife, or
his
friends.
14.
... friends.
BB p.109,
To Wives
Sometimes he is a
source of
embarrassment to you and his
friends.
15.
... friends.
BB p.109,
To Wives
Maybe he is
beginning to
lose his
friends.
16.
... friends.
BB p.111,
To Wives
Be
determined that your
husband's
drinking is not
going to
spoil your
relations with your
children or your
friends.
17.
... friends.
BB p.114,
To Wives
If your
husband is a
drinker, you
probably worry over what other people are
thinking and you
hate to
meet your
friends.
18.
... friends.
BB p.119,
To Wives
We
suggest that you
direct some of your
thought
to the
wives of his new
alcoholic friends.
19.
... friends.
BB p.147,
To Employers
Men under them are
frequently their
friends.
20.
... friends.
BB p.152,
A Vision For You
Among them you will make
lifelong friends.
21.
... friends.
BB p.156,
A Vision For You
But
life was not
easy for the
two friends.
22.
... friends.
BB p.162,
A Vision For You
There are the same
fast friendships, there is the same
helpfulness to one another as you find among our
western friends.
23.
... friends and a feeling that life is ...
BB p.151,
A Vision For You
It is
joyous intimacy
with
friends and a
feeling
that
life is
good.
24.
... friends and a fellowship has grown up ...
BB p.15,
Bill's Story
We
commenced to make many
fast friends and a
fellowship has
grown up
among us of which it is a
wonderful thing to
feel a
part.
25.
... friends, and about whom a whole chapter ...
BB xxx(xxviii),
The Doctor's Opinion
There is the
manic-
depressive type, who is,
perhaps, the
least understood by his
friends,
and about whom a
whole chapter could be
written.
26.
... friends and business associates, we find that ...
12&12 p.92,
Step Ten
Now that we're in
A.A. and
sober, and
winning back the
esteem of our
friends and
business associates, we
find that we still
need to
exercise special vigilance.
27.
... friends and employers, warped lives of blameless ...
BB p.18,
There Is A Solution
28.
... friends, and families, the alcoholic who means ...
12&12 p.32,
Step Two
29.
... friends and is sure to find new ...
BB p.132,
The Family Afterward
If he does not
argue about
religion, he will make new
friends and is
sure to find new
avenues of
usefulness
and
pleasure.
30.
... friends and others close to alcoholics.
BB p.121,
To Wives (Note)
31.
... friends, and society at large that many ...
12&12 p.53,
Step Four
But it is from our
twisted relations with
family,
friends, and
society at
large that many of us have
suffered the most.
32.
... friends and the public, so that the ...
12&12 p.186,
Tradition Twelve
Consequently, many
groups began to
hold meetings which were
open to
interested friends and the
public, so that
the
average citizen
could see for himself just what
A.A. was all about.
33.
... friends are hurt and depressed.
12&12 p.134,
Tradition Two
The
founder and his
friends
are
hurt and
depressed.
34.
... friends are sometimes wiser and more humble ...
12&12 p.133,
Tradition Two
True,
founders and their
friends are sometimes
wiser
and more
humble than this.
35.
... friends as one of those insanely trivial ...
BB p.120,
To Wives
In a
weak moment he may take
your
dislike of his
high-
stepping friends as one of
those
insanely trivial
excuses to
drink.
36.
... friends at our homes, never knowing how ...
BB p.105,
To Wives
We
seldom had
friends at our
homes,
never knowing how or when the
men of
the
house would
appear.
37.
... friends began to speak.
12&12 p.137,
Tradition Two
"Almost
timidly, one of my
friends began to
speak.
38.
... friends, business, or community we attract widespread ...
12&12 p.124,
Step Twelve
39.
... friends channel spirituality to newcomers, hire halls, ...
12&12 p.133,
Tradition Two
40.
... friends do this for us.
12&12 p.181,
Tradition Eleven
Obviously,
A.A. had to be
publicized somehow, so we
resorted to the
idea that it
would be far
better to let our
friends do this for us.
41.
... friends, doctors, and clergymen got no place ...
12&12 p.63,
Step Six
Change of
scene, the
best efforts of
family,
friends,
doctors, and
clergymen
got no place with my
alcoholism.
42.
... friends, Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick remarked:
BB p.572(574),
Appendix V, The Religious View on A.A.
43.
... friends drink liquor.
BB p.102,
Working With Others
Don't
start to
withdraw
again just because your
friends drink liquor.
44.
... friends encourage us by saying that this ...
BB xv,
Foreword to Second Edition
Many of our
friends encourage us by saying that this is but a
beginning, only the
augury
of a much
larger future ahead.
45.
... friends feel closer over a highball.
BB p.110,
To Wives
His
friends feel closer over a
highball.
46.
... friends -- friends in medicine, religion, and the ...
BB xx,
Foreword to Second Edition
Another
reason for the
wide
acceptance of
A.A. was the
ministration of
friends --
friends in
medicine,
religion, and
the
press,
together with
innumerable others who
became our able and
persistent advocates.
47.
... friends galore.
BB p.163,
A Vision For You
So our
fellow worker will
soon have
friends galore.
48.
... friends gasp and exclaim, "This simply can't ...
12&12 p.132,
Tradition Two
When told that our
Society has no
president having
authority to
govern it, no
treasurer who can
compel the
payment of any
dues, no
board of
directors who can
cast an
erring member into
outer darkness, when
indeed no
A.A. can
give another a
directive and
enforce obedience, our
friends gasp and
exclaim, "This
simply can't
be.
49.
... friends had dropped several million since ten ...
BB p.4,
Bill's Story
My
friends had
dropped
several
million since
ten o'clock -- so what?
50.
... friends had told me, how they prophesied ...
BB p.41,
More About Alcoholism
I now
remembered what my
alcoholic friends had told
me, how they
prophesied that if I had an
alcoholic mind, the
time and place would
come -- I
would
drink again.
51.
... friends have counseled chucking the men and ...
BB p.105,
To Wives
Our
friends have
counseled chucking the
men and we have done so with
finality, only to be back in a
little while
hoping, always
hoping.
52.
... friends have reported A.A. with an enthusiasm ...
12&12 p.182,
Tradition Eleven
Ever since, these
friends have
reported A.A. with an
enthusiasm which the most
ardent members would find
hard to
match.
53.
... friends have served well, they may -- to ...
12&12 p.134,
Tradition Two
If the
founder and his
friends have
served well, they may
-- to their
surprise -- be
reinstated for a
time.
54.
... friends have slipped away, his home is ...
BB p.110,
To Wives
His
friends have
slipped
away, his
home is a
near-
wreck and he cannot
hold a
position.
55.
... friends in medicine, religion, and the press, ...
BB xx,
Foreword to Second Edition
Another
reason for the
wide
acceptance of
A.A. was the
ministration of
friends --
friends in
medicine,
religion, and
the
press,
together with
innumerable others who
became our able and
persistent advocates.
56.
... friends in your own community.
BB p.152,
A Vision For You
You are
going to
meet these
new
friends in your
own community.
57.
... friends is a heavy smoker and coffee ...
BB p.135,
The Family Afterward
Here is a
case in
point: One
of our
friends is a
heavy smoker and
coffee drinker.
58.
... friends; it seemed they had known these ...
BB p.161,
A Vision For You
They
knew they had a
host of
new
friends; it
seemed they
had
known these
strangers always.
59.
... friends know the nature of his illness.
BB p.115,
To Wives
While you
need not
discuss
your
husband at
length,
you can
quietly let your
friends know the
nature of his
illness.
60.
... friends know they are not to change ...
BB p.102,
Working With Others
Let your
friends know they are
not to
change their
habits
on your
account.
61.
... friends looked at me as their spokesman ...
12&12 p.138,
Tradition Two
62.
... friends may bask a little in glory.
12&12 p.133,
Tradition Two
Being on the
human side, the
founder and his
friends may
bask a
little in
glory.
63.
... friends must hide their bottles if we ...
BB p.101,
Working With Others
People have said we
must not go where
liquor is
served; we
must not have it in our
homes;
we
must shun friends who
drink; we
must avoid moving pictures which
show drinking scenes; we
must not go into
bars; our
friends must hide their
bottles if we go to their
houses; we
mustn't think or be
reminded about
alcohol at all.
64.
... friends mutter that this looks vague, nebulous, ...
12&12 p.132,
Tradition Two
The
friends mutter that this
looks vague,
nebulous,
pretty naive to them.
65.
... friends of A.A. members.
BB p.573(575),
Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.
66.
... friends of alcoholics (in A.A. or still ...
12&12 p.118,
Step Twelve (Note)
67.
... friends of the newcomer are aware of ...
BB p.567(569),
Appendix II, Spiritual Experience
Quite often
friends of the
newcomer are
aware of the
difference long before he
is himself.
68.
... friends of the very character defects they ...
12&12 p.56,
Step Five
They will tell how they
tried to
carry the
load alone; how much
they
suffered of
irritability,
anxiety,
remorse, and
depression; and how,
unconsciously seeking
relief, they would sometimes
accuse even their
best friends of the very
character
defects they themselves were
trying to
conceal.
69.
... friends of the writing profession disagreed with ...
12&12 p.182,
Tradition Eleven
These were
plausible arguments, but
happily
our
friends of the
writing
profession disagreed with them.
70.
... friends often do?
12&12 p.113,
Step Twelve
Can we now, with the
help of
God as we
understand Him,
handle them as well and as
bravely as our
nonalcoholic friends
often do?
71.
... friends or spiritual advisers the guidance they ...
12&12 p.60,
Step Five
It is
worth noting that
people of very
high spiritual development
almost always
insist on
checking with
friends or
spiritual advisers the
guidance they
feel they
have
received from
God.
72.
... friends probably know about anyhow.
12&12 p.55,
Step Five
Then, for
good measure, we
add dramatic descriptions of that
part
of our
drinking behavior which our
friends probably know about anyhow.
73.
... friends provided they are not alcoholic.
BB p.102,
Working With Others
Some of us still
serve it to our
friends provided they are not
alcoholic.
74.
... friends recommend us.
12&12 p.192,
Tradition Eleven (Long)
We
feel it
better to let our
friends recommend us.
75.
... friends recommend us.
BB p.565(567),
Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition
We
feel it
better to let our
friends recommend us.
76.
... friends said, "Put him in a private ...
BB p.157,
A Vision For You
But one of the
friends said, "
Put him in a
private room. We'll be down."
77.
... friends sense that these drinkers are abnormal, ...
BB p.23,
There Is A Solution
In a
vague way their
families and
friends sense that these
drinkers
are
abnormal, but
everybody hopefully awaits the
day when the
sufferer will
rouse himself
from his
lethargy and
assert his
power of will.
78.
... friends spoke of their spiritual experience and ...
BB p.157,
A Vision For You
The
two friends spoke of their
spiritual experience and told him about the
course of
action they
carried out.
79.
... friends terminated in a row and I ...
BB p.3,
Bill's Story
80.
... friends that he is inconsiderately away from ...
12&12 p.118,
Step Twelve
Her
husband may
become so
wrapped up in
A.A. and his
new
friends that he is
inconsiderately away from
home more than when he
drank.
81.
... friends that he was sick, when as ...
BB p.115,
To Wives
Frequently, you have
felt obliged to tell your
husband's
employer and his
friends that he was
sick, when
as a
matter of
fact he was
tight.
82.
... friends that these pieces might arouse interest ...
12&12 p.15,
Foreword
Though the
essays which
follow were
written mainly for
members, it is
thought by many of
A.A.'s
friends that these
pieces might
arouse interest and find
application outside A.A. itself.
83.
... friends, these so-called loners tell us they ...
12&12 p.120,
Step Twelve
Surrounded by so many
A.A.
friends, these so-called
loners tell us they no
longer
feel alone.
84.
... friends -- this is an experience you must ...
BB p.89,
Working With Others
To
watch people
recover,
to see them
help others, to
watch loneliness vanish, to see a
fellowship grow up about
you, to have a
host of
friends
-- this is an
experience you
must not
miss.
85.
... friends, this is but the beginning of ...
12&12 p.18,
Foreword
In the
view of
its friends, this is but the
beginning of
its unique and
valuable service.
86.
... friends thought a lunacy commission should be ...
BB p.3,
Bill's Story
87.
... friends to a snapping point, and have ...
12&12 p.78,
Step Eight
We've
repeatedly strained the
patience of
our
best friends to a
snapping point, and have
brought out the very
worst in those who didn't
think much of us to
begin with.
88.
... friends, to be a worker among workers, ...
12&12 p.53,
Step Four
We have not once
sought to be one in a
family, to be a
friend among
friends, to be a
worker
among
workers, to be a
useful member of
society.
89.
... friends to join us in morning meditation.
BB p.87,
Into Action
90.
... friends to send me out looking over ...
BB p.2,
Bill's Story
I
failed to
persuade my
broker friends to
send me out
looking over
factories and
managements, but my
wife
and I
decided to go anyway.
91.
... friends to which he invited A.A. members ...
BB xviii,
Foreword to Second Edition
In the
spring of
1940,
John D.
Rockefeller,
Jr.
gave a
dinner for many of his
friends
to which he
invited A.A. members to tell their
stories.
92.
... friends told him about their drinking experiences.
BB p.157,
A Vision For You
For an
hour, the
two friends told him about their
drinking experiences.
93.
... friends usually find us even more unapproachable ...
BB p.18,
There Is A Solution
Strangely enough,
wives,
parents and
intimate friends usually find
us even more
unapproachable than do the
psychiatrist and the
doctor.
94.
... friends we have hurt, we may feel ...
BB p.76,
Into Action
As we
look over the
list of
business acquaintances and
friends we have
hurt, we may
feel diffident about
going to some of them on a
spiritual basis.
95.
... friends, we, too, are aware that there ...
12&12 p.38,
Step Three
Like our
professional friends, we, too, are
aware that
there are
wrong forms of
dependence.
96.
... friends who drink; we must avoid moving ...
BB p.101,
Working With Others
People have said we
must not go where
liquor is
served; we
must not have it in our
homes;
we
must shun friends who
drink; we
must avoid moving pictures which
show drinking scenes; we
must not go into
bars; our
friends must hide their
bottles if we go to their
houses; we
mustn't think or be
reminded about
alcohol at all.
97.
Friends who have reasoned with him after ...
BB p.35,
More About Alcoholism
Friends who have
reasoned
with him after a
spree which has brought him to the
point of
divorce or
bankruptcy are
mystified when he
walks directly into a
saloon.
98.
... friends, who were making as much money ...
12&12 p.136,
Tradition Two
I
thought of a few of my
alcoholic friends, who were
making as much
money as
ever.
99.
... friends whose problem has been solved, as ...
BB p.104,
To Wives
Among us are
wives,
relatives and
friends whose
problem has been
solved,
as well as some who have not
yet found a
happy solution.
100.
... friends why alcohol disagrees with you.
BB p.102,
Working With Others
At a
proper time and place
explain to all your
friends
why
alcohol disagrees
with you.
101.
... friends will be found further on in ...
BB xx,
Foreword to Second Edition
Some of the
recommendations of
A.A.'s
early medical and
religious
friends will be
found further on in this book.
102.
... friends will disappear with the growth of ...
BB p.115,
To Wives
Barriers which have
sprung up between you and your
friends will
disappear with the
growth of
sympathetic
understanding.
103.
... friends will need to cross-examine themselves ruthlessly ...
12&12 p.52,
Step Four
But all
alcoholics who have
drunk themselves out of
jobs,
family, and
friends will
need to
cross-
examine themselves
ruthlessly to
determine how their
own personality defects
have thus
demolished their
security.
104.
... friends with everyone.
BB p.39,
More About Alcoholism
He has so
attractive a
personality that he makes
friends with
everyone.
105.
... friends, wives, husbands, even the world itself ...
12&12 p.115,
Step Twelve
We had
failed to see that though
adult in
years we were still
behaving childishly,
trying to
turn everybody --
friends,
wives,
husbands, even the
world itself -- into
protective parents.
Passages from the Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous
and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
are reprinted with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.
The A.A. Preamble, copyright ©
The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., is reprinted with permission.
Permission to reprint does not in any way imply affiliation with or
endorsement by either Alcoholics Anonymous or The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.
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