From the books ...
Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) and
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (12 & 12)
GOOD occurs
161 times
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1.
... good.
12&12 p.29,
Step Two
To these, many
A.A.'s can say, "Yes, we were like you
-- far too
smart for our
own
good.
2.
... good.
12&12 p.47,
Step Four
We had to
drink because
times were
hard or
times were
good.
3.
... good.
12&12 p.61,
Step Five
If you have
developed a
high confidence in him, and
his
temperament and
problems are
close to your
own, then such a
choice will
be
good.
4.
... good.
12&12 p.83,
Step Nine
There will be those to whom we can make only
partial restitution,
lest complete disclosures do them or others more
harm than
good.
5.
... good.
12&12 p.152,
Tradition Five
I had to
agree with the
doctor -- he
certainly
didn't
look good.
6.
... good.
12&12 p.157,
Tradition Six
In
consternation, we saw ourselves
getting married to all
kinds of
enterprises,
some
good and some not so
good.
7.
... good.
12&12 p.157,
Tradition Six
8.
... good.
BB p.11,
Bill's Story
I
honestly doubted
whether, on
balance, the
religions of
mankind had
done any
good.
9.
... good.
BB p.26,
There Is A Solution
10.
... good.
BB p.60,
How It Works
On that
basis we are almost always in
collision with something or somebody, even though
our
motives are
good.
11.
... good.
BB p.78,
Into Action
We may be
short in our
accounts and
unable to make
good.
12.
... good.
BB p.94,
Working With Others
This is all to the good.
13.
... good.
BB p.102,
Working With Others
But be
sure you are on
solid
spiritual ground before
you
start and that your
motive in
going is
thoroughly good.
14.
... good.
BB p.112,
To Wives
But after his
next binge,
ask him if he would really like to get over
drinking for
good.
15.
... good.
BB p.118,
To Wives
16.
... good.
BB p.146,
To Employers
Your
man should be on his
mettle to make
good.
17.
... good.
BB p.151,
A Vision For You
It is
joyous intimacy
with
friends and a
feeling that
life is
good.
18.
... good A.A., moves -- let us say -- to ...
12&12 p.132,
Tradition Two
John Doe, a
good A.A.,
moves -- let us say -- to
Middletown,
U.S.A.
19.
... good account.
BB p.124,
The Family Afterward
That is
true only if one is
willing to
turn the
past to
good account.
20.
... good acts are there for us to ...
12&12 p.93,
Step Ten
Good intentions,
good thoughts, and
good acts are there for us to see.
21.
... good acts, but often they are based ...
12&12 p.104,
Step Eleven
Such
prayers, of
course,
are
fundamentally good acts, but often they are
based upon a
supposition
that we
know God's will for the
person for whom we
pray.
22.
... good and bad.
BB p.76,
Into Action
When
ready, we say something like this: "My
Creator, I am now
willing
that you should have all of me,
good and
bad.
23.
... good and drunk then.
BB p.6,
Bill's Story
As the
whisky rose to my
head I told myself I would
manage better next time, but I might as well
get
good and
drunk then.
24.
... good and if he would go to ...
BB p.90,
Working With Others
Then let his
family or a
friend ask him if he
wants to
quit for
good and if he would go to any
extreme to do so.
25.
... good and some not so good.
12&12 p.157,
Tradition Six
In
consternation, we saw ourselves
getting married to all
kinds of
enterprises,
some
good and some not so
good.
26.
... good and useful purpose is to be ...
BB p.125,
The Family Afterward
So we
think that
unless
some
good and
useful purpose is to be
served,
past occurrences should
not be
discussed.
27.
... good as far as it went, but ...
BB p.68,
How It Works
Self-
reliance was
good as far as it went, but it didn't go far
enough.
28.
... good at this stage.
BB p.113,
To Wives
29.
... good beginning.
BB p.71,
How It Works
If you have already made a
decision, and an
inventory of your
grosser
handicaps, you have made a
good beginning.
30.
... good bit of travel between East and ...
BB p.162,
A Vision For You
There is a
good bit of
travel between
East and
West and we
foresee a
great increase in this
helpful interchange.
31.
... good business.
BB p.141,
To Employers
He
wants to
quit drinking and you
want to
help him, even if it be only a
matter of
good business.
32.
... good, but in a few weeks he ...
BB p.38,
More About Alcoholism
He tells you he has
decided to
stop jay-
walking for
good, but in a few
weeks he
breaks both
legs.
33.
... good, but it isn't good enough.
12&12 p.137,
Tradition Two
Sure,
Charlie's
idea is
good, but it isn't
good enough.
34.
... good can come from them if we ...
12&12 p.111,
Step Twelve
But in the
longer run we
clearly realize that these
are only the
pains of
growing up, and
nothing but
good can
come from them if we
turn more and more to the
entire Twelve Steps for the
answers.
35.
... good can come to any alcoholic who ...
12&12 p.21,
Step One
36.
... good causes and all connected with them ...
12&12 p.170,
Tradition Eight
For this
reason, some very
good causes and all
connected with them
suffered unjust criticism from
A.A. groups.
37.
... good character was desirable, but obviously good ...
12&12 p.71,
Step Seven
True, most of us
thought
good character was
desirable, but
obviously good character was something one
needed to get on with the
business of being
self-
satisfied.
38.
... good character was something one needed to ...
12&12 p.72,
Step Seven
True, most of us
thought
good character was
desirable, but
obviously good character was something one
needed to get on with the
business of being
self-
satisfied.
39.
... good characters will be revived the moment ...
12&12 p.45,
Step Four
40.
... good cheer.
12&12 p.114,
Step Twelve
We have seen
A.A.'s
suffer lingering and
fatal illness with
little complaint, and often in
good
cheer.
41.
... good chunk of our firm's money, whether ...
12&12 p.86,
Step Nine
Suppose, for
instance,
that we have
drunk up a
good
chunk of our
firm's
money, whether by "
borrowing" or on a
heavily padded expense account.
42.
... good church member.
BB p.27,
There Is A Solution
Upon
hearing this, our
friend was somewhat
relieved, for he
reflected that, after all, he was a
good church member.
43.
... good conscience.
12&12 p.95,
Step Ten
Having so
considered our
day, not
omitting to take
due note of things well done, and
having
searched our
hearts with neither
fear nor
favor, we can
truly thank God for the
blessings we have
received and
sleep in
good conscience.
44.
... good doctor now sees many men who ...
BB p.14,
Bill's Story
The
good doctor now sees
many
men who have such
experiences.
45.
... good doctor or psychiatrist.
BB p.133,
The Family Afterward
46.
... good doctor or psychiatrist can tell you ...
BB p.114,
To Wives
A
good doctor or
psychiatrist can tell you whether these
complications are
serious.
47.
... good doctor should always be consulted.
BB p.114,
To Wives
When they
become too
dangerous, we
think the
kind thing is to
lock them up,
but of
course a
good doctor should always be
consulted.
48.
... good, does it?
12&12 p.152,
Tradition Five
Doesn't
sound too
good, does
it?
49.
... good earning capacity, was an alcoholic of ...
BB xxv(xxiii),
The Doctor's Opinion
50.
... good effect.
12&12 p.18,
Foreword
But it was by no
means sure
that such
great numbers of
yet erratic people could
live and
work together with
harmony and
good effect.
51.
... good effect that the doctor agreed to ...
BB p.163,
A Vision For You
And with such
good effect
that the
doctor agreed to
a
test among his
patients
and
certain other
alcoholics from a
clinic
which he
attends.
52.
... good enough.
12&12 p.137,
Tradition Two
Sure,
Charlie's
idea is
good, but it isn't
good enough.
53.
... good enough for us.
12&12 p.29,
Step Two
The here and now was
good enough for us.
54.
... good evidence, but no perfect visual proof.
BB p.48,
We Agnostics
55.
... good fellows craving attention and companionship, but ...
12&12 p.57,
Step Five
Either we were
shy, and
dared
not
draw near others, or we
were
apt to be
noisy good fellows craving attention and
companionship, but
never getting it -- at
least to our way of
thinking.
56.
... good for him, and it sometimes creates ...
BB p.97,
Working With Others
It is not
good for him, and it sometimes
creates serious complications in a
family.
57.
... good for individuals with many different lifestyles, ...
BB xxii,
Foreword to Third Edition
58.
... good, for not one drinker in a ...
BB p.103,
Working With Others
We would not even do the
cause of
temperate drinking any
good, for not one
drinker
in a
thousand likes to be
told anything about
alcohol by one who
hates it.
59.
... good for the most alcoholics.
12&12 p.178,
Tradition Ten
Let it be
noted, too, that they were almost always
concerned with
ways to
make
A.A. more
effective,
how to do the most
good for the most
alcoholics.
60.
... good for the wife as for the ...
BB p.81,
Into Action
It is as
good for the
wife as
for the
husband.
61.
... good for us.
12&12 p.105,
Step Eleven
We should
simply resume prayer as soon as we can, doing what we
know to be
good for us.
62.
... good fortune came our way, we indulged ...
12&12 p.92,
Step Ten
When
temporary good fortune came our way, we
indulged ourselves in
fantasies of still
greater victories over
people and
circumstances.
63.
Good generalship may decide that the problem ...
BB p.82,
Into Action
64.
... good, he has a fine home, is ...
BB p.39,
More About Alcoholism
65.
... good home and religious training had given ...
12&12 p.29,
Step Two
66.
... good idea if we continue to keep ...
12&12 p.133,
Tradition Two
They say to one another, "Perhaps it would be a
good
idea if we
continue to
keep a
firm hand on
A.A. in this
town.
67.
... good ideas are simple, and this concept ...
BB p.62,
How It Works
Most
good ideas are
simple, and this
concept was
the
keystone of the new and
triumphant arch through
which we
passed to
freedom.
68.
... good if you point that out and ...
BB p.119,
To Wives
It will do
little good if
you
point that out and
urge
more
attention for
yourself.
69.
... good, in his case they did not ...
BB p.27,
There Is A Solution
This
hope, however, was
destroyed by the
doctor's
telling him that while his
religious convictions
were very
good, in his
case
they did not
spell the
necessary vital spiritual experience.
70.
... good; in others it seemed impossibly bad.
12&12 p.30,
Step Two
71.
... good in the first place.
12&12 p.119,
Step Twelve
They may even
begin to
suspect it had
never been any
good in the
first place.
72.
... good in the speaking, but it still ...
12&12 p.37,
Step Three
This
brave philosophy,
wherein each
man plays God,
sounds good in the
speaking, but it still has to
meet the
acid test: how well does it
actually work?
73.
... good indeed, but it is bound to ...
12&12 p.40,
Step Three
More
sobriety brought about by the
admission of
alcoholism and by
attendance at a few
meetings is very
good indeed, but it is
bound to be
a far
cry from
permanent
sobriety and a
contented,
useful life.
74.
... good intent, these folks declared that the ...
12&12 p.182,
Tradition Eleven
75.
Good intentions, good thoughts, and good acts ...
12&12 p.93,
Step Ten
Good intentions,
good thoughts, and
good acts are there for us to see.
76.
... good, is exempt from these troubles.
12&12 p.42,
Step Four
No
human being, however
good,
is
exempt from these
troubles.
77.
... good is the enemy of the best?
12&12 p.138,
Tradition Two
'
Bill, haven't you often said
right here in this
meeting
that sometimes the
good is the
enemy of the
best?
78.
... good it'll do.
BB p.157,
A Vision For You
You
fellows know your
stuff all
right, but I don't
see what
good it'll do.
79.
... good job.
12&12 p.113,
Step Twelve
80.
Good judgment, a careful sense of timing, ...
12&12 p.83,
Step Nine
Good judgment, a
careful sense of
timing,
courage, and
prudence -- these are the
qualities we shall
need when
we take
Step Nine.
81.
Good judgment will suggest that we ought ...
12&12 p.84,
Step Nine
Good judgment will
suggest that we ought to take our
time.
82.
... good list of such defects as these, ...
12&12 p.67,
Step Six
Nearly anyone could
submit
a
good list of such
defects as these, and few of us would
seriously think of
giving them up, at
least until
they
cause us
excessive
misery.
83.
... good lives we thought we led before ...
12&12 p.45,
Step Four
No
doubt we shall
point with
pride to the
good lives we
thought we
led before the
bottle cut us down.
84.
... good living.
12&12 p.95,
Step Ten
85.
... good living is the theme of A.A.'s ...
12&12 p.125,
Step Twelve
86.
... good living; therefore the joy of good ...
12&12 p.125,
Step Twelve
87.
... good look at where we stand now, ...
12&12 p.101,
Step Eleven
It ought to be
followed by a
good look at where we
stand now, and a
further look at what might
happen in
our
lives were we able to
move closer to the
ideal we have been
trying to
glimpse.
88.
... good look in the mirror ought to ...
12&12 p.37,
Step Three
One
good look in the
mirror ought to be
answer enough for any
alcoholic.
89.
... "Good luck and God bless you!"
BB p.121,
To Wives
So to you out there who may soon be with us -- we say "
Good luck and
God bless you!"
90.
... good man's fault.
12&12 p.79,
Step Eight
Those who did would sometimes
assure us that, after
all, a
lively bender was
only a
good man's
fault.
91.
... good measure, we add dramatic descriptions of ...
12&12 p.55,
Step Five
92.
... good men.
BB p.148,
To Employers
It will
permit the
rehabilitation of
good
men.
93.
... 'good men of religion' were still killing ...
12&12 p.30,
Step Two
How we
loved to
shout the
damaging fact that
millions of the '
good men of
religion' were still
killing one another off in the
name of
God.
94.
... good motives and reasons when we really ...
12&12 p.94,
Step Ten
The
temptation here is to
imagine that we had
good motives and
reasons when we
really didn't.
95.
... good nature and lack of self-consciousness will ...
BB p.115,
To Wives
96.
... good natured contempt of some church folk ...
BB p.10,
Bill's Story
I could almost
hear the
sound
of the
preacher's
voice
as I
sat, on still
Sundays,
way over there on the
hillside; there was that
proffered temperance
pledge I
never signed; my
grandfather's
good natured contempt of some
church folk and their doings; his
insistence that the
spheres really had their
music; but his
denial of the
preacher's
right to tell
him how he
must listen; his
fearlessness as he
spoke of these things just before he
died; these
recollections welled
up from the
past.
97.
... good-naturedly at his childhood dream.
12&12 p.122,
Step Twelve
As he gets
older and sees the
impossibility of this, he can
smile good-
naturedly at his
childhood dream.
98.
... good, neither to be used lightly or ...
BB p.69,
How It Works
We
remembered always that our
sex powers were
God-
given and therefore
good, neither to be used
lightly
or
selfishly nor to be
despised and
loathed.
99.
... good news.
12&12 p.83,
Step Nine
We
want to
come in the
door shouting the
good news.
100.
... good news.
BB p.158,
A Vision For You
He
came through an
acquaintance who had
heard the
good news.
101.
... good newspaper copy, but little else.
12&12 p.157,
Tradition Six
That made
good newspaper
copy, but
little else.
102.
... good number will become true alcoholics after ...
BB p.109,
To Wives
Of those who
keep on, a
good
number will
become true alcoholics after a
while.
103.
... good of A.A." meet the most stubborn ...
12&12 p.173,
Tradition Nine
He and all like him who "
view with
alarm for the
good of
A.A."
meet the most
stubborn resistance or,
worse still,
laughter.
104.
... good old days.
BB p.102,
Working With Others
Why
sit with a
long face in
places where there is
drinking,
sighing about
the
good old days.
105.
... good old days will soon be back, ...
BB p.123,
The Family Afterward
The
good old days will soon be back, they
think.
106.
... good one, permeates human affairs from top ...
12&12 p.94,
Step Ten
107.
... good ones.
12&12 p.119,
Step Twelve
On the
whole these
marriages are very
good ones.
108.
... good or great harm.
12&12 p.187,
Tradition Twelve
109.
... good, perform great deeds, and embody great ...
12&12 p.156,
Tradition Six
110.
... good place to remember that inventory-taking is ...
12&12 p.93,
Step Ten
This is a
good place to
remember that
inventory-
taking is not
always done in
red ink.
111.
... good prayer.
12&12 p.99,
Step Eleven
First let's
look at a really
good prayer.
112.
... good public relations man in our ranks, ...
12&12 p.157,
Tradition Six
If they could find a
good public relations man in our
ranks, why wouldn't he
be
ideal?
113.
... good purpose.
BB p.92,
Working With Others
114.
... good purpose under all conditions?
12&12 p.88,
Step Ten
115.
... good purpose until the habit of self-restraint ...
12&12 p.91,
Step Ten
For we can neither
think nor
act to
good purpose until the
habit of
self-
restraint has
become automatic.
116.
... good purpose, we are willing to announce ...
BB p.77,
Into Action
When it will
serve any
good
purpose, we are
willing
to
announce our
convictions with
tact and
common sense.
117.
... good question indeed.
12&12 p.26,
Step Two
"That,"
agrees the
sponsor, "is a very
good question indeed.
118.
... good reason for it.
BB p.20,
There Is A Solution
119.
... good reasons.
BB p.48,
We Agnostics
We
think there are
good reasons.
120.
... good reasons why we should do so.
BB p.72,
Into Action
We will be more
reconciled to
discussing ourselves with another
person when we see
good reasons why we should do so.
121.
... good results of prayer are beyond question.
12&12 p.104,
Step Eleven
122.
... good salesman.
BB p.35,
More About Alcoholism
123.
... Good Samaritan every day, if need be.
BB p.97,
Working With Others
You have to
act the
Good Samaritan every
day, if
need be.
124.
... good sense.
BB xxvi(xxiv),
The Doctor's Opinion
But as
ex-
problem drinkers, we can say that his
explanation makes
good sense.
125.
... good sense, and high character.
BB p.26,
There Is A Solution
126.
... good sense and loving kindness is to ...
BB p.82,
Into Action
It may be that both will
decide that the way of
good sense and
loving kindness is to let
by-
gones be by-
gones.
127.
... Good service leadership at all levels is ...
BB p.575,
Appendix VII, Twelve Concepts (Short Form)
128.
... good-sized group of so-called problem drinkers.
12&12 p.122,
Step Twelve
129.
... good social, business, or personal reason for ...
BB p.101,
Working With Others
Therefore,
ask yourself on
each
occasion, "Have I any
good social,
business, or
personal reason for
going to this
place?
130.
... good soldier is ne'er forgot Whether he ...
BB p.1,
Bill's Story
A
good soldier is
ne'er forgot Whether he
dieth by
musket Or by
pot."
131.
... good spirits.
BB p.116,
To Wives
Discuss this with him when he is
sober and in
good spirits.
132.
... good stories.
12&12 p.181,
Tradition Eleven
To them, we are something more than the
source of
good stories.
133.
... good stories to this end.
12&12 p.183,
Tradition Eleven
They have even
sacrificed good stories to this
end.
134.
... good talk with the person most interested ...
BB p.90,
Working With Others
If there is any
indication that he
wants to
stop, have a
good talk with the
person most
interested in
him -- usually his
wife.
135.
... good temper are most necessary.
BB p.111,
To Wives
136.
... good that is in us all, even ...
12&12 p.98,
Step Eleven
We will
want the
good that is
in us all, even in the
worst of us, to
flower and to
grow.
137.
... good that lie outside our synthetic knowledge.
BB xxvii(xxv),
The Doctor's Opinion
138.
... good thing.
12&12 p.158,
Tradition Six
At
first glance, it did
look like a
good thing.
139.
... good thing, they believed, for the liquor ...
12&12 p.157,
Tradition Six
It would be a
good thing, they
believed, for the
liquor trade to
show a
sense of
public responsibility.
140.
... good things of life which we specified, ...
12&12 p.31,
Step Two
Sometimes it's because
God has not
delivered us the
good things
of
life which we
specified, as a
greedy child makes an
impossible
list for
Santa Claus.
141.
... good thoughts, and good acts are there ...
12&12 p.93,
Step Ten
Good intentions,
good thoughts, and
good acts are there for us to see.
142.
... good time.
BB p.110,
To Wives
We have
enjoyed such
evenings ourselves; we had a
good time.
143.
... good time provided, however, the alcoholic continues ...
BB p.99,
Working With Others
These things will
come to
pass
naturally and in
good time provided, however, the
alcoholic continues
to
demonstrate that he can be
sober,
considerate, and
helpful,
regardless
of what anyone says or does.
144.
... good to me, and is not too ...
12&12 p.158,
Tradition Six
The
kind of
education seems good to me, and is not too
controversial.
145.
... good to need God.
BB p.116,
To Wives
But it was a
silly idea that
we were too
good to
need God.
146.
... good to the wife or parents whom ...
BB p.82,
Into Action
But he is
yet a
long way from
making good to the
wife or
parents whom for
years he has so
shockingly
treated.
147.
... good Twelfth Step work possible, perhaps arranging ...
12&12 p.110,
Step Twelve
148.
... good use by those who keep on ...
12&12 p.112,
Step Twelve
We
know this because we see
monotony,
pain, and even
calamity turned to
good use by those who
keep on
trying to
practice A.A.'s
Twelve Steps.
149.
... good use for others.
BB p.123,
The Family Afterward
Suppose we tell you some of the
obstacles a
family will
meet;
suppose we
suggest how they may be
avoided -- even
converted
to
good use for others.
150.
... good, we no longer dreaded a change ...
12&12 p.122,
Step Twelve
If our
circumstances happened to be
good, we no
longer dreaded a
change for the
worse, for we
had
learned that these
troubles could be
turned
into
great values.
151.
... good, we realize that the sacrificial spirit ...
12&12 p.184,
Tradition Twelve
152.
... good, were about to apply to the ...
12&12 p.148,
Tradition Four
They
understood that the
elders, just to
nail things
down
good, were about to
apply to the
Foundation
for a
charter.
153.
... good we've done these drunks.
12&12 p.133,
Tradition Two
Besides,
look at all the
good
we've done these
drunks.
154.
... good whatever; in fact, it was a ...
12&12 p.22,
Step One
Then we had been told that so far as
alcohol is
concerned,
self-
confidence was no
good
whatever; in
fact, it was a
total liability.
155.
... good will result, but the surface of ...
BB p.19,
There Is A Solution
If we
keep on the way we are
going there is
little doubt that much
good will
result, but the
surface of
the
problem would
hardly
be
scratched.
156.
... good will than in our talk of ...
BB p.77,
Into Action
He is
going to be more
interested in a
demonstration of
good
will than in our
talk of
spiritual discoveries.
157.
... good will to men.
BB p.16,
Bill's Story
Each
day my
friend's
simple talk in our
kitchen multiplies
itself in a
widening circle of
peace on
earth and
good will to
men.
158.
... good will toward all men, even our ...
BB p.70,
How It Works
We have
begun to
learn tolerance,
patience and
good will
toward all
men, even our
enemies, for we
look on them as
sick people.
159.
... good with such funds, and so divert ...
12&12 p.165,
Tradition Seven
160.
... good women, capable of being nicer if ...
BB p.116,
To Wives
161.
... good works.
12&12 p.155,
Tradition Six
Maybe these
places would make
large sums of
money to
carry on our other
good works.
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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