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From the books ... Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (12 & 12)
Click the page number or the book cover icon
to view that page in the literature.1.
2.
In such a case, this imperious urge can destroy his chances for material and emotional security as well as his standing in the community.
3.
4.
He finally realizes that
he has undergone a profound alteration in
his reaction to life; that
such a change could hardly have been brought about
by himself alone.
5.
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.
6.
We cannot declare A.A. such a closed corporation that we keep our
knowledge and experience top secret.
7.
Then Jack Alexander wrote a feature article in the Saturday Evening Post and placed such a compelling picture of A.A. before the general public that alcoholics in need of help really deluged us.
8.
"How," they ask, "can such a crowd of anarchists function at all? How can they possibly place their common welfare first? What in Heaven's name holds them together?"
9.
If that degree of humility
could enable us to find the grace by which such a deadly obsession could be banished, then there must be hope of the same result respecting any other problem we could possibly
have.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves,
our little plans and designs.
15.
16.
In Step Eleven we saw that if a Higher Power had restored us to sanity and had enabled us to
live with some peace of mind in a sorely troubled world, then such a Higher Power was worth knowing better, by as direct contact as possible.
17.
18.
To those having religious
training, such a list would set forth serious violations of moral principles.
19.
After reading this book, a junior executive can go to such a man and say approximately this, "Look here, Ed.
20.
Because of the employee's
special ability, or of his
own strong personal attachment to
him, the employer has sometimes kept such a man at work long beyond a reasonable period.
21.
22.
23.
24.
And even in those cases where such a matter must be discussed, let's try to avoid harming third parties, whoever they may be.
25.
She sees she was wrong to make a burning issue out of such a matter when his more serious ailments were being rapidly cured.
26.
In the radiance of such a miraculous discovery, any doctor would set his other ambitions aside, at whatever personal cost.
27.
28.
29.
Whether such a person can quit upon a nonspiritual basis depends upon the extent to which he has
already lost the power to choose whether he will drink or not.
30.
Then we saw that if a hardworking secretary
answered the phone dozens of times a day, listened to twenty wailing wives, arranged hospitalization and got
sponsorship for ten newcomers, and was gently diplomatic with the irate drunk who complained about
the job she was doing and how
she was overpaid, then such
a person could surely not be
called a professional
A.A.
31.
32.
33.
When dealing with such a person, you had better use everyday language to describe spiritual principles.
34.
As we morbidly pursue this
melancholy activity,
we may sink to such a point of despair that nothing but oblivion looks possible as a solution.
35.
36.
37.
If you propose such a procedure to him, it may be necessary to advance the cost of treatment, but we believe it should be made plain that any expense will later be deducted from his pay.
38.
Above all, he believed he
had acquired such a profound knowledge of the
inner workings of his mind and its hidden springs that relapse was unthinkable.
39.
The immense resources now being harnessed promise such a quantity of material blessings that many have come to believe that a man-made millennium lies just ahead.
40.
41.
42.
Such a roster of harms done others -- the kind that make daily living with us as practicing alcoholics
difficult and often unbearable -- could be extended almost indefinitely.
43.
44.
45.
After taking this preliminary trial at making amends, we may enjoy such a sense of relief that we conclude our task is finished.
46.
47.
When they talked of a God personal to me, who was love,
superhuman strength
and direction, I became
irritated and my mind snapped shut against such a theory.
48.
49.
Of course, there is such a thing as incompatibility, but in nearly every instance the alcoholic
only seems to be unloving
and inconsiderate; it is usually because he is warped and sickened that he
says and does these appalling things.
50.
Even the suggestion of
such a thing never fails to whip up a hurricane, and we have discovered that hurricanes have a way of mauling with equal severity both the just and the unjust.
51.
52.
10. No A.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial
issues -- particularly
those of politics, alcohol reform, or sectarian religion.
53.
Ten -- No A.A.
group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial
issues -- particularly
those of politics, alcohol reform, or sectarian religion.
54.
Poverty will disappear, and there will be
such abundance that everybody can have all the security and personal satisfactions he desires.
55.
56.
Yet we do go to great extremes to provide each other with these very things, when such action is warranted.
57.
The question was -- and sometimes still is -- are
such activities to be branded as professionalism under
A.A. tradition?
58.
59.
60.
Of course, there couldn't be the slightest objection if
such an association hired an A.A. member solely because of his public relations ability and his
knowledge of alcoholism.
61.
62.
63.
64.
Being mostly business or professional folk, we could
not well carry on our occupations in such an event.
65.
Being mostly business or professional folk, we could
not well carry on our occupations in such an event."
66.
To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic such an experience seems impossible, but to continue as he is means disaster, especially if
he is an alcoholic of the hopeless variety.
67.
68.
Unfortunately for me I was the only child, which perhaps engendered the selfishness which played
such an important part in bringing on my alcoholism.
69.
... such an
impression, many alcoholics have nevertheless ...
BB
Appendix II, Spiritual Experience, p.567
Though it was not our intention to create such an impression, many alcoholics have nevertheless concluded
that in order to recover
they must acquire an immediate and overwhelming "God-consciousness" followed at once by a vast change in feeling and outlook.
70.
71.
72.
Before we ask what a spot-check inventory is, let's look at the kind of setting in which such an inventory can do its work.
73.
It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have warped our minds into such an obsession for destructive drinking
that only an act of Providence can remove it
from us.
74.
Another may develop such an obsession for financial security that he
wants to do nothing but hoard money.
75.
76.
77.
Secondary aids to A.A., such as clubs or hospitals which require much property or administration, ought to
be incorporated and so set apart that, if necessary, they can be freely discarded by the groups.
78.
Secondary aids to A.A., such as clubs or hospitals which require much property or administration, ought to
be incorporated and so set apart that, if necessary, they can be freely discarded by the groups.
79.
80.
Then, in Step Seven, we humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings such as He
could or would under the conditions of the day we asked.
81.
They piled on me heaps of evidence to the effect that
an alcoholic mentality, such as I had exhibited in Washington,
was a hopeless condition.
82.
We found it very desirable to take this spiritual step with an understanding person,
such as our wife, best friend, or spiritual adviser.
83.
84.
Looking back over his life, he can readily get under way by consideration of questions such as these:
85.
Since Step One requires an admission that
our lives have become unmanageable, how could people such as these take this Step?
86.
Then, in this eastern city,
there are informal meetings such as we have described to you, where you may now see scores of members.
87.
88.
X. Every service responsibility should be matched by an equal service authority, with the
scope of such authority well defined.
89.
90.
To duplicate, with such backing, what we have accomplished is only a matter of willingness, patience and labor.
91.
92.
Though not a religious person, I have profound respect for the spiritual
approach in such cases as yours.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
I could go for such conceptions as Creative
Intelligence, Universal Mind or Spirit of Nature but I resisted the thought of a Czar of the Heavens, however loving His sway might be.
99.
100.
101.
102.
103.
104.
While an A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied.
105.
While an A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never to go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied.
106.
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.
107.
We had to see that when we harbored grudges and planned revenge for such defeats, we were really beating ourselves with the club of anger we had intended to use on others.
108.
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.
109.
Some people, of course, may
conclude that they are indeed ready to have all such defects taken from them.
110.
111.
First of all, we had to admit
that we had many of these defects, even though such disclosures were painful
and humiliating.
112.
A spot-check inventory taken in the midst of such disturbances can be of very
great help in quieting stormy emotions.
113.
114.
No individuals have been more buffeted by such emotional gusts than those A.A.'s bold enough to accept employment with outside agencies dealing with the alcohol problem.
115.
116.
In former days, the moment an A.A. hired out to such enterprises, he was immediately tempted to use the name Alcoholics Anonymous for
publicity or money-raising purposes.
117.
118.
119.
After a few such experiences, often years before the onset of extreme difficulties, he
would return to us convinced.
120.
From great numbers of such experiences, we could predict that the doubter who
still claimed that he hadn't
got the "spiritual angle," and who still considered his well-loved A.A. group the higher power, would presently love God and call Him by name.
121.
122.
123.
124.
125.
126.
The pressure of that fat treasury would surely tempt the board to invent all kinds of schemes to do good with such funds, and so divert A.A. from its primary purpose.
127.
Difficult as it was, they officially declined that
ten thousand dollars, and adopted a formal, airtight resolution that all such future gifts would be similarly declined.
128.
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.
129.
Else why would we consume such great amounts of time wishing for what we have
not, rather than working
for it, or angrily looking
for attributes we shall
never have, instead of adjusting to the fact, and accepting it?
130.
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.
131.
132.
133.
The second section of this
volume, though designed for A.A.'s membership, will give such inquirers an inside view of A.A. never before possible.
134.
Aided by such instruction and example
as we can find, it is essentially an individual adventure, something which each one of us works out in his own way.
135.
All of us felt at times that we
were regaining control,
but such intervals -- usually brief -- were inevitably followed by still less control, which led in time to pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization.
136.
137.
138.
139.
140.
Because this book has become the basic text for our Society and has helped such large numbers of alcoholic men and women to recovery, there exists strong sentiment against any radical changes being made in it.
141.
142.
143.
There was, therefore, a sense of real satisfaction when I was asked to contribute a few words on a subject which is covered in
such masterly detail in these pages.
144.
145.
146.
Members of a family should
watch such matters carefully, for one careless, inconsiderate remark has
been known to raise the very devil.
147.
148.
149.
150.
151.
152.
153.
154.
155.
At such moments we forget that alcoholism is
an illness over which we
could not possibly have had any power.
156.
157.
158.
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.
159.
But if no such opportunity presents itself, at some point we will want to summon all our courage, head straight for the person concerned, and lay our cards on the table.
160.
Nine -- A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we
may create service boards or committees directly responsible to
those they serve.
161.
Tradition Nine -- "A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create
service boards or committees directly responsible to those they
serve."
162.
"A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create
service boards or committees directly responsible to those they
serve."
163.
How can we possibly summon
the resolution and the willingness to get rid of such overwhelming compulsions and desires?
164.
In the midst of such pandemonium they may have rushed out threatening to live with the
other woman forever.
165.
166.
As to them, his policy is undoubtedly sound, but he
did not distinguish between such people and the alcoholic.
167.
(*) The fellowship of Al-Anon Family Groups was formed about thirteen years after this chapter was written. Though it is entirely separate from Alcoholics Anonymous, it
uses the general principles of the A.A. program as a guide for husbands, wives, relatives, friends and others close to alcoholics. The foregoing pages (though addressed only to wives) indicate the problems such people may face. Alateen, for teen-aged children of alcoholics, is a part of Al-Anon.
168.
169.
When you have carefully explained to such people that he is a sick person, you will have created a new atmosphere.
170.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do
so would injure them or others.
171.
Step Nine -- "Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do
so would injure them or others."
172.
"Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do
so would injure them or others."
173.
When we take such personality traits as
these into shop, office, and
the society of our fellows, they can do damage almost as extensive as that
we have caused at home.
174.
175.
176.
Your man will fare better if placed in such physical condition that he
can think straight and no longer craves liquor.
177.
178.
... such places,
A.A. can be located through ...
BB
Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A., p.573
In such places, A.A. can be located through the local telephone directory, newspaper office, or police station, or by contacting local priests or ministers.
179.
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.
180.
181.
We usually conclude the
period of meditation
with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we be given whatever we need to take care of such problems.
182.
183.
184.
But if we have prepared ourselves well in advance, such reactions will not deflect us from our steady and
even purpose.
185.
When your prospect has made
such reparation as he can
to his family, and has thoroughly explained to
them the new principles by
which he is living, he should proceed to put those principles into action at home.
186.
All such representatives are to be guided in the spirit of service, for true leaders in A.A. are but trusted and experienced
servants of the whole.
187.
All such representatives are to be guided in the spirit of service, for true leaders in A.A. are but trusted and experienced
servants of the whole.
188.
After consulting with his
wife and partner he came to the conclusion that
it was better to take those risks than to stand before his Creator guilty of such ruinous slander.
189.
190.
191.
When, by such simple devices, we have placed ourselves in a mood in which
we can focus undisturbed
on constructive imagination, we might proceed like this:
192.
193.
194.
195.
196.
197.
When such stories got into circulation outside of A.A., the loss of confidence in our anonymity promise was severe.
198.
A spirit of intolerance
might repel alcoholics whose lives could have been saved, had it not been for such stupidity.
199.
200.
We do talk about each other a great deal, but we almost invariably temper such talk by a spirit of love and tolerance.
201.
Perhaps, though, your relation to him is such that
you would care to reveal only
a part of your story.
202.
Physicians who are familiar with alcoholism
agree there is no such thing as making a normal drinker out of an alcoholic.
203.
There was, they said, no such thing as the personal conquest of this
compulsion by the unaided will.
204.
205.
We admit we have some of these symptoms, but we have not gone
to the extremes you fellows did, nor are we likely to, for we understand ourselves so
well after what you have told us that such things cannot happen again.
206.
When such thoughts break in, we might recall, a little ruefully, how much store we used to set by imagination as it tried to
create reality out of bottles.
207.
Save for a few brief moments of temptation the thought of
drink has never returned; and at such times a great revulsion has risen up in him.
208.
... such transformations,
though frequent, are by no ...
BB
Appendix II, Spiritual Experience, p.567
Among our rapidly growing membership of thousands of alcoholics
such transformations,
though frequent, are by no means the rule.
209.
210.
There are such unfortunates.
211.
Their common suffering as
drinkers, their common interest in A.A. and spiritual things, often enhance such unions.
212.
213.
214.
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