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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.
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.
2.
... those A.A.
treasuries which continue, beyond prudent ...
BB
Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition, p.564
Then too, we view with much concern those A.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated A.A.
purpose.
3.
... those A.A.
treasuries which continue, beyond prudent ...
12&12
Tradition Seven (Long), pp.190-191
Then, too, we view with much concern those A.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated A.A.
purpose.
4.
5.
6.
What happens when we wallow
in depression, self-pity oozing from every pore, and inflict that upon those about us?
7.
Can we transform these calamities into assets, sources of growth and comfort to ourselves and
those about us?
8.
9.
10.
An illness of this sort --
and we have come to believe
it an illness -- involves
those about us in a way no other human sickness can.
11.
12.
Here we begin to practice all Twelve Steps of the program in our daily lives so that we and those about us may find emotional sobriety.
13.
Either we had tried to play God and dominate those about us, or we
had insisted on being overdependent upon them.
14.
As soon as we begin to feel confident in our new way of life and have begun, by our behavior and example, to convince those about us that we
are indeed changing for
the better, it is usually
safe to talk in complete frankness with
those who have been seriously affected, even those who may be only a little or not at all aware of
what we have done to them.
15.
The subject presented in
this book seems to me to be of
paramount importance
to those afflicted with alcoholic addiction.
16.
Some of them may sink and perhaps never get up, but if our experience is a criterion, more than half of those approached will become fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous.
17.
It became clear that if we ever were to feel emotionally secure among grown-up people, we would have to put our lives on a give-and-take basis; we would have to develop
the sense of being in partnership or brotherhood with all those
around us.
18.
How could we ever take care of those awful debts, possess a decent home, educate the kids, and set something by for old age?
19.
20.
21.
They experienced a few distressing failures,
but in those cases they made an effort to bring the man's family into a spiritual way of living, thus relieving much worry and suffering.
22.
And even in those cases where such a matter must be discussed, let's try to avoid harming third parties, whoever they may be.
23.
We followed this up in Step Nine by making direct amends to those concerned, except when it
would injure them or other people.
24.
A.A. has to function, but at
the same time it must avoid those dangers of great wealth, prestige, and entrenched
power which necessarily
tempt other societies.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Students of ancient history tell us that the intellect of men in those days was equal to the best of today.
29.
30.
Looking again at those defects we are still unwilling to give up, we ought to erase the hard-and-fast lines that we have drawn.
31.
32.
33.
34.
The "12 Traditions" of Alcoholics Anonymous
are, we A.A.'s believe, the best answers that our experience has yet given to those ever-urgent questions, "How can A.A. best function?" and, "How can
A.A. best stay whole and so survive?"
35.
If we have swept the searchlight of Step Four back and forth over our careers, and it has revealed
in stark relief those experiences we'd rather not remember, if we
have come to know how wrong thinking and action have hurt us and others, then the need to quit living by ourselves with those tormenting ghosts of yesterday gets more urgent than ever.
36.
37.
We have learned that whatever the human frailties of various faiths may be, those faiths have given purpose and direction to millions.
38.
But as time passed we found that with the help of A.A.'s Twelve Steps we could lose those fears, no
matter what our material
prospects were.
39.
40.
Did I try to cover up those feelings of inadequacy by
bluffing, cheating, lying, or evading responsibility?
41.
There will be those who have drifted into indifference, those filled with self-sufficiency who have cut themselves off, those who
have become prejudiced
against religion, and
those who are downright defiant because God has failed to fulfill their demands.
42.
During those first days of convalescence, this will
do more to insure his sobriety than anything else.
43.
We can go far beyond those things which were superficially wrong with
us, to see those flaws which were basic, flaws which sometimes were responsible for the whole
pattern of our lives.
44.
But when its plans concern the welfare of neighboring groups also, those groups ought to be consulted.
45.
But when its plans concern the welfare of neighboring groups also, those groups ought to be consulted.
46.
This will be a very different occasion, and in
sharp contrast with those hangover mornings when we alternated between reviling ourselves and blaming the family (and everyone else) for our troubles.
47.
Though he could not accept
all the tenets of the Oxford
Groups, he was convinced
of the need for moral inventory, confession of
personality defects,
restitution to those harmed, helpfulness to others, and the necessity of
belief in and dependence
upon God.
48.
Those having religious affiliations will find here nothing disturbing to
their beliefs or ceremonies.
49.
To those having religious
training, such a list would set forth serious violations of moral principles.
50.
One morning he took the bull by the horns and set out to tell those he feared what his trouble had been.
51.
52.
Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life.
53.
54.
When, therefore, we were approached by those in whom
the problem had been solved, there was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet.
55.
In a weak moment he may take your dislike of his high-stepping friends as one of those insanely trivial excuses to drink.
56.
Enthusiastic over the spectacular recovery of
a brother alcoholic,
we'd sometimes discuss
those intimate and harrowing aspects of his case meant for his sponsor's ear alone.
57.
58.
To those now in its fold, Alcoholics Anonymous has
made the difference between misery and sobriety, and often the difference between life and death.
59.
Then there are those occasions when alone, or in
the company of our sponsor
or spiritual adviser, we
make a careful review of our progress since
the last time.
60.
61.
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.
62.
The basic principles of
the A.A. program, it appears, hold good for individuals with many different lifestyles, just as the program has brought recovery to those of many different nationalities.
63.
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.
64.
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.
65.
Those of us belonging to a
religious denomination which requires confession must, and of course, will want to go to the properly appointed authority whose duty it is to receive it.
66.
There are many opportunities even for
those of us who feel unable to speak at meetings or who are so situated that we cannot do much
face-to-face Twelfth Step work.
67.
Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer would no more do without it than we would refuse air, food, or sunshine.
68.
To those of us who have hitherto known only excitement, depression,
or anxiety -- in other words, to all of us -- this newfound peace is a priceless gift.
69.
Those of us who have spent much time in the world of spiritual make-believe have eventually seen the childishness of it.
70.
But those of us who have tried
to shoulder the entire burden and trouble of others find we are soon overcome by them.
71.
Those of us who live in large cities are overcome by the reflection that close by hundreds are dropping into
oblivion every day.
72.
73.
74.
75.
To certain newcomers and
to those one-time agnostics who still cling to the A.A. group as their higher power, claims for the power of prayer may, despite all the logic and experience in proof of it, still be unconvincing or quite objectionable.
76.
But what about his responsibilities -- his
family and the men who would die because they would not know how to get well, ah -- yes, those other alcoholics?
77.
For myself, I had adopted
those parts which seemed convenient and not
too difficult; the rest I
disregarded.
78.
79.
80.
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.
81.
His wife is one of those persons who really feels there is something rather sinful about these commodities, so she nagged, and her intolerance finally threw him into a fit of anger.
82.
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.
83.
Having opened our channel
as best we can, we try to ask for those right things of which we and others are in the greatest need.
84.
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.
85.
If all those rules had been in
effect everywhere, nobody could have possibly joined A.A. at all, so great was the sum of our anxiety and fear.
86.
87.
There had been no real infidelity, for loyalty to
my wife, helped at times by extreme drunkenness, kept me out of those scrapes.
88.
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.
89.
But we may employ alcoholics where they are going to perform those services for which we might
otherwise have to engage
nonalcoholics.
90.
But we may employ alcoholics where they are going to perform those services for which we might
otherwise have to engage
nonalcoholics.
91.
92.
Already a willingness
has been achieved to cast out one's own
will and one's own ideas about the alcohol problem in favor of those suggested by A.A.
93.
If it is a happy occasion,
try to increase the pleasure of those there; if a
business occasion, go and attend to your business enthusiastically.
94.
Nine -- A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we
may create service boards or committees directly responsible to
those they serve.
95.
Written by co-founder Bill W. in 1962, the Twelve Concepts for World Service provide a group of related principles to help ensure that various elements of A.A.'s service structure remain responsive and responsible to those they serve.
96.
Tradition Nine -- "A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create
service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."
97.
"A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create
service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."
98.
99.
We can go far beyond those things which were superficially wrong with
us, to see those flaws which were basic, flaws which sometimes were responsible for the whole
pattern of our lives.
100.
There will be those to whom we
can make only partial restitution, lest complete disclosures do
them or others more harm than good.
101.
There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do
recover if they have the capacity to be honest.
102.
If we have swept the searchlight of Step Four back and forth over our careers, and it has revealed
in stark relief those experiences we'd rather not remember, if we
have come to know how wrong thinking and action have hurt us and others, then the need to quit living by ourselves with those tormenting ghosts of yesterday gets more urgent than ever.
103.
104.
What about all those unhappy
lives which were the direct
result of unfortunate
birth and uncontrollable circumstances?
105.
106.
With those we dislike we can
begin to practice justice and courtesy, perhaps going out of our way to understand and help them.
107.
In no deep or meaningful sense had we ever taken stock of ourselves, made amends to those we had harmed, or freely given to any other human being without any demand for reward.
108.
We got a pretty severe shock when we realized that we were preparing to make a face-to-face admission of our wretched
conduct to those we had hurt.
109.
We needn't wallow in excessive remorse before those we have harmed, but amends at this level should always be forthright and generous.
110.
111.
We sometimes hurt those we love because they need to be "taught a lesson," when we really want to punish.
112.
After we have made the list of people we have harmed, have reflected carefully upon each instance, and have tried to possess ourselves of the right attitude in which to proceed, we will see that the making of direct amends divides those we should approach into several classes.
113.
The quick inventory is aimed at our daily ups and downs, especially those where people or new events throw us off balance and tempt us to make mistakes.
114.
115.
There will be those who have drifted into indifference, those filled with self-sufficiency who have cut themselves off, those who
have become prejudiced
against religion, and
those who are downright defiant because God has failed to fulfill their demands.
116.
We shall be interested to
hear from those who are getting results from this book, particularly from
those who have commenced work with other alcoholics.
117.
118.
For us, if we neglect those
who are still sick, there is unremitting danger to our
own lives and sanity.
119.
120.
121.
Understanding our work,
he can do this with an eye to selecting those who are willing and able to recover on a spiritual basis.
122.
123.
... those who
cannot afford private treatment, and ...
BB
Appendix III, The Medical View on A.A., p.570
Dr. John F. Stouffer, Chief Psychiatrist, Philadelphia General Hospital, citing his experience with A.A., said: "The alcoholics we get here at Philadelphia General are
mostly those who cannot afford private treatment, and A.A. is by far the greatest thing we have been able to offer them.
124.
125.
To Christ I conceded the
certainty of a great man, not too closely followed by those who claimed Him.
126.
We'd gather up derelicts from skid rows, sort out those who could get well, and make it possible for the rest to earn their livelihood in a kind of quarantined confinement.
127.
Hardly an alcoholic we approached paid any attention; most of those who did join us were like flickering candles in a windstorm.
128.
Those who did would sometimes assure us that, after all, a lively bender was only a good man's fault.
129.
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.
130.
Those who do not recover are
people who cannot or will not
completely give themselves to this simple
program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves.
131.
On the other hand -- and strange as this may seem to
those who do not understand -- once a psychic change has occurred, the very same person who seemed doomed, who had so many problems he despaired of ever solving them, suddenly finds himself easily able to control his desire for alcohol, the only effort necessary being that required to follow a few simple rules.
132.
Under these compulsions
of self-preservation, duty, and love, it is not strange that our Society has
concluded that it has but one high mission -- to carry the A.A. message to those who don't know there's a way out.
133.
134.
To us, the Realm of Spirit is
broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding
to those who earnestly seek.
135.
136.
Several of our crowd, men of thirty or less, had been drinking only a
few years, but they found themselves as helpless as those who had been
drinking twenty years.
137.
138.
When others showed us that
"God-sufficiency" worked with them, we began to feel like those who had insisted the Wrights would never fly.
139.
Yet it is our great hope that all those who have as yet found no
answer may begin to find one in the pages of this book and will presently join us on the high road to a new freedom.
140.
There will be those who have drifted into indifference, those filled with self-sufficiency who have cut themselves off, those who
have become prejudiced
against religion, and
those who are downright defiant because God has failed to fulfill their demands.
141.
As soon as we begin to feel confident in our new way of life and have begun, by our behavior and example, to convince those about us that we
are indeed changing for
the better, it is usually
safe to talk in complete frankness with
those who have been seriously affected, even those who may be only a little or not at all aware of
what we have done to them.
142.
We shall be interested to
hear from those who are getting results from this book, particularly from
those who have commenced work with other alcoholics.
143.
There will be those who have drifted into indifference, those filled with self-sufficiency who have cut themselves off, those who
have become prejudiced
against religion, and
those who are downright defiant because God has failed to fulfill their demands.
144.
Sometimes A.A. comes harder to those who have lost or rejected faith than to those who never had any faith at all, for they think they have tried faith and found it wanting.
145.
To those who have made progress in A.A., it amounts to a clear recognition of what and who we really are, followed by a sincere attempt to become what we could be.
146.
We think each family which has been relieved owes something to those who have
not, and when the occasion requires, each member of it should be only too willing to bring former mistakes, no matter how grievous, out of their hiding places.
147.
148.
149.
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.
150.
Twelfth Step work is never paid for, but those who labor in service for us are worthy of their hire.
151.
Our Twelfth Step is never to be paid for, but those who labor in service for us are worthy of
their hire.
152.
153.
As soon as we begin to feel confident in our new way of life and have begun, by our behavior and example, to convince those about us that we
are indeed changing for
the better, it is usually
safe to talk in complete frankness with
those who have been seriously affected, even those who may be only a little or not at all aware of
what we have done to them.
154.
155.
They will approach still other sick ones and fellowships of Alcoholics Anonymous may
spring up in each city and hamlet, havens for those who must find a way out.
156.
157.
Sometimes A.A. comes harder to those who have lost or rejected faith than to those who never had any faith at all, for they think they have tried faith and found it wanting.
158.
It has been well said that "almost the only scoffers at
prayer are those who never tried it enough."
159.
Even among those who occasionally land back in here again, we observe a profound change in personality.
160.
161.
There will be those who ought to be dealt with just as soon as we become reasonably confident that we can maintain our sobriety.
162.
All this should be very encouraging news for those who recoil from prayer because they don't believe in it, or because
they feel themselves cut off from God's help and direction.
163.
164.
165.
166.
Of alcoholics who came to
A.A. and really tried, 50% got
sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with A.A. showed improvement.
167.
168.
169.
Impressed by those who visited him at the hospital,
he capitulated entirely when, later, in an upper room of this house, he heard the story of some man whose experience closely tallied with his own.
170.
Looking at those who were
only beginning and still
doubted themselves, the
rest of us were able to see the change setting in.
171.
172.
But soon the sense of His presence had been blotted out by worldly clamors, mostly those within myself.
173.
Let us look now upon the sea and ponder what its mystery is; and let us lift our eyes to the far horizon, beyond which we shall seek all those wonders still unseen.
174.
Like so much of A.A.'s basic text, those words have proved to be far more visionary than the founding members could ever have imagined.
175.
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