Seven trustees are members of alcoholics anonymous, the other eight are wellknown business and professional men who have volunteered their services. I ask that you read the appendix in the back of the big book, titled spiritual experience. The big book of alcoholics anonymous kindle edition by wilson, bill, smith, dr. Appendix ii spiritual awakening god consciounsness educational variety spiritual experience aa big book big book of aa alcoholics anonymous doctors opinion how it works aa preamble alcoholism recovery 4th edition 3rd edition 2nd edition alcohol allergy rehabilitation of alcoholics dr. The big book authors, men and women who have recovered from a seamingly hopeless state of mind and body, all who have claimed having a spiritual experience or awakening, describe it as. If youve ever flipped to the appendix in the book alcoholics anonymous then you may have come across this quote before. Our online big book is used by thousands of people all over the world, and incurs substantial bandwidth expense. Monthly big book readings aa the original way group. Contempt prior to investigation is a famous quote listed in the big book of aa. The big book of alcoholics anonymous kindle edition by. We expect that this contribution to the recovering community worldwide will continue to grow, as our online big book is a great study tool. The story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism, is a collection of texts used by members of the alcoholics anonymous fellowship the book has undergone four revisions since william wilson, also known as bill w.
The cheery voice of an old school friend asked if he might. The story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism is often referred to in alcoholics anonymous meetings aa as the big book. With the appearance of the new book a great deal began to happen. The aa program of recovery is set forth in the twelve steps aa was founded in 1935 in akron, ohio. So those two words were exchanged in the 12 th step and an appendix titled spiritual experience added to the book. Appendix in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. Overview preface preface chapter 1 bills story chapter 2 there is a solution chapter 3 more about alcoholism chapter 4 we agnostics chapter 5 how it works chapter 6 into action chapter 7 working with others chapter 8 to wives chapter 9 the family afterward chapter 10 to employers chapter 11 a vision for you. Gold gilding strong 90% front board, 100% spine top, 70% spine bottom. Appendix i aa big book appendix i aa big book the a. Before then, i had alcoholics anonymous screen 30 of 703. Alcoholics anonymous first edition, first printing 1939 big book. The 164 and more book, ebook, and web site are all concordances which display passages from the big book alcoholics anonymous, the twelve steps and twelve traditions, and the a.
Jun 01, 2015 there were 4 musts in the first and second editions of alcoholics anonymous. This is the official website of the general service office g. Works publishing company, april 1939, hardcover 400pp. Appendix ii spiritual awakening god consciounsness educational variety spiritual experience aa big book big book of aa alcoholics anonymous doctors opinion how it works aa preamble alcoholism recovery 4th edition 3rd edition 2nd edition alcohol allergy rehabilitation of.
The purpose of this study guide is to enable the student to better understand the information the authors of the book, alcoholics anonymous, intended to impart to each of us based on their experience and knowledge of alcoholism and their program of recovery. The author pays particular attention to appendix ii of the big book, which was added in the second printing of the book in 1941. At a big book meeting, they readdiscuss and hopefully study the big book. No writing or markings to except first blank page where previous owners name was written in pencil and erased. This page contains notes and handouts for the 12 step big book workshop on aa s 12 steps, as presented by dallas b. Videos or graphic images may not be downloaded, copied or duplicated without the express written permission of alcoholics anonymous world services, inc. My dad and i thoroughly discussed how the question why dont you choose your own conception of god.
The big book of alcoholics anonymous the world famous eye. From page 569, big book, aka alcoholics anonymous 3rd edition. For the serious student of the aa big book, what follows are some recommendations from the author of this study guide in the approach to take when utilizing this supplemental material. May 21, 2008 the big book itself does not offer a defense of its own theological method, but one can be found easily enough in the work of aas third cofounder, william james. Tradition aa 12 traditions 12 traditions short form 12 traditions long form big book of aa alcoholics anonymous doctors opinion how it works aa preamble alcoholism recovery 4th edition 3rd edition 2nd edition alcohol allergy rehabilitation of alcoholics dr. Divide the card into columnsfive across and five down. Sorting and rendering passages in the proprietary format of the 164 and more concordance does not in any way imply affiliation with or endorsement by either alcoholics. Alcoholics anonymous first edition first printings 1939.
Big book is in very good condition with rub to top right corner of spine. Copyright alcoholics anonymous world services, inc. Big book overview alcoholics anonymous or the big book as it is commonly called was first published in 1939 and was subtitled the story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism. Unfortunately, aa literature and records of talks are full of bill w and others saying one thing in one place and the opposite elsewhere. Here are the 12 steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery the 12 steps are found on pages 5960, alcoholics anonymous, the big book the 12 steps are referred to in the big book, on page 58, where it is written, rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed out path the 12 steps is the solution for alcoholic addiction referred to in chapter 2, of the. I can relate to a time in my life when i had everything going well for me and my habit got the best of me and caused me to lose my employment. Personally, id like it if aa moved appendix ii to the front section of the book with forwards. The big book is the original source of for step instructions in alcoholics anonymous. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Mar 03, 20 the author pays particular attention to appendix ii of the big book, which was added in the second printing of the book in 1941. A much more detailed outline of the big book is found in a schematic outline of the big book as found at. The purpose of the appendix is to correct the impression in the big book that recovery requires a religious conversion, the author of the little book said.
Alcoholics anonymous first edition first printings 1939 for sale. All other sources the little red book, the 12 and 12, group sponsored literature were written as accompaniments or guides to be used to assist and deepen the path laid out by the original members of alcoholics anonymous in the big book. And what the 12 steps are for and why we need to take the steps before we can start working the 12 steps. Alcoholics anonymous publishes several books, reports, pamphlets, and other media, including a periodical known as the aa grapevine. How do you know if you are having a spiritual experience. Become willing to believe spiritual alcoholics anonymous. As many groups read from the text, alcoholics anonymous, it would be helpful to include the a. We provide this study guide based on personal experience to help those following aas 12 steps as outlined in the original big book, alcoholics anonymous aa. It is the first text written about the experiences of the founders of the a. Here they are, the 82 occurrences of the word must found in alcoholics anonymous 4th edition the doctors opinion 1 page xxiii. Spiritual in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. The second edition added the appendices, the twelve traditions, and the. This is the fourth edition of the book alcoholics anonymous. Oct 21, 2012 i have always read appendix ii as a game changer myself.
Part i the only place where an absolute is mentioned in the first half of the big book of alcoholics anonymous is in the introductory remarks about our old ideas in the how it works chapter right there in the paragraph immediately before the suggested twelve steps are laid out. Jun 27, 20 my dad and i thoroughly discussed how the question why dont you choose your own conception of god. Become willing to believe alcoholics anonymous cleveland. Contempt prior to investigation is as much a symptom of alcoholism as cirrhosis of the liver.
The aa tradition is found in the first appendix of the big book. Here is a little piece that ends up in the big book of alcoholics anonymous, as probably one of the more famous quotes that exists in alcoholics anonymous today. For many alcoholics encountering the book alcoholics anonymous for the first time, a shock of. James work was know to bill wilson, primary author of the big book and cofounder of aa. The big book of alcoholics anonymous, also referred to as alcoholics anonymous.
The first part of this book describes how meetings were held citing eyewitness accounts from that time and what was being taught in alcoholics anonymous meetings in akron and cleveland during the formative period that stretched from 1938 to 1942 starting the year before the big book was published, when a. The story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism generally known as the big book because of the thickness of the paper used in the first edition is a 1939 basic text, describing how to recover from alcoholism, primarily written by william g. Millions of people have read the big book of aa to find instruction on. Aa is nonprofessional, selfsupporting, and apolitical. I have always read appendix ii as a game changer myself. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the big book of alcoholics anonymous. Read the book alcoholics anonymous from the frontispiece through the end of chapter 11 a vision for you pg 164. The second edition added appendices, including the 12 traditions of aa. Appendices in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. Alcoholics anonymous, from the title of its own book. Download pamphlets and handouts to use in big book group sessions our workbook companion to alcoholics anonymous 12 steps of recovery from alcoholism and addiction is called steps by the big book. The text got this name because the first edition of the book had rather thick pages, making the book even thicker than its content would suggest. This is the fourth edition of the big book, the basic text for alcoholics anonymous.
A short form of the 12 traditions is listed on page 562, and a long form of the traditions is on pages 563566. War fever ran high in the new england town to which we. The story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism generally known as the big book is a 1939 basic text, describing how to recover from alcoholism, written by the founders of alcoholics anonymous aa, bill w. Alcoholics anonymous first edition, first printing 1939 big book ny. I had been in aa for about a year before the release took place the big book uses the word recovered, so in aa program language i had had a spiritual awakening slow rather than a spiritual experience sudden as mentioned in appendix ii. In fact, herbert spencer did not write the quotation in appendix ii at all, and bill wilson did not. Drs opinion 4th edition p xxv bills story chapter 1 p 1 16 there is a solution chapter 2 p 16 30 more about alcoholism chapter 3 p 30 43 we agnostics chapter 4 p 44 57 how it works chapter 5 p 58 71 into action continue reading big book of alcoholics anonymous. Big book of alcoholics anonymous appendix ii page 567. Seven trustees are members of alcoholics anonymous, the other eight are well known business and professional men who have volunteered their services. This page contains notes and handouts for the 12 step big book workshop on aas 12 steps, as presented by dallas b. Prayers from the big book of alcoholics anonymous i earnestly advise every alcoholic to read this book through, and though perhaps he came to scoff, he may remain to pray. Before or during your next meeting, prepare yourself by drawing a square.
Write one of the following wordphrases in each block. The reason is, the bb is the basic textbook for recovery in aa. Alcoholics anonymous aa is an international mutual aid fellowship with the stated purpose of enabling its members to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety. Its only membership requirement is a desire to stop drinking.
This and other parts of the big book did not suddenly come down from on high. Twelve step workshop herbk 2017 updated 12122016 a twelve month workshop using the book alcoholics anonymous to those interested in participating in the weekly meetings for twelve months. Do we lay the matter before our sponsor or spiritual adviser, earnestly asking gods. There was another part of bills story that impacted me. Big book is in very good condition with light wear to spine gold gilding strong on front and spine. The point is that the chapter evolved through the actions of many hands and hearts. Wilson, one of the founders of alcoholics anonymous aa. If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are halfway through. Home read the big book and twelve steps and twelve traditions. The big book itself does not offer a defense of its own theological method, but one can be found easily enough in the work of aas third cofounder, william james.
Many books with wisdom can be read endlessly, and you find something new each time. Since the first edition appeared, in 1939, it has helped millions of men and women recover from alcoholism. To read a pdf version of the fourth edition of alcoholics anonymous. The big book infers that a vital spiritual experience is necessary for alcoholics to face. It is in appendix ii, which is about the nature of spiritual experiences and seeks to clear up any confusion that the beginnings of the book may have brought in regards to how a spiritual experience comes about. Its said you must hit rock bottom before you can make the journey to recovery but maybe if you read this book you. Alcoholics anonymous big book original edition aa services isbn. Each member of alcoholics anonymous is but a small part of a great whole.
Why, we thought, our society of alcoholics anonymous might prove to be the. This ebook is not a product of alcoholics anonymous. Established on such a footing step 3 we became less and less interested in ourselves, our own little plans and designs. Alcoholics anonymous the big book and twelve steps and twelve traditions, the latter explaining aas fundamental principles in depth. Sorting and rendering passages in the proprietary format of the 164 and more concordance does not in any way imply affiliation with or endorsement by either alcoholics anonymous. There were 4 musts in the first and second editions of alcoholics anonymous.