From
the first edition Big Book
THE
ALCOHOLIC FOUNDATION
Appendix I page 397-398
IN
OUR text we have shown the alcoholic how he may recover
but we realize that many will want to write us.
To receive these inquiries,
to administer royalties from this book and such other
funds as may come to hand, a Trust has been created known
as The Alcoholic Foundation. Seven Trustees are members
of Alcoholics Anonymous, the other eight are well-known
business and professional men who have volunteered their
services. The Trust states these eight (who are not of
Alcoholics Anonymous) or their successors, shall always
constitute a majority of the Board of Trustees.
The Alcoholic Foundation
maintains an office in New York City as national headquarters
of Alcoholics Anonymous.
We must frankly state
however, that due to our rapid growth we may be unable
to reply to all inquiries promptly. Nevertheless we shall
strenuously attempt to communicate with those men and
women who are able to report that they are staying sober
and working with other alcoholics. It is our practice
once we have such an active nucleus, to refer to its members
those inquiries originating near them. Starting with small
but active centers created in this fashion, hundreds of
successful fellowships have already sprung up.
The Alcoholic Foundation
is our sole agency of its kind. We have agreed that all
business engagements touching nationally upon our alcoholic
work shall have the approval of its trustees. People who
state they represent The Alcoholic Foundation should be
asked for credentials and if unsatisfactory, these ought
to be checked with the Foundation at once. We welcome
inquiry by scientific, medical and religious societies.
This volume is published
by Works Publishing Inc., originally organized and financed
by small subscriptions from our older members. These subscribers,
forty-nine in all, have since donated their entire interest
in Works Publishing Inc. to The Alcoholic Foundation,
thereby giving the Foundation complete ownership and control
of this book.
To
order this book please send your check or money order
to:
WORKS
PUBLISHING INC.
Grand Central Annex
Box 459
New York City (17)
General Correspondence to
The Alcoholic Foundation
Grand Central Annex
Box 459
New York City (17)
Spiritual
Experience
Appendix II page 399-400
THE
terms "spiritual experience" and "spiritual awakening"
are used many times in this book which, upon careful
reading, shows that the personality change sufficient
to bring about recovery from alcoholism has manifested
itself among us in many different forms.
Yet it is true that
our first printing gave many readers the impression
that these personality changes, or religious experiences,
must be in the nature of sudden and spectacular upheavals.
Happily for everyone, this conclusion is erroneous.
In the first few
chapters a number of sudden revolutionary changes are
described. 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.
Among our rapidly
growing membership of thousands of alcoholics such transformations,
though frequent, are by no means the rule. Most of our
experiences are what the psychologist William James
calls the "educational variety" because they develop
slowly over a period of time. Quite often friends of
the newcomer are aware of the difference long before
he is himself. 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. What often takes place in a few months
could seldom have been accomplished by years of self
discipline. With few exceptions our members find that
they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which
they presently identify with their own conception of
a Power greater than themselves.
Most of us think
this awareness of a Power greater than ourselves the
essence of spiritual experience. Our more religious
members call it "God-consciousness."
Most emhpatically
we wish to say that any alcoholic capable of honestly
facing his problems in the light of our experience can
recover provided he does not close his mind to all spiritual
concepts. He can only be defeated by an attitude of
intolerance or belligerent denial.
We find that no
one need have difficulty with the spiritual side of
the program. Willingness, honesty and open mindedness
are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable.
GO
BACK
GO
BACK