OF THE BOOK ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
AND ITS 3RD EDITION
Following is a comparison between the portions of the pre-publication manuscript of the book Alcoholics Anonymous and the way it is printed in the third edition.
1. Pre-publication
Shows how the text as it appeared in the pre-publication manuscript of our Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous in late 1938 when it was circulated among the first members (about 100) in Akron, Cleveland, and New York. Certain nonalcoholic friends of A.A.–physicians, clergymen and newspaper editors–were also asked for their comments and suggestions. There were at least two editing of this draft before it went to the printer, Cornwall Press, Cornwall, New York.
2. Third edition
Shows how the text appears in the third edition. The portions of the text which were modified are underlined. There are places in which commas were used or not used, some words were capitalized and some not, some grammar errors, and other miscellaneous ways of highlighting text which, for the sake of brevity, are not shown.
page information references the 3rd edition
1. FOREWORD
2. FOREWORD TO THE FIRST EDITION
This is the Foreword as it appeared in first printing of the first edition in 1939.
page xiii, heading
1. To show other alcoholics PRECISELY HOW THEY CAN RECOVER is the main purpose of this book. For them, we think these pages will prove so convincing that no further authentication will be necessary. We hope this account of our experiences will help everyone to better understand the alcoholic. Many do not yet comprehend that he is a very sick person. And besides, we are sure that new our way of living has its advantages for all.
It is important that we remain anonymous because we are too few, at present to handle the overwhelming number of personal appeals which will result from this publication.
2. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. For them, we hope these pages will prove so convincing that no further authentication will be necessary. We think this account of our experiences will help everyone to better understand the alcoholic. Many do not comprehend that the alcoholic is a very sick person. And besides, we are sure that our way of living has its advantages for all.
It is important that we remain anonymous because we are too few, at present to handle the overwhelming number of personal appeals which may result from this publication.
page xiii, paragraph 1, lines 4-12 & paragraph 2, lines 1-4
1. We would like it clearly understood that our alcoholic work is an avocation only, so that when writing or speaking publicly about alcoholism, we urge each of our Fellowship to omit his personal name, designating himself instead as “A Member of Alcoholics Anonymous”.
2. We would like it understood that our alcoholic work is an avocation.
When writing or speaking publicly about alcoholism, we urge each of our Fellowship to omit his personal name, designating himself instead as “a member of Alcoholics Anonymous”.
page xiii, paragraph 2, lines 6,7 & paragraph 3
1. We shall try to contact such cases.
2. We should like to be helpful to such cases.
page xiv, paragraph 1, lines 3,4
1. (This multilith volume will be sent upon receipt of $3.50, and the printed book will be mailed, at no additional cost, as soon as published.)
2. omitted
page xiv
1. About four years ago I attended a patient who, though he had been a competent businessman of good earning capacity, was an alcoholic of a type I had come to regard as hopeless.
2. In late 1934 I attended a patient who, though he had been a competent businessman of good earning capacity, was an alcoholic of a type I had come to regard as hopeless.
page xxiii, paragraph 4
1. I personally know thirty of these cases who were of the type with whom other methods had failed completely.
2. I personally know scores of cases who were of the type with whom other methods had failed completely.
page xxiii, paragraph 6
1. These facts appear to be of extreme medical importance; because of the extraordinary possibilities of rapid growth inherent in this group they mark a new epoch in the annals of alcoholism.
2. These facts appear to be of extreme medical importance; because of the extraordinary possibilities of rapid growth inherent in this group they may mark a new epoch in the annals of alcoholism.
page xxiii, paragraph 7, lines 1-4
1. (Signed) – – – – – M.D.
2. William D. Silkworth,M.D.
page xxiv, paragraph 2, line 2
1. In this statement he confirms what anyone who has suffered alcoholic torture must believe–that the body of the alcoholic is quite as abnormal as his mind. It does not satisfy us to be told that we cannot control our drinking just because we were maladjusted to life, that we were in full flight from reality, or were outright mental defectives.
2. In this statement he confirms what we who have suffered alcoholic torture must believe–that the body of the alcoholic is quite as abnormal as his mind. It did not satisfy us to be told that we could not control our drinking just because we were maladjusted to life, that we were in full flight from reality, or were outright mental defectives.
page xxiv, paragraph 2, lines 3-9
1. The doctor’s theory that we have a kind of allergy to alcohol interests us.
2. The doctor’s theory that we have an allergy to alcohol interests us.
page xxiv, paragraph 3, lines 1,2
1. But as ex-alcoholics, we can say that his explanation makes good sense.
2. But as ex-problem drinkers, we can say that his explanation makes good sense.
page xxiv, paragraph 3, lines 3-5
1. Though we work out our solution on the spiritual plane, we favor hospitalization for the alcoholic who is very jittery or befogged.
2. Though we work out our solution on the spiritual as well as an altruistic plane, we favor hospitalization for the alcoholic who is very jittery or befogged
page xxiv, paragraph 4, lines 1-3
1. About four years ago one of the leading contributors to this book came under our care in this hospital and while here he acquired some ideas which he put into practical application at once.
2. Many years ago one of the leading contributors to this book came under our care in this hospital and while here he acquired some ideas which he put into practical application at once.
page xxv, paragraph 6
1. We feel, after many years of experience, that we have found nothing which has contributed more to the rehabilitation of these men than the community movement now growing up among them.
2. We feel, after many years of experience, that we have found nothing which has contributed more to the rehabilitation of these men than the altruistic movement now growing up among them.
page xxvi, paragraph 3, lines 8-11
1. Though the aggregate of recoveries resulting from psychiatric effort is perhaps considerable, we physicians must admit we have made little impression upon the problem as a whole.
2. Though the aggregate of recoveries resulting from psychiatric effort is considerable, we physicians must admit we have made little impression upon the problem as a whole.
page xxvii, paragraph 3, lines 5-8
1. I do not hold with those who believe that alcoholism is entirely a mental condition.
2. I do not hold with those who believe that alcoholism is entirely a problem of mental control.
page xxvii, paragraph 4, lines 1,2
1. There are, of course, the constitutional psychopaths who are emotionally unstable.
2. There are, of course, the psychopaths who are emotionally unstable.
page xxviii, paragraph 2, lines 2,3
1. Then there are those who are never properly adjusted to life, who are the so called neurotics. The prognosis of this type is unfavorable.
2. omitted
page xxviii, paragraph 3, lines 1-3 omitted from the printing
1. Perhaps I can best answer this by relating an experience of two years ago.
2. Perhaps I can best answer this by relating one of my experiences.
page xxix, paragraph 1, lines 1,2
1. More than three years have now passed with no return to alcohol.
2. A long time has passed with no return to alcohol.
page xxix, paragraph 2, lines 17,18
1. He has not had a drink for more than three years.
2. He has not had a drink for a great many years.
page xxx, paragraph 1, line 2
1. omitted
2. William D. Silkworth, M.D.
page xxx
1. I was staring at an inch of the tape which bore the inscription PKF-32.
2. I was staring at an inch of the tape which bore the inscription XYZ-32.
page 4, paragraph 1, lines 5,6
1. My brother-in-law is a physician, and through his kindness I was placed in a nationally-known hospital for the mental and physical rehabilitation of alcoholics.
2. My brother-in-law is a physician, and through his kindness and that of my mother I was placed in a nationally-known hospital for the mental and physical rehabilitation of alcoholics.
page 7, paragraph 1, lines 1-4
1. omitted
2. Despite the living example of my friend there remained in me the vestiges of my old prejudice. The word God still aroused a certain antipathy. When the thought was expressed that there might be a God personal to me this feeling was intensified. I didn’t like the idea. 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. I have since talked with scores of men who felt the same way.
My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea. He said, “Why don’t you choose your own conception of God?”
That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last.
It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning. I saw that growth could start from that point. Upon a
foundation of complete willingness I might build what I saw in my friend. Would I have it? Of course I would!
Thus was I convinced that God is concerned with us humans when we want Him enough. At long last I saw, I felt, I believed. Scales of pride and prejudice fell from my eyes. A new world came into view.
page 12, paragraphs 1-4
1. Treatment seemed wise, for I showed signs of delirium tremens. I have not had a drink since.
2. omitted
page 13, paragraph 1, line 3
1. I ruthlessly faced my sins and became willing to have my new-found Friend take them away, root and branch.
2. I ruthlessly faced my sins and became willing to have my new-found Friend take them away, root and branch. I have not had a drink since.
page 13, paragraph 2, lines 5-8
1. I have seen one hundred families set their feet in the path that really goes somewhere; have seen the most impossible domestic situations righted; feuds and bitterness of all sorts wiped out.
2. I have seen hundreds of families set their feet in the path that really goes somewhere; have seen the most impossible domestic situations righted; feuds and bitterness of all sorts wiped out.
page 15, paragraph 2, lines 4-8
1. In one Western city and its environs there are eighty of us and our families. We meet frequently at our different homes, so that newcomers may find the fellowship they seek. At these informal gatherings one may often see from 40 to 80 persons.
2. In one western city and its environs there are one thousand of us and our families. We meet frequently so that newcomers may find the fellowship they seek. At these informal gatherings one may often see from 50 to 200 persons.
page 15, paragraph 2, lines 13-17
1. God has to work twenty-four hours a day in and through us, or we perish.
2. Faith has to work twenty-four hours a day in and through us, or we perish.
page 16, paragraph 2, lines 4,5
1. Most of us feel we need look no further for Utopia, nor even for Heaven.
2. Most of us feel we need look no further for Utopia.
page 16, paragraph 3, line 1
1. omitted
2. Bill W., co-founder of A.A. died January 24, 1971
footnote
1. We, of ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, know one hundred men who were once just as hopeless as Bill. All have recovered.
2. We, of ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, know thousands of men and women who were once just as hopeless as Bill. Nearly all have recovered.
page 17, paragraph 1, lines 1-3
1. We are ordinary Americans.
2. We are average Americans.
page 17, paragraph 2, line 1
1. This volume will inform, instruct and comfort those who are, or who may be affected. They are many.
2. We hope this volume will inform and comfort those who are, or who may be affected. There are many.
page 18, paragraph 2
1. Highly competent psychiatrists who have dealt with us (often fruitlessly, we are afraid) find it almost impossible to persuade an alcoholic to discuss his situation without reserve.
2. Highly competent psychiatrists who have dealt with us have found it sometimes impossible to persuade an alcoholic to discuss his situation without reserve.
page 18, paragraph 3, lines 1-3
1. But the ex-alcoholic who had found this solution, who is properly armed with certain medical information, can generally win the entire confidence of another alcoholic in a few hours.
2. But the ex-problem drinker who had found this solution, who is properly armed with facts about himself, can generally win the entire confidence of another alcoholic in a few hours.
page 18, paragraph 4, lines 1-4
1. That the man who is making the approach has had the same difficulty, that he obviously knows what he is talking about, that his whole deportment shouts at the new prospect that he is a man with a real answer, that he has no attitude of holier than thou, nothing whatever except the sincere desire to be helpful; that there are no fees to pay, no axes to grind, no people to please, no lectures to be endured-these are the conditions we have found
necessary.
2. That the man who is making the approach has had the same difficulty, that he obviously knows what he is talking about, that his whole deportment shouts at the new prospect that he is a man with a real answer, that he has no attitude of Holier Than Thou, nothing whatever except the sincere desire to be helpful; that there are no fees to pay, no axes to grind, no people to please, no lectures to be endured-these are the conditions we have found most effective.
page 18, paragraph 5, lines 1-9
1. None of us make a vocation of this work, nor do we think its effectiveness would be increased if we did. We feel that elimination of the liquor problem is but a beginning.
2. None of us make a sole vocation of this work, nor do we think its effectiveness would be increased if we did. We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning.
page 19, paragraph 1, lines 1-4
1. Our very lives, as ex-alcoholics, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.
2. Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.
page 19, paragraph 4, lines 10-12
1. Then comes the days when he simply cannot make it and gets drunk all over again. Perhaps he goes to a doctor who gives him a dose of morphine or some high-voltage sedative with which to taper off.
2. Then comes the day when he simply cannot make it and gets drunk all over again. Perhaps he goes to a doctor who gives him morphine or some sedative with which to taper off.
page 21, paragraph 2, lines 29-32
1. Psychiatrists and medical men vary considerably in their opinion as to why the alcoholic reacts differently from normal people. No one is sure why, once a certain point is reached, nothing can be done for him.
2. Opinions vary considerably as to why the alcoholic reacts differently from normal people. We are not sure why, once a certain point is reached, little can be done for him.
page 22, paragraph 3, lines 2-5
1. Therefore, the real problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind, rather than in his body.
2. Therefore, the main problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind, rather than in his body.
page 23, paragraph 1, lines 3,4
1. The tragic truth is that if the man be a real alcoholic, the happy day will seldom arrive.
2. The tragic truth is that if the man be a real alcoholic, the happy day may not arrive.
page 23, paragraph 4, lines 1,2
1. We are unable at certain times, no matter how well we understand ourselves, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago.
2. We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago.
page 24, paragraph 1, lines 4-6
1. When this sort of thinking is fully established in an individual with alcoholic tendencies, he has probably placed himself beyond human aid, and unless locked up, is certain to die, or go permanently insane.
2. When this sort of thinking is fully established in an individual with alcoholic tendencies, he has probably placed himself beyond human aid, and unless locked up, may die or permanently insane.
page 24, paragraph 4, lines 1-4
1. But for the grace of God, there would have been one hundred more convincing demonstrations.
2. But for the grace of God, there would have been thousands more convincing demonstrations.
page 24, paragraph 4, lines 6-8
1. If you are seriously alcoholic, we believe you have no middle-of-the-road solution. You are in a position where life is becoming impossible, and if you have passed into the region from which there is no return through human aid, you have but two alternatives: one is to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of your intolerable situation as best you can; and the other, to find what we have found. This you can do if you honestly want to, and are willing to make the effort.
2. If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution. We were in a position where life was becoming impossible, and if we had passed into the region from which there is no return through human aid, we had but two alternatives: One was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could; and the other, to accept spiritual help. This we did because we honestly wanted to, and were willing to make the effort.
page 25, paragraph 3
1. Then he had gone to Europe, placing himself in the care of a celebrated physician who prescribed for him. Though bitter experience had made him skeptical, he finished his treatment with unusual confidence.
2. Then he had gone to Europe, placing himself in the care of a celebrated physician (the psychiatrist, Dr. Jung) who prescribed for him. Though experience had made him skeptical, he finished his treatment with unusual confidence.
page 26, paragraph 1, lines 4-8
1. The distinguished American psychologist, William James, in his book “Varieties of Religious Experience,” indicates a multitude of ways in which men have found God. As a group, we have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by which God can be discovered.
2. The distinguished American psychologist, William James, in his book “Varieties of Religious Experience,” indicates a multitude of ways in which men have discovered God. We have no desire to convince anyone that there is only one way by which faith can be acquired.
page 28, paragraph 3, lines 1-6
1. We think it no concern of ours, as a group, what religious bodies our members identify themselves with as individuals.
2. We think it no concern of ours what religious bodies our members identify themselves with as individuals.
page 28, paragraph 4, lines 1,2
1. There is a group of personal narratives. Then clear-cut directions are given showing how an alcoholic may recover. These are followed by more than a score of personal experiences.
2. Further on, clear-cut directions are given showing how we recovered. These are followed by forty-three personal experiences.
page 29, paragraph 1
1. Each individual, in the personal stories, describes in his own language and from his own point of view the way he found or rediscovered God.
2. Each individual, in the personal stories, describes in his own language and from his own point of view the way he established his relationship with God.
page 29, paragraph 2, lines 1-3
1. The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, had to be smashed.
2. The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed.
page 30, paragraph 2, lines 3,4
1. We know that no real alcoholic ever recovered this control.
2. We know that no real alcoholic ever recovers control.
page 30, paragraph 3, lines 2,3
1. Here are some of the methods we have tried: Drinking beer only, limiting the number of drinks, never drinking alone, never drinking in the morning, drinking only at home, never having it in the house, never drinking during business hours, drinking only at parties, switching from scotch to brandy, drinking only natural wines, agreeing to resign if ever drunk on the job, taking a trip, not taking a trip, swearing off forever (with and without a solemn oath), taking more physical exercise, reading inspirational books, consulting psychologists, going to health farms and sanitariums, accepting voluntary commitment to asylums–we could increase the list ad infinitum.
2. Here are some of the methods we have tried: Drinking beer only, limiting the number of drinks, never drinking alone, never drinking in the morning, drinking only at home, never having it in the house, never drinking during business hours, drinking only at parties, switching from scotch to brandy, drinking only natural wines, agreeing to resign if ever drunk on the job, taking a trip, not taking a trip, swearing off forever (with and without a solemn oath), taking more physical exercise, reading inspirational books,
going to health farms and sanitariums, accepting voluntary commitment to asylums–we could increase the list ad infinitum.
page 31, paragraph 2
1. It will be worth a bad case of jitters if you get thoroughly sold on the idea that you are a candidate for Alcoholics Anonymous.
2. It may be worth a bad case of jitters if you get a full knowledge of your condition.
page 31, paragraph 3, lines 6-8
1. We have heard of a few instances where people, who showed definite signs of alcoholism, were able to stop because of an overpowering desire to do so.
2. We have heard of a few instances where people, who showed definite signs of alcoholism, were able to stop for a long period because of an overpowering desire to do so.
page 32, paragraph 1, lines 5-8
1. Then, gathering all his forces, he attempted to stop, and found he could not.
2. Then, gathering all his forces, he attempted to stop altogether and found he could not.
page 32, paragraph 2, lines 18-20
1. Several of our crowd, men of thirty-five or less, had been drinking only a few years, but they found themselves as helpless as those who had been drinking twenty years.
2. 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.
page 33, paragraph 2, lines 6-9
1. Whether such a person can quit upon a non-spiritual basis depends somewhat upon the strength of his character, and how much he really wants to be done with it. But even more will it depend upon the extent to which he has already lost the power to choose whether he will drink or not.
2. 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.
page 34, paragraph 2, lines 3-6
1. Whatever the precise medical definition of the word may be, we call this plain insanity.
2. Whatever the precise definition of the word may be, we call this plain insanity.
page 37, paragraph 1, lines 1,2
1. To us it is not far-fetched, for this kind of thinking has been characteristic of every single one of our group. Some of us have sometimes reflected more than Jim upon the consequences.
2. To us it is not far-fetched, for this kind of thinking has been characteristic of every single one of us. We have sometimes reflected more than Jim upon the consequences.
page 37, paragraph 2, lines 1-4
1. That may be true of certain nonalcoholic people who, though drinking foolishly and heavily at the present time, are able to stop or moderate, because their brains and bodies have not been warped and degenerated as ours were.
2. That may be true of certain nonalcoholic people who, though drinking foolishly and heavily at the present time, are able to stop or moderate, because their brains and bodies have not been damaged as ours were.
page 39, paragraph 1, lines 1-5
1. We told him about alcoholism.
2. We told him what we knew about alcoholism.
page 39, paragraph 2, lines 20,21
1. They piled on me heaps of medical evidence to the effect that an alcoholic mentality, such as I had exhibited in Washington, was a hopeless condition.
2. 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.
page 42, paragraph 1, lines 5-8
1. To be doomed to an alcoholic hell or “saved” — not easy alternatives to face.
2. To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face.
page 44, paragraph 2, lines 4-6
1. About half our fellowship were of exactly that type.
2. About half our original fellowship were of exactly that type.
page 44, paragraph 3, lines 1,2
1. But cheer up, something like fifty of us thought we were atheists or agnostics.
2. But cheer up, something like half of us thought we were atheists or agnostics.
page 44, paragraph 3, lines 7,8
1. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding.
2. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek.
page 46, paragraph 2, lines 10-12
1. At the start, this is all you will need to commence spiritual growth, to effect your first conscious relation with God as you understand Him. Afterward, you will find yourself accepting many things which now seem entirely out of reach. That is growth, but
if you are going to grow you have to begin somewhere. So use your own conception, however limited it may be.
You need to ask yourself but one short question.
2. At the start, this was all we needed to commence spiritual growth, to effect our first conscious relation with God as we understood Him. Afterward, we found ourselves accepting many things which then seemed entirely out of reach. That was growth,
but if we wished to grow we had to begin somewhere. So we used our own conception, however limited it was.
We needed to ask ourselves but one short question.
page 47, paragraph 1, lines 6-13 & paragraph 2, line 1
1. In our personal stories you will find a wide variation in the way each teller approaches and conceives of the Power which is greater than himself. Whether you agree with a particular approach or conception seems to make little difference.
2. In the stories which follow you will find a wide variation in the way each teller approaches and conceives of the Power which is greater than himself. Whether we agree with a particular approach or conception seems to make little difference.
page 50, paragraph 1, lines 1-5
1. Here are one hundred men and women, worldly and sophisticated indeed. They flatly declare to you that since they have come to believe in a Power greater than themselves, to take a certain attitude toward that Power, and to do certain simple things, there has been a revolutionary change in their way of living and thinking. They tell you that in the face of collapse and despair, in the face of the total failure of their human resources, that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction flowed into them. This happened soon after they wholeheartedly met a few simple requirements. Once confused and baffled by the seeming futility of existence, they will show you the underlying reasons why they were making heavy going of life. Leaving aside the drink question, they tell why living was so unsatisfactory. They show how the change came over them. When one hundred people, much like you are able to say that the consciousness of the Presence of God is today the most important fact of their lives, they present a powerful reason why you too should have faith.
2. Here are thousands of men and women, worldly indeed. They flatly declare that since they have come to believe in a Power greater than themselves, to take a certain attitude toward that Power, and to do certain simple things, there has been a revolutionary change in their way of living and thinking. In the face of collapse and despair, in the face of the total failure of their human resources, they found that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction flowed into them. This happened soon after they wholeheartedly met a few simple requirements.
Once confused and baffled by the seeming futility of existence, they show the underlying reasons why they were making heavy going of life. Leaving aside the drink question, they tell why living was so unsatisfactory. They show how the change came over them. When many hundreds of people are able to say that the consciousness of the Presence of God is today the most important fact of their lives, they present a powerful reason why one should have faith.
page 50, paragraph 4
1. And we are sure you will find the Great Reality deep down within you. In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found. It was so with us; why not with you?
We can only clear the ground a bit for you. If our testimony helps sweep away prejudice, enables you to think honestly,
encourages you to search diligently within yourself, then you will have joined us on the Broad Highway.
2. We found the Great Reality deep down within us.
We can only clear the ground a bit. If our testimony helps sweep away prejudice, enables you to think honestly, encourages you to search diligently within yourself, then, if you wish, you can join us on the Broad Highway.
page 55, paragraph 3, lines 5-7 & paragraph 4, lines 1-5
1. That very night three years ago, it disappeared.
2. That very night, years ago, it disappeared.
page 56, paragraph 5, lines 3,4
1. Draw near to Him and He will disclose Himself to you!
2. When we drew near to Him He disclosed Himself to us!
page 57, paragraph 3
1. Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our directions.
2. Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.
page 58, paragraph 1, lines 1,2
1. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a way of life which demands rigorous honesty.
2. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty.
page 58, paragraph 1, lines 8-10
1. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it–then you are ready to follow directions.
2. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it–then you are ready to take certain steps.
page 58, paragraph 2, lines 3-5
1. At some of these you may balk. You may think you can find an easier, softer way. We doubt if you can.
2. At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not.
page 58, paragraph 3, lines 1,2
1. Remember that you are dealing with alcohol–cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for you. But there is One who has all power–that One is God. You must find Him now!
Half measures will avail you nothing. You stand at the turning point. Throw yourself under His protection and care with compete abandon.
Now we think you can take it: Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:
2. Remember that we deal with alcohol–cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power–that One is God. May you find Him now!
Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with compete abandon.
Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:
page 58, paragraph 4 & page 59, paragraphs 1,2
1. 1. Admitted we were powerless over alcohol–that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol–that our lives had become unmanageable.
page 59, step 1
1. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care and direction of God as we understood Him.
2. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
page 59, step 3
1. 6. Were entirely willing that God remove all these defects of character.
2. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
page 59, step 6
1. 7. Humbly, on our knees, asked Him to remove our shortcomings–holding nothing back.
2. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
page 59, step 7
1. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make complete amends to them all.
2. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
page 59, step 8
1. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
2. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
page 59, step 11
1. 12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of this course of action, we tried to carry this message to others, especially alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
2. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
page 60, step 12
1. You may exclaim, “What an order! I can’t go through with it.” 2. Many of us exclaimed, “What an order! I can’t go through with it.”
page 60, paragraph 1, lines 1,2
1. Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after, have been designed to sell you clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That you are alcoholic and could not manage your own life.
(b) That probably no human power can relieve your alcoholism. (c) That God can and will.
2. Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.
page 60, paragraph 2
1. If you a are not convinced on these vital issues, you ought to re-read the book to this point or else throw it away!
2. omitted
page 60, paragraph 3, right after (c) above
1. If you are convinced, you are now at Step Three, which is that you make a decision to turn your will and our life over to God as you understand Him.
2. Being convinced, we were at Step Three, which is that we decided to turn our will and our life over to God as we understood Him.
page 60, paragraph, 3, lines 1-3
1. The first requirement is that you see that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success.
2. The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success.
page 60, paragraph 4, lines 1,2
1. On that basis we are almost always in collision with something or somebody, even though our motives may be good.
2. On that basis we are almost always in collision with something or somebody, even though our motives are good.
page 60, paragraph 4, lines 2-4
1. He is like the retired business man who lolls in the Florida sunshine in the winter complaining of the sad state of the nation; the preacher who sighs over the sins of the twentieth century; politicians and reformers who are sure all would be Utopia if the rest of the world would only behave; the outlaw safe cracker who thinks society has wronged him; and the alcoholic who has lost all and is locked up. Whatever our protestations, are not these people mostly concerned with themselves, their resentments, or their self-pity?
2. He is like the retired business man who lolls in the Florida sunshine in the winter complaining of the sad state of the nation; the minister who sighs over the sins of the twentieth century; politicians and reformers who are sure all would be Utopia if the rest of the world would only behave; the outlaw safe cracker who thinks society has wronged him; and the alcoholic who has lost all and is locked up. Whatever our protestations, are not most of us concerned with ourselves, our resentments, or our self-pity?
page 61, paragraph 2, lines 2-11
1. So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is almost the most extreme example that could be found of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn’t think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must or it kills us! God makes that possible. And there is no way of entirely getting rid of self without Him. You may have moral and philosophical convictions galore, but you can’t live up to them even though you would liked to. Neither can you reduce your self-centeredness much by wishing or trying on your own power. You must have God’s help.
This is the how and why of it. First of all, quit playing God yourself. It doesn’t work. Next, decide that hereafter in this drama of life, God is going to be your Director. He is the Principal; you are to be His agent. He is the Father, and you are His child. Get that simple relationship straight. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept is to be the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which you will pass to freedom.
When you sincerely take such a position, all sorts of remarkable things follow. You have a new Employer. Being all powerful, He must necessarily provide what you need, if you keep close to Him and perform His work well. Established on such a footing you become less and less interested in yourself, your little plans and designs. More and more you become interested in seeing what you can contribute to life. As you feel new power flow in, as you enjoy peace of mind, as you discover you can face life successfully, as you become conscious of His presence, you begin to
lose your fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. You will have been reborn.
Get down upon your knees and say to your Maker, as you understand Him: “God, I offer myself to Thee–to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. 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. May I do Thy will always!”
Think well before taking this step. Be sure you are ready; that you can at last abandon yourself utterly to Him.
It is very desirable that you make your decision with an understanding person. It may be your wife, your best friend, your spiritual adviser, but remember it is better to meet God alone than with one who might misunderstand. You must decide this for yourself. The wording of your decision is, of course, quite optional so long as you express the idea, voicing it without reservation. This decision is only a beginning, though if honestly and humbly made, an effect, sometimes a very great one, will be felt at once.
Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning, which you have never in all probability attempted. Though your decision is a vital and crucial step, it can have little permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in yourself which had been blocking you. Your liquor is but a symptom. Let’s now get down to basic causes and conditions.
Therefore, you start upon a personal inventory. This is step four. This is Step Four.
2. So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn’t think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must or it kills us! God makes that possible. And there often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid. Many of us had moral and philosophical convictions galore, but we could not live up to them even though we would have liked to. Neither could we reduce our self-centeredness much by wishing or trying on our own power. We had to have God’s help.
This the how and why of it. First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn’t work. Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which we passed to freedom.
When we sincerely took such a position, all sorts of remarkable things followed. We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work well. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs. More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn.
We were now at Step Three. Many of us said to our Maker, as we understood Him: “God, I offer myself to Thee–to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. 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. May I do Thy will always!” We thought well before taking this step making sure we were ready; that we could at last abandon ourselves utterly to Him.
We found it very desirable to take this spiritual step with an understanding person, such as our wife, best friend, or spiritual adviser. But it is better to meet God alone than with one who might misunderstand. The wording was, of course, quite optional so long as we expressed the idea, voicing it without reservation. This was only a beginning, though if honestly and humbly made, an effect, sometimes a very great one, was felt at once.
Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning, which many of us had never attempted. Though our decision was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in ourselves which had been blocking us. Our liquor was but a symptom. So we had to get down to causes and conditions.
Therefore, we started upon a personal inventory. This was Step Four.
page 62, paragraphs 2,3, page 63 & page 64, paragraph 1, lines 1,2
1. Its object is to disclose damaged or unsalable goods, to get rid of them properly and without regret.
2. One object is to disclose damaged or unsalable goods, to get rid of them properly and without regret.
page 64, paragraph 1, lines 6,7
1. List people, institutions or principles with whom you are angry. Ask yourself why you are angry. In most cases it will be found that your self-esteem, your pocketbook, your ambitions, your personal relationships (including sex) are hurt or threatened. So you are sore. You are “burned up.”
On your grudge list set opposite each name your injuries. Is it your self-esteem, your security, your ambitions, your personal, or your sex relations, which had been interfered with?
Be as definite as this example:
2. We listed people, institutions or principles with whom we were angry. We asked ourselves why we were angry. In most cases it was found that our self-esteem, our pocketbooks, our ambitions, our
personal relationships (including sex) were hurt or threatened. So we were sore. We were “burned up.”
On our grudge list we set opposite each name our injuries. Was it our self-esteem , our security, our ambitions, our personal, or sex relations, which had been interfered with?
We were usually as definite as this example:
page 64, paragraph 3, lines 7-13 & page 65, paragraphs 1,2, line 1
1. Go back through the list back through your lifetime. Nothing counted but thoroughness and honesty. When you are finished we consider it carefully. The first thing apparent to you is that this world and its people were often quite wrong. To conclude that others are wrong is as far as most of us ever got. The usual outcome is that people continued to wrong you and you stay sore. Sometimes it is remorse and then you are sore at yourself. But the more you fight and try to have your way, the worse matters get. Isn’t that so? As in war, victors only seem to win. Your moments of triumph are short-lived.
2. We went back through our lives. Nothing counted but thoroughness and honesty. When we were finished we considered it carefully. The first thing apparent was that this world and its people were often quite wrong. To conclude that others were wrong was as far as most of us ever got. The usual outcome was that people continued to wrong us and we stayed sore. Sometimes it was remorse and then we were sore at ourselves. But the more we fought and tried to have our own way, the worse matters got. As in war, the victor only seemed to win. Our moments of triumph were short-lived.
page 65, paragraph 3
1. If we were to live, we must be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm are not for us.
2. If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us.
page 66, paragraph 2, lines 1,2
1. Turn back to your list, for it holds the key to your future. You must be prepared to look at it from an entirely different angle. You will begin to see that the world and its people really dominate you. In your present state, the wrong-doing of others, fancied or real, has power to actually kill you. How shall you escape? You see that these resentments must be mastered, but how? You cannot wish them away any more than alcohol.
This was our course: realize at once that the people who wrong you are spiritually sick. Though you don’t like their symptoms and the way these disturb you, they, like yourself, are sick too. Ask God to help you show them the same tolerance, pity, and patience that you would cheerfully grant a sick friend who has cancer. When a person, next offends, say to yourself “This is a
sick man. How can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done.”
Never argue. Never retaliate. You wouldn’t treat sick people that way. If you do, you destroy your chance of being helpful.
You cannot be helpful to all people, but at least God will show you how to take a kindly and tolerant view of each and every one.
Take up your list again. Putting out of your mind the wrongs others have done, we resolutely look for your own mistakes. Where have you been selfish, dishonest, self-seeking, and frightened? Though a situation had not been entirely your fault, disregard the other person involved entirely. See where you have been to blame? This is your inventory, not the other man’s. When you see your fault write it down on the list. See if before you in black and white. Admit your wrongs honestly and be willing to set these matters straight.
You will notice that the word “fear” is bracketed alongside the difficulties with Mr. Brown, Mrs. Jones, your employer, and your wife. This short word somehow touches about every aspect of our lives. It is an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence is shot through with it. It sets in motion trains of circumstances which bring us misfortune we feel we don’t deserve. But did not we, ourselves, set the ball rolling? Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing as a sin. It seems to cause more trouble.
Review your fears thoroughly. Put them on paper, even though you have no resentment in connection with them. Ask yourself why you have them. Isn’t it because self-reliance failed you? Self-reliance was good as far as it went, but it didn’t go far enough. Some of us once had great self-confidence, but it didn’t fully solve the fear problem, or any other. When it made us cocky, it was worse.
Perhaps there is a better way — we think so. For you are now on a different basis; the basis of trusting and relying upon God. You are to trust infinite God rather than your finite self. You are in the world to play the role He assigns. Just to the extent that you do as you think He would have you, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable you to match calamity with serenity.
You must never apologize to anyone for depending upon your Creator. You can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness. Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust their God. Never apologize for God. Instead we let Him demonstrate, through you, what He can do. Ask Him to remove your fear and direct your attention to what He would have you be. At once, you will commence to outgrow fear.
Now about sex. You can probably stand an overhauling there. We needed it. But above all, let’s be sensible on this question.
2. We turned back to the list, for it held the key to the future. We were prepared to look at it from an entirely different angle. We began to see that the world and its people really dominated us. In that state, the wrong-doing of others, fancied or real, had power to actually kill. How could we escape? We saw that these resentments must be mastered, but how? We could not wish them away any more than alcohol.
This was our course: We realized that the people who wronged us were perhaps spiritually sick. Though we did not like their symptoms and the way these disturbed us, they, like ourselves, were sick too. We asked God to help us show them the same tolerance, pity, and patience that we would cheerfully grant a sick friend. When a person offended we said to ourselves, “This is a sick man.
How can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done.”
We avoid retaliation or argument. We wouldn’t treat sick people that way. If we do we destroy our chance of being helpful. We cannot be helpful to all people, but at least God will show us how to take a kindly and tolerant view of each and every one.
Referring to our list again. Putting out of our minds the wrongs others had done, we resolutely looked for our own mistakes. Where had we been selfish, dishonest, self-seeking, and frightened? Though a situation had not been entirely our fault, we tried to disregard the other person involved entirely. Where were we to blame? The inventory was ours, not the other man’s. When we saw our faults we listed them. We placed them before us in black and white. We admitted our wrongs honestly and were willing to set these matters straight.
Notice that the word “fear” is bracketed alongside the difficulties with Mr. Brown, Mrs. Jones, the employer, and the wife. This short word somehow touches about every aspect of our lives. It was an evil and corroding thread; the fabric of our existence was shot through with it. It set in motion trains of circumstances which brought us misfortune we felt we didn’t deserve. But did not we, ourselves, set the ball rolling? Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing. It seems to cause more trouble.
We reviewed our fears thoroughly. We put them on paper, even though we had no resentment in connection with them. We asked ourselves why we had them. Wasn’t it because self-reliance failed us? Self-reliance was good as far as it went, but it didn’t go far enough. Some of us once had great self-confidence, but it didn’t fully solve the fear problem, or any other. When it made us cocky, it was worse.
Perhaps there is a better way–we think so. For we are now on a different basis; the basis of trusting and relying upon God. We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves. We are in the world to play the role He assigns. Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity.
We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness.
Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust their God. We never apologize for God. Instead we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do. We ask Him to remove our
fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be. At once, we commence to outgrow fear.
Now about sex. Many of us needed an overhauling there. But above all, we tried to be sensible on this question.
page 66, paragraphs 3,4, pages 67,68, paragraphs 1-4, lines 1-3
1. Review your own conduct over the years past. Where have you been selfish, dishonest, or inconsiderate? Whom did you hurt? Did you unjustifiably arouse jealousy, suspicion or bitterness? Where were you at fault, what should you have done instead? Get this all down on paper and look at it.
In this way you can shape a sane and sound ideal for your future sex life. Subject each relation to this test–is it selfish or not? Ask God to mold your ideals and help you to live up to them. Remember always that your sex powers are God-given and therefore good, neither to be used lightly or selfishly nor to be despised and loathed.
Whatever your ideal may be, you must be willing to grow toward it. You must be willing to make amends where you have done harm, provided that you will not bring about still more harm in so doing. In other words, we treat sex as we would any other problem. In meditation, ask God what you should do about each specific matter. The right answer will come, if you want it.
God alone can judge your sex situation. Counsel with persons is often desirable, but let God be the final judge. Remember that some are as fanatical about sex as others are loose. Avoid hysterical thinking or advice.
Suppose you fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble? Does this mean you are going to get drunk? Some people tell you so.
If they do, it will be only a half-truth. It depends on you and your motive. If you are sorry for what you have done, and have the honest desire to let God take you to better things, you will be forgiven and will have learned your lesson. If you are not sorry, and your conduct continues to harm others, you are quite sure to drink. We are not theorizing. These are facts out of our experience.
To sum up about sex: earnestly pray for the right ideal, for guidance in each questionable situation, for sanity, and for the strength to do the right thing. If sex is very troublesome, throw yourself the harder into helping others. Think of their needs and work for them. This will take you out of yourself. It will quiet the imperious urge, when to yield would mean heartache.
If you have been thorough about your personal inventory, you have written down a lot. You have listed and analyzed your resentments. You have begun to comprehend their futility and their fatality. You have commenced to see their terrible destructiveness. You have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even your enemies, for you know them to be sick people. You have listed the people you have hurt by your conduct, and you are willing to straighten out the past if you can.
In this book you read again and again that God did for us what we could not do for ourselves. We hope you are convinced now that He can remove whatever self-will that has blocked you off from Him. You have made your decision. You have made an inventory of the grosser handicaps you have. You have made a good beginning, for you have swallowed and digested some big chunks of truth about yourself. Are you willing to go on?
2. We reviewed our own conduct over the years past. Where had we been selfish, dishonest, or inconsiderate? Whom had we hurt? Did we unjustifiably arouse jealousy, suspicion or bitterness? Where were we at fault, what should we have done instead? We got this all down on paper and looked at it.
In this way we tried to shape a sane and sound ideal for our future sex life. We subjected each relation to this test–was it selfish or not? We asked God to mold our ideals and help us to live up to them. 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.
Whatever our ideal turns out to be, we must be willing to grow toward it. We must be willing to make amends where we have done harm, provided that we do not bring about still more harm in so doing. In other words, we treat sex as we would any other problem.
In meditation, we ask God what we should do about each specific matter. The right answer will come, if we want it.
God alone can judge our sex situation. Counsel with persons is often desirable, but we let God be the final judge. We realize that some are as fanatical about sex as others are loose. We avoid hysterical thinking or advice.
Suppose we fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble? Does this mean we are going to get drunk? Some people tell us so. But this is only a half-truth. It depends on us and on your motives. If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson. If we are not sorry, and our
conduct continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink. We are not theorizing. These are facts out of our experience.
To sum up about sex: We earnestly pray for the right ideal, for guidance in each questionable situation, for sanity, and for the strength to do the right thing. If sex is very troublesome, we throw ourselves the harder into helping others. We think of their needs and work for them. This takes us out of ourselves. It quiets the imperious urge, when to yield would mean heartache.
If we have been thorough about our personal inventory, we have written down a lot. We have listed and analyzed our resentments. We have begun to comprehend their futility and their fatality. We have commenced to see their terrible destructiveness. We have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our enemies, for we look on them as sick people. We have listed the people we have hurt by our conduct, and are willing to straighten out the past if we can.
In this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we could not do for ourselves. We hope you are convinced now that God can remove whatever self-will has blocked you off from Him. If you have already made a decision, and an inventory of your grosser handicaps, you have made a good beginning. That being so you have swallowed and digested some big chunks of truth about yourself.
page 69, paragraphs 1-4 & page 70
1. Having made your personal inventory, what shall you do about it? You have been trying to get a new attitude, a new relationship with your Creator, and to discover the obstacles in your path. You have admitted certain defects; you have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is; you have put your finger on the weak items in your personal inventory. Now these are about to be case out. This requires action on your part, which, when completed, will mean that you have admitted to God, to yourself, and to another human being, the exact nature of your defects. This brings us the fifth step in the Program of Recovery mentioned in the preceding chapter.
This is perhaps difficult–especially discussing your defects with another person. You think you have done well enough in admitting these things to yourself, perhaps. We doubt that. In actual practice, we usually find a solitary self-appraisal insufficient. We strenuously urge you to go much further. But you will be more reconciled to discussing yourself with another person if we offer good reasons why you should do so. The best reason first: if you skip this vital step, you may not overcome drinking.
2. Having made our personal inventory, what shall we do about it? We have been trying to get a new attitude, a new relationship with our Creator, and to discover the obstacles in our path. We have admitted certain defects; we have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is; we have put our finger on the weak items in our personal inventory. Now these are about to be cast out. This requires action on our part, which, when completed, will mean that we have admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being,
the exact nature of our defects. This brings us the Fifth Step in the program of recovery mentioned in the preceding chapter.
This is perhaps difficult–especially discussing our defects with another person. We think we have done well enough in admitting these things to ourselves. There is doubt about that. In actual practice, we usually find a solitary self-appraisal insufficient. Many of us the thought it necessary to go much further. We will be more reconciled to discussing ourselves with another person when we see good reasons why we should do so. The best reason first: If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking.
page 72, paragraphs 1,2, lines 1-10
1. The answer is that they never completed their housecleaning.
2. We think the reason is that they never completed their housecleaning.
page 72, paragraph 2, lines 16,17
1. Psychologists agree with us. Members of our group have spent thousands of dollars for examinations by psychologists and psychiatrists. We know but few instances where we have given these doctors a fair break. We have seldom told them the whole truth. Unwilling to be honest with these sympathetic men, we were honest with no one else. Small wonder the medical profession have a low opinion of alcoholics and their chance for recovery!
You must be entirely honest with somebody if you expect to live long or happily in this world. Rightly and naturally, you are going to think well before you choose the person or persons with whom to take this intimate and confidential step. If you belong to a religious denomination which requires confession, you must, and of course, will want to go to the properly appointed authority whose duty it is to receive it. Though you have no religious connection, you may still do well to talk with someone ordained by an established religion. You will often find such a person quick to see and understand your problem. Of course, we sometimes encounter ministers who do not understand alcoholics.
If you cannot or would rather not do this, we search your acquaintance for a close-mouthed, understanding friend. Perhaps your doctor or your psychologist will be the person. It may be one of your own family, but you should not disclose anything to your wive or your parents which will hurt them and make them unhappy. You have no right to save your own skin at another person’s expense. Such parts of your story you should tell to someone who will understand, yet be unaffected. The rule is you must be hard on yourself, but always considerate of others.
Notwithstanding the great necessity for discussing yourself with someone, it may be that you are so situated that there is no suitable person available. If that is so, you may postpone this step, only, however, if you hold yourself in complete readiness to go through with it at the first opportunity. We say this because we are very anxious that you talk to the right person. It is important that he be able to keep a confidence; that he fully understand and approve what you are driving at; that he fully understand and approve what you are driving at; that he will not try to change your plan. But don’t use this as a mere excuse to postpone.
When you decide who is to hear your story, waste no time. Have a written inventory. Be prepared for a long talk. Explain to your partner what you are about to do and why you have to do it. He should realize that you are engaged upon a life-and-death errand. Most people approached in this way will be glad to help; they will be honored by your confidence.
Pocket your pride and go to it! Illumine every twist of character, every dark cranny of the past. Once you have taken this step, withholding nothing, you are delighted. You can look the world in the eye. You can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Your fears fall from you. You will begin to feel the nearness of your Creator. You may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now you will begin to have a spiritual experience. The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. You will know you are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.
Return home and find a place where you can be quiet for an hour. Carefully review what you have done. Thank God from the bottom of your heart that you know Him better. Take this book down from your shelf and turn to the page which contains the twelve steps. Carefully read the first five proposals and ask if you have omitted anything, for you are building an arch through which you will walk a free man at last. Is your part of the work solid so far? Are the stones properly in place? Have you skimped on the cement you have put into the foundation? Have you tried to make mortar without sand?
If you can answer to your satisfaction, look at step six. We have emphasized willingness as being indispensable. Are you now perfectly willing to let God remove from you all the things which you have admitted are objectionable? Can He now take them all–every one? If you yet cling to something you will not let go, ask God to help you be willing.
When you are ready, say something like this: “My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.” You have then completed Step Seven.
Now you need more action, without which you will find that “Faith without works is dead.” Look at steps eight and nine. You have a list of all persons you have harmed and to whom you are willing to make complete amends. You made it when you took inventory. You subjected yourself to a drastic self-appraisal. Now you are to go out to your fellows and repair the damage you did in the past. You are to sweep away the debris which has accumulated out of your effort to live on self-will and run the show yourself. If you haven’t the will to do this, ask until it
comes. Remember you agreed at the beginning you would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol.
You probably still have some misgivings. We can help you dispel them. As you look over the list of business acquaintances and friends you have hurt, you will feel different about going to some of them on a spiritual basis. Let us reassure you. To some people you need not, and probably should not emphasize the spiritual feature on your first approach. You might prejudice them. At the moment you are trying to put your own life in order. But this is not an end in itself. Your real purpose is to fit yourself to be of maximum service to God and the people about you. It is seldom wise to approach an individual, who still smarts from your injustice to him, and announce that you have given your life to God. In the prize ring, this would be called leading with the chin. Why lay yourself open to be being branded a fanatic or a religious bore? You may kill a future opportunity to carry a beneficial message. But he is sure to be impressed with a sincere desire to set right the wrong. He is going to be more interested your demonstration of good will than in your talk of spiritual discoveries.
Don’t use this advice as an excuse for shying away from the subject of God. When it will serve any good purpose, you should be willing to announce your convictions with tact and common sense. The question of how to approach the man you have hated will arise. It may be he has done you more harm than you have done him and, though you may have acquired a better attitude toward him, you are still not too keen about admitting your faults. Nevertheless, with a person you dislike, we advise you to take the bit in your teeth. He is an ideal subject upon which to practice your new principles. Remember that he, like yourself, is sick spiritually. Go to him in a helpful and forgiving spirit. Be sure to confess your former ill feeling and express your regret of it.
Under no condition should you criticize such a person or be drawn into an argument with him. Simply tell him that you realize you will never get over drinking until you have done your utmost to straighten out the past. You are there to sweep off your side of the street, realizing that nothing worth while can be accomplished until you do so. Never try to tell him what he should do. Don’t discuss his faults. Stick to your own. If our manner is calm, frank, and open, you will be gratified with the result.
In nine cases out of ten the unexpected happens. Sometimes the man you are calling upon admits his own fault, so feuds of years’ standing melt away in an hour. Rarely will you fail to make satisfactory progress. Your former enemies will sometimes praise what you are doing and wish you well. Occasionally, they will cancel a debt, or otherwise offer assistance. It should not matter, however, if someone does throw you out of his office. You have made your demonstration, done your part. It’s water over the dam.
Most alcoholics owe money. Do not dodge your creditors. Tell them what you are trying to do. Make no bones about your drinking; they usually know it anyway, whether you think so or not. Never be afraid of disclosing your alcoholism on the theory it may cause you financial harm. Approached in this way, the most ruthless creditor will sometimes surprise you. Arrange the best deal you can and let these people know you are sorry your drinking has made you slow to pay. You must lose your fear of creditors no matter how far you have to go, for you are liable to drink if you are afraid to face them.
Perhaps you have committed a criminal offense which might land you in jail if known to the authorities. You may be short in your accounts and can’t make good. You have already admitted this in confidence to another person, but you are sure you would be imprisoned or lose your job if it were known. Maybe it’s only a petty offense such as padding the expense account. Most of us have done that sort of thing. Maybe you have divorced your wife. You have remarried but haven’t kept up the alimony to number one. She is indignant about it, and has a warrant our for your arrest. That’s a common form of trouble too.
Although these reparations take innumerable forms, there are some general principles which we find guiding. Remind yourself that you have decided to go to any lengths to find a spiritual experience. Ask that you be given strength and direction to do the right thing, no matter what the personal consequences to you. You may lose your position or reputation, or face jail, but you are willing. You have to be. You must not shrink at anything.
Usually, however, other people are involved. Therefore, you are not to be the hasty and foolish martyr who would needlessly sacrifice others to save himself from the alcoholic pit.
2. Psychologists are inclined to agree with us. We have spent thousands of dollars for examinations. We know but few instances where we have given these doctors a fair break. We have seldom told them the whole truth nor have we followed there advice. Unwilling to be honest with these sympathetic men, we were honest with no one else. Small wonder many in the medical profession have a low opinion of alcoholics and their chance for recovery!
We must be entirely honest with somebody if we expect to live long or happily in this world. Rightly and naturally, we think well before we choose the person with whom to take this intimate and confidential step. 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. Though we have no religious connection, we may still do well to talk with someone ordained by an established religion. We often find such a person quick to see and understand your problem. Of course, we sometimes encounter people who do not understand alcoholics.
If we cannot or would rather not do this, we search our acquaintance for a close-mouthed, understanding friend. Perhaps our doctor or psychologist will be the person. It may be one of our own family, but we cannot disclose anything to our wives or our parents which will hurt them and make them unhappy. We have no right to save our own skin at another person’s expense. Such parts of our story we tell to someone who will understand, yet be unaffected. The rule is we must be hard on ourself, but always considerate of others.
Notwithstanding the great necessity for discussing ourselves with someone, it may be one is so situated that there is no suitable person available. If that is so, this step may be postponed, only, however, if we hold ourselves in complete readiness to go through with it at the first opportunity. We say this because we are very anxious that we talk to the right person. It is important that he be able to keep a confidence; that he fully understand and approve what we are driving at; that he will not try to change our plan. But we must not use this as a mere excuse to postpone.
When we decide who is to hear our story, we waste no time. We have a written inventory and we are prepared for a long talk. We explain to our partner what we are about to do and why we have to do it. He should realize that we are engaged upon a life-and-death errand. Most people approached in this way will be glad to help; they will be honored by our confidence.
We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character, every dark cranny of the past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience. The feeling that the drink problem has
disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.
Returning home we find a place where we can be quiet for an hour, carefully reviewing what we have done. We thank God from the bottom of our heart that we know Him better. Taking this book down from our shelf we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps. Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last. Is our work solid so far? Are the stones properly in place? Have we skimped on the cement put into the foundation? Have we tried to make mortar without sand?
If we can answer to our satisfaction, we then look at Step Six. We have emphasized willingness as being indispensable.
Are we now ready to let God remove from us all the things which we have admitted are objectionable? Can He now take them all–every one? If we still cling to something we will not let go, we ask God to help us be willing.
When ready, we say something like this: “My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.” We have then completed Step Seven.
Now we need more action, without which we find that “Faith without works is dead.” Let’s look at Steps Eight and Nine. We have a list of all persons we have harmed and to whom we are willing to make amends. We made it when we took inventory. We subjected ourselves to a drastic self-appraisal. Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the past. We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accumulated out of our effort to live on self-will and run the show ourselves. If we haven’t the will to do this, ask until it comes. Remember it was agreed at the beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol.
page 76, paragraph 3
Probably there are still some misgivings. As we look over the list of business acquaintances and friends we have hurt, we may feel different about going to some of them on a spiritual basis. Let us be reassured. To some people we need not, and probably should not emphasize the spiritual feature on our first approach.
We might prejudice them. At the moment we are trying to put our lives in order. But this is not an end in itself. Our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to God and the people about us. It is seldom wise to approach an individual, who still smarts from our injustice to him, and announce that we have gone religious. In the prize ring, this would be called leading with the chin. Why lay ourselves open to be being branded fanatics or religious bores? We may kill a future opportunity to carry a beneficial message. But our man is sure to be impressed with a sincere desire to set right the wrong. He is going to be more
interested in a demonstration of good will than in our talk of spiritual discoveries.
We don’t use this as an excuse for shying away from the subject of God. When it will serve any good purpose, we are willing to announce our convictions with tact and common sense. The question of how to approach the man we hated will arise. It may be he has done us more harm than we have done him and, though we may have acquired a better attitude toward him, we are still not too keen about admitting our faults. Nevertheless, with a person we dislike, we take the bit in our teeth. It is harder to go to an enemy than to a friend, but we find it much more beneficial to us. We go to him in a helpful and forgiving spirit, confessing our former ill feeling and expressing our regret.
Under no condition do we criticize such a person or argue. Simply we tell him that we will never get over drinking until we have done our utmost to straighten out the past. We are there to sweep off our side of the street, realizing that nothing worth while can be accomplished until we do so, never trying to tell him what he should do. His faults are not discussed. We stick to our own. If our manner is calm, frank, and open, we will be gratified with the result.
In nine cases out of ten the unexpected happens. Sometimes the man we are calling upon admits his own fault, so feuds of years’ standing melt away in an hour. Rarely do we fail to make satisfactory progress. Our former enemies sometimes praise what we are doing and wish us well. Occasionally, they will offer assistance. It should not matter, however, if someone does throw us out of his office. We have made our demonstration, done our part. It’s water over the dam.
Most alcoholics owe money. We do not dodge our creditors. Telling them what we are trying to do, we make no bones about our drinking; they usually know it anyway, whether we think so or not. Nor are we afraid of disclosing our alcoholism on the theory it may cause financial harm. Approached in this way, the most ruthless creditor will sometimes surprise us. Arranging the best deal we can we let these people know we are sorry. Our drinking has made us slow to pay. We must lose our fear of creditors no matter how far we have to go, for we are liable to drink if we are afraid to face them.
Perhaps we have committed a criminal offense which might land us in jail if known to the authorities. We may be short in our accounts and unable to make good. We have already admitted this in confidence to another person, but we are sure we would be imprisoned or lose our job if it were known. Maybe it’s only a petty offense such as padding your expense account. Most of us have done that sort of thing. Maybe we are divorced, and have remarried but haven’t kept up the alimony to number one. She is indignant about it, and has a warrant our for our arrest. That’s a common form of trouble too.
Although these reparations take innumerable forms, there are some general principles which we find guiding. Reminding ourselves that we have decided to go to any lengths to find a spiritual experience, we ask that we be given strength and direction to do the right thing, no matter what the personal consequences may be. We may lose our position or reputation, or
face jail, but we are willing. We have to be. We must not shrink at anything.
Usually, however, other people are involved. Therefore, we are not to be the hasty and foolish martyr who would needlessly sacrifice others to save himself from the alcoholic pit.
page 73, paragraphs 3,4 & pages 74-79, paragraphs 1,2, lines 1-4
1. If taking drastic action is going to implicate other people, they should be consulted. Use every means to avoid wide-spread damage. You cannot shrink, however, from the final step if that is clearly indicated. If, after seeking advice, consulting others involved, and asking God to guide you, there appears no other just and honorable solution than the most drastic one, you must take your medicine. Trust that the eventual outcome will be right.
2. Before taking drastic action which might implicate other people we secure their consent. If we have obtained permission, have consulted with others, asked God to help and the drastic step is indicated we must not shrink.
page 80, paragraph 1
1. He finally came to the conclusion that it was better to take those risks than to stand before his Creator guilty of such ruinous slander.
2. 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.
page 80, paragraph 4, lines 1-4
1. This all happened three years ago.
2. This all happened years ago.
page 80, paragraph 4, lines 10,11
1. The chances are that you have serious domestic troubles. You are perhaps we are mixed up with women in a fashion you wouldn’t care to have advertised.
2. The chances are that we have domestic troubles. Perhaps we are mixed up with women in a fashion we wouldn’t care to have advertised.
page 80, paragraph 5, lines 1-3
1. You may be having a secret and exciting affair with “the girl who understands.” In fairness we must say that she may understand, but what are you going to do about a thing like that?
2. Perhaps he is having a secret and exciting affair with “the girl who understands.” In fairness we must say that she may understand, but what are we going to do about a thing like that?
page 80, paragraph 5, lines 11-15
1. Whatever the situation, you usually have to do something about it. If you are sure your wife does not know, should you tell her? Not always, we think. If she knows in a general way that you have been wild, should you tell her in detail? Undoubtedly you should admit your fault. Your wife may insist on knowing all the particulars. She will want to know who the woman is and where she is. We feel you ought to say to her that you have no right to involve another person. You are sorry for what we have done and, God willing, it shall not be repeated. More than that you cannot do; you have no right to go further.
2. Whatever the situation, we usually have to do something about it. If we are sure our wife does not know, should we tell her? Not always, we think. If she knows in a general way that we have been wild, should we tell her in detail? Undoubtedly we should admit our fault. She may insist on knowing all the particulars.
She will want to know who the woman is and where she is.
We feel we ought to say to her that we have no right to involve another person. We are sorry for what we have done and, God willing, it shall not be repeated. More than that we cannot do; we have no right to go further.
page 81, paragraph 2, lines 1-12
1. If you can forget, so can she. It is better, however, that you do not needless name a person upon whom she can vent her natural jealousy.
There are some cases where the utmost frankness is demanded. Perhaps yours is one of them. No outsider can appraise such an intimate situation. It may be you will both decide that the way of good sense and loving kindness is to let by-gones be by-gones. Each of you might pray about it, having the other one’s happiness uppermost in mind. Keep it always in sight that you deal with that most terrible human emotion–jealousy. Good generalship may decide that you and your wife attack the problem on the flank, rather than risk face-to-face combat. You have to decide about that alone with your Creator.
Should you have no such complication, there is still plenty you should do at home. Sometimes we hear an alcoholic say that the only thing he needs to do is to keep sober. Certainly he needs to keep sober, for there will be no home if he doesn’t.
2. If we can forget, so can she. It is better, however, that one does not needlessly name a person upon whom she can vent jealousy. Perhaps there are some cases where the utmost frankness is demanded. No outsider can appraise such an intimate situation. It may be that both will decide that the way of good sense and loving kindness is to let by-gones be by-gones. Each might pray about it, having the other one’s happiness uppermost in mind. Keep it always in sight that we are dealing with that most terrible human emotion–jealousy. Good generalship may decide that the problem be attacked on the flank rather than risk a face-to-face combat.
If we have no such complication, there is plenty we should do at home. Sometimes we hear an alcoholic say that the only thing he needs to do is to keep sober. Certainly he must keep sober, for there will be no home if he doesn’t.
page 81, paragraph 2, lines 2-5 & page 82, paragraphs 1,2, lines 1-5
1. You must take the lead. A remorseful mumbling that you are sorry won’t fill the bill at all. You ought to sit down with your family and frankly analyze your past as you now see it, being very careful not to criticize them. Never mind their defects. They may be glaring, but the chances are that your own actions are partly responsible. So clean house with the family, asking each morning in mediation that your Creator show you the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love.
The spiritual live is not a theory. You have to live it. Unless your family expresses a desire to live upon spiritual principles, however, we think you ought to leave them alone. You should not talk incessantly about spiritual matters to them. They will change in time. Your practice will convince them more then your words. Remember that ten or twenty years of drunkenness would make a skeptic out of anyone.
There may be some wrongs you can never fully right. Don’t worry about them if you can honesty say to yourself that you would right them if you could. Some people you cannot see–send them an honest letter. And there may be a valid reason for postponement in some cases. But don’t delay if it can be avoided. Be sensible, tactful, and considerate. Be humble without being servile or scraping. As one of God’s people you are to stand on your feet; don’t crawl on your belly before anyone.
If you are painstaking about this phase of your development, you will be amazed before you are half way through. You are going to know a new freedom and happiness. You will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. You will comprehend the word serenity and know peace. No matter how far down the scale you have gone, you will see how your experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. You will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in your fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Your whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave you. You will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle you. You will suddenly realize that God is doing for you what you could not do for yourself.
You say these are extravagant promises? They are not. They are being fulfilled among us–sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize in you if you work for them.
This thought brings us to step ten, which suggests you continue to take personal inventory and continue to set any new mistakes right as you go along. You vigorously commenced this way of live as you cleaned up your past. You have entered the world of Spirit. Your next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for your lifetime. Continue to watch yourself for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, ask God at once to remove them. Discuss them with someone immediately. Make amends quickly if you have harmed anyone. Then resolutely turn your thoughts to someone you can help. Love and tolerance of others is your code.
And you have ceased fighting anything or anyone–even alcohol. For by this time your sanity will have returned. You will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, you will recoil from it as you would from a hot flame. You will react sanely and normally. You will find that this has happened automatically. You will see that your new attitude toward liquor has been given you without any thought or effort on your part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. You are not fighting it, neither are you avoiding temptation. You feel as though you had been placed in a position of neutrality. You feel safe and protected. You have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for you. You are neither cocky, nor are you afraid. That is our experience. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.
It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on your laurels. You are headed for trouble if you do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve. Every day is a day when you have to carry the vision of God’s will into all your activities. “How can I best serve Thee–Thy will (not mine) be done.” These are thoughts which must go with you constantly. You can exercise your will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use of the will.
Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power. If you have carefully followed directions, you have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into you. To some extent you have become God-conscious. You have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But you must go further and that means more action.
Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation. Don’t be shy of this matter of prayer. Better men than we are using it constantly. It works, if you have the proper attitude and work at it. It would be easy to be vague about this matter. Yet, we believe we can give you some definite and valuable suggestions.
When you awake tomorrow morning, look back over the day before. Were you resentful, selfish, dishonest, or afraid? Do you owe an apology? Have you kept something to yourself which should be discussed with another person at once? Were you kind and loving toward all? What could you have done better? Were you thinking of yourself most of the time? Or were you thinking of what you could do for others, of what you could pack into the stream of life? After you have faced yesterday, ask God’s forgiveness for any wrong. Ask to be shown what to do. Thus you keep clean as you live each day.
Next, think about the twenty-four hours ahead. Consider your plans for the day. Before you begin, ask God to guide your thinking. Especially ask that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Then go ahead and use your common sense. There is nothing hard or mysterious about this. God gave you brains to use. Clear your thinking of wrong motives. Your thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane.
In thinking about your day you may face indecision. You may not be able to determine which course to take. Here you ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or decision. Relax and take it easy. Don’t struggle. Ask God’s help. You will be surprised how the right answers come after you have practiced a few days. What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration becomes a working part of your mind. Being still inexperienced and just making your contact with God, it is not probable that you are going to be divinely inspired all time. That would be a large piece of conceit, for which you might pay in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless you will find that your thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration and guidance. You will come to rely upon it. This is not weird or silly. Most psychologists pronounce these methods sound.
You might conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that you be shown all through the day what your next step is to be, that He give you whatever you need to take care every situation. Ask especially for freedom from self-will. Be careful to make no request for yourself only. You may ask for yourself, however, if others will be helped. Never pray for your own selfish ends. People waste a lot of time doing that and it doesn’t work. You can easily see why.
If circumstances warrant, ask your wives or a friend to join you in morning meditation. If you belong to a religious denomination which requires a definite morning devotion, be sure to attend to that also. If you are not a member of a religious body, you might select and memorize a few set prayers which emphasize the principles we have been discussing. There are many helpful books also. If you do not know of any, ask your priest, minister, or rabbi, for suggestions. Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.
As you go through the day, pause when agitated or doubtful. Be still ask for the right thought or action. It will come. Remind yourself you are no longer running the show. Humbly say to yourself many times each day “Thy will be done.” You will be in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions. You will become much more efficient. You will not tire easily, for you will be not be burning up energy foolishly as you did when trying to arrange life to suit yourself.
It works — it really does. Try it.
We alcoholics are undisciplined. So let God discipline you in the simple way we have just outlined.
But this is not all. There is action and more action. “Faith without works is dead.” What works? We shall treat them in the next chapter which is entirely devoted to step twelve.
2. We must take the lead. A remorseful mumbling that we are sorry won’t fill the bill at all. We ought to sit down with the family and frankly analyze the past as we now see it, being very careful not to criticize them. Their defects may be glaring, but the chances are that our own actions are partly responsible. So we clean house with the family, asking each morning in mediation that
our Creator show us the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love.
The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it. Unless one’s family expresses a desire to live upon spiritual principles we think we ought not to urge them. We should not talk incessantly to them about spiritual matters. They will change in time. Our behavior will convince them more then our words. We must remember that ten or twenty years of drunkenness would make a skeptic out of anyone.
There may be some wrongs we can never fully right. We don’t worry about them if we can honesty say to ourselves that we would right them if we could. Some people cannot be seen–we send them an honest letter. And there may be a valid reason for postponement in some cases. But we don’t delay if it can be avoided. We should be sensible, tactful, considerate and humble without being servile or scraping. As God’s people we stand on our feet; we don’t crawl before anyone.
If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us–sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.
This thought brings us to Step Ten, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code.
And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone–even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality–safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky, nor are we afraid. That is our experience. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.
It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God’s will into all our activities. “How can I best serve Thee–Thy will (not mine) be done.” These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use of the will.
Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power. If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further and that means more action.
Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldn’t be shy of this matter of prayer. Better men than we are using it constantly. It works, if we have the proper attitude and work at it. It would be easy to be vague about this matter. Yet, we believe we can make some definite and valuable suggestions.
When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest, or afraid? Do we owe an apology? Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we kind and loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or were we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we could pack into the stream of life? But we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to others. After making our review we ask God’s forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken.
On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental facilities with assurance, for
after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives.
In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or decision. We relax and take it easy. We don’t struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while. What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times. We might pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it.
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. We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no request for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped. We are careful never to pray for our own selfish ends. Many of us have wasted a lot of time doing that and it doesn’t work. You can easily see why.
If circumstances warrant, we ask our wives or friends to join us in morning meditation. If we belong to a religious denomination which requires a definite morning devotion, we attend to that also. If not members of religious bodies, we sometimes select and memorize a few set prayers which emphasize the principles we have been discussing. There are many helpful books also. Suggestions about these may be obtained from one’s priest, minister, or rabbi.
Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.
As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day “Thy will be done.” We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions. We become much more efficient. We do not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves.
It works–it really does.
We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God discipline us in the simple way we have just outlined.
But this is not all. There is action and more action. “Faith without works is dead.” The next chapter is entirely devoted to Step Twelve.
page 81, paragraph 2 & pages 82-88
1. Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure your own immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other spiritual activities fail.
2. Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail.
page 89, paragraph 1, lines 1-4
1. Remember they are fatally ill.
The kick you will get is tremendous. To watch people come back to life, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends–this is an experience you must not miss.
2. Remember they are very ill.
Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends–this is an experience you must not miss.
page 89, paragraph 1, line 7 & paragraph 2, lines 1-5
1. You can easily find some by asking a few doctors, ministers, priests and hospitals. They will be only too glad to have your help. Don’t start out as an evangelist or reformer. Unfortunately a lot of prejudice exists. You will be handicapped if you arouse it. Preachers and doctors don’t like to be told they don’t know their business. They are usually competent and you can learn much from them if you wish, but it happens that because of your own drinking experience you can be uniquely useful to other alcoholics.
So cooperate; never criticize. To be helpful should be your only aim.
2. You can easily find some by asking a few doctors, ministers, priests or hospitals. They will be only too glad to assist you. Don’t start out as an evangelist or reformer. Unfortunately a lot of prejudice exists. You will be handicapped if you arouse it.
Ministers and doctors are competent and you can learn much from them if you wish, but it happens that because of your own drinking experience you can be uniquely useful to other alcoholics. So cooperate; never criticize. To be helpful is our only aim.
page 89, paragraph 3, lines 2-12
1. Usually it is wise to wait till he goes on a binge.
2. Sometimes it is wise to wait till he goes on a binge.
page 90, paragraph 3, line 1
1. The family should not try to represent you.
2. Usually the family should not try to tell your story.
page 91, paragraph 1, line 1
1. Let the doctor tell him he has something new in the way of a solution.
When your man is better, let the doctor might suggest a visit from you.
2. Let the doctor, if he will, tell him he has something in the way of a solution.
When your man is better, the doctor might suggest a visit from you.
page 91, paragraph 1, lines 6,7 & paragraph 2, lines 1,2
1. Say enough about your drinking habits, symptoms, and experiences to encourage him to speak of himself.
2. Tell him enough about your drinking habits, symptoms, and experiences to encourage him to speak of himself.
page 91, paragraph 3, lines 3-5
1. If he is in a serious mood dwell on the troubles liquor has caused you, being careful not to moralize or preach.
2. If he is in a serious mood dwell on the troubles liquor has caused you, being careful not to moralize or lecture.
page 91, paragraph 3, lines 10-12
1. Tell him how baffled you were, how you finally learned that you were sick as well as weak.
2. Tell him how baffled you were, how you finally learned that you were sick.
page 91, paragraph 4, lines 3,4
1. Do this as we have it in the chapter on alcoholism.
2. We suggest you do this as we have it in the chapter on alcoholism.
page 91, paragraph 4, lines 6-8
1. If you are satisfied that he is a real alcoholic, you may begin to dwell on the hopeless feature of the malady.
2. If you are satisfied that he is a real alcoholic, begin to dwell on the hopeless feature of the malady.
page 92, paragraph 1, lines 1,2
1. But insist that if he is severely afflicted, there is little chance he can recover by himself.
Continue to speak of alcoholism as an sickness, a fatal malady.
2. But insist that if he is severely afflicted, there may be little chance he can recover by himself.
Continue to speak of alcoholism as an illness, a fatal malady.
page 92, paragraph 1, lines 11,12 & paragraph 2, lines 1,2
1. If doctors or psychiatrists have pronounced you incurable, be sure and let him know about it.
2. omitted
page 92, paragraph 2, lines 4,5
1. Doctors who know the truth are rightly loath to tell alcoholic patients the whole story unless it will serve some good purpose.
2. Doctors are rightly loath to tell alcoholic patients the whole story unless it will serve some good purpose.
page 92, paragraph 2, lines 6,7
1. If he does not ask, proceed with the rest of your story.
2. Tell him exactly what happened to you.
page 92, paragraph 2, lines 16,17
1. But he will be curious to learn why his own convictions have not worked and why yours have given you victory.
2. But he will be curious to learn why his own convictions have not worked and why yours seem to work so well.
page 93, paragraph 2, lines 5,6
1. But he will be curious to learn why his own religious convictions have not worked, and yours have given you victory.
why yours have given you victory.
2. But he will be curious to learn why his own convictions have not worked, and yours seem to work so well.
1. Admit that he probably knows more about it than you do, but call to his attention the fact that however deep his faith and knowledge, there must be something wrong, or he would not drink. Say that perhaps you help him see where he has fails to apply to himself the very precepts he knows so well. For our purpose you represent no particular faith or denomination. You are dealing only with general principles common to most denominations.
Outline our program of action, telling how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. Make it plain he is under no obligation to you, that you hope only that he will try to help other alcoholics when he escapes his own difficulties. Show how important it is that he place the welfare of other people ahead of his own.
2. Admit that he probably knows more about it than you do, but call to his attention the fact that however deep his faith and knowledge, he could not have applied it or he would not drink. Perhaps your story will help him see where he has failed to practice the very precepts he knows so well. We represent no particular faith or denomination. We are dealing only with general principles common to most denominations
Outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your own recovery. Actually, he may be helping you more than you are helping him.
page 93, paragraph 2, lines 11-19 & page 94, paragraph 1, lines 1-7
1. Show how important it is that he place the welfare of other people ahead of his own.
2. Suggest how important it is that he place the welfare of other people ahead of his own.
page 94, paragraph 1, lines 10,11
1. If you talk has been sane, quiet and full of human understanding, you have probably made a friend.
2. If you talk has been sane, quiet and full of human understanding, you have perhaps made a friend.
page 94, paragraph 1, lines 16,17
1. Your candidate may give reasons why he need not follow all of your program. He will rebel at the thought of a drastic housecleaning which requires discussion with other people. Do not contradict such views. Tell him you once felt as he does, but you
doubt if you would have made much progress had you not taken action.
2. Your candidate may give reasons why he need not follow all of the program. He may rebel at the thought of a drastic housecleaning which requires discussion with other people. Do not contradict such views. Tell him you once felt as he does, but you doubt whether you would have made much progress had you not taken action.
page 94, paragraph 2, lines 1-7
1. Sometimes a new man is anxious to make a decision and discuss his affairs at once, and you may be tempted to let him proceed. This is almost always a mistake.
2. Sometimes a new man is anxious to proceed at once, and you may be tempted to let him do so. This is sometimes a mistake.
page 95, paragraph 1, lines 4-7
1. Never talk down to an alcoholic from any moral or spiritual hilltop; simply lay out your kit of spiritual tools for his inspection.
2. Never talk down to an alcoholic from any moral or spiritual hilltop; simply lay out the kit of spiritual tools for his inspection.
page 95, paragraph 1, lines 10-12
1. If he is not interested in your solution, if he expects you to act only as a banker for his financial difficulties or a nurse for his sprees, drop him until he changes his mind. This he may do after he gets hurt some again.
2. If he is not interested in your solution, if he expects you to act only as a banker for his financial difficulties or a nurse for
his sprees, you may have to drop him until he changes his mind.This he may do after he gets hurt some more.
page 95, paragraph 2
1. After doing that, he is to decide for himself whether he wants to go on. He is not to be pushed or prodded by you, his wife, or his friends.
2. After doing that, he must decide for himself whether he wants to go on. He should not be pushed or prodded by you, his wife, or his friends.
page 95, paragraph 3, lines 2-5
1. You have no monopoly on God; you merely have an approach that worked with you.
2. We have no monopoly on God; we merely have an approach that worked with us.
page 95, paragraph 4, lines 3-5
1. It’s a waste of time and poor strategy to keep chasing a man who cannot or will not work with you. If you leave such a person
alone, in all likelihood he will begin to run after you, for he will soon become convinced that he cannot recover alone.
2. We find it a waste of time to keep chasing a man who cannot or will not work with you. If you leave such a person alone, he may soon become convinced that he cannot recover by himself.
page 96, paragraph 1, lines 4-8
1. Suggest he make his decision with you and tell you his story, but do not insist upon it if he prefers to consult someone else.
2. Let him know you are available if he wishes to make a decision and tell his story, but do not insist upon it if he prefers to consult someone else.
page 96, paragraph 2, lines 5-8
1. If he is, try to help him about getting a job. Give him a little financial assistance, unless it would deprive your family or creditors of money they should have.
2. If he is, you might try to help him about getting a job, or give him a little financial assistance. But you should not deprive your family or creditors of money they should have.
page 96, paragraph 3, lines 1-4
1. Self-sacrifice for others is the foundation stone of your recovery.
2. Helping others is the foundation stone of your recovery.
page 97, paragraph 1, lines 2,3
1. Your wife will sometimes say she is neglected.
2. Your wife may sometimes say she is neglected.
page 97, paragraph 1, lines 12,13
1. Omitted
2. Occasionally you will have to meet such conditions.
page 97, paragraph 1, lines 18,19
1. This sort of thing goes on constantly, but we seldom allow an alcoholic to live in our homes for long at a time.
2. We seldom allow an alcoholic to live in our homes for long at a time.
page 97, paragraph 2, lines 1,2
1. You should continue to be friendly to them in every way.
2. You should continue to be friendly to them.
page 97, paragraph 3, lines 2,3
1. The minute we put our work on a social service plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon our assistance rather than upon God.
2. The minute we put our work on a service plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon our assistance rather than upon God.
page 98, paragraph 1, lines 3-5
1. No person on this earth can stop his recovery from alcohol, or prevent his being supplied with whatever is good for him.
2. omitted
page 98, paragraph 2, lines 2,3
1. When your prospect has made such restitution 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.
2. 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.
page 98, paragraph 3, lines 2-6
1. Argument and fault-finding are to be avoided like leprosy.
2. Argument and fault-finding are to be avoided like the plague.
page 98, paragraph 3, lines 10,11
1. After they have seen tangible results, the family will perhaps want to join in the better way of life.
2. After they have seen tangible results, the family will perhaps want to go along.
page 99, paragraph 1, lines 1,2
1. The man should be sure of his ground.
2. The man should be sure of his recovery.
page 99, paragraph 2, lines 2,3
1. Let the alcoholic continue his new way of life day by day.
2. Let the alcoholic continue his program day by day.
page 99, paragraph 2, lines 9,10
1. Remind your prospect that his recovery is not dependent upon people.
2. Remind the prospect that his recovery is not dependent upon people.
page 99, paragraph 3, lines 4,5
1. When working with a man and his family, you must take care not to participate in their quarrels.
2. When working with a man and his family, you should take care not to participate in their quarrels.
page 100, paragraph 2, lines 1,2
1. The story of how you and your wife settled your difficulties is worth any amount of preaching or criticism.
2. The story of how you and your wife settled your difficulties is worth any amount of criticism.
page 100, paragraph 3, lines 5,6
1. Experience proves this is nonsense.
2. Our experience shows that this is not necessarily so.
page 100, paragraph 4, line 9
1. Any scheme of combating alcoholism which proposes to shield the sick man from temptations is doomed to failure. If the alcoholic tries to shield himself he may succeed for a time, but will wind up with a bigger explosion than ever. Our wives and we have tried these methods. These foolish attempts to do the impossible have always failed.
2. In our belief any scheme of combating alcoholism which proposes to shield the sick man from temptations is doomed to failure. If the alcoholic tries to shield himself he may succeed for a time, but he usually winds up with a bigger explosion than ever. We have tried these methods. These attempts to do the impossible have always failed.
page 101, paragraph 2
1. Therefore, ask yourself on each occasion, “Have I any legitimate social, business, or personal reason for going to this place? Am I going to be helpful to anyone there? Could I be more useful or helpful be being somewhere else? If you answer these questions satisfactorily, you need have no apprehension. You may go or stay away, whichever seems best.
2. Therefore, ask yourself on each occasion, “Have I any good social, business, or personal reason for going to this place? Or am I expecting to steal a little vicarious pleasure from the atmosphere of such places?” If you answer these questions satisfactorily, you need have no apprehension. Go or stay away, whichever seems best.
page 101, paragraph 4, lines 2-8
1. But if you are spiritually shaky, you had better work with another alcoholic instead!
You are not to sit with a long face in places where there is drinking, sighing about the good old days.
2. But if you are shaky, you had better work with another alcoholic instead!
Why sit with a long face in places where there is drinking, sighing about the good old days.
page 101, paragraph 4, lines 12,13 & page 102, paragraph 1, lines 1,2
1. If you do this thoroughly, no decent person will ask you to drink.
2. If you do this thoroughly, few people will ask you to drink.
page 102, paragraph 1, lines 9-11
1. Now you are getting back into the life of this world.
2. Now you are getting back into the social life of this world.
page 102, paragraph 1, lines 12,13
1. Your job now is to be at the place where you may be of maximum helpfulness to others, so never hesitate to go where there is drinking, if you can be helpful. You should not hesitate to visit the most sordid spot on earth on such an mission.
2. Your job now is to be at the place where you may be of maximum helpfulness to others, so never hesitate to go anywhere, if you can be helpful. You should not hesitate to visit the most sordid spot on earth on such an errand.
page 102, paragraph 2, lines 1-5
1. Some of us still serve it to our friends in moderation, provided they are people who do not abuse drinking.
2. Some of us still serve it to our friends provided they are not alcoholic.
page 102, paragraph 3, lines 3,4
1. A spirit of intolerance might repel alcoholics whose lives would have been saved, had it not been for our stupidity. We would not even do the cause of temperate drinking any good, for not one drinker in a thousand is willing to be told anything about alcohol by one who hates it.
2. A spirit of intolerance might repel alcoholics whose lives could have been saved, had it not been for such stupidity. 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.
page 103, paragraph 1, lines 6-11
1. Someday we hope that Alcoholics Anonymous will help the public to a better realization of the gravity of the alcoholic problem. We shall be of little use if our attitude is one of bitterness or hostility.
2. Some day we hope that Alcoholics Anonymous will help the public to a better realization of the gravity of the alcoholic problem, but we shall be of little use if our attitude is one of bitterness or hostility.
page 103, paragraph 2, lines 1-4
1. There is every evidence that women regain their health as readily as men if they follow suggestions.
2. There is every evidence that women regain their health as readily as men if they try our suggestions.
page 104, paragraph 1, lines 4-6
1. We shall let the wives of Alcoholics Anonymous to address the wives of men who drink to much.
2. We want the wives of Alcoholics Anonymous to address the wives of men who drink to much.
page 104, paragraph 3, lines 3-5
1. As wives of Alcoholics Anonymous, we want you to sense that we understand you as perhaps few can. We want to analyze mistakes we have made and help you to avoid them.
2. As wives of Alcoholics Anonymous, we would like you to feel that we understand as perhaps few can. We want to analyze mistakes we have made.
page 104, paragraph 4, lines 1-3
1. We have veered from extreme to extreme, ever hoping that one day our loved ones would be themselves once more.
2. Some of us veered from extreme to extreme, ever hoping that one day our loved ones would be themselves once more.
page 104, paragraph 5, lines 6-8
1. We came to live almost alone, unwanted by anyone.
2. We came to live almost alone.
page 105, paragraph 3, lines 3,4
1. There were other women.
2. Sometimes there were other women.
page 106, paragraph 1, line 1
1. The bill collectors, the sheriffs, the angry taxi drivers, the policemen, the bums, the pals, and even the ladies he brought home–our husbands thought we were so inhospitable.
2. The bill collectors, the sheriffs, the angry taxi drivers, the policemen, the bums, the pals, and even the ladies they sometimes brought home–our husbands thought we were so inhospitable.
page 106, paragraph 2, lines 1-4
1. Why was it, when we pointed out these dangers, that they agreed, and then got drunk again immediately?
These are some of the questions which race through the mind of every girl who has an alcoholic husband. We hope our book has answered some of them. But now you will have seen that perhaps your husband has been living in that strange world of alcoholism where everything is distorted and exaggerated.
2. Why was it, when these dangers were pointed out that they agreed, and then got drunk again immediately? These are some of the questions which race through the mind of every woman who has an alcoholic husband. We hope this book has answered some of them. Perhaps your husband has been living in that strange world of alcoholism where everything is distorted and exaggerated.
page 107, paragraph 3, lines 5-7 & page 108, paragraph 1, lines 1-6
1. Don’t condemn your alcoholic husband no matter what he says or does.
2. Try not to condemn your alcoholic husband no matter what he says or does.
page 108, paragraph 2, lines 1,2
1. An alcoholic of this temperament will be quick to use this chapter as a club over your heard.
2. An alcoholic of this temperament may be quick to use this chapter as a club over your heard.
page 108, paragraph 3, lines 4,5
1. It is not right to let him ruin your life and the lives of your children, especially when he has before him a way to stop his drinking and abuse if he really wants to pay the price.
2. Is it right to let him ruin your life and the lives of your children? Especially when he has before him a way to stop his drinking and abuse if he really wants to pay the price.
page 108, paragraph 3, lines 7-10
1. He spends too much money for liquor. It slows him up mentally and physically, but he does not see it.
2. Perhaps he spends too much money for liquor. It may be slowing him up mentally and physically, but he does not see it.
page 108, paragraph 5, lines 3-5
1. He would be insulted if called an alcoholic.
2. He would probably be insulted if he were called an alcoholic.
page 108, paragraph 5, lines 9,10
1. He admits this is true, but is obsessed with the idea that he will do better.
2. He admits this is true, but is positive that he will do better. page 109, paragraph 1, lines 4,5
1. He is beginning to lose his friends.
2. Maybe he is beginning to lose his friends.
page 109, paragraph 1, line 7
1. This person is in danger. He has the earmarks of a real alcoholic.
2. We think this person is in danger. These are the earmarks of a real alcoholic.
page 109, paragraph 1, lines 15-17
1. He is violent, or definitely insane when drunk.
2. He is violent, or appears definitely insane when drunk.
page 110, paragraph 1, lines 3,4
1. Your husband has begun to abuse alcohol.
2. omitted
page 111, paragraph 1, line 1
1. Patience and good temper are vitally necessary.
The next rule is that you should never tell him what to do about his drinking. If he gets the idea that you are a nag or a killjoy, your chance of accomplishing anything useful will be zero. He will use that as an excuse to drink some more.
2. Patience and good temper are most necessary.
Our next thought is that you should never tell him what he must do about his drinking. If he gets the idea that you are a nag or a killjoy, your chance of accomplishing anything useful may be zero. He will use that as an excuse to drink more.
page 111, paragraph 1, lines 4,5 & paragraph 2, lines 1-5
1. We know these suggestions are not impossible to follow, but you will save many a heartbreak if you can succeed in observing them. Your husband will come to appreciate your reasonableness and
patience. This will lay the groundwork for a frank and friendly talk about his liquor problem.
2. We know these suggestions are sometimes difficult to follow, but you will save many a heartbreak if you can succeed in observing them. Your husband may come to appreciate your reasonableness and patience. This may lay the groundwork for a friendly talk about his alcoholic problem.
page 111, paragraph 4, lines 1-6
1. You think he ought to know the subject better, as everyone should have a clear understanding of the risk he takes if he drinks much.
2. You think he ought to know the subject better, as everyone should have a clear understanding of the risk he takes if he drinks too much.
page 111, paragraph 5, lines 4-6
1. Your husband may be willing to talk to one of them, perhaps over a highball.
2. Your husband may be willing to talk to one of them.
page 112, paragraph 1, lines 5,6
1. If this kind of approach does not catch your husband’s interest, it may be best to drop the subject for a time, but after a friendly talk your husband will usually revive the topic himself.
2. If this kind of approach does not catch your husband’s interest, it may be best to drop the subject, but after a friendly talk your husband will usually revive the topic himself.
page 112, paragraph 2, lines 1-4
1. If you act upon these principles, your husband may stop or moderate after a while.
2. If you act upon these principles, your husband may stop or moderate.
page 112, paragraph 2, lines 6,7
1. Show him that the writers of the book understand, as only alcoholics can.
2. Show him that as alcoholics, the writers of the book understand. page 112, paragraph 4, lines 3,4
1. If you think he will be shy of our spiritual remedy, ask him to look at the chapter on alcoholism.
2. If you think he will be shy of a spiritual remedy, ask him to look at the chapter on alcoholism.
page 112, paragraph 4, lines 5-7
1. If he is enthusiastic cooperate with him, though you, yourself, may not yet agree with all we say. If he is lukewarm or thinks he is not an alcoholic, leave him alone. Never urge him to follow our program. The seed had been planted in his mind. He knows that over a hundred men, much like himself, have recovered. But don’t remind him of this after he has been drinking, for he will be angry.
2. If he is enthusiastic your cooperation will mean a great deal. If he is lukewarm or thinks he is not an alcoholic, we suggest you leave him alone. Avoid urging him to follow our program. The seed had been planted in his mind. He knows that thousands of men, much like himself, have recovered. But don’t remind him of this after he has been drinking, for he may be angry.
page 113, paragraph 1, lines 1-8
1. Again, you must not crowd him.
2. Again, you should not crowd him.
page 113, paragraph 2, lines 7,8
1. In some cases it may be better to let the family doctor present the book. The doctor can urge action without arousing hostility.
2. In some cases it may be better to let someone outside the family present the book. They can urge action without arousing hostility.
page 113, paragraph 2, lines 10-13
1. In any event, see that your husband gets this book.
2. In any event, try to have your husband read this book.
page 114, paragraph 1 lines 5,6
1. About a year ago a certain state institution released six chronic alcoholics. It was fully expected they would all be back in a few weeks. Only one of them has returned. The others had no relapse at all.
2. For years we have been working with alcoholics committed to institutions. Since this book was first published, A.A. had released thousands of alcoholics from asylums and hospitals of every kind. The majority have never returned.
page 114, paragraph 1, lines 12-16
1. When they become too dangerous, we think the kind thing is to lock them up. The wives and children of such men suffer horribly, but not less than the men themselves.
2. 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. The wives and children of such men suffer horribly, but not more than the men themselves.
page 114, paragraph 2, lines 4-8
1. As a rule, an institution is a dismal place, and sometimes it is not conductive to recovery. It is a pity that chronic alcoholics must often mingle with the insane. Some day we hope our group will be instrumental in changing this condition. Many of our husbands spent weary years institutions. Though more reluctant than most people to place our men there, we sometimes suggest that it be done. Of course aa good doctor should always be consulted.
2. omitted
page 114, paragraph 3
1. If such women adopt our way of life their road will be smoother.
2. If such women adopt a spiritual way of life their road will be smoother.
page 114, paragraph 3, lines 2,3
1. If your husband is a drinker, you worry over what over people are thinking. You hate to meet your friends. You draw more and more into yourself. You think everyone is talking about conditions at your home.
2. If your husband is a drinker, you probably worry over what over people are thinking and you hate to meet your friends. You draw more and more into yourself and you think everyone is talking about conditions at your home.
page 114, paragraph 4, lines 1-6
1. While you need not discuss your husband, you can quietly let your friends know the trouble is. Sometimes it is wise to talk with his employer.
2. While you need not discuss your husband at length, you can quietly let your friends know the nature of his illness.
page 115, paragraph 1, lines 1-4
1. When you have carefully explained to such people that he is a sick person, little more to blame than other men who drink but manage their liquor better, you will have created a new atmosphere.
2. When you have carefully explained to such people that he is a sick person, you will have created a new atmosphere.
page 115, paragraph 2, lines 1-3
1. Your new courage, good nature and lack of self-consciousness will do wonders for your social status.
2. Your new courage, good nature and lack of self-consciousness will do wonders for you socially.
page 115, paragraph 2, lines 8-10
1. Ask him to promise that he will not place you in such a position again.
2. Ask him what you should do if he places you in such a position again.
page 115, paragraph 4, lines 9,10
1. You are afraid your husband will lose his position; you are thinking of the disgrace and hard times which will befall you and the children.
2. You may be afraid your husband will lose his position; you are thinking of the disgrace and hard times which will befall you and the children.
page 116, paragraph 1, lines 1-4
1. You must regard these work-outs as part of your education, for thus you will be learning to live as you were intended to live.
2. These work-outs should be regarded as part of your education, for thus you will be learning to live.
page 117, paragraph 2, lines 2-4
1. Patience, tolerance, understanding and love are your watchwords.
2. Patience, tolerance, understanding and love are the watchwords.
page 118, paragraph 2, lines 4,5
1. We do not like the thought that the contents of a book or the work of another alcoholic has accomplished in a few weeks the end for which we struggled for years.
2. We do not like the thought that the contents of a book or the work of another alcoholic has accomplished in a few weeks that for which we struggled for years.
page 118, paragraph 4, lines 3-6
1. When resentful thoughts come, pause and count your blessings.
2. When resentful thoughts come, try to pause and count your blessings.
page 118, paragraph 4, lines 12,13
1. The fact is that he must work with other people to maintain his own sobriety.
2. The fact is that he should work with other people to maintain his own sobriety.
page 119, paragraph 1, lines 6,7
1. It will do no good if you point that out and urge more attention for yourself. It is a real mistake if you dampen his enthusiasm for alcoholic work.
2. It will do little good if you point that out and urge more attention for yourself. We find it a real mistake to dampen his enthusiasm for alcoholic work.
page 119, paragraph 1, lines 11-14
1. Direct some of your thought to wives of his new alcoholic friends.
2. We suggest that you direct some of your thought to wives of his new alcoholic friends.
page 119, paragraph 2, lines 15-17
1. It is probably true that you and your husband have been living too much alone, for drinking almost isolated many of us.
Therefore, you need fresh interests and a great cause to live for as much as your husband.
2. It is probably true that you and your husband have been living too much alone, for drinking many times isolates the wife of an alcoholic. Therefore, you probably need fresh interests and a great cause to live for as much as your husband.
page 119, paragraph 2, lines 1-5
1. You, as well as your husband, must think of what you can put into life instead of how much you can take out.
2. You, as well as your husband, ought to think of what you can put into life instead of how much you can take out.
page 119, paragraph 2, lines 8-10
1. If he adopts this view, the slip will help him.
2. omitted
page 120, paragraph 1, line 9
1. Even your hatred must go. The slightest sign of fear or intolerance will lessen your husband’s chance of recovery.
2. The slightest sign of fear or intolerance may lessen your husband’s chance of recovery.
page 120, paragraph 2, lines 1,2
1. Never, never try to arrange his life, so as to shield him from temptation.
2. We never, never try to arrange a man’s life so as to shield him from temptation.
page 120, paragraph 3, lines 1,2
1. We may have seemed “preachy”. If that is so, we are sorry, for we ourselves don’t always care for people who preach.
2. We may have seemed to lecture. If that is so we are sorry, for we ourselves don’t always care for people who lecture us.
page 121, paragraph 1, lines 1,2
1. The more one member of the family demands that the others concede to him, the more resentful they become.
2. We find the more one member of the family demands that the others concede to him, the more resentful they become.
page 122, paragraph 1, lines 12-14
1. A doctor said the other day, “Years of living with an alcoholic is almost sure to make any wife or child neurotic.
2. A doctor said to us, “Years of living with an alcoholic is almost sure to make any wife or child neurotic.
page 122, paragraph 3, lines 2-4
1. The family may be obsessed with the idea that future happiness can be based only upon forgetfulness of the past. Such a view is self-centered and in direct conflict with the new way of life.
2. The family may be possessed by the idea that future happiness can be based only upon forgetfulness of the past. We think that such a view is self-centered and in direct conflict with the new way of living.
page 123, paragraph 4, lines 6-10
1. We think each family which has been relieved owes something to those who have not, and when the occasion requires, each member of it who has found God, should be only too willing to bring former mistakes, no matter how grievous, out of their hiding places. Showing others who suffer how we were given victory, is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now.
2. 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. Showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now.
page 124, paragraph 2, lines 2-9
1. So our rule is that unless some good and useful purpose is to be served, past occurrences are not discussed.
We families of Alcoholics Anonymous keep few secrets. Everyone knows all about everyone else. This is a condition which, in ordinary life, would produce untold grief. There would be scandalous gossip, laughter at the expense of other people, and a tendency to take advantage of intimate information. Among us, these are rare occurrences.
We do talk about each other a great deal, but almost invariably temper such talk by a spirit of love and tolerance. We discuss another’s shortcomings in the hope that some new idea of helpfulness may come out of the conversation. The cynic might say we are good because we have to be.
Another rule we observe carefully is that we do not relate intimate experiences of another person unless we are sure he would approve.
2. So we think that unless some good and useful purpose is to be served, past occurrences should not be discussed.
We families of Alcoholics Anonymous keep few skeletons in the closet. Everyone knows about the others’ alcoholic troubles. This is a condition which, in ordinary life, would produce untold grief; there might be scandalous gossip, laughter at the expense of other people, and a tendency to take advantage of intimate information. Among us, these are rare occurrences. We do talk about each other
a great deal, but we almost invariably temper such talk by a spirit of love and tolerance.
Another principle we observe carefully is that we do not relate intimate experiences of another person unless we are sure he would approve.
page 124, paragraph 3, lines 14-16 & page 125, paragraphs 1,2, lines 1-3
1. A man may criticize or laugh at himself and it will affect others favorably, but criticism or ridicule of him coming from another often produces the contrary effect.
2. A man may criticize or laugh at himself and it will affect others favorably, but criticism or ridicule coming from another often produces the contrary effect.
page 125, paragraph 2, lines 4-7
1. We pointed out the danger he runs if he rushes headlong at his economic problem.
2. We think it dangerous if he rushes headlong at his economic problem.
page 126, paragraph 1, lines 1,2
1. They are all disappointed, and soon let him feel it.
2. They are all disappointed, and often let him feel it. page 126, paragraph 1, lines 11,12
1. Mother and children don’t think so. Having been wantonly neglected and misused in the past, they think father owes them more than they are getting.
2. Sometimes mother and children don’t think so. Having been neglected and misused in the past, they think father owes them more than they are getting.
page 126, paragraph 2, lines 1-3
1. They expect him to give them the nice times they used to have before he drank, and to show his contrition for what they suffered. 2. They expect him to give them the nice times they used to have before he drank so much, and to show his contrition for what they suffered.
page 126, paragraph 2, lines 4-7
1. This sort of thing must be stopped. Both father and the family are wrong, though each side may have some justification. It is of little use to argue and only makes the impasse worse. The family must realize that dad, though marvelously improved, is still a sick man. They should thank God he is sober and able to be of this world once more.
2. This sort of thing can be avoided. Both father and the family are mistaken, though each side may have some justification. It is of little use to argue and only makes the impasse worse. The family must realize that dad, though marvelously improved, is still convalescing. They should be thankful he is sober and able to be of this world once more.
page 126, paragraph 3, lines 1-7
1. We know there are difficult wives and families, but the man who is getting over alcoholism must remember they are sick folk took, and that he did much to make them worse.
2. We know there are difficult wives and families, but the man who is getting over alcoholism must remember he did much to make them so.
page 127, paragraph 2, lines 4-7
1. Assume now that father has, at the outset, a stirring spiritual experience. Overnight, as it were, he is a changed man.
2. Assume on the other hand that father has, at the outset, a stirring spiritual experience. Overnight, as it were, he is a different man.
page 128, paragraph 1, lines 1-3
1. He may demand that the family find God for themselves in a hurry, or exhibit amazing indifference to them and say he is above worldly considerations. He tells mother, who has been religious all her life, that she doesn’t know what it’s all about, and that she had better get his brand of spirituality while there is yet time.
2. He may demand that the family find God in a hurry, or exhibit amazing indifference to them and say he is above worldly considerations. He may tell mother, who has been religious all her life, that she doesn’t know what it’s all about, and that she had better get his brand of spirituality while there is yet time.
page 128, paragraph 1, lines 8-14
1. They are jealous of a God who has stolen dad’s affections. While grateful that he drinks no more, they do not like the idea that God has accomplished the miracle where they failed.
2. They may be jealous of a God who has stolen dad’s affections. While grateful that he drinks no more, they may not like the idea that God has accomplished the miracle where they failed.
page 128, paragraph 2, lines 2-5
1. They do not see why their love and devotion did not straighten him out.
2. They may not see why their love and devotion did not straighten him out.
page 128, paragraph 2, lines 6-8
1. Though the family does not fully agree with dad’s spiritual activities, they should let him assume leadership.
2. Though the family does not fully agree with dad’s spiritual activities, they should let him have his head.
page 129, paragraph 3, lines 1,2
1. Though some of his manifestations are alarming and disagreeable, dad will be on a firmer foundation than the man who is placing business or professional success ahead of spiritual development.
2. Though some of his manifestations are alarming and disagreeable, we think dad will be on a firmer foundation than the man who is placing business or professional success ahead of spiritual development.
page 129, paragraph 3, lines 7-11
1. We have come to believe God would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought to be firmly planted on earth, nevertheless.
2. We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought to be firmly planted on earth.
page 130, paragraph 1, lines 6-8
1. Nothing will help the man who is off on a spiritual tangent so much as the wife who adopts the self-same program, making a better practical use of it.
There will be still other profound changes in the household.
2. Nothing will help the man who is off on a spiritual tangent so much as the wife who adopts a sane spiritual program, making a better practical use of it.
There will be other profound changes in the household.
page 130, paragraph 2, lines 6-9 paragraph 3, lines 1,2
1. Drinking isolates most homes from the outside world, so the family was used to having father around a great deal. He may have laid aside for years all normal activities–clubs, civic duties, sports.
2. Drinking isolates most homes from the outside world. Father may have laid aside for years all normal activities–clubs, civic duties, sports.
page 131, paragraph 1, lines 1-3
1. Though the family has no religious connections, they may do well to make contact with or take membership in a religious body.
Alcoholics who have derided religious people will sometimes be helped by such contacts.
2. Though the family has no religious connections, they may wish to make contact with or take membership in a religious body.
Alcoholics who have derided religious people will be helped by such contacts.
page 131, paragraph 2, lines 9-11 & paragraph 3, lines 1,2
1. If he does not argue and forget that men find God in many ways, he will make new friends and is sure to find new avenues of usefulness and pleasure.
2. If he does not argue about religion, he will make new friends and is sure to find new avenues of usefulness and pleasure.
page 131, paragraph 3, lines 5-7
1. As a non-denominational group, we cannot make up people’s minds for them. Each individual must consult his own conscience.
2. As non-denominational people, we cannot make up others’ minds for them. Each individual should consult his own conscience.
page 131, paragraph 3, lines 13-16
1. When we see a man sinking into the mire that is alcoholism, we give him first aid and place everything we have at his disposal.
2. When we see a man sinking into the mire that is alcoholism, we give him first aid and place what we have at his disposal.
page 132, paragraph 1, lines 8-10
1. We are the victors, and have been given the power to help others.
2. We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others.
page 132, paragraph 2, lines 5,6
1. We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and released.
2. We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free.
page 132, paragraph 3, lines 4,5
1. Avoid then, the deliberate manufacture of misery, and when trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence.
2. Avoid then, the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence.
page 132, paragraph 3, lines 8-11
1. omitted
2. One of the many doctors who had the opportunity of reading this book in manuscript form told us that the use of sweets was often helpful, of course depending upon a doctor’s advice. He thought all alcoholics should constantly have chocolate available for its quick energy value at times of fatigue. He added that occasionally in the night a vague craving arose which would be satisfied by candy. Many of us have noticed a tendency to eat sweets and have found this practice beneficial.
page 133, paragraph 3
1. We do not know of any case where this difficulty lasted long. 2. We do not know of many cases where this difficulty lasted long. page 134, paragraph 1, lines 9,10
1. The poor children are sometimes dominated by a pathetic hardness and cynicism.
2. The children are sometimes dominated by a pathetic hardness and cynicism.
page 134, paragraph 2, lines 5-7
1. Father had better be sparing of his correction or criticism of them while they are in this frame of mind. He had better not urge his new way of life on them too soon.
2. omitted
page 134, paragraph 3
1. When this happens, they can be invited to join in morning meditation, then they can take part in the daily discussion without rancor or bias.
2. When this happens, they can be invited to join in morning meditation and then they can take part in the daily discussion without rancor or bias.
page 134, paragraph 3, lines 2-5
1. Whether the family goes on a spiritual basis or not, the alcoholic member must. The others must be convinced of his changed life beyond a shadow of a doubt. He must lead the way.
2. Whether the family goes on a spiritual basis or not, the alcoholic member has to if he would recover. The others must be convinced of his new status beyond the shadow of a doubt.
page 135, paragraph 1, lines 1-4
1. Though he is now a most effective member of Alcoholics Anonymous, he still smokes cigarettes and drinks coffee, but neither his wife nor anyone else stands in judgment.
2. Though he is now a most effective member of Alcoholics Anonymous, he still smokes and drinks coffee, but neither his wife nor anyone else stands in judgment.
page 135, paragraph 3, lines 3-6
1. First things first! We have two little mottoes which are apropos. Here they are: “LIVE AND LET LIVE” and “EASY DOES IT.”
2. We have three little mottoes which are apropos.
Here they are:
First Things First
Live and Let Live
Easy Does It.
page 135, paragraph 4
1. One of our friends,whose gripping story you have read, has spent much of his life in the world of big business.
2. Among many employers nowadays, we think of one member who has spent much of his life in the world of big business.
page 136, paragraph 1, lines 1-3
1. Here are three exceptional men lost to this world because I did not understand as I do now. Then I became an alcoholic myself!
2. Here are three exceptional men lost to this world because I did not understand alcoholism as I do now. What an irony–I became an alcoholic myself!
page 137, paragraph 2, lines 1-3
1. Our business fabric is shot through with it and nothing will stop it but better understanding all around.
You, an employer, want to understand.
2. We think the business fabric is shot through with a situation which might be helped by better understanding all around.
omitted
page 137, paragraph 2, lines 9-11 & paragraph 3, line 1
1. 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 the time he ordinary would. Some employers have tried every known remedy. More often, however,there is very little patience and tolerance.
2. 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. Some employers have tried every known remedy. In only a few instances has there been a lack of patience and tolerance.
page 137, paragraph 3, lines 6-11
1. This seemed to me like an opportunity to be helpful. So I spent a good two hours talking about alcoholism, the malady. I described the symptoms and supported my statements with plenty of evidence.
2. This seemed to me like an opportunity to be helpful, so I spent two hours talking about alcoholism, the malady, and described the symptoms and results as well as I could.
page 138, paragraph 1, lines 5-8
1. My rejoinder was that if I could afford it, I would bet him a hundred to one the man would go on a bigger bust than ever. I felt this was inevitable and that the bank was doing a possible injustice. I felt this was inevitable and that the bank was doing the man a possible injustice.
2. The only answer I could make was that if the man followed the usual pattern, he would go on a bigger bust than ever. I felt this was inevitable and wondered if the bank was doing the man an injustice. I felt this was inevitable and wondered if the bank was doing the man an injustice.
page 138, paragraph 2, lines 1-4
1. I wanted to throw up my hands in discouragement, for I saw that my banking acquaintance had missed the point entirely. He simply could not believe that his brother-executive suffered from a deadly malady. There was nothing to do but wait.
Presently the man did slip and, of course, was fired. Following his discharge, our group contacted him. Without much ado, he accepted our principles and procedure. He is undoubtedly on the road to recovery. To me, this incident illustrates a lack of understanding and knowledge on the part of employers–lack of understanding as to what really ails the alcoholic, and lack of knowledge as to what part employers might profitably take in salvaging their sick employees.
To begin with, I think you employers would do well to disregard your own drinking experience, or lack of it. Whether you are a hard drinker, a moderate drinker, or a teetotaler, you have but little notion of the inner workings of the alcoholic mind. Instead, you may have some pretty strong opinions, perhaps prejudices, based your own experiences. Those of you who drink moderately are almost certain to be more annoyed with an alcoholic than a total abstainer would be.
2. I wanted to throw up my hands in discouragement, for I saw that I had failed to help my banker friend understand. He simply could not believe that his brother-executive suffered from a serious illness. There was nothing to do but wait.
Presently the man did slip and was fired. Following his discharge, we contacted him. Without much ado, he accepted the principles and procedure that had helped us. He is undoubtedly on the road to recovery. To me, this incident illustrates lack of understanding as to what really ails the alcoholic, and lack of knowledge as to what part employers might profitably take in salvaging their sick employees.
If you desire to help it might be well to disregard your own drinking, or lack of it. Whether you are a hard drinker, a moderate drinker or a teetotaler, you may have some pretty strong opinions, perhaps prejudices. Those who drink moderately may be more annoyed with an alcoholic than a total abstainer would be.
page 138, paragraph 3 & page 139, paragraphs 1,2, lines 1-7
1. When dealing with an alcoholic, you have to fight an ingrained annoyance that he could be so weak, stupid and irresponsible. Even when you understand the malady better, you may still have to check this feeling and remember that your employee is very ill, being seldom as weak and irresponsible as he appears.
Take a look at the alcoholic in your organization. When sober, does he not work hard and have a knack of getting things done?
Review his qualities and ask yourself whether he would he be worth retaining, if sober. And do you owe him the same obligation you feel toward other sick employees? Is he worth salvaging? If your decision is yes, whether the reason be humanitarian, or business, or both, then you will wish to know what to do.
The first part has to do with you. Can you stop feeling that you are dealing only with habit, with stubbornness, or a weak will? If you have difficulty about that I suggest you re-read chapters two and three of this book, where the alcoholic sickness is discussed at length. You, as a business man, know better than most that when you deal with any problem, you must know what it is. Having conceded that your employee is ill, can you forgive him for what he has done in the past? Can you shelve the resentment you may hold because of his past absurdities. Can you fully appreciate that the man has been a victim of crooked thinking, directly caused by the action of alcohol on is brain?
I well remember the shock I received when a prominent doctor in Chicago told me of cases where pressure of the spinal fluid actually ruptured the brain from within. No wonder an alcoholic is strangely irrational. Who wouldn’t be, with such a fevered brain? Normal drinkers are not so handicapped.
Your man has probably been trying to conceal a number of scrapes, perhaps pretty messy ones. They may disgust you. You may be puzzled by them, being unable to understand how such a seemingly above-board chap could be so involved. But you can generally charge these, no matter how bad, to the abnormal action of alcohol on his mind.
2. When dealing with an alcoholic, there may be a natural annoyance that a man could be so weak, stupid and irresponsible. Even when you understand the malady better, you may feel this feeling rising.
A look at the alcoholic in your organization is many times illuminating. Is he not usually brilliant, fast-thinking, imaginative and likeable? When sober, does he not work hard and have a knack of getting things done? If he had these qualities and did not drink would he be worth retaining? Should he have the same consideration as other ailing employees? Is he worth salvaging? If your decision is yes, whether the reason be humanitarian or business or both, then the following suggestions may be helpful.
Can you discard the feeling that you are dealing only with habit, with stubbornness, or a weak will? If this presents difficulty, re-reading chapters two and three, where the alcoholic sickness is discussed at length might be worth while. You, as a business man, want to know the necessities before considering the result. If you concede that your employee is ill, can he be forgiven for what he has done in the past? Can his past absurdities be forgotten? Can it be appreciated that he has been a victim of crooked thinking, directly caused by the action of alcohol on is brain?
I well remember the shock I received when a prominent doctor in Chicago told me of cases where pressure of the spinal fluid actually ruptured the brain. No wonder an alcoholic is strangely irrational. Who wouldn’t be, with such a fevered brain? Normal drinkers are not so affected, nor can they understand the aberrations of the alcoholic.
Your man has probably been trying to conceal a number of scrapes, perhaps pretty messy ones. They may be disgusting. You may be at a loss to understand how such a seemingly above-board chap could be so involved. But these scrapes can generally be charged, no matter how bad, to the abnormal action of alcohol on his mind.
page 139, paragraphs 3,4 & page 140, paragraphs 1-3, lines 1-7
1. Nearly always, these antics indicate nothing more than temporary aberrations, and you should so threat them.
2. Nearly always, these antics indicate nothing more than temporary conditions.
page 140, paragraph 3, lines 10,11
1. Of course that isn’t so, and you will have to be careful that such people don’t impose on you.
2. Of course that isn’t so, and such people often may impose on you.
page 141, paragraph 1, lines 2,3
1. If you make a start, you should be prepared to go the limit, not in the sense that any great expense or trouble is to be expected, but rather in the matter of your own attitude, your understanding treatment of the case.
2. Your understanding treatment of their cases will pay dividends.
page 141, paragraph 2, lines 2,3
1. You know something of alcoholism. You see that he is mentally and physically sick. You are willing to overlook his past performances. Suppose you call the man in and go at him like this:
Hit him point blank with the thought that you know all about his drinking, that it must stop. Say you appreciate his abilities, would like to keep him, but cannot if he continues to drink. That you mean just what you say. And you should mean it too!
Next, assure him that you are not proposing to lecture, moralize, or condemn; that if you have done so formerly, it is because you misunderstood. Say, if you possibly can, that you have no hard feeling toward him. At this point, bring out the idea of alcoholism, the sickness. Enlarge on that fully. Remark that you have been looking into the matter. You are sure of what you say, hence your change of attitude, hence your willingness to deal with the problem as through it were a disease. You are willing to look at your man as a gravely-ill person, with this qualification–being perhaps fatally ill, does your man want to get well, and right now? 2. You now know more about alcoholism. You can see that he is mentally and physically sick. You are willing to overlook his past performances. Suppose an approach is made something like this:
State that you know about his drinking, and that it must stop. You might say you appreciate his abilities, would like to keep him, but cannot if he continues to drink. A firm attitude at this point has helped many of us.
Next he can be assured that you do not intend to lecture, moralize, or condemn; that if this was done formerly, it was because of misunderstanding. If possible express a lack of hard feeling toward him. At this point, it might be well to explain alcoholism, the illness. Say that you believe he is a gravely ill person, with this qualification–being perhaps fatally ill, does he want to get well?
page 141, paragraphs 3,4 & page 142, paragraph 1, lines 1-8
1. Probe your man thoroughly on these points.
2. We believe a man should be thoroughly probed on these points.
page 142, paragraph 2, lines 4,5
1. Not a word about this book unless you are sure you ought to introduce it at this juncture. If he temporizes and still thinks he can ever drink again, even beer, you may as well discharge him
after the next bender which, if an alcoholic, he is almost certain to have. Tell him that emphatically and mean it!
2. Whether you mention this book is a matter for your discretion. If he temporizes and still thinks he can ever drink again, even beer, he might as well discharged after the next bender which, if an alcoholic, he is almost certain to have. He should understand that emphatically.
page 142, paragraph 3, lines 1-6
1. Some physicians favor cutting off the liquor sharply, and prefer to use little or no sedative. This may be wise in some instances, but for the most of us it is a barbaric torture. For severe cases, some doctors prefer a slower tapering-down process, followed by a health farm or sanitarium. Other doctors prefer a few days of de-toxication, removal of poisons from the system by cathartics, belladonna, and the like followed by a week of mild exercise and rest. Having tried them all, I personally favor the latter, though the matter of physical treatment should of course be referred to your own doctor. Whatever the method, its object should be to thoroughly clear mind and body of the effects of alcohol. In competent hands, this seldom takes long nor should it be very expensive. Your man is entitled to be placed in such physical condition that he can think straight and no longer physically craves liquor. These handicaps must be removed if you are going to give him the chance you want him to have. Propose such a procedure to him. Offer to advance the cost of treatment, if necessary, but make it plain that any expense will later be deducted from his pay. Make him fully responsible; it is much better for him.
When your man accepts your offer, point out that physical treatment is but a small part of the picture.
2. The matter of physical treatment should, of course, be referred to your own doctor. Whatever the method, its object is to thoroughly clear mind and body of the effects of alcohol. In competent hands, this seldom takes long nor is it very expensive. Your man will fare better if placed in such physical condition that he can think straight and no longer craves liquor. 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. It is better for him to feel fully responsible.
If your man accepts your offer, it should be pointed out that physical treatment is but a small part of the picture.
page 142, paragraph 4, lines 6-18 & page 143, paragraph 1, lines 1-3
1. He must place recovery above everything, even home and business, for without recovery he will lose both.
Show that you have every confidence in his ability to recover. While on the subject of confidence, tell him that so far as you are concerned, this will be a strictly personal matter. That his alcoholic derelictions, the treatment about to be undertaken, will never be discussed without his consent? Cordially wish him success and say you want to have a long chat with him on his return.
To return to the subject matter of this book: It contains, as you have seen, full directions by which your employee may solve his problem. To you, some of the ideas which it contains are novel. Perhaps some of them don’t make sense to you. Possibly you are not quite in sympathy with the approach we suggest. By no means do we offer it as the last word on this subject, but so far as we are concerned, it has been the best word so far. Our approach often does work. After all, you are looking for results rather than methods. Whether your employee likes it or not, he will learn the grim truth about alcoholism. That won’t hurt him a bit though he does not go for the remedy at first.
I suggest you draw our book to the attention of the doctor who is to attend your patient during treatment. Ask that the book be read the moment the patient is able–while he is acutely depressed, if possible.
The doctor should approve a spiritual approach. And besides, he ought to tell the patient the truth about his condition, whatever that happens to be. The doctor should encourage him to acquire a spiritual experience. At this stage it will be just as well if the doctor does not mention you in connection with the book. Above all, neither you, the doctor, nor anyone should place himself in the position of telling the man he must abide by the contents of this volume. The man must decide for himself. You cannot command him, you can only encourage. And you will surely agree that is may be better to withhold any criticism you may have of our method until you see whether it works.
You are betting, of course, that your changed attitude and the contents of this book will turn the trick. In some cases it will, and in others it may not. But we think that if you persist, the percentage of successes will gratify you. When our work spreads and our numbers increase, we hope your employees may be put in personal contact with some of us, which, needless to say, will be more effective. Meanwhile, we are sure a great deal can be accomplished if you will follow the suggestions of this chapter.
On your employee’s return, call him in and ask what happened. Ask him if he thinks he has the answer. Get him to tell you how he thinks it will work, and what he has to do about it. Make him feel free to discuss his problems with you, if he cares to. Show him you understand and that you will not be upset by anything he wishes to say.
In this connection, it is important that you remain undisturbed if the man proceeds to tell you things which shock you. He may, for example, reveal that he has padded his expense account or that he has planned to take your best customers away from you. In fact, he may say almost anything if he has accepted our solution which, as you know, demands rigorous honesty. Charge this off as you would a bad account and start fresh with him. If he owes you money, make terms which are reasonable. From this point on, never rake up the past unless he wants to discuss it.
If he speaks of his home situation, be patient and make helpful suggestions. Let him see that he talk frankly with you so long as he does not bear tales or criticize others. With the kind of employee you want to keep, such an attitude will command undying loyalty.
The greatest enemies of the alcoholic are resentment, jealousy, envy, frustration, and fear. Wherever men are gathered together in business there will be rivalries and, arising out of these, a certain amount of office politics. Sometimes the alcoholic has an idea that people are trying to pull him down. Often this is not so at all. But sometimes his drinking will be used as a basis of criticism.
One instance comes to mind in which a malicious individual was always making friendly little jokes of an alcoholic’s drinking exploits. In another case, an alcoholic was sent to a hospital for treatment. Only a few knew of it at first but, within a short time, it was billboarded throughout the entire company. Naturally this sort of thing decreases a man’s chance of recovery. The employer should make it his business to protect the victim from this kind of talk if he can. The employer should make it his business to protect the victim from this kind of talk if he can. The employer cannot play favorites, but he can always try to defend a man from needless provocation and unfair criticism.
As a class, alcoholics are energetic people. They work hard and they play hard. Your man will be on his mettle to make good. Being somewhat weakened, and faced with physical and mental readjustment to life which knows no alcohol, he may overdo. Don’t let him work sixteen hours a day just because he wants to. Encourage him to play once in a while. Make it possible for him to do so. He may wish to do a lot for other alcoholics and something of the sort may come up during business hours. Don’t begrudge him a reasonable amount of time. This work is necessary to maintain his sobriety.
After your man has gone along without drinking a few months, try to make use of his services with other employees who are giving you the alcoholic run-around–provided, of course, they are willing to have a third party in the picture. Don’t hesitate to let an alcoholic who has recovered, but holds a relatively unimportant job, talk to a man with a better position. Being on a radically different basis of life, he will never take advantage of the situation.
You must trust your man. Long experience with alcoholic excuses naturally makes you suspicious. When his wife next calls saying he is sick, don’t jump to the conclusion he is drunk. If he is, and is still trying to recover upon our basis, he will presently tell you about it, even if it means the loss of his job. For he knows he must be honest if he would live at all. Let him see you are not bothering your head about him at all, that you are not suspicious, nor are you trying to run his life so he will be shielded from temptation to drink. If he is conscientiously following the Program of Recovery he can go anywhere your business may call him. Do not promote him, however, until you are sure.
2. We all had to place recovery above everything, for without recovery we would have lost both home and business.
Can you have every confidence in his ability to recover? While on the subject of confidence, can you adopt the attitude that so far as you are concerned this will be a strictly personal matter, that his alcoholic derelictions, the treatment about to be undertaken, will never be discussed without his consent? It might be well to have a long chat with him on his return.
To return to the subject matter of this book: It contains full suggestions by which the employee may solve his problem. To you, some of the ideas which it contains are novel. Perhaps you are not quite in sympathy with the approach we suggest. By no means do we offer it as the last word on this subject, but so far as we are concerned, it has worked with us. After all, are you not looking for results rather than methods? Whether your employee likes it or not, he will learn the grim truth about alcoholism. That won’t hurt him a bit, even though he does not go for this remedy.
We suggest you draw the book to the attention of the doctor who is to attend your patient during treatment. If the book is read the moment the patient is able, while acutely depressed, realization of his condition may come to him.
We hope the doctor will tell the patient the truth about his condition, whatever that happens to be. When the man is presented with this volume it is best that no one tell him he must abide by its suggestions. The man must decide for himself.
You are betting, of course, that your changed attitude plus the contents of this book will turn the trick. In some cases it will, and in others it may not. But we think that if you persevere, the percentage of successes will gratify you. As our work spreads and our numbers increase, we hope your employees may be put in personal contact with some of us. Meanwhile, we are sure a great deal can be accomplished by the use of the book alone.
On your employee’s return, talk with him. Ask him if he thinks he has the answer. If he feels free to discuss his problems with you, if he knows you understand and will not be upset by anything he wishes to say, he will probably be off to a fast start.
In this connection, can you remain undisturbed if the man proceeds to tell you shocking things? He may, for example, reveal that he has padded his expense account or that he has planned to take your best customers away from you. In fact, he may say almost anything if he has accepted our solution which, as you know, demands rigorous honesty. Can you charge this off as you would a bad account and start fresh with him? If he owes you money you may wish to make terms.
If he speaks of his home situation, you can undoubtedly make helpful suggestions. Can he talk frankly with you so long as he does not bear business tales or criticize his associates? With this kind of employee such an attitude will command undying loyalty.
The greatest enemies of us alcoholics are resentment, jealousy, envy, frustration, and fear. Wherever men are gathered together in business there will be rivalries and, arising out of these, a certain amount of office politics. Sometimes we alcoholics have an idea that people are trying to pull us down. Often this is not so at all. But sometimes our drinking will be used politically.
One instance comes to mind in which a malicious individual was always making friendly little jokes about an alcoholic’s drinking exploits. In this way he was slyly carrying tales. In another case, an alcoholic was sent to a hospital for treatment. Only a few knew of it at first but, within a short time, it was billboarded throughout the entire company. Naturally this sort of thing decreased the man’s chance of recovery. The employer can many times protect the victim from this kind of talk. The employer cannot play favorites, but he can always defend a man from needless provocation and unfair criticism.
As a class, alcoholics are energetic people. They work hard and they play hard. Your man should be on his mettle to make good. Being somewhat weakened, and faced with physical and mental readjustment to life which knows no alcohol, he may overdo. You may have to curb his desire to work sixteen hours a day. You may need to encourage him to play once in a while. He may wish to do a lot for other alcoholics and something of the sort may come up during business hours. A reasonable amount of latitude will be helpful. This work is necessary to maintain his sobriety.
After your man has gone along without drinking for a few months, you may be able to make use of his services with other employees who are giving you the alcoholic run-around–provided, of course, they are willing to have a third party in the picture. An alcoholic who has recovered, but holds a relatively unimportant job, can talk to a man with a better position. Being on a radically different basis of life, he will never take advantage of the situation.
Your man may be trusted. Long experience with alcoholic excuses naturally arouses suspicion. When his wife next calls saying he is sick, you might jump to the conclusion he is drunk. If he is, and is still trying to recover, he will tell you about it even if it means the loss of his job. For he knows he must be honest if he would live at all. He will appreciate knowing you are not bothering your head about him, that you are not suspicious nor are you trying to run his life so he will be shielded from temptation to drink. If he is conscientiously following the program of recovery he can go anywhere your business may call him.
page 143, paragraph 1, lines 7-9, paragraph 2, pages 144-146
1. But you should feel under no obligation to do so, for your obligation has been well discharged already. In any event, don’t
let him fool you, and don’t let sentiment get the better of you if you are sure he ought to go.
2. But you should feel under no obligation to keep him on, for your obligation has been well discharged already.
page 147, paragraph 1, lines 6-8
1. There is another thing you might do.
2. There is another thing you might wish to do.
page 147 paragraph 2, line 1
1. The firm wants to help you get over it, and if you are interested. There is a way out, and I hope you have sense enough to try it.
2. The firm wants to help you get over it, and if you are interested, there is a way out.
page 147, paragraph 3, lines 7-9
1. After reading this book, a junior executive can go to such a man and say, “Look here, Ed.
2. After reading this book, a junior executive can go to such a man and say approximately this, “Look here, Ed.
page 147, paragraph 3, lines 1-3
1. The firm wants to help you get over it, and if you are interested. There is a way out, and I hope you have sense enough to try it. If you do, your past will be forgotten and the fact that you went away for treatment will not be mentioned.
2. The firm wants to help you get over it, and if you are interested, there is a way out. If you take it, your past will be forgotten and the fact that you went away for treatment will not be mentioned.
page 147, paragraph 3, lines 7-11
1. We think this method of approach will accomplish several things for you. It will enable you to restore good men to useful activity.
2. We think this method of approach will accomplish several things. It will permit the rehabilitation of good men.
page 148, paragraph 3, lines 1-3
1. Alcoholism may be causing your organization considerable damage in its waste of money, men and reputation. We do not expect you to become a missionary, attempting to save all who happen to be alcoholic. Being a business man is enough these days. But we can sensibly urge that you stop this waste and give your worth-while man a chance.
2. Alcoholism may be causing your organization considerable damage in its waste of time, men and reputation. We hope our suggestions will help you plug up this sometimes serious leak. We think we are sensible when we urge that you stop this waste and give your worthwhile man a chance.
page 148, paragraph 3, lines 5-10
1. But alcoholism–well, they just don’t have that.
2. But alcoholism–well, they just don’t believe they have it.
page 148, paragraph 3, lines 13,14
1. Perhaps this is a guess, but we have a hunch it’s a good one. If you feel your organization has no alcoholic problem, you might well take another look down the line.
2. Even if you feel your organization has no alcoholic problem, it might pay to take another look down the line.
page 149, paragraph 1, lines 9-12
1. As to them, his policy is probably sound, but as you see, he does not distinguish between such people and the alcoholic.
2. As to them, his policy is undoubtedly sound, but he did not distinguish between such people and the alcoholic.
page 149, paragraph 1, lines 4-6
1. Being a business man, you might like to have a summary of this chapter. Here it Is:
One: Acquaint yourself with the nature of alcoholism.
Two: Be prepared to discount and forget your man’s past.
Three: Confidentially offer him medical treatment and
cooperation, provided you think he wants to stop.
Four: Have the alcohol thoroughly removed from his system and give him a suitable chance to recover physically.
Five: Have the doctor in attendance present him with this book, but don’t cram it down his throat.
Six: Have a frank talk with him when he gets back from his treatment, assuring him of your full support, encouraging him to say anything he wishes about himself, and making it clear the past will not be held against him.
Seven: Ask him to place recovery from alcoholism ahead of all else.
Eight: Don’t let him overwork.
Nine: Protect him, when justified, from malicious gossip.
Ten: If, after you have shot the works, he will not stop, then let him go.
2. omitted
page 149, paragraph 4
1. It is not to be expected that you give your alcoholic employee a disproportionate amount of time and attention. He is not to be made a favorite.
2. It is not to be expected that an alcoholic employee will receive a disproportionate amount of time and attention. He should not be made a favorite.
page 149, paragraph 3, lines 1-3
1. They have a better way of life, and they have been saved from a living death.
2. They have a new attitude, and they have been saved from a living death.
page 149, paragraph 4, lines 3,4
1. You, Mr. Employer, may have the same experience!*
2. omitted
page 149, paragraph 4,line 6
1. *See appendix–The Alcoholics Foundation. We may be able to carry on a limited correspondence.
2. *See appendix VI–We shall be happy to hear from you if we can be of help.
page 150, note
1. There was an insistent yearning to enjoy as we once did and a heartbreaking obsession that some new miracle of control would enable us to do it.
2. There was an insistent yearning to enjoy life as we once did and a heartbreaking obsession that some new miracle of control would enable us to do it.
page 151, paragraph 1, lines 8-11
1. As ex-alcoholics, we smile at such a sally.
2. As ex-problem drinkers, we smile at such a sally.
page 151, paragraph 4, lines 3,4
1. These are to be your companions.
2. omitted
page 152, paragraph 4, line 4
1. The practical answer is that since these things have happened among us, they can happen again. Should you wish them above all else, and should you be willing to make us of our experience, we are sure they will come.
2. The practical answer is that since these things have happened among us, they can happen with you. Should you wish them above all else, and be willing to make us of our experience, we are sure they will come.
page 153, paragraph 1, lines 4-8
1. Our hope is that then this chip of a book is launched on the world tide of alcoholism, defeated drinkers will seize upon it, following its directions.
2. Our hope is that then this chip of a book is launched on the world tide of alcoholism, defeated drinkers will seize upon it, to follow its suggestions.
page 153, paragraph 2, lines 1-3
1. They will approach still other sick ones and so the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous may spring up in each city and hamlet, havens for those who must find a way out.
2. 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.
page 153, paragraph 2, lines 5-8
1. Nearly four years ago, one of our number made a journey to a certain western city.
2. Years ago, in 1935, one of our number made a journey to a certain western city.
page 153, paragraph 4, lines 1,2
1. Little could he foresee what that simple decision was to mean. How could anyone guess that life and happiness for many was to depend on whether one depressed man entered a phone booth or a bar? 2. omitted
page 155, paragraph 1, lines 1-3
1. It was the usual situation: home in jeopardy, wife ill, children distracted, bills in arrears, and reputation damaged.
2. It was the usual situation: home in jeopardy, wife ill, children distracted, bills in arrears and standing damaged.
page 155, paragraph 1, lines 4-6
1. He told how he lived in constant worry about creditors and others who might find out about his alcoholism.
2. He told how he lived in constant worry about those who might find out about his alcoholism.
page 155, paragraph 2, lines 5-7
1. Why, he argued, should he lose the remainder of his business, so bringing still more suffering to his family by foolishly admitting his plight to his creditors and those from whom he made his livelihood?
2. Why, he argued, should he lose the remainder of his business, only to bring still more suffering to his family by foolishly admitting his plight to people from whom he made his livelihood?
page 154, paragraph 2, lines 9-12
1. As we shall see, he now means a great deal to his community, and the major liabilities of thirty years of hard drinking have been repaired in four.
2. As we shall see, he now means a great deal to his community, and the major liabilities of thirty years of hard drinking have been repaired in less than four.
page 156, paragraph 2, lines 2-5
1. But he’s a grand chap when he’s sober, though he’s been in here six times in the last four months.
2. But he’s a grand chap when he’s sober, though he’s been in here eight times in the last six months.
page 156, paragraph 4, lines 3-5
1. Many a distracted wife has visited this house to find loving and understanding companionship among women who knew their problem, to hear from the lips of men like their husbands what had happened to them, to be advised how her own wayward mate might be hospitalized and approached when next he stumbled.
2. Many a distracted wife has visited this house to find loving and understanding companionship among women who knew her problem, to hear from the lips of their husbands what had happened to them, to be advised how her own wayward mate might be hospitalized and approached when next he stumbled.
page 160, paragraph 1, lines 5-11
1. But life among Alcoholics Anonymous is more than attending meetings and visiting hospitals.
2. But life among Alcoholics Anonymous is more than attending gatherings and visiting hospitals.
page 161, paragraph 2, lines 1,2
1. Four years ago one of our number was a patient there.
2. Six years ago one of our number was a patient there.
page 161, paragraph 3, lines 4,5
1. We are greatly indebted to the doctor in attendance there, for he, although it might prejudice his own work, has told us his belief in our work.
2. We are greatly indebted to the doctor in attendance there, for he, although it might prejudice his own work, has told us of his belief in ours.
page 161, paragraph 3, lines 7-9
1. Then, in this eastern city, there are informal meetings such as we have described to you, where you may see thirty or forty, there are the same fast friendships, there is the same helpfulness to one another as you find among our western friends.
2. Then, in this eastern city, there are informal meetings such as we have described to you, where you may now see scores of members. There are the same fast friendships, there is the same helpfulness to one another as y western friends.
page 162, paragraph 1, lines 5-10
1. We know a former alcoholic who was living alone in a large community.
2. We know of an A.A. member who was living in a large community.
page 163, paragraph 2, lines 1,2
1. This was only a few days ago at this writing.
2. This was only a few days ago at this writing. (1939)
page 163, paragraph 2, lines 5,6
1. Agreeing with many competent and informed physicians, he said he could do little or nothing for the average alcoholic.
2. omitted
page 163, paragraph 2, line 11
1. *See appendix–The Alcoholic Foundation. It may be we shall be able to carry on a limited correspondence.
2. *Alcoholics Anonymous will be glad to hear from you. Address P.O. Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163.
page 164, note
1. THE ALCOHOLIC FOUNDATION
In our text we have shown the alcoholic how he can recover but we realize that many will want to write us directly.
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. Three Trustees are members of Alcoholics Anonymous, the other four are well-known business and professional men who have volunteered their services. The Trust states these four (who are not of Alcoholics Anonymous) or their successors, shall always constitute a majority of the Board of Trustees.
We must frankly state however, that under present conditions, we may be unable to reply to all inquiries, as our members, in their spare time, will attend to most of the correspondence. 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. Once we have such an active nucleus, we can then refer to them those inquiries which originate in their respective localities. Starting with small but active centers created in this fashion, we are confident that fellowships will spring up and grow very much as they have among us. Meanwhile, we hope the Foundation will become more useful to all.
The Alcoholic Foundation is our only agency of its kind. We have agreed that all business engagements touching on 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 the Works Publishing Company, organized and financed mostly by small donations of our members. This company donates the customary royalties from each copy of Alcoholics Anonymous to The Alcoholic Foundation.
To order this book, send your check or money order for $3.50 to:
The Works Publishing Company,
17 William Street
Newark, N.J.
The notations on the following pages were added to the printing: 16, 25, 27, 34, 47, 104, 121, 155, 156, 161, 162.
STORIES IN THE FIRST EDITION
THE DOCTOR’S NIGHTMARE
THE UNBELIEVER
THE EUROPEAN DRINKER
A FEMININE VICTORY
OUR SOUTHERN FRIEND
A BUSINESS SLANT
TRAVELLER, EDITOR, SCHOLAR
THE BACK-SLIDER
HOME BREWMEISTER
THE SEVENTH MONTH SLIP
MY WIFE AND I
A WARD OF THE PROBATE COURT
RIDING THE RODS
THE SALESMAN
FIRED AGAIN
THE FEARFUL ONE
SMILE WITH ME, AT ME
A CLOSE SHAVE
EDUCATED AGNOSTIC
ANOTHER PRODIGAL STORY
THE CAR SMASHER
HINDSIGHT
ON HIS WAY
AN ALCOHOLIC’S WIFE
AN ARTIST’S CONCEPT
THE ROLLING STONE
NOW WE ARE THOUSANDS
APPENDIX
STORIES IN THE SECOND EDITION
PIONEERS OF A.A.
DOCTOR BOB’S NIGHTMARE
1. ALCOHOLIC ANONYMOUS NUMBER THREE
2. HE HAD TO BE SHOWN
3. HE THOUGHT HE COULD DRINK LIKE A GENTLEMAN
4. WOMEN SUFFER TOO
5. THE EUROPEAN DRINKER
6. THE VICIOUS CYCLE
7. THE NEWS HAWK
8. FROM FARM TO CITY
9. THE MAN WHO MASTERED FEAR
10. HE SOLD HIMSELF SHORT
11. HOME BREWMEISER
12. THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM
THEY STOPPED IN TIME
1. RUM, RADIO AND REBELLION
2. FEAR OF FEAR
3. THE PROFESSOR AND THE PARADOX
4. A FLOWER OF THE SOUTH
5. UNTO THE SECOND GENERATION
6. HIS CONSCIENCE
7. THE HOUSEWIFE WHO DRANK AT HOME
8. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN WORSE
9. PHYSICIAN, HEAL THYSELF!
10. STARS DON’T FALL
11. ME AN ALCOHOLIC?
12. NEW VISION FOR A SCULPTOR
THEY NEARLY LOST ALL
1. JOE’S WOES
2. OUR SOUTHERN FRIEND
3. JIM’S STORY
4. PROMOTED TO CHRONIC
5. THE PRISONER FREED
6. THERE’S NOTHING THE MATTER WITH ME?
7. DESPERATION DRINKING
8. ANNIE THE COP FIGHTER
9. THE CAREER OFFICER
10. THE INDEPENDENT BLONDE
11. HE WHO LOSES HIS LIFE
12. FREEDOM FROM BONDAGE
APPENDICES
1. THE A.A. TRADITION
2. SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
3. THE MEDICAL VIEW OF A.A.
4. THE LASKER AWARD
5. THE RELIGIOUS VIEW OF A.A.
STORIES IN THE THIRD EDITION
PIONEERS OF A.A.
DOCTOR BOB’S NIGHTMARE
1. ALCOHOLIC ANONYMOUS NUMBER THREE
2. HE HAD TO BE SHOWN
3. HE THOUGHT HE COULD DRINK LIKE A GENTLEMAN
4. WOMEN SUFFER TOO
5. THE EUROPEAN DRINKER
6. THE VICIOUS CYCLE
7. THE NEWS HAWK
8. FROM FARM TO CITY
9. THE MAN WHO MASTERED FEAR
10. HE SOLD HIMSELF SHORT
11. HOME BREWEISTER
12. THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM
THEY STOPPED IN TIME
1. TOO YOUNG?
2. FEAR OF FEAR
3. THOSE GOLDEN YEARS
4. THE HOUSEWIFE WHO DRANK AT HOME
5. LIFE SAVING WORDS
6. PHYSICIAN, HEAL THYSELF!
7. A TEEN-AGER’S DECISION
8. RUM, RADIO AND REBELLION
9. ANY DAY WAS WASHDAY
10. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN WORSE
11. A FLOWER OF THE SOUTH
12. CALCULATING THE COSTS
13. STARS DON’T FALL
14. GROWING UP ALL OVER AGAIN
15. UNTO THE SECOND GENERATION
16. ME AN ALCOHOLIC?
17. DOCTOR, ALCOHOLIC, ADDICT
THEY NEARLY LOST ALL
1. A FIVE-TIME LOSER
2. PROMOTED TO CHRONIC
3. JOIN THE TRIBE!
4. BELLE OF THE BAR
5. JIM’S STORY
6. OUR SOUTHERN FRIEND
7. THE PRISONER FREED
8. DESPERATION DRINKING
9. THE CAREER OFFICER
10. ANOTHER CHANCE
11. HE WHO LOSES HIS LIFE
12. FREEDOM FROM BONDAGE
13. A.A. TAUGHT HIM TO HANDLE SOBRIETY
APPENDICES
1. THE A.A. TRADITION
2. SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
3. THE MEDICAL VIEW OF A.A.
4. THE LASKER AWARD
5. THE RELIGIOUS VIEW OF A.A.
6. HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH A.A.
SELECTED PORTIONS OF
THE PRE-PUBLICATION MANUSCRIPT
COMPARED WITH
THE BOOK ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
3RD EDITION
1. Shows how the text as it appeared in the pre-publication manuscript.
2. Shows how the text appears in the third edition. The portions of the text which were modified are underlined. Page information references the 3rd edition
1. To show other alcoholics PRECISELY HOW THEY CAN RECOVER is the main purpose of this book.
2. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book.
page xiii, paragraph 1, lines 1-3
1. (Signed) – – – – – M.D.
2. William D. Silkworth,M.D.
page xxiv, paragraph 3, line 2
1. But as ex-alcoholics, we can say that his explanation makes good sense.
2. But as ex-problem drinkers, we can say that his explanation makes good sense.
page xxiv, paragraph 3, lines 3-5
1. omitted
2. William D. Silkworth, M.D.
page xxx
1. Most of us feel we need look no further for Utopia, nor even for Heaven.
2. Most of us feel we need look no further for Utopia.
page 16, paragraph 3, line 1
1. But the ex-alcoholic who had found this solution, who is properly armed with certain medical information, can generally win the entire confidence of another alcoholic in a few hours.
2. But the ex-problem drinker who had found this solution, who is properly armed with facts about himself, can generally win the entire confidence of another alcoholic in a few hours.
page 18, paragraph 4, lines 1-4
1. Our very lives, as ex-alcoholics, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.
2. Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.
page 19, paragraph 4, lines 10-12
1. That may be true of certain nonalcoholic people who, though
drinking foolishly and heavily at the present time, are able to
stop or moderate, because their brains and bodies have not been warped and degenerated as ours were.
2. That may be true of certain nonalcoholic people who, though drinking foolishly and heavily at the present time, are able to stop or moderate, because their brains and bodies have not been damaged as ours were.
page 39, paragraph 1, lines 1-5
1. They piled on me heaps of medical evidence to the effect that an alcoholic mentality, such as I had exhibited in Washington, was a hopeless condition.
2. 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.
page 42, paragraph 1, lines 5-8
1. To be doomed to an alcoholic hell or “saved” — not easy alternatives to face.
2. To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face.
page 44, paragraph 2, lines 4-6
1. Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our directions.
2. Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.
page 58, paragraph 1, lines 1,2
1. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it–then you are ready to follow directions.
2. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it–then you are ready to take certain steps.
page 58, paragraph 2, lines 3-5
1. Remember that you are dealing with alcohol–cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for you. But there is One who has all power–that One is God. You must find Him now!
Half measures will avail you nothing. You stand at the turning point. Throw yourself under His protection and care with compete abandon.
Now we think you can take it: Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:
2. Remember that we deal with alcohol–cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power–that One is God. May you find Him now!
Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with compete abandon.
Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:
page 58, paragraph 4 & page 59, paragraphs 1,2
1. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care and direction of God as we understood Him.
2. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
page 59, step 3
1. 7. Humbly, on our knees, asked Him to remove our shortcomings–holding nothing back.
2. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
page 59, step 7
1. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make complete amends to them all.
2. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
page 59, step 8
1. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
2. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
page 59, step 11
1. 12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of this course of action, we tried to carry this message to others, especially alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
2. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
page 60, step 12
1. Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after, have been designed to sell you clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That you are alcoholic and could not manage your own life.
(b) That probably no human power can relieve your alcoholism. (c) That God can and will.
2. Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.
page 60, paragraph 2
1. If you a are not convinced on these vital issues, you ought to re-read the book to this point or else throw it away!
2. omitted
page 60, paragraph 3, right after (c) above
1. This is the how and why of it. First of all, quit playing God yourself. It doesn’t work. Next, decide that hereafter in this drama of life, God is going to be your Director. He is the Principal; you are to be His agent. He is the Father, and you are His child. Get that simple relationship straight. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept is to be the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which you will pass to freedom.
2. This the how and why of it. First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn’t work. Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which we passed to freedom.
page 62, paragraphs 3, lines 1,2
1. Get down upon your knees and say to your Maker, as you
understand Him:
2. We were now at Step Three. Many of us said to our Maker, as we understood Him:
page 63, paragraph 2, lines 1,2
1. Remember they are fatally ill. The kick you will get is tremendous. To watch people come back to life, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends–this is an experience you must not miss.
2. Remember they are very ill. Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends–this is an experience you must not miss.
page 89, paragraph 1, line 7 & paragraph 2, lines 1-5
1. Admit that he probably knows more about it than you do, but call to his attention the fact that however deep his faith and knowledge, there must be something wrong, or he would not drink. 2. Admit that he probably knows more about it than you do, but call to his attention the fact that however deep his faith and knowledge, he could not have applied it or he would not drink. page 93, paragraph 2, lines 11-14
1. No person on this earth can stop his recovery from alcohol, or prevent his being supplied with whatever is good for him.
2. omitted
page 98, paragraph 2, lines 2,3
1. Let the alcoholic continue his new way of life day by day.
2. Let the alcoholic continue his program day by day.
page 99, paragraph 2, lines 9,10
1. Experience proves this is nonsense.
2. Our experience shows that this is not necessarily so.
page 100, paragraph 4, line 9
1. If you do this thoroughly, no decent person will ask you to drink.
2. If you do this thoroughly, few people will ask you to drink.
page 102, paragraph 1, lines 9-11
1. If he adopts this view, the slip will help him.
2. omitted
page 120, paragraph 1, line 9
1. We are the victors, and have been given the power to help others.
2. We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others.
page 132, paragraph 2, lines 5,6
1. As ex-alcoholics, we smile at such a sally.
2. As ex-problem drinkers, we smile at such a sally.
page 151, paragraph 4, lines 3,4
1. We know a former alcoholic who was living alone in a large community.
2. We know of an A.A. member who was living in a large community.
page 163, paragraph 2, lines 1,2
