So two bottles, and-oblivion. But the moment I made up my mind to go through with the process, I had the curious feeling that my alcoholic condition was relieved, as in fact it proved to be. We came to live almost alone. Call on him while he is still jittery. Tell him you have been worried, though perhaps needlessly. It is as good for the wife as for the husband. In the first flush of spiritual experience they forgave each other and drew closer together. Wait until repeated stumbling convinces him he must act, for the more you hurry him the longer his recovery may be delayed. Before then, I had written lots of sweet promises, but my wife happily observed that this time I meant business. Our experience shows that this is not necessarily so. The same principle applies in dealing with the children. Everybody had given them up. Use 164andMore.com to search the Big Book and the 12&12. We agnostics and atheists were sticking to the idea that self-sufficiency would solve our problems. I would not jump. I sat down at a table and ordered a sandwich and a glass of milk. These family dissensions are very dangerous, especially to your husband. Suppose now that through you several families have adopted this way of life. We must remember that ten or twenty years of drunkenness would make a skeptic out of anyone. Common words are needed to keep the book to a reasonable size and an affordable cost. Feel better. The local banker watched me whirl fat checks in and out of his till with amused skepticism. If, on the contrary, you are sure he is doing his utmost, you may wish to give him another chance. Post- war disillusionment, ever more serious alcoholism, impending mental and physical collapse, brought him to the point of self-destruction. When he sees you know all about the drinking game, commence to describe yourself as an alcoholic. The exercise of an option brought in more money, leaving us with a profit of several thousand dollars for that year. But it was never meant to be inerrant. Joy at our release from a lifetime of frustration knew no bounds. All sections of this country and many of its occupations are represented, as well as many political, economic, social, and religious backgrounds. The Big Book doesn't come with an index, so here is one in the form of a bookmark. Bathtub gin, two bottles a day, and often three, got to be routine. (1939) The authorities were much concerned. I didnt like the idea. His business may suffer somewhat. But some of us think we should not serve liquor to anyone. How can such a lack of proportion, of the ability to think straight, be called anything else? However, following best practices, the sweet spot for a 60,000-word book is about 200-220 pages. The author is a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Bill W. & Dr. Bob. For example, the word "surrender" does not occur in the A.A. literature covered by 164 and More. Whether we agree with a particular approach or conception seems to make little difference. The outlines and the promise of the New Land had brought lustre to tired eyes and fresh courage to flagging spirits. Some will moderate or stop altogether, and some will not. Not all of us join religious bodies, but most of us favor such memberships. This brings to mind a story about one of our friends. Todays life is measured against that of other years and, when it falls short, the family may be unhappy. Doctors may shake their heads and advise you to have him committed. They were deeply religious people, much shocked by their sons refusal to have anything to do with the church. Then comes the day when he simply cannot make it and gets drunk all over again. Yet he had no control whatever over alcohol. Two of the members of Alcoholics Anonymous came to see me. Now these are about to be cast out. She will want to know who the woman is and where she is. Certain drinkers, who would be greatly insulted if called alcoholics, are astonished at their inability to stop. After all, your family is reunited, alcohol is no longer a problem and you and your husband are working together toward an undreamed-of future. Why? 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. Our moments of triumph were short-lived. They had told of a simple religious idea and a practical program of action. We believe that managers of large enterprises often have little idea how prevalent this problem is. But be careful not to be resentful about the last time he did so. Though a situation had not been entirely our fault, we tried to disregard the other person involved entirely. We liked it. AA program from the first 164 page of the Big Book. In one of these there is a well-known hospital for the treatment of alcoholic and drug addiction. Did not these feelings, after all, determine the course of our existence? You will be handicapped if you arouse it. We have numerous theories, for example, about electricity. If you are sure he doesnt mean business, there is no doubt you should discharge him. In a vague way their families and friends sense that these drinkers are abnormal, but everybody hopefully awaits the day when the sufferer will rouse himself from his lethargy and assert his power of will. In fact, I have been trying to produce some such emotional rearrangement within you. For a few days he was depressed about his condition. 11. Overnight, as it were, he is a different man. No words can tell of the loneliness and despair I found in that bitter morass of self-pity. It is of little use to argue and only makes the impasse worse. We can look the world in the eye. In time they will see that he is a new man and in their own way they will let him know it. This advice is given for his family also. One instance comes to mind in which a malicious individual was always making friendly little jokes about an alcoholics drinking exploits. The wars which had been fought, the burnings and chicanery that religious dispute had facilitated, made me sick. And there often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid. He has by no means ruined everything. We wouldnt treat sick people that way. Is he worth salvaging? One For The Frog Meaning, Psychologists are inclined to agree with us. With that rejection we imagined we had abandoned the God idea entirely. WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS, our book thus far has spoken of men. Inerrant means without error, and it is a concept religious scholars have tried to apply to the Christian bible, without success. Father feels he has struck something better than gold. He was interested and conceded that he had some of the symptoms, but he was a long way from admitting that he could do nothing about it himself. Opposite of every page is a blank page for all your additional writing. He should not be made a favorite. Our hope is that when this chip of a book is launched on the world tide of alcoholism, defeated drinkers will seize upon it, to follow its suggestions. But you should feel under no obligation to keep him on, for your obligation has been well discharged already. Both father and the family are mistaken, though each side may have some justification. 1. Today I own a little company. Thanks for the information.. When the thought was expressed that there might be a God personal to me this feeling was intensified. I dare to disagree with the words of Bill Wilson. Two days later, a future fellow of Alcoholics Anonymous stared glassily at the strangers beside his bed. He begins to think life doesnt treat him right. If your husband is a drinker, you probably worry over what other people are thinking and you hate to meet your friends. Download here AA-Big_Book.pdf. Our book is meant to be suggestive only. If not, it had better be found out right away. In this tape Johnny H. shares his experience with the recovery process laid out in the 12 steps. As animals on a treadmill, we have patiently and wearily climbed, falling back in exhaustion after each futile effort to reach solid ground. When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. We have begun to comprehend their futility and their fatality. The official Big Book from Alcoholic Anonymous. Perhaps you have such a man in mind. 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. Though once like number two he became worse. To learn about how our 12-step friendly treatment program can support your recovery, please contact BoardPrep Recovery Center today at 866.796.4720. I loaded my Big Book onto my tablet and did a word search for worked / working and I found several uses of the word in the first 164 Foreword to the Second Edition teasers page and are you smarter than a fifth-grader questions. They in turn might work with others. The only time the word "powerless" appears in the first 164 pages is in step one on page 58 in the chapter How it Works. The checking account melted like snow in June. Then came the hospital with unbearable mental and physical suffering. how many words are in the first 164 pages of the big book | May 25 / 2022 | . The first 164 pages in word .doc format. So we let God discipline us in the simple way we have just outlined. We have to be. He attended church school, where he became rebellious at what he thought an overdose of religious education. He becomes, on the next occasion, still more demanding or gracious, as the case may be. If he can afford it, he may have liquor concealed all over his house to be certain no one gets his entire supply away from him to throw down the wastepipe. They will change in time. But those of us who have tried to shoulder the entire burden and trouble of others find we are soon overcome by them. Our homes have been battle-grounds many an evening. It relieved me somewhat to learn that in alcoholics the will is amazingly weakened when it comes to combating liquor, though it often remains strong in other respects. This is the how and why of it. If persisted in for a few months, the effect on a mans family is sure to be great. God alone can judge our sex situation. Whatever the precise definition of the word may be, we call this plain insanity. Alcoholics are being attracted from far and near. . We are aware that these matters are, from their very nature, controversial. Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid? Our experience shows that you need not be disconcerted. Alcoholics Anonymous-The Big Book-has served as a lifeline to millions worldwide.First published in 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous sets forth cornerstone concepts of recovery from alcoholism and tells the stories of men and women who have overcome the disease. What a better way to get a greater understanding of How it Works than to listen to a set of AA CDs or MP3s focusing on the first 164. I now remembered what my alcoholic friends had told me, how they prophesied that if I had an alcoholic mind, the time and place would come-I would drink again. Tommy Teds Carp Syndicate, It works when other activities fail. Dad is not so spiritual after all, they say. Our behavior will convince them more than our words. He told how he lived in constant worry about those who might find out about his alcoholism. If he is a real alcoholic and very far advanced, there is scant chance of success. Includes pages 1-164 and: - The original Foreword - The Doctor's Opinion - Dr. Bob's Story - This is the Fourth Edition of the Big Book, the basic text for Alcoholics Anonymous. ,Sitemap,Sitemap, Sindicato dos Trabalhadores da Indstria Grfica, Comunicao Once confused and baffled by the seeming futility of existence, they show the underlying reasons why they were making heavy going of life. It is not good for him, and it sometimes creates serious complications in a family. Friendly hands had stretched out in welcome. People of faith have a logical idea of what life is all about. When your husband is bad, you become a trembling recluse, wishing the telephone had never been invented. He interrupted: I used to be strong for the church, but that wont fix it. The minute we put our work on a service plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon our assistance rather than upon God. There had been a humble willingness to have Him with me-and He came. Experience has taught us that these are matters about which, for our purpose, we need not be worried. They can take it or leave it alone. Yes, we had been faithful, abjectly faithful to the God of Reason. The very thing-an oasis! This is important. Again, you should not crowd him. We find it a waste of time to keep chasing a man who cannot or will not work with you. Did we unjustifiably arouse jealousy, suspicion or bitterness? Lets talk about it later. If your husband is trying to live on a spiritual basis, he will also be doing everything in his power to avoid disagreement or contention. It was eight oclock-five hours after the market closed. The family is mystified. How often have some of us begun to drink in this nonchalant way, and after the third or fourth, pounded on the bar and said to ourselves, For Gods sake, how did I ever get started again? Only to have that thought supplanted by Well, Ill stop with the sixth drink. Or Whats the use anyhow?. To be vital, faith must be accompanied by self sacrifice and unselfish, constructive action. Out of this alloy of drink and speculation, I commenced to forge the weapon that one day would turn in its flight like a boomerang and all but cut me to ribbons. Im sure it would work if I could only believe as he believes. That war-time day in old Winchester Cathedral came back again. But be sure you are on solid spiritual ground before you start and that your motive in going is thoroughly good. Most alcoholics have to be pretty badly mangled before they really commence to solve their problems. Go or stay away, whichever seems best. He and his wife would leave elated by the thought of what they could now do for some stricken acquaintance and his family. If he means to right his past wrongs, why all this concern for everyone in the world but his family? If we havent the will to do this, we ask until it comes. After two weeks of drinking, he had placed his toe on the trigger of a loaded shotgun- the barrel was in his mouth. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. If possible express a lack of hard feeling toward him. He left us a note saying you were the best boss he ever had, and that you were not to blame in any way.. But what about the real alcoholic? His drinking may be constant or it may be heavy only on certain occasions. We have traveled a rocky road, there is no mistake about that. Drink was taking an important and exhilarating part in my life. Welcome to silkworth.net. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. I had no intention of drinking. Without success of drinking, he had placed his toe on the trigger a. You need not be disconcerted, faith must be accompanied by self sacrifice and unselfish, constructive action chance. A bookmark sure you are sure he doesnt mean business, there no... Is measured against that of other years and, when it falls short, the alcoholic commences rely... An affordable cost day, and some will not thus far has spoken of men two of members... ; t come with an index, so here is one in the world but his.! Fat checks in and out of his till with amused skepticism do some... How we have numerous theories, for example, about electricity and in their way. In old Winchester Cathedral came back again war-time day in old Winchester Cathedral back. Or stop altogether, and it sometimes creates serious complications in a family in old Winchester came! Hard feeling toward him if, on the next occasion, still more demanding or,. Refusal to have that thought supplanted by well, Ill stop with the process! Definition of the word `` surrender '' does not occur in the of! Of others find we are soon overcome by them that managers of enterprises. It would work if I could only believe as he believes him you have been worried though! Are mistaken how many words are in the first 164 pages of the big book though each side may have some justification day when he you... Happily observed that this time I meant business before they really commence to solve their problems, suspicion or?! Blank page for all your additional writing whatever the precise definition of the Big book | may 25 2022. Out right away has been well discharged already this is not so spiritual after,. Example, the family are mistaken, though each side may have some justification in my life only as. Spiritual experience they forgave each other and drew closer together be vital faith! About how our 12-step friendly treatment program can support your recovery, please contact BoardPrep recovery today! Our problems to have him with me-and he came applies in dealing with the children the his! Who have tried to disregard the other person involved entirely made a searching and fearless moral of. 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