Bearing in mind that step 12 is fundamentally the special insight of bill wilson when alone, on the verge of relapse as he wandered up and down the lobby of the. The story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism, is a collection of texts used by members of the alcoholics anonymous fellowship. This will always save you in tough times and keep you steady in the day to day ups and downs that can be known as living life on lifes terms sober. The story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism is often referred to in alcoholics anonymous meetings aa as the big book. What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. The text below is reproduced from the first edition of the big book alcoholics anonymous which is in the public domain. The big book gives explicit directions for helping the newcomer. Chapter 7 working with others p ractical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. Approach through a doctor or an institution is a better bet. The aa tradition is found in the first appendix of the big book.
Outlining the steps and traditions that make aa famous, as well as numerous stories about recovering addicts who have been through the process, the big book has helped guide millions into a life of sobriety. I need to work closely with a food sponsor and clean up my abstinence, both in conception and in practice. The big book study seriespart 9 chapter 7 working with. Alcoholics anonymousthe big book has served as a lifeline to millions worldwide. Steps by the big book is a nocharge website for people in recovery from alcohol and drugs and other addictions who wish to study the 12 steps of alcoholics anonymous aa as part of a friendly, focused group, and work them according to the big book, alcoholics anonymous. One expericened gentleman in aa gave me this advice once. Alcoholics anonymous is the life changing program formed by two desperate alcoholics in 1935. The fact is that he should work with other people to maintain his own sobriety. He said if you become an active student of the big book and aa itself then it will be hard to be fooled into giving your power away to fools in aa, even if they have 20 more years of sobriety than you. Study guide that explores solutions for alcoholics and drug addicts kindle edition by aaron c download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Why do you think aa and its twelve steps work for alcoholics in recovery. What has been your experience of working with others addicts. The big book of alcoholics anonymous working with others.
This wordforword audio version makes the big book come alive. Working with others is the big book s chapter on step 12. Sacrifice in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. His is the fourth edition of the book alcoholics anonymous. I have provided a link in a couple of places on this page for your convenience, so you can get to the search page.
All you need is a big book and this guide to go through the steps with someone in a way similar to what dr bob, clarence s or bill wilson would have done. Usually the family should not try to tell your story. The following links download chapters of the big book from aa. Mar 28, 2015 page 89 through 103 of the big book of alcoholics anonymous chapter 7 working with others step 12. Recovered from alcoholism, is called the big book in aa circles. Experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. This is the fourth edition of the big book, the basic text for alcoholics anonymous.
Copyright alcoholics anonymous world services, inc. Enjoy listening on our website or download and subscribe to the podcast for free at apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Page 89 through 103 of the big book of alcoholics anonymous chapter 7 working with others step 12. The message that this book carries to alcoholics is that there is a method by which we may recover 17. As of december 2009, 30,664,881 copies of the big book have been sold or otherwise distributed source aa gso ny.
Aa big book ch7 working with others 4th edition youtube. Alcoholics anonymous archivist, author conducts sessions here. We, of alcoholics anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. All you need is a big book and this guide to go through. Please understand that the steps were meant to be worked like some others shared, in a few hours or so. Helping other alcoholics helps the helper psychology today. Jun 20, 2008 one expericened gentleman in aa gave me this advice once. To show other alcoholics addicts precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. The introduction delves into what the solution is for alcoholics and drug addicts, by examining the chapter out of the big book of a. Aa the original way 12 step guide aa the original way group. Quite appropriately, working with others is the name given to this section of the book.
Alcoholics anonymous, 4th edition kindle edition by inc, a. The big book chapter 7 working with others aa wiki. Sep 30, 2008 the big book is a quick history of how people can help people help them selfs with fellowship and understanding support to overcome many addictions. Alcoholics anonymous, and the myriad of other 12step programs, can be invaluable to the recovering alcoholic or addict. Step nine of aa alcoholics anonymous is the perfect time to let go of the horrible way we feel about our past and to radically repair relationships. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading working with others. The text got this name because the first edition of the book had rather thick pages, making the book even thicker than its content would suggest. If we want help in learning how to forgive others, we can find plenty of advice from philosophers, psychologists, lifestyle consultants, and spiritual gurus. Thus i think it can work out with emotional sobriety. Nothing insures immunity from drinking as much as intensive work. The big book study seriespart 9 chapter 7 working with others. Although it was written over 70 years ago its basic principles are as true. If you have any suggestions for additions to the footnotes, feel free to add them in the comments.
Sep 17, 2018 aa big book ch7 working with others 4th edition thegaa03. Working with others is the seventh chapter of the big book or eighth if you count the doctors opinion. When you discover a prospect for alcoholics anonymous, find out all you can about him. Provided to youtube by cdbaby working with others alcoholics anonymous alcoholics anonymous. Working with others, chapter 7 in the big book of alcoholics anonymous, addresses step 12, but covers only the second part. As the title suggests, it deals only with carrying the message, which was the single concern in the early years of aa. Everyone has hurts, problems, and a few things to do better with. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading alcoholics anonymous, 4th edition. So, working on forgiving others, though hard work, pays off. I have found that the process of discovering who i really am begins with knowing who i really dont want to be. Take all 12 steps in just 4 hours download this aa big book step guide and work book. You write notes and questions from the big book awakening into your own big book for personal consideration. This is chapter 7 working with others from the big book alcoholics anonymous.
When you discover a prospect for alcoholics anonymous, find. Let us work the aa program and not be distracted by other influences. By the time we reach this point in our reading, we should know quite a bit about the nature of our disease. Service in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. This was the version of the big book distributed to friends and colleagues of aas founders before the first edition was printed. Jul 20, 2010 does alcoholics anonymous work because its a form of cognitive behavioral therapy.
A short form of the 12 traditions is listed on page 562, and a long form of the traditions is. By this he meant that we should not dilute the message of this book with any other messages. They knew they must help other alcoholics if they would remain sober. The 164 and more book, ebook, and web site are all concordances which display passages from the big book alcoholics anonymous, the twelve steps and twelve traditions, and the a. Step eight of aa alcoholics anonymous is the beginning of the process of making amends, forgiving others and possibly being forgiven by them, in addition to forgiving ourselves. After you have completed this process yourself your big book is now a powerful working with others book with questions and considerations that will help you work with others both oneonone and in workshops. The steps by the big book workbook can be downloaded for free.
In the big book, as the text alcoholics anonymous is known, we read the written words of the first 100 men and women of aa as they were put in the way of a spiritual awakening. The irrationality of alcoholics anonymous the atlantic. This guide has been prepared not as a replacement for or interference to our basic texts the big book and 12 and 12 but as a companion for the ideas and directions presented there. Chapter two breaks down the history of working with others. All bb quotes are from the 1st edition of the big book. Whether youre a member of alcoholics anonymous, cocaine anonymous, drug addicts anonymous, narcotics anonymous or any other anonymous 12 step based fellowshipwere here to share our experience, strength and hope with each other that we may solve our common problem and help others to recover from any and all addictions. Have you stayed sober or clean as a result of working with other alcoholics or. The big book of alcoholics anonymous, also referred to as alcoholics anonymous. Critique of chapter 7 working with others aa agnostica. Lou posted about her experience of chairing a workshop on sponsorship at an alanon convention and was using the big book as an example of working step four. To any unbiased reader, the big books elaboration on working with others makes crystal clear its connection to the earliest years of aa.
Since it is a central tenet of cbt that thought and action can and do influence emotions and even brain chemistry, it is no surprise that changing what. Working with otherstoday we begin chapter 7 working with others which is of course the suggestion of the 12th step. To be able to start on this step, the previous three steps must of course have been completed, so before starting check with your sponsor, spiritual advisor, counselor, etc. Aa morning step work this trigger list is designed for newcomers or anyone who has never written down those things that. The big book of alcoholics anonymous and twelve step programs across the world have helped millions of people recover from addictions. Aa big book ch7 working with others 4th edition thegaa03. For them, we hope these pages will prove so convincing that no further authentication will be necessary.
Breaking down step eight of aa alcoholics anonymous. Working with others p ractical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. Helping in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. Buy a cheap copy of alcoholics anonymous book by alcoholics anonymous. Chapter 7, the big book of alcoholics anonymous study guide. Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other. Alcoholics anonymous quotes author of alcoholics anonymous. What the big book really says by jay westbrook on december 29, 2014 in living in recovery, living with addiction. The big book friends is an informal discussion group where men and women interested in the big book of alcoholics anonymous daily discuss the pages of the big book. Alcoholics anonymous big book and twelve steps and twelve traditions 12. The big book when all other measures failed, work with another alcoholic would save the day. The big book is alcoholics anonymouss primary text.
There is no obligation by any member of the original way group to use this guide. Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure your own immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It is a historical document suitable for studying the history of aa, but not a. A little ditty on the big book, alcoholics anonymous working with others. A couple of people in the audience spoke up that it wasnt conference approved. As we read in the preface to the fourth edition of the big book. Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics.
The introduction dives into what the solution is for alcoholics and drug addicts by examining the chapter out of the big book of a. The two founders sought him out as a kind of experiment with their newly hatched ideas about a spiritual recovery for alcoholics. I believe everyone should learn and study this book and others like it to just help them make better decisions in managing their lives. Helping others is the foundation stone of your recovery. Work in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12 traditions.
As with the rest of the big book, the mistaken need for accepting god remains strong. Howard ls inspired reading of chapter seven, working with others, from the first edition of alcoholics anonymous, the big book. Our very lives, as exproblem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs aa, 2001, p. Let us work the aa program and not be distracted by other. The personal stories of the big book the recovery group. Others experience the feelings, such as freedom, happiness and loss of fear, while they work other steps in the program. Big book sponsorship 12 step recovery from any and all. Since the first edition appeared, in 1939, it has helped millions of men and women recover from alcoholism. The big book serves as the foundation for the alcoholics anonymous 12step program.
When possible, avoid meeting a man through his family. It originated the twelvestep program now used widely among addictions outside alcohol. It was one of the first to suggest that alcoholism was an illness, not a character defect. Jan 11, 2015 this is chapter 7 working with others from the big book alcoholics anonymous. It works if i work it and i am worth it i owe it to myself and to you to take my disease as seriously as i take yours. This is the audio version of the fourth edition of the big book, the basic text for alcoholics anonymous. Chapter 7 of the big book of alcoholics anonymous, 2nd edition. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. This guide exemplifies, as close as possible, one of the strongest original ways of alcoholics anonymous. The allergy of the body and the obession of the mind. Aa big book video chapter 7 working with others youtube. Working with others practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics.
Sorting and rendering passages in the proprietary format of the 164 and more concordance does not in any way imply affiliation with or endorsement by either alcoholics. It is the basic text of the fellowship of alcoholics anonymous, and has helped large numbers of alcoholic men and women, young and old, recover. The history of alcoholics anonymous beginners classes. But urge them not to be overanxious, for that might spoil matters. So i thought that id offer some information that i have found useful as to why it isnt used in alanon meetings note. If you would like to become a member, please send a blank email to. Because this book has become the basic text for our society and has helped such large numbers. Pauls lesson in the big book regarding expectations being inversely proportional to serenity. The first edition appeared in april 1939, and in the following. Its not about being sponsoredits about sponsoring others that is a predictor for recovery. Bearing in mind that step 12 is fundamentally the special insight of bill wilson when alone, on the verge of relapse as he wandered up and down the lobby of the mayflower hotel in akron in june of 1935 instead of the bar he called the local episcopalian minister reverend walter. Helping others newcomers is the foundation stone of your recovery.
As the only legitimate source of the big book online, aa has graciously allowed attributed access. Why the big book isnt used in alanon meetings im just. Does alcoholics anonymous work because its a form of. If persisted in for a few months, the effect on a mans family is sure to be great. Although everyone here generally tries to be helpful to the newcomer looking for a solution to their drinking problem, i wonder how many aas are familiar with chapter 7 in the big book entitled working with others. Breaking down step nine of aa alcoholics anonymous jason.
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