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Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous

List Price: $12.00
Your Price: $9.00
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: AA - Waste of Time
Review: AA somehow became the go-to place for alcoholics. The main problem with AA is that Bill Wilson, the co-founder of AA, only figured out part of the problem. He correctly realized, in step 4, that fear was the root of the problem. However, his "cure" to alcoholism was basically abstinence and hanging out with other alcoholics in crowded, hot, church basements. This is like telling someone with a bladder infection to "drink cranberry juice and stop peeing." What I'm trying to say is that AA deals with the symptoms, and not the cause of the problem at all. They write off alcoholism as a "disease" and state that alcoholics were born that way. Rubbish. If AA was a good cure, then why do most AA members pick up smoking and drink a ton of coffee? Why are the members easy to have sex with? Because, they are simply switching from one bad habit - one addiction - to another.

Another fact that AA doesn't publish is that their success rate (if you want to call it that), is only roughly 5%. More people give up drinking on their own than that!

The bottom line is that to get rid of an addiction - any addiction - is to deal with the cause of it, which is usually fear. Buy Odyssey of the Soul by Dr. Hugh Harmon and Pamela Chilton to gain some insight into how dealing with your past can help your problems. Check out any other book on addiction that deals with healing your inner self.


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Let's look at all editions, their purpose, and history
Review: I am an active, recovered A.A. And I am a devotee and fan of all four editions of A.A.'s Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. I look at it as the standard for truth about the A.A. program of recovery as it is today. I commend the reading of the First, Third, and Fourth Edition basic texts-but not particularly the personal stories which have been the subject of endless editorial tinkering by A.A. service people. The basic text stands as a bulwark against the meat-market, relationships, psychobabble, nonsense gods, and whining that characterize so many meetings today. But the proposal I make is that you consider what the Big Book was originally intended to do and what it is apparently purposed to do today. I believe it is quite fair to say that all editions were intended to provide an explicit guide to A.A.'s program of recovery. They were not intended as a source of revenue for Wilson, his wife and her foundation, Lois's relatives, or even Wilson's girl friend. And that raises the question as to why so many millions of copies have been printed, revised, edited, and fed into the marketplace, instead of becoming a free source of information for AAs of all times. Part of the burgeoning sales program can be attributed to treatment programs and their need to show affiliation with A.A. Part too to government purchases for the same or similar reasons. Part has been to produce more and more revenue for an organization that was supposed to be non-profit and self-supporting but certainly isn't at the national level. But let's go to the Big Book and all its editions. It's not the muck-raking that will help alcoholics; it's the merit or intended merit of the program of recovery. One starting place is the beginning of the Book project in 1938. The original A.A. program was developed, tested, and proven by the fellowship in Akron as led by Dr. Bob. It was a program that was described by Frank T. Amos to John D. Rockefeller, Jr. as having seven points that are listed in DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers. It very much resembled the program of the world-wide Christian Endeavor Society in which Dr. Bob was actively involved as a youngster in the St. Johnsbury North Congregational Church. The facets of that program were Confession of Christ, Bible study, prayer meetings, Quiet Hour, reading of religious literature, fellowship, witness, and support of your own church-based on the foundational and declared purpose of "love and service." And a fair-minded look at the Christian Endeavor program and the Akron program will disclose that the two were very very similar in principles and practices. The Akron program was described by Dr. Bob as a "Christian Fellowship." It embodied all the elements and purpose of the Christian Endeavor Society. And its meetings were described, by those who were there, as "old fashioned prayer meetings" and "old fashioned revival meetings." The Akron program produced a 75% success rate by 1938 - Wilson sometimes claimed 80% or even 100% among non-psychotic alcoholics. The qualifying requirement, however, labeled as successes only those "real alcoholics" who "really tried." And these numbered 40 when Wilson and Smith felt they had a program. The success and number have been well documented by my fellow researcher and colleague Richard K. in several of his works including "The First Forty." These were not people whose stories were or were not in the First Edition of the Big Book. Some recent critics of the early program have asserted that most of those people died drunk or lost their sobriety. The fact, even if true, is irrelevant. For the original Akron program was certainly not left in the hands of a group of failures. The names and data on the 40 successes were known. By contrast, the choice of the people for the stories was based largely on Wilson's desire to have diversity-the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker-that would establish A.A. was for those of various creeds, races, religions, vocations, etc. It was the work and cures achieved by the 40, largely from Akron, that marked the basis for the decision to report the program via a guiding text. And Bill Wilson was authorized by a split-vote at an Akron meeting to write such a text. However, the text did not proceed as contemplated. Before long, all the Akron references to the Bible, Jesus Christ, and the essential verses in the Book of James, the Sermon on the Mount, and 1 Corinthians, were simply deleted. Wilson then proceeded to fashion his own program of recovery. His text proceeded from his own experience, not the experiences of Dr.Bob or the Akron people. He alleged the program was founded on "six" "word-of-mouth" steps that were, though varied, being used in the fellowship. However, there is no evidence that there were any such agreed six steps or even that the Oxford Group from which the steps came had six steps or any steps at all. Nonetheless, several of Wilson's six points did cover ideas taken from the Oxford Group, of which A.A. was an offshoot at the beginning. As Wilson proceeded with his text, he chose on his own to "expand" his alleged "six" steps to Twelve Steps. He then asserted in his text that these (twelve) were "the steps we took." But there were no steps, and nobody had taken twelve or any specifically identified steps when Bill wrote them. Then where did they come from? Dr. Bob said he didn't write the steps and had nothing to do with the writing of them. He said the basic ideas came from their studies and efforts in the Bible, though not in terse and tangible form. Others thought they came from the Oxford Group and, to a certain extent that is accurate. See my title The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous. But Wilson himself eventually gave the most accurate description of their source. He said they came primarily and directly from the teachings of Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr., Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in New York. Now the Akronites knew little if anything about Shoemaker personally, though they did read some of his books. On the other hand, Shoemaker was the principal lieutenant in the United States of Oxford Group founder Frank Buchman. Wilson and his wife knew many of the Oxford Group crowd and attended many of their meetings. And Shoemaker was in close touch with Bill Wilson, his proposed step ideas, and his Big Book manuscript from the fellowship's earliest point in 1934 to the date its text was published in 1939. This seems well supported by the fact that Wilson first asked Shoemaker to write the Twelve Steps, but Shoemaker declined in Wilson's favor. And I have documented how much of the Big Book and Step language comes from Shoemaker in my New Light on Alcoholism title. But Shoemaker was not the only source of Wilson's creative text. Dr. Carl Jung of Switzerland was the source of the "conversion experience" as the solution to alcoholism. Professor William James of Harvard, though long dead, was the source that validated Wilson's own unique "hot flash" conversion experience and also the source of the idea that "self surrender" was the turning point in any religious life-with Shoemaker being James's actual spokesperson. Dr. William D. Silkworth-largely in his "Doctor's Opinion"-contributed the "disease theory" ideas in the program with respect to Wilson's first step. And Wilson himself then salted his text with some New Thought and New Age ideas that he apparently had seen or heard in the literature or talks of Ralph Waldo Trine, William James, Emanuel Swedenborg, Emmet Fox, Charles Fillmore, and even Mary Baker Eddy. These included mystic references to the "fourth dimension," "Spirit of the Universe," "Great Reality," "Universal Mind," cosmic consciousness, etc. Finally, Wilson curiously borrowed some of his language from the unsuccessful lay therapist Richard Peabody, as set forth in The Common Sense of Drinking. Peabody had alleged that there was "no cure" for alcoholism, that "once an alcoholic always an alcoholic," and that "half measures avail you nothing." Ironically, Peabody proved his own points, as Wilson observed, since Peabody died drunk. But his ideas were not reflective of the contemporaneous decade in which A.A. pioneers did claim they were cured and were cured, by their own definition. Peabody simply left his condemnation as a legacy adopted by Bill in his Tenth Step language. Note, however, that the rest of the Steps and much of the Big Book language is undeniably Shoemaker in imprint and appearance. You can reflect on this in my title Twelve Steps for You. And now let's return to the Big Book and its four editions. It is not reflective of the Akron program that gave rise to A.A. It is largely the product of Bill's steps that came from Shoemaker's teachings about the Oxford Group's life-changing techniques. Its virtue is that it gives, as to most of the steps, very explicit instructions as to how to "take" them and thereby "recover" subject to a daily reprieve "contingent on the maintenance" of one's spiritual condition. As I said, it has given purpose to those in Twelve Fellowships who want something other than bonding in meetings and a vehicle for complaint and expression of misery. I am a strong advocate of the A.A. support system. I feel it is without equal. I feel that it would be difficult to replicate in any other fellowship. But as the Big Book says, if taken by itself, it would never produce recovery. The Big Book inculcates the idea that recovery comes from taking a group of life-changing steps, experiencing a change, carrying a message, and practicing principles learned. Unfortunately, therein lies some of its weakness in that it has strayed far from the power of the Creator as the real source of healing, left that explicit message in the dust, and lost the "principles" that were originally spelled out in the unmentioned Bible. The personal stories are a different item. Unfortunately, as they have been repeatedly edited, deleted, augmented, and modified, they represent little more than the diversity of views in a fellowship that does not unite behind the steps of recovery. My recommendation, then, goes to the basic text. If study of that text is combined with active participation in the A.A. fellowship to the end that recovery is the objective, support is a vital component, discipline is needed and imparted, sponsorship is used and enjoyed, and love for and service to the fellowship are incorporated, you have a very valuable program. Personally, I find nothing in the Big Book text that drives me away from God, the Bible, Jesus Christ, or my own religious affiliation. Those things come from raucous and ill-informed meeting talk. It's tough to hear, but it perhaps reflects the secularism is today's society. But he who knows the Big Book knows that Almighty God is referred to explicitly over 400 times in the Big Book. He who knows our history knows that "God as we understood Him" is not a license to hunt for rainbows, radiators, or doorknobs, but a challenge to gain understanding of God Almighty, our Creator. How do we know that? Because the phrase came, not surprisingly, from the frequent teaching of Sam Shoemaker in books, articles, sermons, and conversation that you should surrender as much of yourself as you understand to as much of God as you understand. Shoemaker's challenge-echoed in the language of the Big Book--was to "find" God, "know God," and gain an understanding of God by revelation and primarily from His Word. That was Shoemaker's view, and it was not lost to Wilson although the "understood Him" phrase has given rise to much of the idolatrous philosophizing about "goofy gods" that you hear manufactured in meetings. In sum, then, if you want to dive into A.A. and recover from alcoholism, you'll get your hugs and embraces through the meetings. I can almost guarantee that, but you'll get the intended thrust of the recovery program only by reading the basic text found in the Big Book. You'll find it lots more helpful if you also learn A.A.'s early history and Bible roots. That's what I did; and with God's help and the continuing avoidance of temptation, I've had a wonderful new life that is now approaching eighty years in age and twenty years in sobriety.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Old Timer or Bleeding Deacon? Choose
Review: I am Mike, and I am grateful to a loving God, who chose me to be an alcoholic, addict, and CoDA.
The stories found in this Fourth Edition of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, the Basic Sacred Scripture for the Church of the Non-Drinking, are a definite upgrade to the Third Edition, which led me to not drinking on May 28, 1978.
However, even this Fourth Edition is not tamper-free. The First through Third Printings of this Fourth Edition contained the following sentence on page xxiv: "Fundamentally, though, the difference between an electronic meeting and the home group is only one of format." The Printings of January and February 2002 carried this sentence, whereas the Fourth Printing, of April 2002 deleted it.
Similarly, there is a nationwide brouhaha concerning the changed punctuation of Dr. Bob Smith's story from the Third Edition to the Fourth Edition, perhaps a tempest in a teapot, full of sound and fury signifying personalities over principles. The first 164 pages are considered inerrant, and cannot be changed by the successors to Bob and Bill. However, Dr. Bob's story does not fall within this 1986 ukase. One also notes that the Copyrights on the First and Second Editions were not renewed; hence, all of the materials contained therein may be changed, edited, and redacted without recourse to GSO. The same is not true for international editions, since they are protected under the more liberal standards of post-1976 U.S. copyright norms.
Despite criticism, the 4th Edition does not use inclusive language in the first 164 pages, nor change the patristic Chapter to the Wives. [N.B. It is generally known that Bill W. did not write the Chapter to the Employers, nor, apparently, the Chapter to the Wives.] The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Editions were unnecessarily misogynistic in extremis. The traditional/historical pages do not reflect that, currently, over 40% of AAs are female. At the time the Big Book was drafted, there were no female AAs. [The First Edition has one female story, which was not carried over to the 2nd Edition.] Dr. Bob refused to sponsor women, after an early 13th Step. [See "Dr. Bob and the Good Old Timers."] Further many have great difficulty in affixing the male gender pronouns to their own Higher Power. [This also reflects AA's early Christian Trinitarian creeds of the Oxford Group, which is unacceptable to those not holding with traditional theology/dogma. {The Mimeo Edition used the phrase "God as I understand God" rather than the printed version of "God as I understand "Him".}"
The multilith/typed version of the Big Book [available from GSO upon request] contained 20 stories from the 1938 membership of less than 80. [One story, "Ace Full - Seven Eleven", did not make it from the Multilith edition to the 1st edition. One 1st edition story, "Lone Endeavor", did not make it into the second printing of the 1st edition.] Nineteen of the original multilith stories were included in the 1st edition, and ten more stories were added to the multilith collection for the 1st edition since the Big Book was skimpy in contents, despite being printed on extra thick paper, and was packaged and priced as a 1939 coffee-table book @ $3.50.
The cost of printing each First Edition Big Book was 35¢, for an anticipated profit of 1,000%. These anticipated profits were to be used for treatment centers and missionaries. [The minimum wage in 1939 was 25¢ per hour = 14 hours of labor needed to purchase a copy of the Big Book. The equivalent 2004 price for the Big Book would be $70!]
The Fourth Edition of the Big Book has been reduced in price from the Third Edition, since substantial royalties are no longer paid to Lois Wilson's nieces and nephews, and to Bill Wilson's former mistress.
Bill Wilson restructured the 1st edition in 1955. Only two stories from the 1st edition were retained intact. Three were edited, one of which was retitled. Two stories were completely rewritten, and 30 new stories were added to the 2nd edition for a total of 38 stories. The 1st edition, first printing, had 30 stories. The 1st and 2nd editions of the Big Book and the stories contained therein are in the Public Domain, i.e. not subject to copyright restrictions.
The 3rd edition contained only 10 additional stories not found in the 2nd edition. Twelve of the stories in the 3rd edition were credited to "The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.", a personal newsletter originated by Bill Wilson to communicate directly to the membership. [This data crediting "The A.A. Grapevine, Inc." was omitted from the later printings of the 3rd edition.] Five of the stories in the 4th edition are credited to "The A.A. Grapevine, Inc."
In the early printings of the Big Book, stories were dropped if the author had gone back to drinking. [Mrs. Marty Mann is an exception, and her story from the Second Edition, not the first woman's story that is found only in the First Edition, remains in the Fourth Edition.] The Non Approved History of AA 1957-1985 states, page 203: "By 1953, [when the Second Edition replaced the First Edition] it was evident that the personal stories in the first edition of the Big Book were somewhat dated. Of the 28 [New York and Cleveland] veterans whose stories were represented [Akron was opposed to the book project], five had gone back to drinking, eight more had slipped after the book was published but had come back to A.A., and 15 had remained continuously sober."
Almost all of the stories dropped from the 1st & 2nd editions were omitted due to the authors' relapses. Cultural changes were the predominant rationale for deletions from the 3rd edition and for inclusion of new stories in the 4th edition.
Of some significance are the changes to the mantra, "How It Works", which is read aloud at almost all Twelve Step Meetings. {I have encountered AA meetings, which omit reading "How It Works", as well as omitting reading "The Twelve Traditions"!} Further, this mantra was substantially redacted from the version given to Bill Wilson, as set forth in the manuscript version. The manuscript version preaches to its reader using "you" throughout, whereas the sacrosanct version refers to "We." Step Seven originally read: "Humbly, on our knees, asked Him to remove our shortcomings - holding nothing back." The Twelfth Step was also worded that AA would not limit itself to alcoholics: "Having had a spiritual experience as the result of [this course of action], [changed to "these steps"] we tried to carry this message to other[s, especially] [changed to other] alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."
The manuscript version also ended with a harsh encomium: "If you are not convinced on these vital issues, you ought to re-read the book to this point [e.g. prior to the personal stories] or else throw it away!"
Many of us were saved, not by the first 164 pages [the book to this point] but the stories of experience strength, and hope found thereafter. Therefore, this Fourth Edition is strongly commended to all those affected by any addiction. Moreover, do not let the fuss and feathers of the non-ordained bleeding deacons keep you from trudging the road to happy destiny.


Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Mixed Feelings
Review: I received a copy of this book recently. I haven't read through it in its entirety but I am familiar with the AA program, having attended AA meetings myself and also having friends who are in AA.

Without a doubt, AA has helped many people. And for that, it deserves the praise and recognition it receives. However, it does not work for everyone. And for those who are not helped by it, it's not a matter of not "working the program" or any other failure on their part. We all come from different backgrounds, some of which are not conducive to the AA approach.

For example, some people who have been hurt by fundamentalist religions seem to have a natural aversion to AA. It may be because of similarities having to do with self-debasement (You are helpless. You are powerless. You need to turn your will over to a Higher Will, etc.). In any case, it demonstrates the point that AA is not for everyone.

There is also the issue of intellectual integrity. For unbelievers (e.g. agnostics and atheists), many have reached their unbelief through a deliberative process. So, it is unrealistic to think that one should have to leave one's unbelief at the door in order to be "saved" from alcohol. One need not (and should not have to) prostitute one's mind in order to deal with chemical addiction. Other effective programs (e.g. Secular Organizations for Sobriety; and SMART Recovery) demonstrate that fact.

That people should not be forced by law to listen to ideas that are contrary to their own conscience seems as American as apple pie. Yet, the current healthcare system is heavily biased towards AA, often coercing people against their conscience. Fortunately, the courts are slowly coming to accept the fact that non-spiritual alternatives exist; and that people should be permitted to go where they receive the best help for their situation.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One for the Road
Review: I wonder what Bill W. would think if he knew his book made the top 100 spiritual books of the century? Hopefully pleased and grateful. I've been reading this book since 1987 and I'm amazed at how much it's changed since then! No, this 60 year-old text hasn't been revised since 1976, but *I* sure have. Whether you have a drinking problem or not, this text is the embodiment of ancient wisdom, personal integrity, and simple spirituality. I resented this book when I began reading it, largely because it spoke some truths I needed to hear. Once I stopped picking it apart and complaining about it and heard the message within, I realized what a treasure this book truly is. Much as I don't want to live my life according to any "plan" out of a book, a good deal of a life worth living is found here for me. Surely it has its drawbacks, still it remains in my personal top 100, maybe even top 5 greatest books. Perfectly imperfect this one is.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Profound book
Review: I'm an Addict and active member of NA. This book is very useful for addicts too. I have been reading it and have discovered that the alcoholic and addict condition are basically similar. When I read the book the first time through, I realized that it described the way out of addiction pure and simple. This is the book that I have been searching for half my life. It's too bad that outsiders and the rest of society put such a stigma on NA and AA. These programs if practiced by our society in general would be beneficial for sure.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lifesaver
Review: It perplexes me there are so few reviews of this great book. Last time I checked, there were eight -- at least it's double digits now.

It perplexes me because this book has saved literally millions of lives. For anyone struggling with alcoholism, this is the way to get sober. The principles of the program can -- and have been -- applied to just about any addiction. This program is the foundation of Cocaine Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and every other 12 step program. This is where it all started.

My pastor mentioned in church just today how the sprituality of people who've been in 12 step programs is sometimes especially striking. That's true. It's because if a person follows the 12 steps, they will find it a life-changing experience. They will not be exactly the same person they were when they started. For more on this, see a passage in the book known in the program that took its name from the book's title as "the promises."

If you read this book, also read the accompanying 12 Steps and 12 Traditions volume. The two go together -- though if you read only one read this one.

The book is especially helpful in dealing with the issue of a higher power.

The book goes way beyond what someone will find in a typical AA meeting. A person who is attempting sobriety needs this book, a sponsor and the meetings.

This is, statistically, the best shot there is at sobriety. This book and the program it spawned are an extraordinary gift for those who choose to accept them.

The newcomer might find the book somewhat dated. Stick with it. It's worth it. And, as time goes by, it will become clearer and clearer.


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The 4th Dimension.
Review: This book was written in a relatively short period of time but contains a wealth of experience, strength and hope for the sufferer who wants to move in a different direction. The key, of course, is found in the willingness of the individual concerned. And faith. Faith that if we do what others have done and are doing, we'll experience what's promised herein, too. The book, even if one doesn't practice it, makes for some very interesting reading. 'Bill's Story', for example, contains a vivid description of a spiritual awakening as a result of a friend who stops by his home for a visit in November 1934. Bill describes how his life changed (dramatically) by diligently practicing certain principles he is introduced to. A conversation at the kitchen table led to the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous which has saved the lives of untold thousands of people since it began in June 1935. A great, uplifting read and a freeing way of life for those who are willing to go against the grain.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's There If You Need It
Review: This is a great book. It goes along with a great fellowship. If you have a drinking problem this can help.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Bible for the Addicted Person
Review: Why are there so many AA groups around today? You know the answer. This book is a must-have for anyone with an addiction problem. Even if you are a drug addict, and not an alcoholic, you should still get a copy of The Big Book. (If you are an addict, get a copy of the Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text as well!) This book lays out a plan for sobreity that has worked for countless others. It contains the twelve steps and traditions of AA, and explains then as well. It also contains chapters called "We Agnostics" (for those questioning the spiritual priniciples of AA/the existence of a higher power) and "To Wives" and "To Employers." Overall it is a great book. But one of the best parts is the stories in the second half. It has tales of recovery from AA pioneers, doctors, as well as young people and people who "nearly lost all". Although this book is written in a bit of an old fashioned way (probably because its about fifty plus years old!), you can get past the "thee" and "thou" wording if you want "what they have."


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