When he stopped working the Steps, he was an AFTER FOURTEEN and a half years of sobriety, I found myself in an all too familiar place: tired of living, bored with AA meetings, full of self-pity, and wondering, “Is this all there is?” I had been very active in AA in the early years–secretary, chairmanContinue reading “Elder Statesman Without A Country – Grapevine Article February 1983 by B.B.”
Category Archives: AA History
Difficulty Reveals Character – Grapevine Article October 2021 by Ron B.
A member shares some powerful thoughts about AA’s patience, resilience and creativity during COVID-19 When I first read Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions with my sponsor some 10 years ago, I was struck by Bill W.’s description of AA members in the armed forces during World War II. Even though they were far from homeContinue reading “Difficulty Reveals Character – Grapevine Article October 2021 by Ron B.”
Origins of Rule 62 ‘Don’t Take Yourself Too Damn Seriously’ – Twelve & Twelve Tradition 4
When A.A. was still young, lots of eager groups were forming. In a town we’ll call Middleton, a real crackerjack had started up. The townspeople were as hot as firecrackers about it. Stargazing, the elders dreamed of innovations. They figured the town needed a great big alcoholic center, a kind of pilot plant A.A. groupsContinue reading “Origins of Rule 62 ‘Don’t Take Yourself Too Damn Seriously’ – Twelve & Twelve Tradition 4”
The Bedevilments – Big Book p.52-53
We had to ask ourselves why we shouldn’t apply to our human problems this same readiness to change our point of view. We were having trouble with personal relationships, we couldn’t control our emotional natures, we were a prey to misery and depression, we couldn’t make a living, we had a feeling of uselessness, weContinue reading “The Bedevilments – Big Book p.52-53”
Modern Man In Search of Soul – Bill W’s 2nd and final letter to Dr. Carl Jung from the AA book ‘Pass It On.
Bill W’s letter to Dr. Carl Jung crediting him for his contribution to AA and Dr. Jung’s very insightful response about his own inability to help an alcoholic (Roland H) recover but his recognition of the alcoholic ‘craving for alcohol as the equivalent, on a low level, of the spiritual thirst of our being forContinue reading “Modern Man In Search of Soul – Bill W’s 2nd and final letter to Dr. Carl Jung from the AA book ‘Pass It On.”
Responsibility Is Our Theme – Grapevine Article July 1965 by Bill W
MARKING AA’s thirtieth year we shall, in this month of July, 1965, hold our International Convention at Toronto. It is most fitting that the chosen keynote for this gala occasion will be “AA’s Responsibility.” There we shall review the three decades of AA life that are now history. Stirred by gratitude beyond expression, we shallContinue reading “Responsibility Is Our Theme – Grapevine Article July 1965 by Bill W”
Discovering True Worth – Humility’s Role In Overcoming Shame and Pride – Practicing These Principles by Ray A.
Feeling that we are different, that we don’t belong or fit in, is a staple of the alcoholic story. However, few openly connect the feeling with shame. Bill W does. In Pass It On and Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, we read about two circumstances that fostered the emotion in him growing up. The firstContinue reading “Discovering True Worth – Humility’s Role In Overcoming Shame and Pride – Practicing These Principles by Ray A.”
Accepting Imperfection In Ourselves & Others – Bill W Letter with Anonymous Comments from ‘Friends of Bill’
Jim A. found this interesting article that perhaps can be thought of as identifying how we may not only expect perfection from ourselves but project it and impose it on others. One of the topics we’ve been discussing about emotional sobriety is our tendency to create unrealistic expectations of ourselves and others. When we findContinue reading “Accepting Imperfection In Ourselves & Others – Bill W Letter with Anonymous Comments from ‘Friends of Bill’”
Never The Same Again – As Bill Sees It #209
It was discovered that when one alcoholic had planted in the mind of another the true nature of his malady, that person could never be the same again. Following every spree, he would have to say to himself, “Maybe those A.A.’s were right.” After a few such experiences, often before the onset of extreme difficulties,Continue reading “Never The Same Again – As Bill Sees It #209”
The Twelve Promises following the 9th Step – Big Book pg 83,84
If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. The Twelve Promises 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.
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