Let him decide for himself. But our man is sure to be impressed with a sincere desire to set right the wrong. He inherited a lucrative automobile agency. We know of an A.A. member who was living in a large community. Some of the contemporaries of Columbus thought a round earth preposterous. Yes, we had been faithful, abjectly faithful to the God of Reason. We feel that elimination of our drinking is but a beginning. Nothing more. One night, when confined in a hospital, he was approached by an alcoholic who had known a spiritual experience. While grateful that he drinks no more, they may not like the idea that God has accomplished the miracle where they failed. Still the play does not suit him. So we were sore. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection. This may seem inconsistent, but we think it is not. He is remorseful after serious drinking bouts and tells you he wants to stop. Sometimes mother and children dont think so. Can it be appreciated that he has been a victim of crooked thinking, directly caused by the action of alcohol on his brain? It will permit the rehabilitation of good men. He will be at the jumping-off place. Under these conditions your prospect will see he is under no pressure. They cannot seem to forgive and forget. The family is mystified. Hagen-dazs 1-for-1 Parfait, If he cannot or does not want to stop, he should be discharged. There is a complete failure of the kind of defense that keeps one from putting his hand on a hot stove. Their chances are less than average. I had arrived. But it isnt so difficult. Patience, tolerance, understanding and love are the watchwords. They had said that though I did raise a defense, it would one day give way before some trivial reason for having a drink. To you, some of the ideas which it contains are novel. IN THE PRECEDING chapters you have learned something of alcoholism. If we can forget, so can she. He soon indicated he was anxious to see us. These 164 pages are in the Public Domain Alcoholics Anonymous Screen 6 of 703 (free of copyright) in the U.S.A. Memoir Novel 80,000 words The most common rule for a memoir is that it should not go more than 80,000 words. It never occurred to him that perhaps he could not do so, in spite of his character and standing. He often says that if he had continued to work on them, he might have deprived many others, who have since recovered, of their chance. In addition to these casual get-togethers, it became customary to set apart one night a week for a meeting to be attended by anyone or everyone interested in a spiritual way of life. If God can solve the age-old riddle of alcoholism, He can solve your problems too. It means release from care, boredom and worry. But my friend sat before me, and he made the point- blank declaration that God had done for him what he could not do for himself. We wouldnt treat sick people that way. One For The Frog Meaning, A 40,000 to 80,000-word memoir is around 150-265 . A.A. Big Book (164 Pages) Big Book Stories Edition 1; Big Book Stories Edition 2; Mel B's Library; Dick B.'s Library; . But life among Alcoholics Anonymous is more than attending gatherings and visiting hospitals. For a few days he was depressed about his condition. Be quick to see where religious people are right. Now these are about to be cast out. There is doubt about that. We want to stay out of this controversy. She met these responsibilities gallantly. You can even train this bot to write the way you do. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. This couple has since become so fascinated that they have dedicated their home to the work. If you are satisfied that he is a real alcoholic, begin to dwell on the hopeless feature of the malady. These observations would be academic and pointless if our friend never took the first drink, thereby setting the terrible cycle in motion. Assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things alcoholics are not supposed to do. Without saying so, they may cordially hate him for what he has done to them and to their mother. I know I must get along without liquor, but how can I? He listened in wonder as I talked. Disappointed but curious, I wondered what had got into the fellow. But we must not use this as a mere excuse to postpone. Leon Wilkeson Wife, Everyone. But not so with us in those last days of heavy drinking. Despite all we can say, many who are real alcoholics are not going to believe they are in that class. It may be that both will decide that the way of good sense and loving kindness is to let by-gones be by- gones. The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. Not all of us join religious bodies, but most of us favor such memberships. We want to leave you with the feeling that no situation is too difficult and no unhappiness too great to be overcome. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are honest with yourself about it. How could we escape? Clarence S.) Question: What does W e, ofAlcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have re-covered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. Nearly all have recovered. We read wordy books and indulge in windy arguments, thinking we believe this universe needs no God to explain it. The husband begins to feel lonely, sorry for himself. He should not be pushed or prodded by you, his wife, or his friends. In our belief any scheme of combating alcoholism which proposes to shield the sick man from temptation is doomed to failure. Most alcoholics owe money. My incredible behavior in the face of a desperate desire to stop was explained. This is not to say that all alcoholics are honest and upright when not drinking. Make use of what they offer. We are convinced to a man that alcoholics of our type are in the grip of a progressive illness. CSIC Books & Reference. The alcoholics past thus becomes the principal asset of the family and frequently it is almost the only one! Aint it grand the wind stopped blowin?. Big Book Studies are a great source of information to help enhance your recovery from Alcoholism. We have not lost everything in life through drinking and we certainly do not intend to. Do not ask that he do it for you or anyone else. We have tried these methods. He is a POWERFUL example of what it is like to be in recove. The problem is not the words, but the idea. 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? His disposition while drinking resembles his normal nature but little. Page 86 and 87 of the big book Pages 86 87 and 88 of the big book. The chances are that we have domestic troubles. Starting from a speck on the domestic horizon, great thunderclouds of dispute may gather. Here lies a Hampshire Grenadier, Who caught his death God save me from being angry. He seemed quite rational and well-balanced with respect to other problems. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. The more you type, the more precise the results. What is this but a miracle of healing? Plenty of difficulties presented themselves. When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in Gods hands were better than anything we could have planned. He looked straight at me. Feel better. We find it a waste of time to keep chasing a man who cannot or will not work with you. Belief in the power of God, plus enough willingness, honesty and humility to establish and maintain the new order of things, were the essential requirements. We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves. However intelligent we may have been in other respects, where alcohol has been involved, we have been strangely insane. You will be bound to them with new and wonderful ties, for you will escape disaster together and you will commence shoulder to shoulder your common journey. To return to the subject matter of this book: It contains full suggestions by which the employee may solve his problem. If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be no reservation of any kind, nor any lurking notion that someday we will be immune to alcohol. And so can you, though you be but one man with this book in your hand. The old pleasures were gone. Of what is he thinking? This dream world has been replaced by a great sense of purpose, accompanied by a growing consciousness of the power of God in our lives. Usually we did not leave. You may think this an extreme case. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. 68 FEAR - We ask Him to remove our fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be. Business and professional men have regained their standing. It depends on us and on our motives. To illustrate: The prosaic steel girder is a mass of electrons whirling around each other at incredible speed. It is a fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. That is the miracle of it. The tragic truth is that if the man be a real alcoholic, the happy day may not arrive. If he is already committed to an institution, but can convince you and your doctor that he means business, give him a chance to try our method, unless the doctor thinks his mental condition too abnormal or dangerous. Near the end of that bleak November, I sat drinking in my kitchen. There will be other profound changes in the household. Answer (1 of 2): As others indicated, it depends on page size and font. "Assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things alcoholics are not supposed to do. This all happened years ago. The First 164 pages of The Big Book with lined pages opposite text for note taking. We have seen others slip when the family came back too soon. As you type, words are displayed which match your keystrokes. There was something about his eyes. Yet often such men had spectacular and powerful recoveries. You have been starving for his companionship, yet he spends long hours helping other men and their families. AA program from the first 164 page of the Big Book. I had had some success at speculation, so we had a little money, but we once worked on a farm for a month to avoid drawing on our small capital. You might suggest that you both take an interest in them. There is another thing you might wish to do. Many alcoholics are enthusiasts. BIG BOOK Type the first few characters of your word-of-interest into the search box in the upper right corner. This, the first translation of the core 164 pages of the Big Book, is written by a sober 12-year member of AA. Most of us sense that real tolerance of other peoples shortcomings and viewpoints and a respect for their opinions are attitudes which make us more useful to others. They experienced a few distressing failures, but in those cases they made an effort to bring the mans family into a spiritual way of living, thus relieving much worry and suffering. We must remember that ten or twenty years of drunkenness would make a skeptic out of anyone. The family must realize that dad, though marvelously improved, is still convalescing. Then, under one provocation or another, the aggrieved one would unearth the old affair and angrily cast its ashes about. If there was a Devil, he seemed the Boss Universal, and he certainly had me. WHOSE BOOK IS THIS? A pivotal decision was made in '95: "The first 164 pages of the Big Book, the Forwards, 'The Doctor's Opinion,' 'Doctor Bob's Nightmare,' and the Appendices [will] remain the same," which was not reversed during Advisory Actions in '97, '98, '99, and 2000, leading up to publication of the 4th Edition of the Big Book in 2001. He may be broke and homeless. Outsiders became interested. Then he had, in effect, been raised from the dead, suddenly taken from the scrap heap to a level of life better than the best he had ever known! Sometimes he explodes over a trifle. Nearly always, these antics indicate nothing more than temporary conditions. The question of how to approach the man we hated will arise. Though we have no religious connection, we may still do well to talk with someone ordained by an established religion. When I returned to the hotel it struck me a highball would be fine before going to bed, so I stepped into the bar and had one. It was so baffling, so heartbreaking. They were but memories. Base Territorial: To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic such an experience seems impossible, but to continue as he is means disaster, especially if he is an alcoholic of the hopeless variety. He is an intelligent man, normal so far as we can see, except for a nervous disposition. For those who are unable to drink moderately the question is how to stop altogether. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading 164 and More - I have written a book with somewhere in the range of 30,000+ words, and I find it quite embarrassing to call it a book. These memories are a nightmare. His roots grasped a new soil. We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others. Search out another alcoholic and try again. American Captain 2 Steve Rogers Men Cosplay Full Set Costume. To the precise extent that we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worth while. You may be at a loss to understand how such a seemingly above-board chap could be so involved. It will take time to clear away the wreck. The exercise of an option brought in more money, leaving us with a profit of several thousand dollars for that year. With that rejection we imagined we had abandoned the God idea entirely. Though it is infinitely better that he have no relapse at all, as has been true with many of our men, it is by no means a bad thing in some cases. His only chance for sobriety would be some place like the Greenland Ice Cap, and even there an Eskimo might turn up with a bottle of scotch and ruin everything! Still no thought of drinking. Each person is like an actor who wants to run the whole show; is forever trying to arrange the lights, the ballet, the scenery and the rest of the players in his own way. To accomplish that purpose, the Big Book is divided into two main parts. Nothing counted but thoroughness and honesty. Few people really are, for that means blind faith in the strange proposition that this universe originated in a cipher and aimlessly rushes nowhere. A doctor said to us, Years of living with an alcoholic is almost sure to make any wife or child neurotic. You can secure their confidence when others fail. BIG BOOK INDEX FIRST 164 PAGES 4 SUBJECT PAGE(S) PARAGRAPH(S) Step 9 76 Through 84 3 Ending in 1 Step 10 84 Through 85 2 & 2 Step 11 85 Through 88 3 Step 12 89 (Chapter 7) Trust In God 68 2 Unpaid Debts 78 2 When In Doubt 164 1, 2 & 3 Viewed on any device capable of viewing PDFs. This is the how and why of it. It is as good for the wife as for the husband. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning. Our own conception, however inadequate, was sufficient to make the approach and to effect a contact with Him. If he is alcoholic, he will understand you at once. Certain drinkers, who would be greatly insulted if called alcoholics, are astonished at their inability to stop. According to the Big Book, how many copies were sold of the. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs. But, for the most part, the original text . Did we not have confidence in our ability to think? You can select the following fonts: Arial, Calibri, Comic sans MS, Courier New, Times New Roman and Verdana. Some time passed, and confidence began to be replaced by cock-sureness. Just go to the bottom of this paragraph and you will find a link, just click on it to go to one search box on a different page. I failed to persuade my broker friends to send me out looking over factories and managements, but my wife and I decided to go anyway. Paragraph numbers along side the text for easy reference. It began to look as though religious people were right after all. Pg.163: You forget that you have just now tapped a source of power so much greater than . We got this all down on paper and looked at it. Some of us once had great self-confidence, but it didnt fully solve the fear problem, or any other. We have sought sympathy. Can he talk frankly with you so long as he does not bear business tales or criticize his associates? We asked ourselves why we had them. Then I went on a prodigious bender, and that chance vanished. Quicksand stretched around me in all directions. Of course he would have dinner, and then I could drink openly with him. We are not sure why, once a certain point is reached, little can be done for him. 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. Thus was I convinced that God is concerned with us humans when we want Him enough. 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. 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. From what you tell me, I know more than ever I cant stop. At this both the visitors burst into a laugh. The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. This is the first step in recovery. How can I best serve Thee-Thy will (not mine) be done. These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. Inevitably your lives will be fuller for doing so. That was a hard thought. The word God, or a variant of Him, appears 281 times in the first 164 pages of the Big Book. Now about sex. Sometimes we had to search fearlessly, but He was there. Self-reliance was good as far as it went, but it didnt go far enough. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. Death was often near. Strangely enough, wives, parents and intimate friends usually find us even more unapproachable than do the psychiatrist and the doctor. The driver escorted me about for several days. Our men have sworn great solemn oaths that they were through drinking forever. Who wouldnt be, with such a fevered brain? Small wonder many in the medical profession have a low opinion of alcoholics and their chance for recovery! Sub-sede: Rua Prudente de Moraes, 911 He might have a chance. This hope, however, was destroyed by the doctors telling him that while his religious convictions were very good, in his case they did not spell the necessary vital spiritual experience. Perhaps at this point we got a divorce and took the children home to father and mother. Every one of them has gained access to, and believes in, a Power greater than himself. Though you may be able to stop for a considerable period, you may yet be a potential alcoholic. I am enclosing an attachment below of the books that the first 100 guys read before there was AA and a Big Book. 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. We all know that the first 164 pages of the big book are the meat and potatoes this books first 164 is only 90 pages! Now and then a serious drinker, being dry at the moment says, I dont miss it at all. And there often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid. On your employees return, talk with him. If the owner of the business is to be successful, he cannot fool himself about values. Renewing my resolve, I tried again. Being on a radically different basis of life, he will never take advantage of the situation. So we think that unless some good and useful purpose is to be served, past occurrences should not be discussed. We thought, on the whole, we were pretty good women, capable of being nicer if our husbands stopped drinking. Never was I to be critical of them. Tomorrow was another day. Maybe its only a petty offense such as padding the expense account. He should concentrate on his own spiritual demonstration. The number of pages changes depending on the number of words, the font and the font size. A doctor came with a heavy sedative. When resentful thoughts come, try to pause and count your blessings. For example, consider the passage: "Common words are needed to keep the book to a reasonable size and an affordable cost. We are not cured of alcoholism. While drinking, he accepted a sum of money from a bitterly-hated business rival, giving him no receipt for it. He may seek someone else to console him-not always another man. 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