From: anon5f8e@nyx.net (5f8e)
Newsgroups: alt.recovery.aa
Subject: Frequently asked Questions (FAQ) for alt.recovery.aa
Followup-To: alt.recovery.aa
Distribution: world
Archive-name: alt-recovery-aa/FAQ
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2012/07/27
Version: 1.16 (DRAFT 2)
Maintainer: anon5f8e@nyx.net (5f8e)
_________________________________________________________________
Suggestions/corrections/comments are welcome and appreciated.
Send email to anon5f8e@nyx.net OR post in alt.recovery.aa with
'FAQ' on the Subject line.
Version: 1.16 27Jul2012
This FAQ is now available on the WWW. The URL is http://www.nyx.net/~anon5f8e/
Alcoholics Anonymous now has an official web site at http://www.aa.org
DISCLAIMER: This file is not intended to be a complete description
of Alcoholics Anonymous. This is an UNOFFICIAL document. If you want
to learn more about AA, it is recommended to
* Attend meetings, if possible
* Get and read the book, "Alcoholics Anonymous" (sources in III.6)
* Read other AA literature
* Talk with AA members
TRADEMARKS: Several of the terms used in this FAQ are trademarked
by either AAWS (Alcoholics Anonymous World Services) and/or The
Grapevine. These terms include: Alcoholics Anonymous, A.A.,
Grapevine, Box 459.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
_________________________________________________________________
I. Alt.Recovery.AA, the Newsgroup
1. What is Alt.Recovery.AA?
2. Is Alt.Recovery.AA a group or meeting?
3. How do I get sober through AA and can Alt.Recovery.AA help?
4. Discussion, Hot Debate, and Flaming
5. Does discussion here influence GSO or AA as a whole?
6. What about anonymity? Is Alt.Recovery.AA public?
7. Additional information in WWW [World Wide Web] pages.
II. Alcoholics Anonymous
1. What is AA?
2. What does AA do?
3. What doesn't AA do?
4. What literature is available?
5. What are meetings, groups, conventions?
6. Twelve Steps
7. Twelve Traditions
8. Twelve Concepts
9. Overview of the History of Alcoholics Anonymous
III. Actual Frequently Asked Questions about Alcoholics Anonymous
1. What do the Steps mean by 'God'?
2. What's a spiritual awakening?
3. Why do people keep going to meetings after they're sober?
4. The Lord's prayer, is that in line with the Traditions?
5. I hear Bill W. used LSD. Is that true?
6. How can I get an online copy of the Big Book?
7. Is AA the only way to get sober?
8. What does AA say about drugs? Aren't they all basically the same
thing?
9. Should AA Change?
10. If you don't like AA why don't you leave?
11. But AA Works!
12. Explain that Flame Section back at the start, please.
IV. Miscellaneous
_________________________________________________________________
I. Alt.Recovery.AA, the Newsgroup
1. What is Alt.Recovery.AA?
Alt.Recovery.AA is a USENET newsgroup. Its primary purpose is to
discuss Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) and the A.A. program of
recovery from alcoholism. This can include topics and discussions
that are wide ranging and not directly related to AA/recovery,
but do relate to how the group's members are living sober lives
today. In other words, while our common bond is AA and recovery
from alcoholism, we have been known to talk about nearly anything.
The subjects you will see discussed will more likely be about life
in general - i.e., a reflection of what "it is like today." (In
many ways this is like “the meeting after the meeting.” If you
want a particular topic or have a specific need, start a thread.
Note that 'Alt.Recovery' and 'Alt.Recovery.from-12-steps' are also
valid USENET newsgroup names and sometimes articles are cross-posted
between newsgroups, so watch the Newsgroups and Followup-To
header lines both when you read and when you respond or post.
Cross-posting is generally better avoided unless there is a specific
reason for doing so, such as a discussion that is relevant to other
groups.
One of the customs of USENET is the FAQ, or Frequently Asked
Questions document. Normally the FAQ provides information about
the newsgroup and the subject matter of the newsgroup. This is
the FAQ for Alt.Recovery.AA. There is a separate FAQ for
Alt.Recovery.
If you are unfamiliar with USENET then some of the postings in
news.announce.newusers might be handy in explaining the customs.
2. Is Alt.Recovery.AA a group or meeting?
Alt.Recovery.AA lacks a few things common to many "live" groups
and meetings.
(a) Non-alcoholics can read and post here
(b) Anti-AA folks can do likewise
(c) People can and will "shout" you down no matter what you
say or how nicely you say it. This can be intimidating.
(d) Alt.Recovery.AA is public (see question 6 below)
Disruptive people are nearly impossible to stop or remove.
Better to just ignore them. If you don't read them, they
cannot disrupt your use of the group. With these caveats, call
Alt.Recovery.AA what you will.
Note also that Alt.Recovery.AA was not proposed and discussed in
alt.config as a meeting or group, but simply as a newsgroup and is
listed as being about 'Recovery and Alcoholics Anonymous.' Posting
to the rest of the net that alt.recovery.aa was a group and under
special rules would probably be counter-productive. Also, check
section II.5 about what a meeting or group is.
[dhawk]
3. How do I get sober through AA and can Alt.Recovery.AA help?
"In our experience, the people who recover in A.A. are those who:
(a) stay away from the first drink;
(b) attend A.A. meetings regularly;
(c) seek out the people in A.A. who have successfully
stayed sober for some time;
(d) try to put into practice the A.A. program of recovery."
-- the A.A. leaflet "a Newcomer asks..."
Alt.Recovery.AA can help with the above in a variety of ways.
Some participants may know of good meetings to go to, or may
even be available to take you to a meeting. They may also know
specific ways that worked for them in avoiding taking a drink.
They may also be online for a live chat session when you really
need to talk to someone. It may also be that you'll see
participants demonstrating the A.A. program of recovery. See
also the caveats in item 2 above.
4. Discussion, Hot Debate, and Flaming
There are people on the net who like to go into newsgroups and
stir things up. If you want to stir things up in Alt.Recovery.AA
here's what to post:
+ A.A. is a religion [leaving 'religion' undefined]
+ I recovered from alcoholism and can still drink
+ A.A. is just a band-aid and doesn't handle the root problem
+ There would have to be some changes in A.A. before I'd join
+ I'm not powerless
+ Derisive comments about the newsgroup itself
+ Cross-link in posts from other newsgroups, like alt.atheism
+ Post about non-recovery related items
+ I'm an atheist, so A.A.'s not for me!
+ Non-alcoholic beer/wine helps me stay sober
+ You're not really recovered if you're still smoking
+ Probably any post that's a judgment about 'you'
Alternatively, you can wait for a post like one of the above and
respond to it. (Note: some of those items will be covered in
later sections of the FAQ.) If you do not find the debates and
flaming helpful, then you can
+ put the articles in a kill file as they show up
+ set your newsreader to not show you cross-postings
+ find something helpful and post about that
+ remember that you are not required to read every posting
+ quit reading the newsgroup.
KEEP A SENSE OF HUMOR. There's little room for self-righteous
stuffed shirts in the world of Usenet news.
"... we cannot and should not enter into public controversy,
even in self-defense." -- Bill W. in the Twelve Concepts
"Let us suppose that A.A. does fall under sharp public attack or
heavy ridicule; and let us take the particular case where such
pronouncements happen to have little or no justification in fact.
... Almost without exception it can be confidently estimated that
our best defense in these situations would be no defense
whatever--namely, complete silence at the public level.
Unreasonable people are stimulated all the more by opposition. If
in good humor we leave them strictly alone, they are apt to
subside the more quickly." -- Bill W. in the Twelve Concepts
5. Does discussion here influence GSO or A.A. as a whole?
A.A. as a whole is guided by the Twelve Concepts (discussed in a
later section). Normally that's a process of input from groups,
districts and areas, which leads to a flow of information to GSO.
GSO or A.A. as a whole cannot control individual groups.
Sometimes the information coming back from GSO leads groups to
change how they do things, but a counter-reaction can also occur.
If there is something you'd like to see changed about A.A., then
the most effective course of action might be to get a group
consensus (at a local group that has a General Service
Representative [GSR]), which could be carried to the district and
area meetings and then on to GSO. Alt.recovery.aa does NOT have
a GSR, as it is not a recognized AA group (as that term is
generally defined).
It is doubtful that GSO monitors this newsgroup as a means of
obtaining feedback. Since anyone can post here there is no way
for a service person to know that any idea came from a member of
A.A. The people who really know you're a member of A.A. are at
your local meeting.
It may be that sharing here about your opinion will lead others
to get their groups to examine the issues as well. At the same
time the Traditions and Concepts are pretty clear [at least to
me, dhawk] as to avoiding public controversy. It may be that a
mailing list of members of AA would be a more effective and
'Traditional' means of expressing your views if you want to do
so electronically.
6. What about anonymity? Is Alt.Recovery.AA public?
A.A. has a Tradition that states that we should remain anonymous
at the level of press, radio, and film. Use of full names does
happen within various meetings -- in the A.A. service meetings
I've been to it is common to use one's full name. But -- this is
a broadcast medium. So you might want to consider what anonymity
means to you before you post. So what does anonymity mean on a
computer network? That's for you to decide. Some folks here on
alt.recovery.aa try to be very careful about anonymity, and
others have decided it is not important or have simply given up
on it. What you choose to do is up to you.
There are anonymous accounts and email services out there.
For example, see http://www.nyx.net/newacct.html or
http://www.andrebacard.com/remail.html
7. Additional information available in WWW [World Wide Web] sites.
There are a number of Web pages devoted to Recovery and/or A.A.
The following are good places to start. Links were active as of
17Jul2012.
+ http://www.aa.org (OFFICIAL AA SITE)
+ http://aarecovery.com/ (unofficial)
+ http://anonpress.org/ (unofficial)
II. Alcoholics Anonymous
1. What is Alcoholics Anonymous?
The description published by A.A. is:
Alcoholics Anonymous? is a fellowship of men and women who
share their experience, strength and hope with each other that
they may solve their common problem and help others to recover
from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a
desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA
membership; we are self-supporting through our own
contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination,
politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage
in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes.
Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics
to achieve sobriety.
-- The A.A. Preamble
Another description may be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholics_Anonymous
2. What does A.A. do?
1. A.A. members share their experience with anyone seeking help
with a drinking problem; they give person-to-person service
or "sponsorship" to the alcoholic coming to A.A. from any
source.
2. The A.A. program, set forth in our Twelve Steps, offers the
alcoholic a way to develop a satisfying life without alcohol.
3. This program is discussed at A.A. group meetings.
-- "Info on A.A." leaflet
3. What doesn't AA do?
A.A. does not:
1. Furnish initial motivation for alcoholics to recover
2. Solicit members
3. Engage in or sponsor research
4. Keep attendance records or case histories
5. Join "councils" of social agencies
6. Follow up or try to control its members
7. Make medical or psychological diagnoses or prognoses
8. Provide drying-out or nursing services, hospitalization,
drugs, or any medical or psychiatric treatment
9. Offer religious services
10. Engage in education about alcohol
11. Provide housing, food, clothing, jobs, money, or any other
welfare or social services
12. Provide domestic or vocational counseling
13. Accept any money for its services, or any contributions
from non-A.A. sources
14. Provide letters of reference to parole boards, lawyers,
court officials
-- "Info on A.A." leaflet
4. What literature is available?
The books include:
From AAWS:
* "Alcoholics Anonymous", the 'Big Book', 3rd edition
* "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions", the '12x12'
* "Pass It On", the story of Bill W., AA co-founder
* "Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers", story of the other co-founder
* "AA Comes of Age", more AA history from Bill W.'s perspective
* "As Bill Sees It", selected quotations from Bill W.
* Daily Reflections, a daily devotional book written by AA members
From GSO (and updated yearly):
* The AA Service Manual, with Twelve Concepts for World Service
From the Grapevine:
* There are two "Best of the Grapevine" books
* "Language of the Heart", Bill W.'s writings for the Grapevine
Magazines:
The Grapevine is A.A.'s monthly meeting in print. It includes
stories from all over the world, some humor, a list of
conventions, and some A.A. history. The monthly focus is usually
on the Step for that month, since there are 12 Steps and 12 months.
There is also a Spanish language version called La Viña.
To subscribe to the Grapevine, visit http://www.aagrapevine.org/
or send check or money order to:
The Grapevine, PO Box 1980, Grand Central Station, NY, NY 10163-1980
GSO (the General Service Office) has a monthly magazine: Box
4-5-9. It includes news and notes from GSO, items about A.A.
around the world, sharing stories, and a bulletin board of A.A.
events. To subscribe to Box 4-5-9, send check or money order to:
A.A. World Services, Inc.
P.O.Box 459
Grand Central Station
New York, NY 10163
The current issue of Box 4-5-9 is also available online, at
http://www.aa.org/lang/en/subpage.cfm?page=27
There is also the L.I.M., the "Loners-Internationalists Meeting,"
distributed bimonthly by GSO as an A.A. meeting for those who
cannot attend meetings. Write to GSO at the Box 459 address for
more information.
There are three booklets from AAWS:
* Came to Believe
* Living Sober
* A.A. in Prison: Inmate to Inmate
and two booklets from the Grapevine:
* AA Today (a booklet for the 25th anniversary of AA in 1960)
* The Home Group
The pamphlets cover a wide variety of topics. This is a partial list:
* 44 Questions
* Is A.A. For You?
* Is A.A. For Me?
* This is A.A.
* Questions and Answers on Sponsorship
* A.A. for the Woman
* A.A. for the Native North American
* A.A. for the Gay/Lesbian Alcoholic
* A.A. and the Armed Services
* Is There An Alcoholic in Your Life?
* Inside A.A.
* The A.A. Group
* A Newcomer Asks
* Understanding Anonymity
* A Member's-Eye View of Alcoholics Anonymous
* Too Young? [cartoon for teenagers]
* Speaking an non-A.A. Meetings
Videos include:
* A.A.--An Inside View
* A.A.--Rap With Us
* Hope: Alcoholics Anonymous
* It Sure Beats Sitting In A Cell
* Young People and A.A.
Order forms for most of the above can be obtained from
General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous
Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163
or you can check your local Central Office or Intergroup.
The Grapevine stuff is available from the Grapevine.
A full list of literature is available at the following URL:
http://www.aa.org/lang/en/subpage.cfm?page=343
5. What are meetings, groups, and conventions?
A meeting is when two or more alcoholics get together. It can be
informal, sporadic, and one time only -- or it can be ongoing and
structured. An example of a meeting that is not a group is one
held at an institution, like a jail or hospital, even though the
meeting is not self-supporting, but accepts contributions from
other groups.
A group is when a group of alcoholics agrees to operate under the
Twelve Traditions (see below). The difference between a meeting
and a group is explained in the pamphlet, "The A.A. Group" . and
you'd better get the revised edition, since that's what changed
when they revised it. Roughly, a meeting can become a group if it
agrees to accept all who have a desire to stop drinking and has
no outside affiliation. Some Central Offices and/or Intergroups
will not list meetings that don't meet the 'group' criteria.
"As we see it, an A.A. convention is almost any A.A. get-together
beyond the group-meeting level." (The GSO in the A.A. Guidelines
on 'Conferences and Conventions.') There is a list of some of the
conventions in the monthly magazines: the Grapevine and Box 4-5-9.
6. The Twelve Steps
"A.A.'s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in
nature, which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the
obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and
usefully whole." (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 15)
The steps are:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives
had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could
restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the
care of God *as we understood Him*.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the
exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of
character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing
to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except
when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong
promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our
conscience contact with God *as we understood Him*, praying
only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry
that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps,
we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice
these principles in all our affairs.
Source: Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th edition, pages 59 and 60
*Italics* in Steps Three and Eleven are in original text
"Many people, nonalcoholics, report that as a result of the
practice of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, they have been able to meet
other difficulties of life. They see in them a way to happy and
effective living for many, alcoholic or not." (Twelve Steps and
Twelve Traditions, pp. 15-16)
7. The Twelve Traditions [short form]
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery
depends upon AA unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority--a
loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.
Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
3. The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop
drinking.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting
other groups or AA as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose--to carry its message
to the alcoholic who still suffers.
6. An AA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the AA name
to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems
of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary
purpose.
7. Every AA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining
outside contributions.
8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional,
but our service centers may employ special workers.
9. AA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create
service boards or committees directly responsible to those
they serve.
10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence
the AA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather
than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at
the level of press, radio, and films.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions,
ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
The above is how they are found in the Big Book, page 564, and is
known as the 'short form.' The 'long form' is on pages 565 and
following. Note that Tradition Two is longer in the 'short form.'
The Twelve Traditions are the guidelines that A.A. groups are
encouraged to follow.
8. The Twelve Concepts
The Twelve Concepts are too long to type in here. They have
traditionally been printed with the A.A. Service Manual and are
called 'Twelve Concepts for World Service' and are the guidelines
for A.A. as a whole to follow. The Concepts are printed at the
back of "The A.A. Group" pamphlet, with this footnote:
Note: The A.A. General Service Conference has
recommended that the "long form" of the Concepts
be studied in detail. "Twelve Concepts for World
Service", in which A.A. co-founder Bill W. closely
examines all these principles of A.A. service,
may be ordered from G.S.O..
For those seeking more information, see:
http://www.aa.org/en_pdfs/smf-114_en.pdf
9. Overview of the History of Alcoholics Anonymous
The fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous dates its inception from
June 17, 1935, when a 6-month sober (at the time) Wall Street
stock analyst and promoter helped an Akron proctologist through
his last binge. The New Yorker had been relieved of his obsession
to drink through a sudden spiritual awakening while hospitalized
for acute alcoholism. He realized, however, that to maintain his
sobriety, he needed to help others. The two men set out to carry
this message: that a spiritual way of life could arrest the
chronic, progressive and fatal condition known as alcoholism. The
man from New York is commonly referred to as Bill W., and the
physician was Dr. Bob.
By 1937, as the number of successes was approaching 100 members,
a decision was made to spread the message as widely as possible.
Work began on a book that would "Of necessity ... have ...
discussion of matters medical, psychiatric, social, and
religious." (Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, p.19). In
addition to broadcasting the message of recovery, the book also
served to codify what had been until then a "word-of-mouth"
program. In the spring of 1938, the principal author of the book,
Bill W., took the six principles in use at that time and expanded
them, in his words, "to break this program up into small pieces
so they can't wiggle out" (remarks in Fort Worth, Texas, 1954).
Thus were born the original Twelve Steps.
A revolutionary document for its time, "Alcoholics Anonymous"
(from which the Fellowship took its name) presented for the first
time in print the concept that alcoholism was an illness of both
mind and body. The first edition (5,000 copies) was set in fairly
large type and on the thickest possible paper (so that people
would feel they were getting their money's worth) hence the
nickname, "Big Book". The first 179 (then, 164 in second and
third editions) pages including a section titled "The Doctor's
Opinion" describe the problems of alcoholism and the accompanying
"personality disorder", the program of recovery, and some of the
expected results. The first section has had only minor changes
through three editions, mostly dealing with estimates of the
number of people who have used the program. The balance of the
book set out personal stories by members of the Fellowship. These
have changed to reflect the wider nature of the fellowship
through its growth.
On page vii in "A.A. Comes of Age" is the start of a list called
"Landmarks in A.A. History." It only goes up to 1981.
III. Actual Frequently Asked Questions about Alcoholics Anonymous
1. What do the Steps mean by 'God'?
Well, what the Steps say is "God as you understand Him." The
added phrase is to help folks use their own perception of a
"Higher Power." There are people in A.A. who use various Higher
Powers, including a rock, a tree, a rose bush, a light bulb, the
Grateful Dead, the sun, the earth, ... well, the list just goes
on and on. Buddhists have been known to substitute 'Good' for
'God'. The "12x12" (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions) has the
following on pages 26 and 27:
First, Alcoholics Anonymous does not demand that you believe
anything. All of its Twelve Steps are but suggestions. ... You
can, if you wish, make A.A. itself your 'higher power.' Here's
a very large group of people who have solved their alcohol
problem. In this respect they are certainly a power greater
than you....
Also, from the Big Book:
"When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own
conception of God. This applies, too, to other spiritual
expressions which you find in this book. Do not let any
prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you from
honestly asking yourself what they mean to you. [...]
We needed to ask ourselves but one short question. 'Do I now
believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power
greater than myself?'" (Alcoholics Anonymous, p.47)
2. What's a spiritual awakening?
"The terms 'spiritual experience' and 'spiritual awakening' are
used many times in this book which, upon careful reading, shows
that the personality change sufficient to bring about recovery
from alcoholism has manifested itself among us in many different
forms.
Quite often friends of the newcomer are aware of the difference
long before he is himself. He finally realizes that he has
undergone a profound alteration in his reaction to life; that
such a change could hardly have been brought about by himself
alone. What often takes place in a few months could seldom have
been accomplished by years of self discipline. With few
exceptions our members find that they have tapped an unsuspected
inner resource which they presently identify with their own
conception of a Power greater than themselves.
Most of us think this awareness of a Power greater than
ourselves is the essence of spiritual experience. Our more
religious members call it 'God-consciousness'.. (Alcoholics
Anonymous, pgs. 569-570)
3. Why do people keep going to meetings after they're sober?
"To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch
loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have
a host of friends---this is an experience you must not miss. We
know you will not want to miss it. Frequent contact with
newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives."
(Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 89)
"We sit in A.A. meetings and listen, not only to receive
something ourselves, but to give the reassurance and support
which our presence can bring. If our turn comes to speak at a
meeting, we again try to carry A.A.'s message." (Twelve Steps
and Twelve Traditions, pg. 110)
4. What about the Lord's prayer? Is it in line with the Traditions?
Some A.A. members think so. Some don't.
Some A.A. groups use it. Some don't.
Decide for yourself.
The pamphlet, "The A.A. Group", under 'Suggested Meeting
Procedures' has a paragraph that says, "Many meetings close with
members reciting the Lord's Prayer or the Serenity Prayer."
Some like to close with the Responsibility Statement: “I am
responsible. When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want
the hand of AA always to be there. And for that: I am responsible.”
However, experience has shown that extended discussion on
alt.recovery and other newsgroups hasn't solved the conflict yet.
5. I hear Bill W. used LSD. Is that true?
There's a chapter about this in "Pass It On", the A.A. published
biography of Bill W. The short answer is Yes. Rumor has it that
he also drank heavily prior to 1935. ;-) Seriously, LSD was not
illegal and Bill was using it with clinical supervision. The time
period was 1955 to 1959.
6. How do I get an online copy of the Big Book?
AAWS has made the Big Book available online, see:
http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/
Copyright on the 1st and 2nd editions has expired in the U.S.
because A.A. didn't renew it. In the rest of the world, the
copyright is still in force.
[philw@moscow.com]
Anonymous Press has the 1st 164 pages in many formats for
Download (PC/Mac/Kindle/etc.):
http://anonpress.org/
http://anonpress.org/e-aa/lite.htm
7. Is A.A. the only way to get sober?
"It would be a product of false pride to claim that A.A. is a
cure-all, even for alcoholism." (Bill W. in "A.A. Comes of Age",
page 232.) Bill W. repeatedly said that "our hats are off to you
if you can find a better way" and "If [those seeking a different
cure] can do better by other means, we are glad." (Bill W. in
Concept XII).
8. What does A.A. say about drugs?
[check the pamphlet "The AA Member - Medications and other Drugs"]
9. Should A.A. Change?
Perhaps our very first realization should be that we can't stand
still. Now that our basic principles seem established, now that
our functioning is fairly effective and widespread, it would be
temptingly easy to settle down as merely one more useful agency
on the world. We could conclude that "AA is fine, just the way it
is." ... We have to grow or deteriorate. For us, the 'status
quo' can only be for today, never for tomorrow. Change we must;
we cannot stand still.
So then, if our basics [Steps and Traditions] are so firmly
fixed as all this, what is there left to change or to improve?
The answer will immediately occur to us. While we need not alter
our truths, we can surely improve their application to ourselves,
to AA as a whole, and to our relation with the world around us.
We can consistently step up "the practice of these principles in
all our affairs."
.... Let us continue to take our inventory as a Fellowship,
searching out our flaws and confessing them freely. Let us
devote ourselves to the repair of all faulty relations that may
exist, whether within or without.
-- Bill W., "The Shape of Things to Come", reprinted in
"The Language of the Heart"
10. If you don't like A.A. why don't you leave?
1. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop
drinking. Or to state the Third Tradition in its long form:
"Our membership ought to include all who suffer from
alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover.
Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend on money or conformity."
2. Then there's the matter of inventories. See page 64 of the
Big Book. AA has to be serious about inventories at the
individual, group, and overall levels. Saying "We dare not
look" (12x12) isn't going to cut it.
3. Bill W. welcomed criticism:
"Thanks much for your letter of criticism. I'm certain
that had it not been for its strong critics, A.A. would
have made slower progress.
"For myself, I have come to set a high value on the
people who have criticized me, whether they have seemed
reasonable critics or unreasonable ones. Both have
often restrained me from doing much worse than I
actually have done. The unreasonable ones have taught
me, I hope, a little patience. But the reasonable ones
have always done a great job for all of A.A.--and have
taught me many a valuable lesson..
-- As Bill Sees It, page 326
11. But A.A. Works!
A.A. works for the people it has worked for. But there is no way,
short of experimentation, to know if a change will make A.A. more
effective or less. Quoting Bill W. again: "Though three hundred
thousand did recover in the last twenty-five years, maybe half a
million more have walked into our midst, and then out again. No
doubt some were too sick to make even a start. Others couldn't or
wouldn't admit their alcoholism. Still others couldn't face up to
their underlying personality defects. Numbers departed for other
reasons. ... Yet we can't well content ourselves with the view
that all these recovery failures were entirely the fault of the
newcomers themselves. Perhaps a great many didn't receive the
kind and amount of sponsorship they so sorely needed. We didn't
communicate when we might have done so. So we AAs failed them."
(The Language of the Heart, page 252).
12. Explain that Flame Section back at the start, please.
OK, up in Section I, part 4, "Discussion, Hot Debate, and Flaming"
it says that people sometimes come to the newsgroup and
(intentionally or unintentionally) stir things up with statements
like
+ AA is a religion [leaving 'religion' undefined],
+ I recovered from alcoholism and can still drink
+ AA is just a bandaid and doesn't handle the root problem
+ There would have to be some changes in AA before I'd join
+ I'm not powerless
+ Derisive comments about the newsgroup itself
+ Cross-link in posts from other newsgroups, like alt.atheism
+ Post about non-recovery related items
+ I'm an atheist, so AA's not for me!
+ Non-alcoholic beer/wine helps me stay sober
+ You're not really recovered if you're still smoking
If this happens intentionally, then it's known as 'trolling.'
So, what to do? Well, what Bill W. would have suggested is not
replying, not even in defense of AA. That public controversy
isn't worth it. If I always react to a prod, then that makes me
reactionary, which I don't think falls on the 'attraction' side
of public relations. Pages 66 and 67 in the Big Book are
appropriate in this context, I think -- "We avoid retaliation or
argument."
If all else fails, I will post what I know is true for me. I do
not speak for AA as a whole. Likewise, I do not have to defend AA
as a whole.
IV. Miscellaneous
* The following really didn't fit in the outline form, so I'm
putting it here.
* If you are willing to sponsor or correspond with someone behind
bars, GSO maintains a list of inmates who've requested
correspondents. The Grapevine has previously reported a need
(e.g., in May 1994 was noted that there were 150 inmates waiting
to be matched with an outside sponsor). It is likely that this
need still exists. You can get more information from the
corrections desk at GSO, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New
York, NY 10163.
* Quote for the month:
".. I was painfully learning how not to communicate. No matter
how truthful the words of my message, there could be no deep
communication if what I said and did was colored by pride,
arrogance, intolerance, resentment, imprudence, or a desire for
personal acclaim.." -- Bill W., "Language of the Heart" (p. 246)
_________________________________________________________________
Original Contributors:
philw@moscow.com
jimcrust@hooked.net
dhawk@best.com
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