Show him that as alcoholics, the writers of the book understand. Many of us have been so touchy that even casual reference to spiritual things made us bristle with antagonism. Instead of developing new channels of activity for themselves, mother and children demand that he stay home and make up the deficiency. Coldest Day In Melbourne 2019, Cling to the thought that, in Gods hands, the dark past is the greatest possession you have-the key to life and happiness for others. Sometimes this was a tedious process; we hope no one else will be prejudiced for as long as some of us were. We find that most of this embarrassment is unnecessary. What irony-I became an alcoholic myself! Is it not because each wants to play the lead? How could there be so much of precise and immutable law, and no intelligence? I was at one time assistant manager of a corporation department employing sixty-six hundred men. I have been learning something about alcoholism. 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.A. Grapevine (A.A. Preamble only). A 40,000 to 80,000-word memoir is around 150-265 . If we can forget, so can she. This should be an entirely personal affair which each one decides for himself in the light of past associations, or his present choice. All of us spend much of our spare time in the sort of effort which we are going to describe. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. Do not set your heart on reforming your husband. I would not go back to it even if I could.. Because it helped so many people recover, the Alcoholics Anonymous organization did not change it. Still another experience: A womans voice came faintly over long distance from Virginia. As soon as his sobriety begins to be taken as a matter of course, the family may look at their strange new dad with apprehension, then with irritation. Jundia, Amparo, Atibaia, A better way of life will emerge when they are overcome. I was shocked, but interested. He is undoubtedly on the road to recovery. In desperation, we have even got tight ourselves-the drunk to end all drunks. Then only might I expect to receive. As animals on a treadmill, we have patiently and wearily climbed, falling back in exhaustion after each futile effort to reach solid ground. If ever there was a successful business man, it is Fred. The Actj.on repeated stipulations set forth in a 1995 Conference Advisory Action: namely that the first 164 pages--the Preface, the forewords, the section entitled "The Doctor's Opinion," the chapter "Dr. Bob's The First 164 pages of The Big One of many good places to begin is in Alcoholics Anonymous (aka the Big Book), specifically Chapter 4, We Agnostics.. God has abundantly supplied this world with fine doctors, psychologists, and practitioners of various kinds. God save me from being angry. I saw I could not take so much as one drink. But what we have related is based upon experience, some of it painful. We know these suggestions are sometimes difficult to follow, but you will save many a heartbreak if you can succeed in observing them. A 40,000 to 80,000-word memoir is around 150-265 pages, a standard book-length for the genre. Wasnt it because self-reliance failed us? It is possible to dig up past misdeeds so they become a blight, a veritable plague. If we have been thorough about our personal inventory, we have written down a lot. -Big Book p.55 | More God The word God appears 142 times on 69 pages in the Big Book (first 164 pages) -Big Book | More Acceptance In a few seconds he was overwhelmed by a conviction of the Presence of God. Henry Ford once made a wise remark to the effect that experience is the thing of supreme value in life. Sometimes there are cases where alcoholism is complicated by other disorders. The head of the house ought to remember that he is mainly to blame for what befell his home. A good personal image will ensure positive, lasting first impressions and can lea. Plus the Forwards are not numbered right either, It just doesnt make sense what this publisher did. Welcome to 164pages.com! We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. Of course it was. Our first example is a friend we shall call Jim. You should continue to be friendly to them. The first 164 pages, we are told, is what we need to know and do in order to become well adjusted, contributing members of society; to overcome spiritual bankruptcy and to be happy, joyous, and free. Not always, we think. I won't quote it, but look at the subtitle on the title page in the big book. We, who have collectively seen a great deal of business life, at least from the alcoholic angle, had to smile at this gentlemans sincere opinion. So our fellow worker will soon have friends galore. If that is so, this step may be postponed, only, however, if we hold ourselves in complete readiness to go through with it at the first opportunity. From a business standpoint, his trip came off badly. I've heard from many newcomers and in several chat rooms where people say their sponsors told them to only read the 1st 164 pages. Whom had we hurt? With many individuals the methods which I employed are successful, but I have never been successful with an alcoholic of your description.. Show him how they worked with you. . Business failure, insanity, fatal illness, suicide these calamities in his immediate family embittered and depressed him. The others must be convinced of his new status beyond the shadow of a doubt. Every new alcoholic looks for this spirit among us and is immensely relieved when he finds we are not witch burners. Your house is filled with strangers. I know I must get along without liquor, but how can I? FOR MOST normal folks, drinking means conviviality, companionship and colorful imagination. We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe. But it isnt so difficult. Then, there were less. However, following best practices, the sweet spot for a 60,000-word book is about 200-220 pages. Since I added various properties to the text in order to create the derivative ebook, I have an (unregistered) copyright to it --that is, to the PDF file. With this attitude you cannot fail. Title: Big Book - Title Page - (pp. His wife is one of those persons who really feels there is something rather sinful about these commodities, so she nagged, and her intolerance finally threw him into a fit of anger. Sometimes there were other women. But urge upon a mans family that he has been a very sick person and should be treated accordingly. God ought to be able to do anything. Then he added, He sure didnt do much for me when I was trying to fight this booze racket alone.. We suggest you draw the book to the attention of the doctor who is to attend your patient during treatment. There was always one more attempt-and one more failure. First of all, we had to quit playing God. Still you may say: But I will not have the benefit of contact with you who write this book. We cannot be sure. Had this power originated in him? We have made our demonstration, done our part. Our former enemies sometimes praise what we are doing and wish us well. Next morning I telephoned a friend in Montreal. If he can afford it, he may have liquor concealed all over his house to be certain no one gets his entire supply away from him to throw down the wastepipe. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. Asked why they commenced to drink again, they would reply with some silly excuse, or none. No words can tell of the loneliness and despair I found in that bitter morass of self-pity. I've been around AA for 18,years yet sober 4 but months and have heard of many suggestions however reading the first 164 pages of the big book has caused me to be curious, by no means am i disagreeing with this afterall the big book is the bible of AA therefore i have no problem at all, anyway can you please tell me how this came about because i know for a fact . How can such a lack of proportion, of the ability to think straight, be called anything else? The show doesnt come off very well. If you draw this fallacious reasoning to the attention of an alcoholic, he will laugh it off, or become irritated and refuse to talk. The faith and sincerity of both you and your husband will be put to the test. If we are sure our wife does not know, should we tell her? Your husband will be the first to say it was your devotion and care which brought him to the point where he could have a spiritual experience. Why was it, when these dangers were pointed out that they agreed, and then got drunk again immediately? Many an alcoholic who entered there came away with an answer. All this time our friend of the hotel lobby incident remained in that town. He will wish for the end. And we, who have imposed on the best of employers, can scarcely blame them if they have been short with us. We are there to sweep off our side of the street, realizing that nothing worth while can be accomplished until we do so, never trying to tell him what he should do. 1 second ago. Many of us have experienced dads elation. Once confused and baffled by the seeming futility of existence, they show the underlying reasons why they were making heavy going of life. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped. That company may harbor many actual or potential alcoholics. 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. But what about his responsibilities-his family and the men who would die because they would not know how to get well, ah-yes, those other alcoholics? That was natural, but let us think a little more closely. WAR FEVER ran high in the New England town to which we new, young officers from Plattsburg were assigned, and we were flattered when the first citizens took us to their homes, making us feel heroic. These attempts to do the impossible have always failed. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), officially known as "Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism," is the foundational text of AA and its 12 Step program.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. Only a few knew of it at first but, within a short time, it was billboarded throughout the entire company. On each of these occasions we worked with him, reviewing carefully what had happened. But the day he comes out he races in front of a fire engine, which breaks his back. After all, our problems were of our own making. When drinking, they were strangers. But the program of action, though entirely sensible, was pretty drastic. Try to drink and stop abruptly. The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. I knew, and almost welcomed the idea. First Edition of the Big Book. Make it clear that he is not under pressure, that he neednt see you again if he doesnt want to. If your decision is yes, whether the reason be humanitarian or business or both, then the following suggestions may be helpful. That includes bars, nightclubs, dances, receptions, weddings, even plain ordinary whoopee parties. Neither did I have any pressing problems or worries. To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face. The beginning of the Big Book has not been changed since 1939, but exactly how many pages does that consist of? Some people tell us so. His reaction may be one of enthusiasm. We asked ourselves why we had them. Were nothing left but pure reason, it wouldnt be life. Perhaps he will never have much money again. (P) 8-a. To me these occurrences are phenomena. His friends have slipped away, his home is a near-wreck and he cannot hold a position. When sober, does he not work hard and have a knack of getting things done? In this book you read again and again that faith did for us what we could not do for ourselves. That was in June, 1935. As we look over the list of business acquaintances and friends we have hurt, we may feel diffident about going to some of them on a spiritual basis. Being convinced, we were at Step Three, which is that we decided to turn our will and our life over to God as we understood Him. Certainly he must keep sober, for there will be no home if he doesnt. Unfortunately a lot of prejudice exists. Never could we recapture the great moments of the past. Pg. He does absurd, incredible, tragic things while drinking. He has just returned from a three-months leave of absence, has taken a cure, looks fine, and to clinch the matter, the board of directors told him this was his last chance., The only answer I could make was that if the man followed the usual pattern, he would go on a bigger bust than ever. If not members of religious bodies, we sometimes select and memorize a few set prayers which emphasize the principles we have been discussing. Of course, we sometimes encounter people who do not understand alcoholics. Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism (generally known as The Big Book because of the thickness of the paper used in the first edition) is a 1939 basic text, describing how to recover from alcoholism.Written by William G. "Bill W." Wilson, one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and many of the first 100 Common words are needed to keep the book to a reasonable size and an affordable cost. Reminding ourselves that we have decided to go to any lengths to find a spiritual experience, we ask that we be given strength and direction to do the right thing, no matter what the personal consequences may be. After such an approach many take up their beds and walk again. Show him, from your own experience, how the queer mental condition surrounding that first drink prevents normal functioning of the will power. Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Then, in this eastern city, there are informal meetings such as we have described to you, where you may now see scores of members. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death. If his mood is light, tell him humorous stories of your escapades. Upon hearing this, our friend was somewhat relieved, for he reflected that, after all, he was a good church member. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. If we keep on the way we are going there is little doubt that much good will result, but the surface of the problem would hardly be scratched. We think this method of approach will accomplish several things. Includes pages 1-164 and: - The original Foreword - The Doctor's Opinion - Dr. Bob's Story - If you can't find the passages cited in your Big Book, try the provided chapter/story name as an aid. We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power, which is God. Sometimes a small deal would net a few hundred dollars, and I would pay my bills at the bars and delicatessens. Perhaps you enjoy drinking with him yourself when he doesnt go too far. Sometimes we alcoholics have an idea that people are trying to pull us down. Experience shows that such an attitude is not helpful to anyone. Here you will experience much historical and related information on the subject of Alcoholics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous history.Officially begun on December 12th, 2000, silkworth.net is now in its twentieth year and is one of the largest sites of its type in the World a repository, archive, you might say, of Alcoholics Anonymous History If there were a category, I, for one, certainly would not mind registering as a booklet. We have begun to comprehend their futility and their fatality. Have there been any significant changes in the first 164 pages? Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. But point out that we alcoholics have much in common and that you would like, in any case, to be friendly. Jerry needed to know so he started upon a project to identify the changes that were made to various printings and editions of the Big Book. There is scarcely any form of trouble and misery which has not been overcome among us. The number of pages changes depending on the number of words, the font and the font size. Note: You don't need a two-sided printer to print on both sides. They cited cases out of their own experience by the dozen. In spite of your new-found happiness, there will be ups and downs. The first 164 pages walk us through the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Most of us begin to receive some of the promises as soon as we enter a Twelve Step Program. Because this book has become the basic text for our Society 5-b. You need not remind him of his spiritual deficiency-he will know of it. Because of resentment and drinking, he had not paid alimony to his first wife.