|
Introduction Continued
AA, Page xvi. paragraph 2, 3rd sentence He suddenly realized that in order to save himself he must carry his message to another alcoholic. Definitions:
AA, Page xvii It also indicated that strenuous work, one alcoholic with another, was vital to permanent recovery. Definitions:
AA, Page xvii, 2nd paragraph, 2nd sentence Their very first case, a desperate one, recovered immediately and became A.A. number three. He never had another drink. AA, Page xvii, 2nd paragraph, 2nd sentence A second small group promptly took shape in New York, to be followed in 1937 with the start of a third at Cleveland. AA, Page xvii, 3rd paragraph It was now time, the struggling group thought, to place their message and unique experience befor the world. This determination bore fruit in the spring of 1939 by the publication of this volume. The membership had then reached about 100 men and women. The fledgling society, which had been nameless, now began to be called Alcoholics Anonymous, from the title of its own book. AA, Page xix, 2nd paragraph, 1st sentence As we discovered the principles by which the individual alcoholic could live,... Definitions:
AA, Page xxi, last sentence Upon therapy for the alcoholic himself, we surely have no monopoly. Yet it is our great hope that all those who have as yet found no answer may begin to find one in the pages of this book and will presently join us on the high road to a new freedom. "There are other ways to get sober, but this is the only way that worked for us." Definitions:
AA, The Doctor's Opinion The unselfishness of these men as we have come to know them, the entire absence of profit motive, their community spirit, is indeed inspiring to one who has labored long and wearily in this alcoholic field. Definitions:
AA, The Doctors' Opinion, page xxviii We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy; that the phenomenon of craving is limited to this class and never occurs in the average temperate drinker. These allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all; and once having formed the habit and found they cannot break it, once having lost their self-confidence, their reliance upon things human, their problems pile up on them and become astonishingly difficult to solve. Frothy emotional appeal seldom suffices. The message which can interest and hold these alcoholic people must have depth and weight. In nearly all cases, their ideals must be grounded in a power greater than themselves, if they are to re-create their lives. Definitions:
AA, Doctor's Opinion, page xxvi last paragraph and into page xxvii Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the true from the false. To them, their alcoholic life seems the only normal one. They are restless, irritable and discontented, unless they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks-drinks which they see others taking with impunity. After they have succumbed to the desire again, as so many do, and the phenomenon of craving develops, they pass through the well-known stages of a spree, emerging remorseful, with a firm resolution not to drink again. This is repeated over and over, and unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery. On the other hand-and strange as this may seem to those who do not understand-once a psychic change has occurred, the very same person who seemed doomed, who had so many problems he despaired of ever solving them, suddenly finds himself easily able to control his desire for alcohol, the only effort necessary being that required to follow a few simple rules. Men have cried out to me in sincere and despairing appeal: "Doctor, I cannot go on like this! I have everything to live for! I must stop, but I cannot! You must help me!" Faced with this problem, if a doctor is honest with himself, he must sometimes feel his own inadequacy. Although he gives all that is in him, it often is not enough. One feels that something more than human power is needed to produce the essential psychic change. Though the aggregate of recoveries resulting from psychiatric effort is considerable, we physicians must admit we have made little impression upon the problem as a whole. Many types do not respond to the ordinary psychological approach. AA, Page 14 last paragraph My friend emphasized the absolute need of demonstrating these principles in all my affairs. Particularly was it imperative to work with others as he had worked with me. AA, Page 15 last sentence. We meet frequently so that newcomers may find the fellowship they seek. AA, Page 18. paragraph 4 But the ex-problem drinker who has found this solution, who is properly armed with the facts about himself, can generally win the entire confidence of another alcoholic in a few hours. Sponsorship Lineage Click Here AA, Page 29. 1st sentence. Further on, clear-cut directions are given showing how we have recovered. AA, Page 33. 1st paragraph, last sentence 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. Non-spiritual basis read page 34 AA, Page 35. last paragraph 3rd sentence All went well for a time, but he failed to enlarge his spiritual life. To his consternation, he found himself drunk half a dozen times in rapid succession. AA, Page 42. Last paragraph They outlined the spiritual answer and program of action which a hundred of them had followed... ...But the moment I made my mind to go through with the process, I had the curious feeling that my alcoholic condition was relieved, as in fact it proved to be. Quite as important was the discovery that spiritual principles would solve all my problems. |
|---|