Big book step index step 1 we admitted we were powerless over alcohol that our lives had become unmanageable. Also the book was written to show how aa functions through the twelve traditions. Alcoholism12 step support big book quote my serenity is inversely proportional to my expectations. Why would bill capitalize the word fellowship here and not anywhere else in the big book.
In that relationship, a sponsee might meet with a sponsor either before or after a meeting, in order to learn about expectations and responsibilities. People who are members of the groups especially the step group will know who these people are. It is the originator of the seminal twelve step method widely used to treat addictions that range from alcoholism, heroin, meth and marijuana addiction, as well as overeating, sex. This step gave me the chance to reflect on my past and take full responsibility for my part in the burned bridges. Pauls chapter in the big book of alcoholics anonymous doctor, alcoholic, addict. We believe and hope it contains all you will need to begin. Step two is specifically designed for the mental obsession. The whytehouse is, i hope, a way to find that special phrase or saying etc.
Difference between big book and 12 steps and 12 traditions. Step 2 focuses on preparing alcoholics to let go of their need for control over everything in their. The steps helped each of the cofounders of aa in their own recovery from alcoholism and have continued to help countless. And so can you, though you be but one man with this book in your hand. Page 53 2 of the book alcoholics anonymous the big book poses the step 2 proposition. Step 2 proposition exercise emotional sobriety and food. The 12 steps and 12 steps was written 14 years after the big book.
The higher my expectations of other people are, the lower is my serenity. The experience outlined in the big book makes it clear that it is not enough to believe that there is a higher power that can help us. There is power in people who are supporting each other and the aa fellowship is a very strong support group. Expectations in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and. Dec 07, 2018 step 8 is a wonderful step for beginning to rebuild some bridges that were burned in active addiction. It is my hope that you will find this site useful to you and our friends of bill w.
Steps by the big book step 2 steps by the big book. On page 417 are the words,when i am disturbed, it is because i find some person, place, thing or situation some fact of my life, unacceptable to me, and i can find no serenity until i accept that person, place, thing. Step 8 is a wonderful step for beginning to rebuild some bridges that were burned in active addiction. Serenity and expectations intimately interrelated that was the way i lived most of my life, i could see how life was but i couldnt stand it. Our goal is to study the steps as a friendly, focused group, and work them as the authors of the big book described. When i am disturbed, it is because i find some person, place, thing, or situation some fact of my life unacceptable to me, and i can find no serenity until i accept that person, place, or thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to.
Big book workbook is for those who are willing to grow along spiritual lines 60. Step guide fourth step inventory big book study worksheets in step template aa steps al anon celebrate recovery alcoholics anonymous narcotics anonymous sober life bozo printable worksheets super worksheets. Aa big book with questions for discussion emotional. Its therapeutic to be among others who have recovered from the same problem. When addiction had its grip on me, some of my relationships with loved ones became strained, and i hurt some of those closest to me. Over the years many lists of virtues that correspond to each of the twelve steps and their underlying spiritual nature have been printed in local area aa newsletters and on pocket cards. Chapter 2 there is a solution w e, of alcoholics anonymous, know thousands of men and women who were once just as hopeless as bill. 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.
Wilson, one of the founders of alcoholics anonymous aa. Alcoholics anonymous quotes author of alcoholics anonymous. Expect in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. Step one certainly serves as a foundation for future work, creating a firm underpinning on which the steps are erected. Sharing 39 years of experience with the big book in a big book oriented retreat weekend. The higher my expectations of max and other people are. I didnt connect with the big book of alcoholics anonymous until over a year into my sobriety. Step two of aa in our lives i have come to believe that by being in the fellowship of aa, with the aid of the 12 steps, that i can walk through the painful times in recovery knowing that an end is near, this too shall pass and there is always light at the end of darkness, as i stay clean and continue to work the steps. It is the originator of the seminal twelvestep method widely used to treat addictions that range from alcoholism, heroin, meth and marijuana addiction, as well as overeating, sex. How it works taken from alcoholics anonymous big book pages 6063 being convinced, we were at step three, which is that we decided to turn our will an how it works big book pgs. It is the basic text of the fellowship of alcoholics anonymous, and has helped large numbers of alcoholic men and women, young and old, recover. All references to the topics will be found in the first 164 pages of the book, alcoholics anonymous.
Aa big book with questions for discussion hi everyone. The big book and a study guide of the 12 steps of aa kindle. When you are new in it is hard to tell who has a good recovery. The second step tells me i cannot do recovery alone. My creator, i am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. In the 12step recovery process, we learn more about ourselves and the nature of acceptance. Page 17, paragraph 1 page 17, paragraph 2 the fellowship of alcoholics anonymous is a great thing. Pauls lesson in the big book regarding expectations being inversely proportional to serenity. The big book and a study guide of the 12 steps of aa. By charlotte safir, lcdc came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. We have to cooperate, to do certain things that will allow a higher power to help us follow spiritual principles. All sections of this country and many of its occupations are represented, as well as many political, economic, social, and reli.
The big book also contains stories of members of aa who share their experience getting sober. And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. Local online meetings please connect 10 mintues before the meeting time to confirm your technology is working correctly. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the big book and a study guide of the 12 steps of aa. Have you got a copy of 12 steps and 12 traditions as that may be useful to you as well.
For the serious student of the aa big book, what follows are some recommendations from the author of this study guide in the approach to take when utilizing this supplemental material. Alcoholics anonymous is often referred to as a 12 step program, and aa is the basis for many other 12 step programs that have been established. Step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled. Hope in order to engage in a course of addiction recovery, we. The big book, alcoholics anonymous some groups discuss one chapter from the big book each week. A sponsee might also have sponsorassigned tasks to complete, such as checking in via phone periodically or reading chapters of the big book and reporting back with key findings to discuss. It is the platform on which an entirely new life can be built.
What is it that you have in your hand, that leads these first aa members to believe you can grow the fellowship. Acceptance is the key the alcoholics guide to alcoholism. Breaking down step two of aa alcoholics anonymous jason. Step 2 proposition exercise this exercise is for members of alcoholics anonymous who would like to get back on the spiritual beam. This is a 1 page summary of sections out of the aa big book original manuscript on step 2.
Step 2 came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Admitting alcohol controls your life is step 1 in aa and alanon. Sorting and rendering passages in the proprietary format of the 164 and more concordance does not in any way imply affiliation with or endorsement by either. It is the basic text of the fellowship of alcoholics anonymous, and has helped large numbers of alcoholic men and women, young and old, recover as of december 2009, 30,664,881 copies of the big book have been sold or otherwise. Aa, aa expectations, aa holidays, agk, ann kroger, big book, family, gratitude, how it works, let go absolutely, thanksgiving 4 comments follow blog via email enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. This guide has been prepared not as a replacement for or interference to our basic texts the big book and 12 and 12 but as a companion for the ideas and directions presented there. I can watch my serenity level rise when i discard my expectations.
Wherever we do not stay current in our experience with this step, for it is not about knowledge, that is where we will relapse into drinking and using. The big book and a study guide of the 12 steps of aa kindle edition by wilson, bill, silkworth, william. The big book of alcoholics anonymous the world famous eye. So, whats important is to keep all expectations at a realistic level. Mar 22, 2012 expectations, acceptance and serenity acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. My 10 favorite lines from the big book of alcoholics. Other groups read from the big book weekly and discuss each chapter as they go along. These 12 steps are outlined in chapter 5, how it works, of the big book. This step is described on roman numeral pages 25 32 xxv xxxii, on pages 1 44. I was always feeling like a victim because people and life were not acting in the way i believed they should act. Chapter 2 sponsors emphasize the values of the big book of alcoholics anonymous, which are relatively conservative within recovery culture, but chapter 2 sponsors also are progressive in the way they implement those.
This, the newcomer thinks, is just about the last straw. We wish to make the 12 steps of alcoholics anonymous part of our. Step meetings, some groups will discuss the traditions so that, every thirteenth meeting the group focuses on a tradition. Step by step guide for sponsors a companion to aas big book. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. I have provided a link in a couple of places on this page for your convenience, so you can get to the search page. The 12 steps of aa are the principles of the program that we practice, as listed in the big book, pages 59 and 60. How it works taken from alcoholics anonymous big book pages 6063 being convinced, we were at step three, which is that we decided to turn our will an weve updated. Alcoholics anonymous quotes by alcoholics anonymous goodreads. That level of honesty had to do with being honest with myself about my expectations. It was written to depend and broaden the understanding of the 12 steps. Sponsorship in aa 6 characteristics of a good sponsor discovery. Give me your protection and care as i abandon myself to you and give up my old ways and my old ideas just for today.
But then my rights try to move in, and they, too, can force my. After you have accepted that you are powerless over your addiction and can no longer manage your life, you are prepared to begin on step two. For anyone new to recovery and the program of alcoholics anonymous, it is an. Step two is the step in which we formerly acknowledge the higher power. Get information about alcoholics anonymous step 2, which states, we came to be aware that a. Expectations are premeditated resentments purple treatment. Explaining the roles of sponsor and sponsee sunrise house. Expectations in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps. Over the years many lists of virtues that correspond to each of the twelve steps and their underlying spiritual nature have been printed in.
I can begin to have an experience with this awesome power that keeps me sober, gives me a new life and reveals more and more truth as i become more teachable and place more reliance on god than self. When i read the descriptions of what an alcoholic is in the big book i have yet to find any reference that and an unmanageable life has anything to do with whether or not a person is alcoholic or nonalcoholic. Jan 24, 2020 in the 7th step of alcoholics anonymous, you will humbly ask him to remove your shortcomings. Download pamphlets and handouts to use in big book group sessions our workbook companion to alcoholics anonymous 12 steps of recovery from alcoholism and addiction is called steps by the big book. Alcoholics anonymous, the big book of alcoholics anonymous. We provide this study guide based on personal experience to help those following aas 12 steps as outlined in the original big book, alcoholics anonymous aa. I can begin to have an experience with this awesome power that keeps me sober, gives me a new life and reveals more and more truth as i become more. All levels of honesty are important in various ways but early in my recovery process i learned a great deal about being honest with myself from dr. In the context of the larger twelve step movement, the chapter 2 groups can be characterized as progressive big book sponsorship. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, selfdelusion, selfseeking, and selfpity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Read the book alcoholics anonymous from the frontispiece through the end of chapter 11 a vision for you pg 164. When we became alcoholics, crushed by a selfimposed crisis we could not.
The next step emotional sobriety in a working retreat format with dave f. First, unrealistic expectations often lead to disappointment and. There are stories, steps, theories, and personal advice from a. In order to complete this task successfully, you will need to understand what it means to be truly humble. I have read it discussed it, and have heard it discussed in countless meetings. Buddy t is an anonymous writer and founding member of the online alanon outreach committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. See what results you get from doing that and in the meantime learn what you can through this site, online meetings, the aa site and the big book. The story of how many thousands of men and women 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, primarily written by william g.