The AA book is the basic text of the fellowship. That is what I was told by my sponsor. The first 164 pages is the authentic program of recovery. The rest of the book is experience, strength and hope shared by members of AA. As with most personal sharing opinions are shared and we are free to agree or disagree. But with the AA program itself I found that it had to be done as it is in the book. If I had taken the advice of some of the members in AA I would have got drunk and died from alcoholism. It was not a question of of whether I liked what was written. My sponsor forced me to take an inventory of myself. It is not a good way to do it, but thank God he did, because I would have got drunk again. How do I know? The same suggestions that were made to me were given to other members and they did not take it. The result. They got drunk. Some died. I was not going to take a chance. My last and only relapse convinced me that I was an alcoholic and I needed help. I did not care where the help came from or in what form. I was even dangling my money around to pay for it. AA offered it free. I bought the book and study it. I attended workshops that studied the book. I attended open AA meetings, with an open mind. I found an home group. When I wanted to leave my sponsor dragged me back and planted me. He said if you cannot resolve your issues here, then you cannot resolve them in any other group also. The AA program is not described in the book, it is only suggested. Members have decided to describe it and the result is that it has caused so much confusion. I JUST DO THE STEPS AS LAID OUT IN THE BOOK.
I truely believe if more ppl were enthused with the book and more sponsors used it to guide new ppl, there'd be more sober members staying longer, therefor helping others to recover.
goneeeeee, thanks a billion for so often helping us to Keep It Simple. I was one of those eye-rollers when a question would be met with a quote or passage from the Big Book, much less someone expecting that I OPEN my own copy to see what was inside. That was in my youth in AA.
Now I am so drawn to the Book. I thank God for that. I have HEARD enough personal opinions, well intentioned, and GIVEN enough opinions, well intentioned, and when it comes down to it, what it says in those pages is more important to me than anything else that I hear suggested via 'human discussion" and dialogue.
Yes, the sharing of ES&H is crucial to our recovery. But the Spiritual Roadmap in that book is the SOLUTION to my drink/think/living problem. I am today drawn to as many Big Book and 12&12 Study meetings as I can get to, and am happy to call one my most recent home group.
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~Your Higher Power has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.
