Big Book Or Off The Wall – How Addicts Really Recover

Most places Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and the other 12 Step organizations have meetings you’ll find the 12 Steps posted on the wall. It’s a good reminder. Even groups with problems other than alcoholism or drug addiction find the easy availability of the Steps an asset.

Until, at least, someone insists they don’t need the Big Book to recover. “After all,” they often say. “There are the Steps. What else do I need?”

The magic of The Big Book is a bit mysterious. Every time I read all or any part of the first 164 pages I learn something new about myself.

This is true even though in some ways the volume seems a bit old fashioned – not surprising considering how long ago it was written.
What stands out, however, is the honesty of the feelings those middle class white men expressed. Many years ago I wrote this:

Of course, I don’t know exactly how it happened, but I have a vision of Bill, in his living room with Lois making coffee for the gang that had showed up that evening. Cigarette smoke would have been thick, and so would the story telling. He reaches behind him and pulls out a handwritten manuscript and passes a part to each man there, expecting, I suspect, that praise would be heaped on his head for his efforts. Instead he was probably greeted with both guffaws of laughter and serious criticism. It must have been difficult for him, but he took in the information and rewrote. This process must have happened over and over again. Finally, some woman typed up a version, using carbon paper so three or four could be made at once. More red pens flew and there were discussions that must have threatened to turn into horrid disagreements. But gradually, the Big Book as we know it, was hammered out. You see, not only was Bill willing to take criticism, but he and the people helping him had actually begun to live a spiritual way of life. That spirit influenced every word, phrase, sentence, paragraph and chapter that eventually became the first 164 pages of Big Book.

I know enough about writing to be pretty sure the manuscript went through uncounted revisions. The work got honed down to it’s bare truth with minimum embellishment.

I think it’s fortunate that Bill and the group got the Alcoholics Anonymous written and published so early in the development of the organization.  The first not quite 5,000 copies were published in 1939, just about five years after Bill got sober. None of them had been sober long enough for major ego problems to redevelop.They were able to capture their experience and put it on paper.

That’s what makes it imperative that we work the Steps in conjunction with the Big Book. There’s just too much there to ignore.

How do you use the Big Book?