AA Facts and other Tidbits

Okay here is why the Big Book is called the "Big Book". Originally the first edition printed was bright red in color, with the colorful Carnival Jacket colors. It was printed on thicker paper, with larger print and larger margins to make the book seem larger. They did this, because just like any good alcoholic, bigger is better. Bill W. thought that by referring to it as a big book when selling it, people would think they were getting more value for their money.

In April 1939, 4,730 copies of the first edition of “Alcoholics Anonymous” were published at a selling price of $3.50 ($45.92 in 2005 dollars with the rise of cost of living). $3.50 was a lot of money back then, and as you can see, if they had raised the price of the Big Book with the cost of living how expensive it would be to buy today. Pretty amazing, think how many "Big Books" you've given away?!

The other part of this is why is it blue? Originally the first edition was in a bright blood red cover which could be seen whilst walking down the street, not so anonymous huh?!, then the "Carnival" color wrapper was added which didn't help out much more. Finally the blue was decided on as the color, it was safe, anonymous, and many other books had this same outer coloring.

Inside the first 164 pages of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous are 26 prayers, 149 promises, there are "haves" and "must dos" along with "suggestions", "this works" on pages 19, 82, 122, the word "recovered" is used 16 times, and "faith without works is dead" is actually written, and implied on the following pages 14, 15, 16, 76, 78 and 93, page 20 tells you what "recovered" means, you'll have to read for yourself to find the answer. I would have written more but Harmon speaks way faster than I can write. I think I need a tape recorder??

Originally, the fellowship came first and was considered the program of A.A., but after the publishing of the text Alcoholics Anonymous this IS THE PROGRAM OF A.A. Going to meetings and not drinking, does not mean you are working a program of recovery, it just means you have "sodriety" (sober drunk with no program). The "Fellowship of AA" and the "Program of AA" are two different things today, and have been since 1939. So when you are at your home group today, ask yourself, "Are they working the program of A.A. from the book? or are they still living in the problem?"

I had not thought of my program in this way before but it is so true for me. - "The solution to my hopeless state of mind and body was drinking. Alcohol was the solution to my problems for many years, it may have been a poor decision, but it was what worked for me at the time. So when I decided to become sober without drinking I needed to find another solution, minus the use of alcohol, but I still had the ISM part of the disease. For me the solution was the program of A.A. (the text or Big Book)." - Harmon.

I didn't come to A.A. fellowship because I lost my house, finances, jobs, wrecked cars or got dui's, and I did not get sent to treatment or the nut house. BUT, I had the hopeless state of mind and body, which we all have when we first walk into the fellowship. After walking into the fellowship I was directed to the text of A.A.. I was told that all my answers were in the first 164 pages, that if I wasn't sure I was an alcoholic read the story's there may be something I can relate to in my deciding or take the "40 Questions" pamphlet, but I knew I was alcoholic. So it was stressed, make sure I actively live this new way of life offered in the 164 pages of the Big Book. It is clear, precise, specific, step by step directions on how to LIVE this new life. Not on how to stay sober, but on how to LIVE a new life with a better decision than the one I used for so long (alcohol).

So that is what I do today, continually referring to my text book, which continues to grow because I CHANGE, and see, and learn more as I go along this journey of new life.

Hope this answered your question, lash505, I know it was nothing profound, but life usually isn't always that way. Have a great and wonderful rest of the week and weekend. I'm on the circuit for the next couple of days because that's where God wants me.

Love,
Kimberly

P.S. I do want to post something else, but first I have to locate the Conference approved pamphlet. Hee Hee I found it:

I borrowed this pamphlet, I have altered it and the opinions are not the opinions of AA, or GSO World Service they are my own. So if your not comfortable with yourself go no further in your reading.

Wherever you see the word "drinking" in the questions, I have substituted certain words, "thinking", "thought", stupid", "stupider". This pamphlet still applied to me, and my disease of alcoholism.

IS A.A. FOR YOU?

Only you can decide whether you want to give A.A.a try —
whether you think it can help you.

We who are in A.A. came because we finally gave up trying to control our drinking (THINKING). We still hated to admit that we could never drink (THINK) safely. Then we heard from other A.A. members that we were sick. (We thought so for years!) We found out that many people suffered from the same feelings of guilt and loneliness and hopelessness that we did. We found out that we had these feelings because we had the disease of (THINKING).

We decided to try and face up to what alcohol (THINKING) had done to us. Here are some of the questions we tried to answer honestly. If we answered YES to four or more questions, we were in deep trouble with our drinking (THINKING). See how you do. Remember, there is no disgrace in facing up to the fact that you have a problem.

Answer YES or NO to the following questions.

1 - Have you ever decided to stop (THINKING) drinking for a week or so, but only lasted for a couple of days?
Most of us in A.A. made all kinds of promises to ourselves and to our families. We could not keep them. Then we came to A.A. A.A. said: "Just try not to (THINK) drink today." (If you do not (THINK) drink today, you cannot get (STUPIDER) drunk today.)

Yes No

2 - Do you wish people would mind their own business about your (THINKING) drinking-- stop telling you what to do?
In A.A. we do not tell anyone to do anything. We just talk about our own (THINKING) drinking, the trouble we got into, and how we stopped. We will be glad to help you, if you want us to.

Yes No

3 - Have you ever switched from one kind of (THOUGHT) drink to another in the hope that this would keep you from getting (MORE STUPID) drunk?
We tried all kinds of ways. We made our (THOUGHTS) drinks weak. Or just (THOUGHT) drank beer. Or we did not (THINK) drink cocktails. Or only (THOUGHT) drank on weekends. You name it, we tried it. But if we (THOUGHT) drank anything with (A THOUGHT) alcohol in it, we usually got (STUPIDER) drunk eventually.

Yes No

4 - Have you had to have an eye-opener upon awakening during the past year?
Do you need a (THOUGHT) drink to get started, or to stop shaking? This is a pretty sure sign that you are not (THINKING) drinking "socially."

Yes No

5 - Do you envy people who can (THINK) drink without getting into trouble?
At one time or another, most of us have wondered why we were not like most people, who really can take it or leave it.

Yes No

6 - Have you had problems connected with (THINKING) drinking during the past year?
Be honest! Doctors say that if you have a problem with (THOUGHT) alcohol and keep on (THINKING) drinking, it will get worse -- never better. Eventually, you will die, or end up in an institution for the rest of your life. The only hope is to stop (THINKING) drinking.

Yes No

7 - Has your (THINKING) drinking caused trouble at home?
Before we came into A.A., most of us said that it was the people or problems at home that made us (THINK) drink. We could not see that our (THINKING) drinking just made everything worse. It never solved problems anywhere or anytime.

Yes No

8 - Do you ever try to get "extra" (THOUGHTS) drinks at a party because you do not get enough?
Most of us used to have a "few" before we started out if we thought it was going to be that kind of party. And if (THOUGHTS) drinks were not served fast enough, we would go some place else to get more.

Yes No

9 - Do you tell yourself you can stop (THINKING) drinking any time you want to, even though you keep getting (STUPIDER) drunk when you don't mean to?
Many of us kidded ourselves into thinking that we (THINK) drank because we wanted to. After we came into A.A., we found out that once we started to (THINK) drink, we couldn't stop.

Yes No

10 - Have you missed days of work or school because of (THINKING) drinking?
Many of us admit now that we "called in sick" lots of times when the truth was that we were (STUPID) hung-over or on a (THOUGHT) drunk.

Yes No

11 - Do you have "blackouts"?
A "blackout" is when we have been (THINKING) drinking hours or days which we cannot remember. When we came to A.A., we found out that this is a pretty sure sign of (STUPID THINKING) alcoholic drinking.

Yes No

12 - Have you ever felt that your life would be better if you did not (THINK) drink?
Many of us started to (THINK) drink because (THINKING) drinking made life seem better, at least for a while. By the time we got into A.A., we felt trapped. We were (THINKING) drinking to live and living to (THINK) drink. We were sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Yes No

Did you answer YES four or more times? If so, you are probably in trouble with (THOUGHTS) alcohol. Why do we say this? Because thousands of people in A.A. have said so for many years. They found out the truth about themselves — the hard way.

But again, only you can decide whether you think A.A. is for you. Try to keep an open mind on the subject. If the answer is YES, we will be glad to show you how we stopped (THINKING) drinking ourselves. Just call.

A.A. does not promise to solve your life's problems. But we can show you how we are learning to live without (THINKING) drinking "one day at a time." We stay away from that (FIRST THOUGHT) "first drink." If there is no first one, there cannot be a tenth one. And when we got rid of (THOUGHTS) alcohol, we found that life became much more manageable.