The primary instructions for the 12 steps are highlighted, in order, in the big book. From the beginning, the need was evident for a book on recovery to help strengthen the fellowship. When the big book was written in 1939, america was a reading society. The first time i did a 4th step in aa i hated everything about it. Resentments the first 3 columns sheet 1 side 2 resentments the fourth. Narcotics anonymous was formed in july 1953, with the first meeting held in southern california. Narcotics anonymous step working guides project recovery texas. 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. Aa promises the aa big book 12step promises of recovery. These step study guides and worksheets have been used by thousands of aas, nas, alanons, oa overeaters, cas, gas and other 12 step recovery program members that use the 12 steps as instructed in the book, alcoholics. Regardless of the method, our fourth step will be successful if we are searching and fearless. Nothing short of continuous action upon these as a way of life can bring the muchdesired result.
This guide is intended to be used as an aid to writing a fourth step inventory. Alcoholics anonymous first edition first printings 1939 for sale. If you use this book correctly it helps you with your 4th and 8th steps too. If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We, of alcoholics anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. During any such meeting to study the aa big book, you would expect to encounter a wide variety of viewpoints on the portions under consideration. It is common in aa lore to hear claims that the big book is the secondmost printed book of alltime, second only to the bible.
The first step in this process of getting real is to take an honest inventory of my life. We read the first set of instructions the first week of every. Please god help me to show this person the same tolerance, pity and patience that i would cheerfully grant a sick friend. For them, we hope these pages will prove so convincing that no further authentication will be necessary. Many of us have had some reservations at this point, so give yourself a break and be as thorough as possible from the start. The big book is clearwe do this to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to god and our fellow man. Because this book has become the basic text for our society and has helped such large numbers. National geographic little kids first big books series found in childrens picture books this irresistible first reference series for children ages four to eight focuses on highinterest topics that are written at a level appropriate for beginning readers or for reading aloud. Home read the big book and twelve steps and twelve traditions. Big book is in very good condition with light wear to spine gold gilding strong on front and spine. Section 7 step four 4th step guide pages out of the big book awakening 12 step workbook book version august, 2006. Big book of alcoholics anonymous 11th step meditation. Though our decision was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once followed by a strenuous effort to face, and to be rid of, the things in. There are many methods of writing inventories, and no one way is right for everyone.
Marty mann 19041980 wrote the chapter women suffer too in the second through fourth editions of the big book. The big book has given me that comfort and the push to. Do i believe that my addiction is utterly inconsequential to the larger society around me. This is a link to the complete 4 th edition of the aa bigbook online. I didnt even have to write anything else to feel bad. To read a pdf version of the fourth edition of alcoholics anonymous. 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. Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning, which many of us had never attempted. Searching and fearless step four calls on us to be searching and fearless. The wisdom from the big book isnt limited to 10 quotes. Here you will find a schedule of aa meetings, aa news and events, and useful resources for the newcomer about aa and our wonderful fellowship.
Twelve steps reprinted for adaptation by permission of alcoholics anonymous world. Alcoholics anonymous first edition fourth printing big. Steps by the big book step 1 steps by the big book. 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. Carefully reading the first five proposals the first five steps we ask. At this stage of the inventory proceedings, our sponsors come to the rescue. Bill wilson, the cofounder of alcoholics anonymous, recalls the fateful. Our society is not the reading society that it once was and therefore we, of the twenty first century, find it difficult to understand the written instructions for the 4th step contained in our basic text book.
This is the fourth edition of the book alcoholics anonymous. I listed my resentments on paper, but not necessarily in chronological order. This steps by the big book workbook is for those who are willing to grow along spiritual lines 60. A fourth study guides are distilled right out of the big book of alcoholics anonymous.
Works publishing company, april 1939, hardcover 400pp. We could find all sorts of occult and esoteric connotations in the simple outlines, but foremost in our minds were easily understood meanings and. May 15, 2016 the fourth step, like the whole of recovery, is a process not an event. God help me to show this person the same tolerance, pity and patience that i would cheerfully grant a sick friend. Home read the big book and twelve steps and twelve traditions alcoholics anonymous alcoholics anonymous this is the fourth edition of the big book, the basic text for alcoholics anonymous.
Copyright alcoholics anonymous world services, inc. Its words and interpretations are left up to the reader to use as they choose. Foreword to first edition this is the foreword as it appeared in the first printing of the first edition in 1939. I used this workbook almost 7 years ago and it has been my requirement of all my sponsees to pick up this book and use it as a strong foundation. Alcoholics anonymous first edition, fourth printing 1943 big book green covers. When we fully concede to our innermost selves that we are powerless over our addiction, we have taken a big step in our recovery. The instructions are divided into two for each of the 12 steps. W e, of alcoholics anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. Just the mere act of writing down the names of the people in my life was painful. If you use this book correctly it helps you with your 4th. The fourth step of alcoholics anonymous is an excellent example of the apprehension that you can feel in trying to make a breakthrough in your sobriety.
As we read in the preface to the fourth edition of the big book. When the time was right for me, it seemed as if the pen in my hand had a direct connection to my mind, and the memories of a lifetime just poured out onto the page. Alcoholics anonymous first edition, first printing 1939 big book. Welcome to the sonoma county intergroup felowship website of alcoholics anonymous. Please print 2 sides on one sheet of paper sheet 1 side.
The fellowship grew erratically but quickly spread to various parts of the united states. This book contains guides to working the twelve steps toward recovery. The white book, narcotics anonymous, was published in 1962. The steps helped each of the cofounders of aa in their own recovery from alcoholism and have continued to help countless. The 4th edition 2001 is also freely available online. No writing or markings to except first blank page where previous owners name was written in pencil and erased. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. First written in 1939, the 4th edition was published in 2001. 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. Step 4 we are going to change it up a little and post a big book study workshop that took place in 2011, each speaker is presenting for about an hour on one step. You may find the complete text on the official web site of alcoholics anonymous. We are asked to look carefully at ourselves and to get beneath the selfdeceptions we have used up to now to hide the truth from. Narcotics anonymous basic text, chapter 4 step 5 this may be one of the most challenging steps we face in our recovery process, but it can also be one of the most fulfilling in terms of removing us from our isolation.
Aa big book aa big book taghere the foundation progress and principles washington temperance society of baltimore the missionary spirit alcoholism recovery 3rd edition 2nd edition alcohol allergy rehabilitation of alcoholics dr. In order for this to happen we must go directly into steps 10, 11 and 12 while doing step 9. The individual sections of this study guide material reflect ideas, emotions and attitudes you might hear from the. The fourth step of alcoholics anonymous sober nation. This allows us more time for studying some of the primary step instructions from the big book. First off, they can be told that the majority of a. The individual sections of this study guide material reflect ideas, emotions and attitudes you might hear from the mouth of that old timer over in the corner. Nature abhors a vacuum and a state of nothing cant exist in either the material or spiritual world. Before i got this book i had been putting off the fourth step for about a year and a half and once i got this book and used it as a outline i was able to finish my fourth step withing a month. The promises are from pages 8384 of the big book and cover the promises of what will happen when we diligently work the steps of the 12 step program.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. By discovering those destructive elements in our lives, we took the first step. This is 4th step fears inventory is designed for newcomers or anyone who wishes to do a forth step out of the big book. This guide represents the experiences, strengths, and hopes of many addicts who have found recovery in narcotics anonymous. Steps by the big book step 5 steps by the big book. In the 12 steps of the addiction recovery program, step 4 focuses on truth. Alcoholics anonymous first edition, first printing 1939 big book with original dust jacket. Prayers for step 10 the prayers used in step 4 are repeated here. We have a list of all persons we have harmed and to whom we are willing to make amends.
Begin your own program by taking step one from the previous chapter, how it works. The big book of alcoholics anonymous the world famous eye. What was our choice to be alcoholics anonymous, 53. In the resentment inventory, dont write across, do it in columns, i. Like every piece of na literature, this was written by addicts for addicts.
The fourth step, like the whole of recovery, is a process not an event. Though our decisionstep 3 was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once fast followed by a. The only exception to the big books instruction is a 5th column, whereby we identify what we can do differently in the future. Beginning in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and. Though our decision was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once. Amongst the most helpful tape series for newcomers, they explore essential concepts of steps 14 with solid book based explanations. In the fourth step of aa, it states that you must make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself.
To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. Monthly big book readings aa the original way group. Jun 17, 2016 the big book is clearwe do this to fit ourselves to be of maximum service to god and our fellow man. Narcotics anonymous basic text, chapter 4step 5 this may be one of the most challenging steps we face in our recovery process, but it can also be one of the most fulfilling in terms of removing us from our isolation. Alcoholics anonymous first edition first printings 1939. 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 alcoholics. Here is a pdf version of the first 164 pages found in all aa books. First in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. These last three steps keep us current and help us to continue to solidify the foundation of our recovery. Working step four in narcotics anonymous coastal carolina area. The big books chapter we agnostics draws a line in the sand. The big book has given me that comfort and the push to move forward. Our goal is to study the steps as a friendly, focused group, and work them as the authors of the big book described.
There is comfort in knowing you arent alone, that what youre feeling isnt unusual, and that there is a solution. History of the 12 steps of na and aa where did they come from. Popular 12 steps books meet your next favorite book. Works publishing company, april 1939 book is in near fine condition strong 100% gold gild, tight binding, clean pages with no writing other than a gift inscription on first blank page tommy may this book be a great help to you in time of trouble. Aa big book aa big book taghere the foundation progress and principles washington. You may find the complete text on the official web site of alcoholics anonymous on this page you can discover what this book tells about. The na book the basic text our symbol simplicity is the keynote of our symbol. This is the blue print of the 12 step recovery programs. This is difficult to understand at first, do a dozen or so and youll get the hang of it. The delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed. Forward to the first edition of the book, alcoholics anonymous. They comfort the melancholy one by fi rst showing him that his.