You admit you have a problem and begin to seek out assistance. Big book step study aa meetings turned out to be the antidote and balance to that weak aa message and group that dominated aa at the time. For example,where is step one, step two, three found in the big book of aa. Steps by the big book step 1 steps by the big book. Aa recovered alcoholics anonymous aa11 63,096 views 2.
We recognize that it is time to move from a crisis mode to a prevention mode. Fair use section 107 through 118 of the law title 17 u. Understanding step 1 in the big book galt ocean rehab center. When ready ask your sponsee, do you fully concede to your inner most self that you are. It is essential reading for anyone trying to decide whether or not they are alcoholic. An unofficial guide to the twelve steps, edited by dr. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered.
But i will not have the benefit of contact with you who write this book. The importance of step 1 in alcoholics anonymous is emphasized by the fact that the first quarter of the big book is focused on this first action. 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 twelve step program big book guide big book sponsorship. We have to decide whether or not we believe in a higher power a spirit of the universe a god of our understanding. This question have often baffled me in my quest to better understand the steps. This big book study article shows where you can find the information in the book, alcoholics anonymous, that explains how and when bill w. Our origins are the students of the big book group, which has met in woodland hills, california since december of 1985. According to bill w, the first step was derived largely from my own physician, dr. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol drugs, actingout behaviour, that our lives. Big book of aa step 2 understand and complete one step. Begin your own program by taking step one from the previous chapter, how it works.
We admitted we were powerless over alcoholand that our lives had become unmanageable. This steps by the big book workbook is for those who are willing to grow along spiritual lines 60. Our goal is to study the steps as a friendly, focused group, and work them as the authors of the big book described. The doctors opinion chapter in the book alcoholics anonymous provides a medical view of addiction to alcohol.
Outlining the steps and traditions that make aa famous, as well as numerous stories about recovering addicts who have been through the process, the big book has helped guide millions into a life of sobriety. As we take step 1, we separate it into its first and second halves. What specific page andor paragraph is he step found. Alcohol addiction is something that significantly affects millions of peoples lives each year, and there has been a constant battle against this within society for decades. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol drugs, actingout behaviour, that our lives had become unmanageable. Alcoholics anonymous, or aa, begins the process of recovering from alcohol addiction with step 1, the first of 12 steps. Learn more about step 1 of alcoholics anonymouss 12step program to. I was to know happiness, peace and usefulness, in a way of life that is incredibly more wonderful as time passes. Of all the steps, this is the one that sets the stage for recovery to happen.
Aa speaker turn our will and our lives over to the care of god new 20 duration. The message which can interest and hold these alcoholic addicted people must have depth and. Step by step guide for sponsors a companion to aas big book. The big book holds within it the central thesis and ideas of alcohol anonymous and the 12 step approach.
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. Surrender the admission of powerlessness is a distinctly aa way of practicing certain spiritual principles that are key to recovery. Step two is the step in which we formerly acknowledge the higher power. Although this step is the first step towards sobriety, most aa members dont do this step just one time.
No edits of any kind have been made to the originals just recreated to provide cleaner versions of the original. It is a tremendous satisfaction to record that in the following years this changed. Aa step 1 acceptance is the first step to recovery. It is the platform on which an entirely new life can be built.
We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics. Alcoholics anonymous big book audioread aloud youtube. Big book goals step 1 emotional sobriety step 2 proposition exercise step 3 prayer 3rd step vision for your life exercise 12 reasons we slip by bill w. Bedevilments versus the promises spontaneous wisdom of aa members step 4 some helpful thoughts 4th step inventory step 4 resentment and turn around prayers step 4 harms done others. This step is described on roman numeral pages 25 32 xxv xxxii, on pages 1 44. In the years since, numerous words have been substituted for alcohol by individual. Home read the big book and twelve steps and twelve traditions alcoholics anonymous. By writing first, then doing the 5 th step we can look at resentment, fear and harm individually, the way it says in the big book.
We have laid out the 4 th step inventory here so that it follows the big book. This website has been created as a service to those who suffer from addiction to alcohol, narcotics or both. 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. Aa big book with questions for discussion emotional. The big book serves as the foundation for the alcoholics anonymous 12 step program, the worlds largest alcoholism support group. Bbss speakers on step one in accordance with the twelve traditions of alcoholics anonymous we admitted we were powerless over alcoholthat our lives had become unmanageable. Aug 24, 2017 all 12 steps of joes big book study free audio download at skip navigation. It is a substance that is so easily obtained, and for the majority, it is so easily. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 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. Surrender is essential in order to recover from alcoholism. I made the error, also thinking that step one is a two part step. Want jason wahler inperson for your next gathering.
This book is intentionally written to be relevant to newcomers and to help more experienced members develop a deeper understanding of the twelve steps. Silkworth, and by my sponsor ebby and his friend, from dr. Our steps by the big book group sessions are not official aa meetings because we limit enrollment to a specific number of participants. The big book step study bbss format, based upon an aa meeting format.
Consequently, resistance, rebellion and delusion, as well as the unwillingness to be rigorously honest, are some of the components that keep us from recovery, from being willing to surrender to the reality of this step. Pdf format that have been recreated and cleaned up. Do you fully concede the fact that youre an addict. 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. Dec 20, 2012 father martin talks about step one in this video as only he can. I admit that i am powerless over alcohol although step 1, itself, does not require that we admit to being alcoholic, we learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics.
My sponsor is strictly by the book he maid me start at the doctors opinion and when i got to the 3rd step prayer in how it works he asked me asked me the first to steps and i agreed then we went from there i took the third step and at once did an inventory then admitted to him and god and myself my wrongs then i was ready to have him remove my defects of character so i did my seventh step with. The 10 th step inventory can be done using your 4 th step inventory, a journal, a balance sheet, or it can be done right out of the big book pg 8485. To enable you to find a power greater than yourself that will solve your problem. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol that our lives. The central task of step 1 is to recognize that our lives are beyond our control, and we cannot continue our superhuman efforts at patching up the many mistakes we make. The big book returns with to wives and the remaining couple of chapters are there. Do not answer the questions in the rest of the book. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of god as we. By admitting that they are powerless over alcohol the individual is saying that they are unable to control their intake.
Big book of aa step 2 understand and complete one step at a time in recovery with alcoholics anonymous book. The big book serves as the foundation for the alcoholics anonymous 12 step program. Alcoholics anonymous believes that admitting you cant control your alcohol use is a necessary first step on the path to recovery. It is an acknowledgement that we have become convinced in our innermost selves that we are alcoholics. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves reading. Quotations from alcoholics anonymous and the twelve steps and twelve traditions are with permission of a. This is the fourth edition of the big book, the basic text. Usually we go thru those chapters together and the sponsee goes. This does not imply either approval of or endorsement by this organization which, i understand, feels alcoholics. Instead, members may study and work on this step many times. Step one 23 holics anonymous, published when our membership was small, dealt with lowbottom cases only.
Regardless of how we do it the main thing is to watch for fear, anger, dishonesty and selfishness f. Its not about being sponsoredits about sponsoring others that is a predictor for recovery. One united church of christ, 1730 new holland rd, shillington, pa 19607. The first step of anything is a beginning, so the first step of the alcoholics anonymous 12 steps is the beginning of your recovery process. Png format and one single download of all of them in. The narcotics anonymous step working guides unfamiliar, we should feel free to make use of a dictionary. We, of alcoholics anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women.
Twelve step prayers spiritual alcoholics anonymous cleveland. 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 distributed source aa gso ny. On what pages are the steps laid out in the big book of aa. It is meant to provide all the resources one needs to study the 12 steps as outlined in the 4th edition of alcoholics anonymous. The hyannis format page also contains a bit of history about how and why bbss came into being. Take all 12 steps in just 4 hours download this aa big book step guide and work book. When we fully concede to our innermost selves that we are powerless over our addiction, we have taken a big step in our recovery. This is the fourth edition of the big book, the basic text for alcoholics anonymous.
Where are the steps outlinedlaid out in the big book. The original 1st step, as published in 1939 in the book alcoholics anonymous, reads. Just like step one, the big book on page 47 provides a question associated with taking step two. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol that our lives had become unmanageable. Alcoholics anonymous step 1 is the beginning of a 12step program to get and stay sober. This site has been built and maintained to support anyone in recovery. The tuesday night reading pa meeting has a new location. 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. Most of the rest of the big book is devoted to the question of how to find this power. When fi rst challenged to admit defeat, most of us revolted.
Known as the big book, it is in its fourth edition and is widely circulated through out the world. Since the first edition appeared, in 1939, it has helped millions of men and women recover from alcoholism. It isnt easy, but admitting powerlessness allows you to break the cycle of addiction that youve been stuck in. 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. Step 1 is integral to the entire process of the 12 step recovery in that without it, there can be no transformation. Step 1 readers feature big type and easy words for children who know the alphabet and are eager to begin reading. This means that they now accept that they have lost their battle against alcohol and no longer believe that they will ever be able to drink safely. Big books directions for taking all twelve steps the steps are listed in the big book on pages 5960 directions for taking step 1 are listed on page 30, paragraph 2, lines 1 4.
Big book step index step 1 we admitted we were powerless over alcohol that our lives had become unmanageable. Step 2 came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. The big book explains that we must make a list that includes all our resentments we have and have ever had, an account of sexual conduct and our fears. Breaking down step one of aa alcoholics anonymous jason. Aa the original way 12 step guide aa the original way group. As na grows in numbers, in diversity, and in strength and longevity of clean time, we. Big book of aa step 2 understand and complete one step at. The following is a suggested format for a big book step study meeting with emphasis on the fourth step. You are never too old to improve your health and quality of life. The first step outlined in the big book is essential to jumpstart the alcoholics recovery process.