Alcoholics Anonymous Books

The 12 Steps and the AA Big Book aren't for everyone. I am, however, very glad that they have been a viable tool for me in my recovery from addiction. Those of us who are drawn to investigate AA or similar 12 Step groups do so because on some level, our lives are not working the way that we think they should, or would like them to.

Anyone with an addict's personality has an insatiable need to fill themselves up with "something"...be it alcohol, drugs, food, relationships, and a myriad of other compulsive behaviors as a way to deal with their life. Often we addicts suffer from grave emotional and mental illnesses as well. I know this to be true first hand since I work in the healthcare field. Observing alcoholics and addicts in a healthcare setting has been a real eye opener. I have much more compassion these days for anyone who suffers from an addiction.

Several of the key characteristics of any addict's personality are grandiosity and defiance. I know this well from my own personal experience. Partnering grandiosity and defiance with a mental disorder can punch a double whammy. Think Borderline Personality Disorder, for example. Grandiosity and defiance are components of many mental illnesses. I have been on the receiving end of the double whammy a few times myself. But, I don't hold these kinds of relationships against the 12 Step movement because we claim our seat in our 12 Step group so that we can get well. We addicts/alcoholics have a spiritual, emotional, and mental illness. Learning what getting well means can be an ongoing process that takes years and years.

In practicing the spiritual principles and tools I am learning from my own recovery process, I am learning, one day at a time, to be able to set better boundaries with people who behave in a manner that I do not understand, or whose behavior feels attacking, bullying, abusive, overly aggressive. Sometimes the behavior simply feels inappropriate to the situation. After all, those of us who have used our addiction for most of our lives to deal with life by drinking, overeating, drugging, and seeking inappropriate relationships, we haven't learned appropriate ways to act and react because we've been too busy, desperately guzzling or bingeing instead of learning more effective ways to live life on life's terms.

I believe that anyone who writes a primarily negativem emotional discourse on the 12 Step movement is probably suffering from one of those grave emotional and mental disorders, even if it is just a mild personality disorder. I am not being critical or judgemental, I am just being honest about my observations. I consider myself one of these kinds of people at times, so I would be including myself in this observation. Again, I state: this is my own belief and it may not be yours. For whatever reason, these folks haven't been able to grow out of grandiosity and defiance into a more openminded and loving place. They are stuck in their disease process and negative thinking. At times, I have been "one of them".

Recently, I have heard a lot of sponsor bashing from people who are probably unqualified to do so. I personally have not experienced the high degree of misbehaviors, for want of a better word, that have been observed and described within the 12 Step groups. Always, my sponsors - and I have had at least 12 sponsors over a 9 year period - have been very well intentioned role models, kind, and committed to helping me grow along spiritual lines. These sponsors have been committed to their own recovery process. They are working their own steps and tools in order to recover. They share their own experience, strength and hope with me, which has been very healing. I will admit that at times, I have either observed someone else, or have personally experienced an incident with my own sponsor - rarely, though - where things got a little bit out of kilter. I either worked things out with my current sponsor, or found a new sponsor. Or encouraged a friend to do the same with his/her sponsor. Remember: as addicts/alcoholics we have failed to learn positive ways to relate to others, so having a sponsor is a great way to "practice" being a better person. We are able to "role play" with our sponsor in order to learn a better way of living and relating. Our sponsor is our coach. This has been my experience in my 12 Step recovery.

There is a saying in 12 Step rooms as relates to doing our 4th Step inventory and that is when we ask ourselves"what was my part"? When I first heard that term a thought went screaming and clawing its way through my head: My part? My part????? What do you MEAN, My Part??????? This person did blah-blah-blah, and they are wrong, wrong, wrong. So, what in the WORLD do you mean by MY PART? I did nothing at all." As you can see, my mind was closed and I was very defiant about looking at the possibility of my own behavior being a contributing factor. I was used to getting nailed and being a target of the blame game.

What I've learned since then is that looking at "my part" is not blame, shame or guilt. It is a very neutral place to be where I can honestly assess my thoughts, actions, and behavior in a non-judgemental way to discern whether I inadvertently contributed to my own unhappiness with what occurred between myself and another person. Today, looking at "my part" it is a routine that I practice regularly to look at the big picture. I don't do it to beat myself up, I use it as a flashlight to illuminate the dark and hidden recesses of my psyche. My mind no longer screams at me, although I must admit that sometimes I having feelings of shame and guilt, and then I must work through those to get to a more neutral place. By the time I finish, I am in a much better place than when I started.

I want to encourage anyone who believes that they have had a bad experience with a 12 Step group or sponsor to be willing to examine their own behavior and motives. I don't doubt that some of the negative incidents mentioned have happened. After all, 12 Step groups are a mirror of life in general. They're just more intense, because the people in them already know that their lives are not working the way they would like for them to. Things are going to happen that mirror or project their character defects, as we say in program.

As a person in recovery for some time, I found this book a real treasure. Nothing is added or taken away from the first part of the Big Book but it is presented with a concordance, glossary and a space for notes. Having gone through numerous Big Books in study meetings and just giving them away, this one is a real treasure for me. Some historical notes and a copy of the original manuscript make it a must for us AA History fans. Keep coming back to this one!

1. The Twelve Steps do not work as a program of recovery from drug or alcohol problems.
The A.A. failure rate ranges from 95% to 100%. Sometimes, the A.A. success rate is actually less than zero, which means that A.A. indoctrination is positively harmful to people, and prevents recovery. Some tests have shown that even receiving no treatment at all for alcoholism is much better than receiving A.A. treatment:
One of the most enthusiastic boosters of Alcoholics Anonymous, Professor George Vaillant of Harvard University, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (AAWS), showed by his own 8 years of testing of A.A. that A.A. was worse than useless -- that it didn't help the alcoholics any more than no treatment at all, and it had the highest death rate of any treatment program tested -- a death rate that Professor Vaillant himself described as "appalling". While trying to prove that A.A. treatment works, Professor Vaillant actually proved that A.A. kills. After 8 years of A.A. treatment, the score with Dr. Vaillant's first 100 alcoholic patients was: 5 sober, 29 dead, and 66 still drinking.
(Nevertheless, Vaillant is still a Trustee of Alcoholics Anonymous, and he still wants to send all alcoholics to A.A. anyway, to "get an attitude change by confessing their sins to a high-status healer." That is cult religion, not a treatment program for alcoholism.)
The A.A. dropout rate is terrible. Most people who come to A.A. looking for help in quitting drinking are appalled by the narrow-minded atmosphere of fundamentalist religion and faith-healing. The A.A. meeting room has a revolving door. The therapists, judges, and parole officers (many of whom are themselves hidden members of A.A. or N.A.) continually send new people to A.A., but those newcomers vote with their feet once they see what A.A. really is. Even A.A.'s own triennial surveys, conducted by the A.A. headquarters (the GSO), say that:
81% of the newcomers are gone within 30 days,
90% are gone in 3 months, and
95% are gone at the end of a year.
That automatically gives A.A. a failure rate of at least 95%. But the GSO does not count all of those people who only attend a few meetings before quitting -- they don't qualify as "members". (That amounts to "cherry-picking".) If we included them, then the numbers would be much worse.


First there is the propaganda technique of "everybody's doing it": "AA or a similar Twelve-Step program is an integral part of almost all successful recoveries".
That is a complete falsehood. The vast majority of the successful people recover without A.A. or any "support group". It's what "everybody" is doing.
Then they use the propaganda techniques of use of the passive voice and vague suggestions: "It is widely believed that not including a Twelve-Step program in a treatment plan can put a recovering addict on the road to relapse."
It is widely believed by whom? And what do those unnamed people know? What are their qualifications? Are they doctors? Medical school professors? Or salesmen for a 12-Step treatment center? Why should we care what some unnamed invisible fools allegedly believe, anyway?
The authors also use the propaganda technique of fear-mongering: you will be "on the road to relapse" -- you will probably die -- unless you practice Bill Wilson's Twelve Step cult religion.
And then the fluff-headed Pollyanna attitude is outrageous: Just going to the wonderful A.A. meetings is supposedly all that is needed to fix some alcoholics.
But since A.A. has a zero-percent success rate above and beyond the normal rate of spontaneous remission, that cannot possibly be true.

i have found that i actually pick this version of the big book up alot more than the other one. with it's indexes, dictionary, and journal pages i have more incintive to study my life through the program of alcoholics anonymous! after buying my first one i have bought 5 more for friends who have wanted it after looking at my book. if you want to stay sober this is a great book to help you on the happy road of destiny.

I was disappointed and depressed by this book. Chapter 4, "We Agnostics", retains the heavy-handed treatment of Agnostics found in "the Big Book": "We agnostics and atheists chose to believe that human intelligence was the last word... Rather vain of us, wasn't it?" Agnostics are not atheists; and agnostics are no more or less prone to vanity than those with religious faith. If there is vanity here, it is on the part of the author - who falslely presupposes what Agnostics believe about human intelligence, and uses this erroneous presupposition to conclude that Agnostics must be vain. Shortly thereafter in the chapter the Agnostic disappears for some reason. The Atheist then is then brought to his knees, literally, when confronted by one of those seemingly unstoppable attacks on egotism: "Who are you to say there is no God?" Of course the Agnostic would have answered, "Who are you to say there IS a god?" Perhaps this is why he disappears in chapter 4 in both "the Big Book" and "A Simple Program."

AA still has a long way to go in its treatment of Agnosticism and Atheism. In this context, "A Simple Program" represents little or improvement on "The Big Book".

With 7 years in the Program, I am amazed that a book like this hasn't been published sooner. A very needed addition/update to the Big Book. Possibly a preview of what the next revision of the Big Book will look like. Although I am considered a "Big Book thumper" I find no fault in this translation of "our bible...." Masterfully done and a true landmark for those of us in the Program today..... Yes it is 1998 and time for an update such as this..... rw texas

This book explains what it means to be an Alcoholic. Being an Alchoholic is as much an attitude towards yourself and life, as a craving for alcohol. For the many who are at the bottom looking for answers, or to the skeptic who isn't sure whether or not they are an Alchoholic, this book offers clear answers to a confusing problem.

I bought this book one day after experiencing a wonderful hangover, and then it sat on my bookshelf unread for years. I actually read the book while drinking a glass of wine. As I turned the pages, I realized more and more the exact measure of how much I had lost control of my life, and the capacity I possessed for lying to myself.

Spend 12 dollars for a 12 pack and have fun tonight, or spend 12 dollars on this book and learn what it takes to have fun for the rest of your life... real fun.

Twenty years of soberity here. Yes it is time for an update and this is it. I would recommend this book to new people in AA along with the book An Encounter With A Prophet.

Author Hourihan evidently chose not to publish any of his works before his death; now they are appearing from a press (Vedantic Shores) of which his widow is the principal. This book about the famous 10-year-long depression AA cofounder Bill suffered (1945-1955) draws heavily on the principles of Hindu Vedanta, to which Hourihan, a Boston Irishman, subscribed. It is, where the facts bear, factual, but essentially fictional as to the explanations of Bill's inner llife, by which I do not mean necessarily untrue, just that they are not really known and Hourihan's guess is perhaps as good as any. This is a sort of spiritual whodunit, so it would not be sporting to do a capsule summary of what Hourihan thinks was (a) the original cause, and (b) the cause of the lifting of Bill's depression, except to say that this writer, who has done a youth biography of Bill (Bill W., A Different Kind of Hero: The Story of Alcoholics Anonymous) finds Hourihan's thesis at least plausible. I think anyone interested in the sources of AA, now an ackowledged world wonder among moovements dealing with the causes and cures of those assorted scourges called "substance addictions, is almost certain to be captivated by this well-written, insightful book. Hourihan does not say whether or not he was himself an alcoholic; my guess is he was, because he is so sympatico with it, but that will have for the moment to remain unknown in accord with the AA tradition of anonymity, which tends to be cacelled by death.

With sensitive accuracy, Paul Hourihan, in his novel "Bill W - A Strange Salvation," has portrayed Bill Wilson as being both humble and spiritual, the two main ingredients for achieving meaningful sobriety.
Overwhelmed by the enormous significance of the movement he had created, Alcoholics Anonymous, Hourihan suggests that it was these very qualities that influenced Wilson's decline into his long depression throughout which he sought spiritual reassurance and strength.
"A Strange Salvation" provides a valuable tool for members of the Fellowship in all stages of recovery, and to those dedicated to finding peace of mind.

Bill W., A Strange Salvation is a novel based on the life of Bill Wilson, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Wilson founded AA in the 1930's after suffering his own excessive drinking problems for years. Although driven to a higher purpose, all of his life, his greatest achievement- sobriety for himself and thousands of others was not enough. A deep depression filled his mind and his soul for almost twenty years.

This book asks gut wrenching, soul searching questions that reach deep into the psyche of readers, both those who have experienced alcoholism and those that have not. The questions are universally relevant and inspire readers to search for their own truths.

Author, Paul Hourihan was committed to the spiritual path for over 45 years. A graduate of Boston University, his personal experience includes the writing of more than a dozen books as well as the teaching of courses on mystics and mysticism. In this book, Mr. Hourihan takes us on a perceptive journey during which we delve deeply into the causes and the effects of Bill Wilson's depression. The author provides us with a possible answer and the discovery of the "strange salvation" which may have saved Wilson from a worst fate.

A profound, in-depth study of the subject in an easy to read novel format, this book is enlightening.

Most likely anyone who's been around the rooms on a regular basis for more than a few months has heard most of what is in here...And that which they haven't heard is otherwise predictable. Unfortunately, most "recovery humor" is best suited to the feeble and middle brow humor of 60's and 70's Readers Digest, and this book is no exception. It's just plain corny and it's really not very funny. Addiction and recovery can be so dark and edgy; it would be nice to see some of that reflected in the literature and humor.

A lot of funny items within the book.It is a really great way of carrying the AA message.

I just read this book and find it not only funny but thought provoking. It made me think of some of the things that were going through my head early in my recovery. As a recovering addict/alcoholic I find it refreshing that someone besides myself can find humor in some of the past (and sometimes present) behaviors. I would highly recommend this book to other people in recovery.

Overall the reference guide was not as informative as I expected. I also expected that the Guide would have contained more information, relating to the program itself. I may be incorrect, but sensed the Guide was written by a non-progam person.

The contents, more specifically, word listings are readily available through a number of search engines, which in my opinion are more complete.

The idea of presenting key individuals significant to the program is interesting, but also available in more detail through alternate sources.

The product was delivered before the scheduled date, well packaged, and in excellent condition. This part of the transaction I would rate as 5 Star

Just what I needed to prepare a talk on recovery. Great source of facts and information.
Thanks

Find out how often the word 'recovered' is used and other useful and interesting facts about Alcoholics Anonymous - the Big Book.

As a writer about the 12 Steps I've almost worn out my copy!

The problem with this title is that it writes of a public figure whose life changed after the period covered by the book. Yes, Harold Hughes was an alcoholic. Yes, Harold Hughes was a Governor. Yes, Harold Hughes was a strong legislative advocate for alcoholics' rights. But that's not the Harold Hughes who spoke and wrote to me about some views he fervently held. In fact, it was he who first contacted me - by phone. He pointed out that he had left the political scene to devote himself to witnessing for Christ. He stressed the importance of having public figures step forward with their full names, identify themselves as believers, make clear they had defeated the ravages of alcoholism, and stand tall for the power of God. It was that view which prompted his founding of SOAR. It was that view that resulted in his writing the Foreword to That Amazing Grace (http://www.dickb.com/titles.shtml). And it was that view that was left out of the instant book. No comment on its relevance half a century ago. But Harold Hughes should be depicted as the Christian, healed, outspoken champion of alcoholics who believe and want to be cured.

This book provides real information that those working today for social change in the recovery movement can use to take action. Those who have come before us working as "citizens" bring hope for our efforts today. Ms. Olson's first hand experience in working on policy issues, is a jewel of knowledge for those "sick and tired of being sick and tired" in today's current policy arena. More than all else this book provides detail on how those who wished only to open doors for those suffering were willing and able to come together for a common purpose on policy, all in the "spirit of recovery".

This book offers empowering detail on how the current policy arena developed and the "powers that be" came to life. This includes the NIAAA, NCADD, etc. For those not exposed to this side of our governments structure, but with a desire to learn more, I suggest reading this book immediately.

Ms. Olson does an amazing job of sourcing information, and providing readers with "real" insight on how the recovery movement began, and this is most valuable for the "real people" organizing today to carry a message of hope for real policy change reaching some 18million Americans in need of recovery.

WeRecover.org will continue to encourage all members and those interested in taking action to support recovery for social change to read this remarkable books account of what a few dedicated, educated, and spiritually driven people can do when they are willing take action together.

As a person who teaches policy to students who are not very interested in it, I greatly appreciate Nancy Olson's interesting and readable account of public policy development for the alcoholism treatment field during the latter half of the last century. Most of the public policy for this field in our country has focused on law enforcement rather than humane and sensible responses to addiction. Ms. Olson's book also reminds us that sweeping policy change like the 1970 Hughes Act, which is the centerpiece of this book, actually begins decades earlier and reverberates for years to come. This one act, amazingly ushered into existence by a one term Senator, was a stunning victory for those who care about really solving the alcohol addiction problem in our country.

I worked in the field when this legislation passed. I can really appreciate the perspective of someone who was making things happen in Washington at the same time that I was working with the OEO program in our community developing community resources and getting people into AA, which was all the real help there was at the time. It was facinating to see that side of the action and to remember those promising days.

Linda Farris Kurtz, ACSW, DPA
Professor, Eastern Michigan University

I really like this little book and I especially enjoy the letters between Bill Wilson and Dr. Carl Jung. This book contains very valuable information for anyone interested in some of the early influences on Alcoholics Anonymous and its foundation. There are many 12-step recovery groups based upon the AA model and this little book can provide insight to those group members also.

There is some very interesting reading here that gives some details into the founding of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. All three of the men mentioned in the title have very signifigant roles in the development of this program. If you are finding yourself interested in the history of the program, this is definitely something you should read.

I have been a member of a 12 Step program for over 25 years. I strongly believe in these programs but also recognize their limitations. The notion of God is a problem for many people coming into 12 Step programs, but the steps emphasize God "as we understand him" in order to allow each of us to choose our own Higher Power: a traditonal God, a universal spirit, the good, humanity, love, etc. Many old-timers say "Any Higher Power is OK as long as it's not you." Many members of 12 Step programs are agnostics and atheists, and they accept the steps as written. I have no problem with an individual interpreting the steps to fit his/her needs; however, I consider rewriting the steps to be dangerous to the unity of 12 Step fellowships. Nevertheless, I have tried to approach this book with an open mind.

I believe this book has value for those who already have a solid grounding in a 12 Step program. Many of the interpretations of the steps and description of a spiritual life are very good. The vocabulary has more psychological jargon and New Age flavor than the recovery literature produced by the 12 Step fellowships. Editorial pruning would help - some of the ideas are repeated over and over, at times almost word for word. My big objection is in the wording of the alternative 12 steps themselves. They are wishy-washy, totally lacking in the vigor of the original 12 Steps of AA. It is almost as if somebody tried to do a politically correct spoof of the 12 Steps. Also their language usage is strange. For example, ten of the steps are in the present tense, one in the past tense, and one in the future tense.

Recommendation: If you have been in a 12 Step program for some time and still feel uneasy with the concept of God or Higher Power, then by all means give this book a try. But before reading it, take a big black marker and blot out the text of the alternative 12 steps.

This is a deep book, filled with the authors sincerity.
Because it is "secular", and because it doesn't address any specific disfunctional behavior nor delivers lessons, it is a warm, supportive tool to anyone.

It also permits one's spirituality to spring from within.

Whether one is religious or not will not affect one's empathy with this book.

This is the story of AA co-founder Bill Wilson's first forty years of life set forth in his own words recorded at the Hotel Bedford during September, 1954. He is assisted by Ed Bierstadt. The book is a wonderful compilation of anecdotes told in Bill's own words in an effort to shed light upon how his experiences led to his personality development which contributed to his fall into alcoholism. It is refreshing and free of controversial arguments found in some of the more recent biographies. The description of his spiritual experience once again by the man himself is very uplifting. The afterword and appendices nicely flesh out this historical account of this truly special man to whom so many owe their lives.

This is an autobiography of Bill Wilson, one of the co-founders of AA. It is an edited transcript of recordings he made during September, 1954, at the Hotel Bedford in the company of a man named Ed Bierstadt. The book contains interesting anecdotes on Bill's first forty years of life. The purpose of his recording these stories was to describe his childhood development and how it related to his personality development and subsequent descent into alcoholism. It ends abruptly at his speech before the Oxford Group. The Afterword briefly describes the ensuing thirtysix years and contains many footnotes referring to other books of interest about Bill W and the history of AA. This book is very refreshing and avoids the controversies that plague so many of the other biographies recently published. To read the account of Bill's spiritual experience again, in his own words, is extremely compelling. There are also several appendices which flesh out many of the references in the story.

I'm a do-it-yourselfer and find most of my how-to in books. This book has Q & A sessions to help yourself. It has an extensive "self-interview" after the First Step that is invaluable. It's easy to read and I loved it.

This book is ok but there is already a 12 step book for AA. If I were going to recommend one other book besides the original BiG Book of AA it would be An Encounter With A Prophet, the book that helped me understand my higher power better.