Alcoholics Anonymous Books

As I've gotten more days of sobriety under my belt I started to get curious about the history of AA. I figured that a program that has been around as long as AA needed some investigation.

I discovered, after reading "Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age", that AA had some tough times getting started.

It's all in the book: How AA spread from state to state; the money problems; the wives; the early meetings. Incredible, interesting stories!

After reading this book I had a better understanding and appreciation for how the program works. It's really miraculous. And it is illuminating to see that Bill and Bob tried just about everything to get the program going -- so when I question their suggestions or get in the mood to "rewrite" a tradition or two I have to remember that many of my ideas are not original -- it's most likely been tried before!

The "spirit" of helping others was made clearer to me. In these modern times when so many people come into the rooms from rehab or the courts, it is easy to forget what a wet drunk is and how to work with him/her. The book makes it clear that the early fellowship SOUGHT OUT drunks!! How many of us actually do that today? This is incredible ... especially when reading about the first fellowships in other cities. These guys did some MAJOR 12-stepping.

So if your program is stale or you are feeling curious, read this book for an injection of gratitude and appreciation. It worked for me!

I am from Eden Prairie, MN. and this is a thoroughly enjoyable piece of homework that a sponser can give a sponsee. In our AA Fri. nite meeting (it's been around for 25 years), we consider it a don't miss title.

If you want to know some of the history A.A., this is the book. Find out about 'Rule 62' and the controversy surrounding the steps, traditions and affliations - even the story of how the booze industry almost co-opted AA! The early days are all here - well, almost all.

I have had a copy of this book since early in my sobriety and it has helped me follow the path that Bill W. and Dr. Bob took when they started the fellowship of AA. It is indispensable when trying to put together spiritual and religious concepts. As it states on pp. 166-167: "Such were the final concessions to those of little or no faith; this was the great contribution of our atheists and agnostics. They had widened our gateway so that all who suffer might pass through, regardless of their belief or lack of belief." "God was now expressed in terms that anybody - anbody at all - could accept and try." So if you or someone you know wants to know the "why" of it, direct them to this book! In case you were wondering my sobriety date is 1/25/1977 and AA literature has been an absolute necessity in my recovery.

This was originally titled "The AA Way of Life", but was later changed because the book was the veiwpoint of only one man - Bill Wilson. There is a lot of plain basic common sense and wisdom in these snippets gleaned from years of Wilson's writings. It's not bad for use as a reflective reader for daily meditation/contemplation.

The book, "As Bill Sees It", delivers exactly what the title promises. This is a gleaning of the best thinking of the founder of AA. Whether you are well acquainted with AA literature, or simply a curious first time reader, this book is an excellent resource.

The text is a compilation from a variety of Bill W.'s works, including letters and talks given as well as selections from the "Big Book", AA's Bible. Each selection centers around a particular topic or theme, and is succinct and though-provoking. The exhaustive index is very helpful, and guides the reader to other works in which the subjects are covered in greater detail.

I recommend this book to anyone who has a desire to stop drinking, as well as to the family and friends of alcoholics who seek a greater understanding.

This book is crammed with powerful excerpts frpom all the great AA Literature throughout the years. I know that it has helped me many of days in my own recovery and Im positive youll want to have this at your side. Highly Recommended.

Nice solid companion reader. Its brief readings are good for the newcomer to help take the program's teachings in smaller bites.

Well worth adding to your library.

This is a book that captured my attention and interest right away. Its foreword is by Ozzie Lepper, the Christian AA who restored the Wilson House where Bill Wilson was born, restored the Griffith Library where Wilson was raised, and then peopled these places with historical conferences, books, resources, and friendship. Ozzie wrote that his heart soared when he read what was still possible. He immediately started having old-time morning quiet time meetings at the Wilson House. And this book quickly became an inspiring guide for me, for AAs, and for those who wanted to form groups like early A.A., study the Bible, learn about A.A., find out about the Twelve Step sources, and have a workbook to help them all the way. Like all of Dick's books, this is one of a kind. You won't find this material in Christian bookstores--though you ought to be able to do so. You won't find it is treatment or recovery store libraries--though you should be able to. And you won't find very many recovering people using it. YET! But the more Christians and others learn about early A.A., the more they want to utilize its programs and principles today. This is a book I recommend for just those purposes.

The grief implicit in alcoholism and other addictions is treated gently in this look at how God/Christianity influenced the A.A. Groups of the past, and continues to do so today. This is an honest, clear-headed, and carefully researched book well worth reading. I loved this book from page one!

Two reviewers have already praised both the purpose and content of Dick's book on the power of God and how groups can once again tap into that power despite A.A.'s ever-increasing drift toward idolatry, nameless spirituality, and absurd names for a deity. When this book was first written, it was used to encourage and help people get started studying healing by divine means, and studying it within the 12 Step Fellowship ranks--just as the early AAs did. Since that time, more and more books have been coming out with specific references to the importance of reliance on God, Bible study and prayer--within the fellowships themselves. This book turns us back to the close of Dick's initial research on A.A.'s Biblical roots and history and his decision to write materials on how to use the history in one's own program, in groups and meetings, in study fellowships, and in teachings. Its value grows as the interest in help from God is beginning to resurface in recovery. Note how many treatment programs are now incorporating "Christian Track" segments. And if they add A.A.'s own Christian history to these Christian Tracks, they can produce winning results with Dick's book as one of their guides.

Dick B. has performed a great service in writing this guide to early A.A. Groups and conducting similar groups today. He puts in print what many of us have recognised as the biblical and Christian roots in the 12 Steps and the Serenity Prayer. He shows how the early meetings were conducted and gives guidance for conducting similar meetings today; such as Serenity Groups.

Of special note is the MUST emphasis that early AA members placed on maintaining a daily Quiet Time. When I wrote the book _Prayer Steps to Serenity_, I very consciously took the same approach of early AA by writing daily devotions and prayers that encourage readers to keep on praying and take time to Listen To God. As I wrote in _Prayer Steps to Serenity,_ "During your Quiet Time...pray for God's guidance and power to help you that day and in the coming days. Write your own devotional on the Step, and perhaps share it in your next group meeting or with your friends." Dick indicates that Anne Smith, Dr. Bob's wife, did this in her Journal, which she shared with others in AA meetings.

Dick B. emphasizes that those in early AA recovered from alcoholism and other addictions by the power of God. So can we, no matter what our addiction or compulsion. Dick's book, _By the Power of God_, gives us many good reasons to read good devotional books and spend time in prayer! Thanks, Dick, for a great job and for all the other AA books that you have written too! I am highly recommending your book to everyone!

Thanks for Reading!
L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.
Author: Prayer Steps to Serenity the Twelve Steps Journey: New Serenity Prayer Edition ISBN: 0977805387
PrayerSteps.org

Heard the taped version of GETTING BETTER by
Nan Robertson, an inside look at Alcoholics
Anonymous . . . I've often wondered about this
group, but had seen little ever written about it--in
part because of the anonymity factor.

Somehow, Robertson (a Pulitzer Prize-winning
reporter for THE NEW YORK TIMES) got permission
to write the book . . . in it, she tells the story of how a failed
stockbroker and a surgeon together found a way to stay
sober--one day at a time.

She also describes what happens at the actual meetings . . . and
that is what I perhaps liked best about the book: its
behind-the scenes view of these gatherings . . . the
fact that Robertson actually attended many of these as
a recovering alcoholic made her reporting all the more believable.

I also liked how she summarized the message of message
of AAA into these three key points: Be honest, change
yourself and help others.

GETTING BETTER was made even more enjoyable by Michael
Learned's excellent narration.

This book is well researched (including interviews with the widow of Bill W, co-founder of AA) and well written. It gives an honest history of the origins of AA without the trappings of saintliness often given to Bill Wilson from the works published by the AA general services office and some other sources. For examples, Bill's infidelities, neglecting family responsibilities to help fellow drunks, and "post-sobriety" experiments with LSD and other chemicals are mentioned. The history sections on AA are excellent as a result of this objectivity. The author also gives an excellent account of typical experience in in-patient rehab.

The author's personal story is equally compelling, and touches on issues chemically dependant individuals face, including how alcohol addiction relates to other facets of life, including depression and physical illness.

All in all, one of the better works on AA and the disease of alcoholism. As a well qualified member of AA, I have one message for other AA members concerned with the author "violating" the 11th tradition on anonimity: "get over it!". Bill Wilson was (and is) hardly "anonymous". If his widow didn't have a problem with this work neither should we.

Ms. Robertson's book is a comprehensive review of Alcoholics Anonymous and it's co-founder Bill Wilson. She gives a surprisingly objective history of Bill W.'s life, his joining with Bob Smith, the other co-founder of AA, and AA's evolution into, perhaps, the most sigificant spiritual program of the 20th century. The only negative aspect of the book is Ms. Robertson's compromising of the 12th Tradition of AA which is maintaining personal anonimity in press, radio and films. I strongly urge anyone in recovery from substance dependence as well as mental health professionals to read this book for greater knowledge of the famous founder of AA.

Nan Robertson's book is the most accurate I have ever read concerning Alcoholics Anonymous. She is devoted to AA, but more so to her research and her honest in writing. If I had to read one book concerning AA, this would be the one. Robert F. Hale

Anyone interested in how people in a stigmatized or marginalized position can empower themselves and change institutions should find this book fascinating. Audrey Borden has collected a rich set of moving narratives from people who were at the forefront as Gays and Lesbians made AA work for them, and in the process helped AA live up to its traditions. The selflessness, generosity and modesty of many of her sources make these stories all the more touching, given the struggles they faced and the lives they have saved. Well written by an insightful author. A wonderful contribution!

Wonderful. A real must for anyone interested in AA.

The focus on 'Gay AA' history does not narrow the book; rather, the Gay focus provides a window through which AA tradition, practice, and history can be traced concisely.

Anyone interested in AA, or alcoholism, let alone Gay history, should have this volume.

As a history of recovery programs, Borden has provided unique insight into the development and application of governing principles for AA. This kept recovery from alcoholism first and foremost when it came to highly politicized and culturally-polarizing topics.

As a GLBT history text, I consider this a must-read, alcoholic or not. My experience has been that one can't go far in AA without encountering openly GLBT people with a long history of strong sobriety, and this is their story. GLBT's active in recovery seem to make up *far* more than the 5% one would expect within the general recovering population.

I consider myself somewhat well-read in GLBT history texts, but few captivated me as this has. The personal details of the lives of these people provided one of the most personalized exploration of the practical lives of GLBTs in the mid-20th century I have found. In many ways, this is a soberly (ha!) narrowed application of Ian Young's "Stonewall Experiment" with the existential input needed to really do that kind of work.

One can't go far in AA without encountering openly GLBT people with a long history of strong sobriety. With the incredibly personal nature of individual recovery openly described, I was able to feel proud of these people, I praised their successes and empathized with their struggles as my own.

I can't stress how important I believe this work to be. Because many GLBT people do not bear children, our cultural heritage often is often forgotten between generations. The unique personal experience of surviving homophobia, discrimination, and queer experience is unfortunately gone with the elders. I loved being able to relate to these people, and consinder it of grave importance for younger generations to seek past lessons.

I did want for more. There was little descriptions of early gay AA in Chicago, and I've had the personal experience to know several GLBT people with very long term sobriety in or from Chicago. Maybe there will be a part two ;)

There is a lot more of this history to do...

Ms. Borden has brought together a fascinating and important collection of "insider's history" regarding GLBT people in Alcoholics Anonymous. Organized in a straightforward (no pun intended) and very readable manner, the book conveys through first-hand accounts the place and significance gay and lesbian people have had in the development of this remarkable recovery program.

The only criticism this reader has is that there are so many more stories that should have been gathered, particularly from areas of the country (especially the Midwest) where equally important developments took place. The book is a bit "bicoastal" in this regard; there are amazing stories yet to be gathered and told from the middle of the country as well as the two coasts. (I know--I am here, and have been out and part of it since this 1970s in Iowa and Minnesota!)

Nonetheless: this history is a must-read for anyone interested in A.A. history--GLBT and straight alike. Thank you Ms. Borden, and Haworth Press.

At first I wanted to throw this book away. I didn't need it! My spouse was drinking. Why did I need help?

Well I did. I was codependent. I was enabling. I was a mess. I started to go to Al-Anon meetings. I could not find the book for 5 months. I reread it the other night. Reread is too strong - because the first time I skimmed it - the first 2 chapters. Then I came back to it and saw on pages 32 and 33 - how I was UNABLE to control alcoholism. How I was UNABLE to fix the disease in my wife. It said, I wasn't to blame. It said, stop fighting and arguing, you (I) was only making the the DISEASE stronger (more arrogant, more coniving, more deceitful).

I used several quotes in my blog. We have Weekend Online Al-Anon meetings every weekend on my Al-Anon Diary (title) and you can see my life unflod in my ups and downs and my struggle to live with an alcoholic. It is hard

So join us on-line at the Al-Alon Diary and get this book if you are going to Al-Anon.

If you have any questions about the fellowship of Al-anon, I feel you can find most of the answers here. this book goes into detail about the history of the program, the steps, Members experience, strength and hope. It also has Meeting guidlines, the opening, the closing, the slogans ect. It works if you work it! AND YOU ARE WORTH IT!

This book is a wonderful basic text on the principles of the Alanon program, a program of recovery for anyone who has an addict in their lives. It explains how addiction warps those close to the addict, the behaviors that ensue and finally healthier behavior. It's provides a way out of the prison that's constructed when a family or friend faces the frustration of living with and loving an alcoholic/addict. Buy this book for YOU if you're in this situation..and stop the madness.

for those of us who have a drinking or sober alcoholic in our past or present (and god, don't most of us!), this book can help. it's beautifully yet simply written and gently lays out a new philosophy for life, one in which we can learn to keep the focus on ourselves and our behavior, be honest but in an appropriate way, and be kind but firm - with boundaries. this book offered me a whole new idea of what love and life are and can be, and encouraged me to walk forward in a healthy direction like few books have.

another strong plus is that it offers many personal stories - of how and why a wide range of people got into al-anon and how their recovery has been progressing, and each told by the individuals themselves, starting with Lois W., al-anon's co-founder, the wife of Bill W., the founder of AA.

this is a wonderful book and i recommend it highly!

I am neither a Nun nor an alcoholic, but I read this fascinating, profound, and even humorous book in a single sitting. "Molly Monahan" is a wonderful writer, whose description of her own experience of alcoholism and recovery gave me some insight I never had before - "It's not about will power" - and a new understanding and appreciation for the power of the 12 Steps, not only for AA but for me, as well. And she does all this with great wit and humor, as well as compassion. I laughed and cried as I read this book and I want to give copies to everyone I know. Way to go, Molly!

Sister Molly Monahan is a member of AA who honors its traditions and so writes under a pen name. She does not write as an spokesperson for AA, but what she hands on is its essential and impolrtant message along with some sense of what is it like to follow its program and take part in its fellowship and meetings. In passing she explains also a lot of its slogans that are called clichés but are in reality informal shorthand for big chunks of wisdom that are foundations for recovery and sobriety. People expecting an unusual story because she is a nun might be disappointed; alcoholism afflicts nuns and priests pretty much like every other kind of person, and their decline and recovery are remarkably like anyone else's. But she hands on what got and keeps her sober and it is a message worth repeating. Only at the end of the book does she touch on her Christan beliefs in any depth to show how AA has helped her come to a deeper appreciation of different elements of her faith. She has found, she says, in AA the link between the experience of being saved from her alcoholism by faith in a loving God and the truths and practices of the Catholic religious tradition. That is something she does not push on other AA's, but Christians in the program might be especially interested in that section. A good message plainly and clearly put.

This is a book for anyone who wants a better life -- spriritual or not. Live Molly's journey through each of the twelve steps with real people confronting real demons supported by real angels. In my prayer group, we use this book as a study guide to challenge us on our personal faith journey. Who are my angels? What demons do I have to overcome? Who helps me? Who do I forgive?

I learned the twelve steps are universal (previously thinking the twelve steps are for those other people). Each step has a deferent spirituality that uniquely mine -- twelve times. Each step helps me live a more authentic life. Profound book!

This book presents a cogent and insightful analysis of the spirituality of AA. However, it does far more. There is something valuable and helpful in the book for anyone interested in spirituality-- insights about forgiveness, thanksgiving, gratitude, humility, peace of mind and freedom. Monahan's breadth of vision is not surprising, since she believes that all of us, at some time in our lives, are powerless over something, that alcholism stands for our human condition in its sad, lost and sorry state, and that AA can show us what God has in mind for everyone in community, love, and service. In particular, Monahan uncovers within the Twelve Steps the ancient threefold way of the spiritual life-- purgative, illuminative and unitive. While providing the reader with a better understanding of alcoholism as a threefold disease -- physical, mental and spiritual -- Monahan offers deep insights into the relationship between the 12 step program and one's search for God.

Complex in the synthesis of many thoughts and in its comprehensiveness, this brilliant book is both clear and simple in its exposition, without being condescending. An indispensable companion to AA's literature, it is always focused on the essentials of a lifetime of spirituality and sobriety.

Hank N. New Lebanon, NY

I was moved to read "The Spirituality of Sobriety" after meeting the author at a yoga teachers' conference. His sense of compassion and devotion to his spiritual path were inspirational.

I have no personal experience with addiction or 12-Step programs, yet I found the book to be an enlightening and encouraging discourse on the pursuit of spirituality and a higher power in everyday life. The theme is applicable to anyone who is seeking spiritual growth and wishes to make a deeper connection to his or her own life. There is much to be learned from AA's Twelve Steps whether one is in recovery or not!

Gregg D. shares with the reader his own personal path through, and clear knowledge of, various traditions on his way to spiritual awakening. He also draws from well-established psychotherapeutic tools and academic writings to illustrate how self-examination and self-acceptance are crucial steps along that road. And at various points throughout the book, quoting beautiful poetry and prayers, he gives gifts of gentle guidance from his own awakened heart.

I have spent some significant time studying The Spirituality of Recovery, by Gregg D. I consider it to be a worthy and wonderful companion to the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book and the AA 12 Steps and 12 Traditions book. The author has been able to capture, with down-to-earth clarity and heart, an imaginative, inspirational and relevant sharing of his own struggles and triumphs. He blends the 2 AA books and other religious sources as the core for the deeper life recovery experience. I found in his book both comfort as well as personal and practical applications of the great truths in my own life. I highly recommend this book to anyone seriously wanting to learn to grow deeper in his or her walk with God in order to live out a more spiritually based and practical lifestyle in any area of recovery.

This book is a superb analysis of AA's 12 Steps. Gregg D. takes the whole
12 Step Program apart, expertly examines the principles from several spiritual disciplines----and then puts it all back together again so that
the Program still remains essentially simple.. Only now the reader understands WHY the spiritual principles are and must remain simple.

As an attorney, I liken Gregg D.'s writing to the opinions of Judge Benjamin Cardozo. They are so carefully thought out that ideas seem flow
naturally----no big long sentences, no big words, no jargon----just an
absolute elegant simplicity that makes everything ring true.

Every concept in this book is backed with citations to Conference Approved
AA literature, and is intended to be read in addition to----not instead of----the "Big Book" and the "12 & 12". It's designed to bring about a Spiritual Awakening, which is the true goal of all 12 Step Programs.. THAT
relationship with a Higher Power is the purpose of the 12 Steps----the
release from the obsession of drinking, drugging, over-eating, gambling,
etc., is an incidental side benefit of a connection with a Power greater
than ourselves..

"The Spirituality of Sobriety" by Gregg D. gives many concrete examples of
different ways to establish and maintain that vital Spiritual Awakening..
I've read this book several times,recommend it very highly, and have given
copies to others.

My Sponsor gave me this book during a time in my life when i had lots of changes - both positive and negative. When I couldn't get a thought together she would direct me to a prayer that she thought would help - it usually did. Although I struggle with the Higher Power Concept, I find that the prayers in this book are comforting. I always read what I need to read. Prayer 122 (Resent Somebody) was especially helpful. Beth - Southern California

I found the prayers in this book beautiful. The readings really touched my spiritual side.It can only be of help to any one.

When the end of the day has come and I want to thank God for all that has come along and I'm at a loss for words, I read this wonderful little book to get me started. On the other end of the night, in the morning, when I get up, I read the prayer for the day and again it gets me thinking how grateful I am for God's mercy and grace to keep me sober for another 24 hours. This book is great for someone who's havng trouble praying or for someone who has trouble concentrating on a daily devotional.

I have read and widely used Dick B.'s book, The Good Book and The Big Book: A.A.'s Roots in the Bible. I understand it is the most frequently ordered and re-ordered of the Dick B. A.A. History books. And it succinctly lays out the material that is foundational to A.A. and the Twelve Steps and yet is neither known nor used among the secularized meeting fellowships today. True, A.A.'s basic ideas came from the Bible. True, Christians need to know that so that they can feel comfortable with their Bibles and believing within their recovery fellowships today. But how about those--and they are increasing in number--who want to have study groups in A.A., in recovery groups, in treatment programs, and among their Christian, clergy, and church friends? This Good Book-Big Book Guidebook fits the bill. It shows how to study the Bible and incorporate early A.A.'s Christian roots in your study groups today. It is a valuable companion book for the original Good Book title. I would recommend them highly for those who are conducting, starting, or thinking about a Good Book study group for newcomers and others who want to grow.

I like having a guidebook that I can use for my own study and which can also be used by study groups and fellowships that want to dig in together. There have been lots of attempts to provide guides to the Scriptures and the Twelve Steps. But most have been written by Bible companies, treatment facilities, and professionals. This book, however, is written by a veteran A.A. who is a long-time Bible student and also a long-time active A.A. member who has attended thousands of meetings and sponsored over 100 men. This book will be used for a long time. It will be used by AAs and Twelve Step people who are waking up to the importance of the Bible in the cures and high success rates of early A.A. This book tells how it was used. The book will be used by Christians and churches who are waking up to the fact that A.A. is not some self-made cult but actually had a Christian beginning, Christian Fellowship, and intense reliance on the Bible and the Creator in the early years. I find it uniquely helpful for its variety of segments: (1) How early AAs approached and included the newcomer in their program. (2)The frank statements by the pioneers that they had been healed; and Dick turns the reader to the Bible verses and history that show recovery and cure by religious means in early A.A. and through the ages. (3) There's a segment on A.A.'s own spiritual roots, a segment on the details of the early Christian Fellowship principles and practices,and a segment on the specific parts of the Bible considered absolutely essential. (4) There is more on how pioneers approached alcoholism, sin, overcoming, and victory. (5) There's a vital concluding chapter that tells me and me group exactly how to study this picture and use it today and spread the word by witness. There's an excellent bibliogrpahy. There's also material in two appendices which will inspire action and which will tell anyone exactly how he can study and conduct a study group today. It's a tool for Twelve Step work and Bible study.

Review of The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook

By Terry Dunford

The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook by Dick B. is a marvelous piece of work. I was very excited to hear that an author has finally written a book that explains how individuals, treatment centers, recovery groups, churches, counselors, etc... can apply the spiritual origins of A.A. into their own recovery. This particular Guidebook is truly priceless because once treatment centers, recovery groups, and individuals start applying the principles and concepts that Dick B. explains, alcoholics and all sinners can finally learn a program of recovery that truly produces awesome results.

Anyone in the recovery arena can utilize this Guidebook. This Guidebook is suitable for individuals in recovery, Christians, treatment centers, counselors, clinicians, church leaders, and anyone else that have a desire to learn the true spiritual origins of A.A. Furthermore, this Guidebook explains HOW we can incorporate the spiritual principles and biblical roots of A.A. into recovery today. This Guidebook is a must-have for all Christians. Dick B. uncovers the truth for us all to understand and utilize.

First, The Good Book-Big Book Guidebook explains how we can incorporate A.A.'s Biblical origins and Christian Fellowship into recovery today. This information is extremely important because early A.A.'s success rate was unbelievably high as they were utilizing the spiritual principles of the early program. Dick B. explains that the Founders of A.A. believed in Almighty God. He then goes on to mention the Founder's belief in a cure of alcoholism. This cure that early AAs believed in has been meticulously uncovered by the 16 plus years of research conducted by Dick B.

Dick B. continues on to explain the spiritual beginnings of A.A. The two distinctly different spiritual origins of A.A. are laid out for us all to understand. Many important factors on the early program are explained. For example, Dick B. talks about the materials from the Bible that Dr. Bob considered "Absolutely Essential." Other important information is explained like the verses that received special attention and use in early A.A. Dick B. then continues on to explain the important role of the Book of Matthew, the Book of James, and 1 Corinthians 13.

The information I listed above is just as short preview of all the great information provided by this tremendous Guidebook. One of the most important aspects of this Guidebook is the mention of how to use and apply the Guidebook in recovery today. Not only is the information about early AA explained, but Dick B. has explained how we can utilize the important spiritual principles in recovery today. This is very important because AA today is focusing on a "Higher Power" and the real biblical origins of AA are not talked about. Because of this, the success rate of today is extremely low. Now, with this new Guidebook, we can finally start utilizing the spiritual principles of early AA in recovery today. This book is a must-have for everyone in recovery. God Bless!