AA Big Book - Summary
The AA Big Book, published in 1939, is a cornerstone of the Alcoholics Anonymous movement. Subtitled “The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism,” it shares the experiences of Bill W., one of A.A.’s co-founders, and illustrates how the program operated in its early days. This invaluable book is filled with timeless wisdom and serves as the first and primary text for A.A. and various 12-step programs.
Understanding the 12 Steps in AA
In Alcoholics Anonymous, the 12 steps are crucial for recovering alcoholics to achieve and maintain sobriety. These steps refer to God or a higher power but are not limited to any specific religion. Instead, they can be adapted to any divine figure or the universe itself for those who are agnostic. Although ideally followed in sequence, these steps are ongoing and often undertaken with the guidance of a sponsor—an experienced individual who helps newcomers navigate their path to recovery.
AA Big Book – 12 Steps
Each step is carefully explained in detail within the Big Book, but here’s a brief overview of all 12 steps:
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
You can easily download the AA Big Book PDF using the link below. This PDF will help you in your journey towards sobriety.
