AA Book Club

Throwback Thursday AA history post - The six articles published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer in late 1939 led to tremendous growth in Cleveland's AA Group #3, but also got Clarence kicked out: That fall Clarence smuggled freelance reporter Elrick Davis into meetings of that first Greater Cleveland group and Mr. Davis wrote a series of articles on A.A. which were published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. This resulted in over 500 calls for help to be tended by the only 13 active members... Many members were upset by this workload and by the surreptitious manner in which it was done. So they voted Clarence out of A.A. (which was something that could be done at the time).   (aa.cle.org) Reprinted from the October 23, 1939, Cleveland Plain Dealer with permission. Alcoholics Anonymous Makes Its Stand Here       [Second of Six Articles] By ELRICK B. DAVIS In a previous installment, Mr. Davis outlined the plan of Alcoholics Anonymous, an  organization of form...

  Real Alcoholic 'Real alcoholic' and similar terms indicate someone who has the alcoholic mentality fully established. Such a person is unable to stop drinking on the basis of will power, self-knowledge or other human aid, unlike the Potential Alcoholic, who may be able to stop or moderate. Real alcoholics are likely prospects for Alcoholics Anonymous. Big Book: "But what of the real alcoholic? He may start off as a moderate drinker; he may or may not become a continuous hard drinker; but at some stage of his drinking career he begins to lose all control of his liquor consumption, once he starts to drink." Page 21, There is a Solution "In a vague way their families and friends sense that these drinkers are abnormal, but everybody hopefully awaits the day when the sufferer will rouse himself from his lethargy and assert his power of will. "The tragic truth is that if the man be a real alcoholic, the happy day may not come. He has lost control." Page 25,...

  The true independence day: The more we become willing to depend upon a Higher Power, the more independent we actually are. Therefore dependence, as A.A. practices it, is really a means of gaining true independence of the spirit. Twelve and Twelve, Page 36, Step Three

From  Stories of Recovery.org , a bio of Hank Parkhurst, driving force behind the Big Book and author of To Employers:                                       Hank Parkhurst (1895-1954) Hank was the first alcoholic to become sober in New York, following Bill Wilson. Hank was an executive of Standard Oil of New Jersey who lost his job due to alcoholism. Bill worked with Hank at Towns Hospital. After becoming sober, Hank started “Honors Dealers,” a co-op company based in Newark, New Jersey, that bought bulk automotive supplies and sold them directly to small Mom and Pop gas stations. Hank gave Bill office space and made  Ruth Hock  available for dictation. Ruth typed out the first draft copy of the Big Book. When funds ran low, Hank and Bill formed Works Publishing, Inc., which sold 600 shares at $25 each to finance the writing and publis...

  A helpful breakdown of Step Four out of the Big Book:

  A little historical background on an influence on the Big Book:

From AA Book Club's original study guide The Twelve Concepts for World Service for Dummies - An Introduction to AA's Forgotten Third Legacy: "In these pages we hope to provide an introduction to the Twelve Concepts for those who are not yet familiar with them. A full and complete examination is not possible merely through writing, for these principles are not a theory, they are meant to be practiced. But we can provide a simplified (we hope not 'dumbed down') explanation of the Concepts - a Cliff's Notes version, if you will." Available for free download at these links: The Twelve Concepts for Dummies or The Twelve Concepts for Dummies More original studies of AA literature at   AABookClub.org   (Alternate site:  AABookClub.wixsite.com/aabc  )