Tuesday AA literature/history post - Bill Wilson speaks on the Traditions (Part 3)
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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) Alcoholics Anonymous Makes Its Stand Here [First of Six Articles] By ELRICK B. DAVIS Much has been written about Alcoholics Anonymous, an organization doing major work in reclaiming the habitual drinker. This is the first of a series describing the work the group is doing in Cleveland. Succ
Tuesday AA literature post - Parallel Passages in the Big Book and 12&12: Parallel Passages in the BB and T&T: For the next few years fortune threw money and applause my way. I had arrived. My judgment and ideas were followed by many to the tune of paper millions. The great boom of the late twenties was seething and swelling. Drink was taking an important and exhilarating part in my life. There was loud talk in the jazz places uptown. Everyone spent in thousands and chattered in millions. Scoffers could scoff and be damned. I made a host of fair-weather friends. My drinking assumed more serious proportions, continuing all day and almost every night. The remonstrances of my friends terminated in a row and I became a lone wolf. There were many unhappy scenes in our sumptuous apartment. There had been no real infidelity, for loyalty to my wife, helped at times by extreme drunkenness, kept me out of those scrapes. BB Page 3, Bill's Story “As material success
A Big Book topic from our online literature study guide at AABookClub.org: Psychic Change with a Spiritual Experience Unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery. (Page xxvii) Quite important was the discovery that spiritual principles would solve all my problems. (Page 42) When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God. This applies, too, to other spiritual expressions which you find in this book. (Page 47) Many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can’t go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection. (Page 60) If God can solve the age-old riddle of alcoholism, He can solve your problems to
Tuesday AA literature/history post - A 1945 Grapevine article on Step Five: A.A. Oldtimers…On the Fifth Step A.A. Grapevine, March 1945. Vol. 1 No. 10 Editorial: On the Fifth Step Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. This is a tough step and takes courage to do. It is, however, a step that can be done if you make sufficient effort. It is not new. The Catholic church uses it in their confessional and the psychiatrist uses it. Drinking is caused by inner conflicts and the only way to get rid of these conflicts is to bring them out in the open and destroy them. Wrongs cause conflicts, hence the necessity of this step. Take the first phrase, “Admitted to God.” How do you do this? First learn humility so that you can ask help in a humble manner. If you have difficulty in admitting the actuality of a supreme power, work on the premise that there might be one. Once you get your mind in tune with the infinite it is not difficult to realize t
Timelines in AA History – 1931 To 1934 Arthur S., Northeast Texas Area Archives has built upon Archie M’s original Timeline file: 1931 -Bill enters helpless drinking phase; wife job Macy’s Department Store; Rowland H. joins Oxford Group ( P 128) • May -Lois start work R.H. Macy ( B 174) ( P 90) 1932 -Anne Smith began attending Oxford Group meetings with friend Henrietta Seiberling; received guidance have special Oxford Group meeting Dr. Bob’s drinking ( C 2-3) ( E 10) • late 32′ -Called Henrietta Seiberling reference Dr. Bob’s drinking ( N 31) • April 8th -Bill, Author Wheeler, Frank Winans formed long-term speculative syndicate based on Bill not taking even 1 drink ( B 180-181) ( P 90-92) • May, mid -Bound Brook New Jersey small hotel, Bill drank Jersey Lighting applejack, learned never was, would be just 1 drink, blew deal long-term speculative syndicate Arthur Wheeler, Frank Winans, Bill now drank simply escape & block from mind what he did ( A 5