|
Alcoholics Anonymous
& History of AA
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Good Book in Early A.A. |
|
Alcoholics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous History with Dick B. presents: (1) Dick B.'s 46 Alcoholics Anonymous History and Christian Recovery titles & 1250 articles on early A.A.'s biblical roots and successes; (2) Dick B. audio, radio, YouTube, & blog about early Alcoholics Anonymous History & the Christian Recovery Movement.; (3) 23 years of research on: 12 Steps, A.A. History & A.A. Christian origins; (4) archives, links, other resources about history of A.A. |
|
A.A. Cofounder Dr. Bob Said The Basic Ideas of A.A.'s 12 Steps Came from the Bible!
A.A. Roots in the Bible Read the book today that has shown thousands how the Bible influenced A.A. through Bill W., Dr. Bob, Bob’s wife Anne, Quiet Time, the Oxford Group, Rev. Sam Shoemaker, the daily devotionals like The Upper Room, The Runner’s Bible, and The Greatest Thing in the World, and A.A.’s root organizations like rescue missions, the YMCA, the Salvation Army, evangelists, and the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor. Facts, not opinions. Evidence, not rumor! |
What Early A.A. Was Really Like
Alcoholics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous History, Bill W., and Dr. Bob. This A.A. history web site focuses particularly on the roles God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible had in early A.A.’s astonishing, documented, 75% and 93% success rates (in Akron and Cleveland, respectively) among “seemingly-hopeless,” “medically-incurable,” alcoholics who really tried to establish or re-establish their relationship with the God of the Bible through His Son Jesus Christ.
A.A. Cofounder Bill W.'s Helpful Quotes
"I'll do anything, anything at all. If there be a Great Physician, I'll call on him." [Bill W., My First 40 Years: An Autobiography by the Cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous (Center City, Minn.: Hazelden, 2000), 145.]
"For sure I'd been born again." [Bill W., My First 40 Years, 147.]
"Henrietta, the Lord has been so wonderful to me [Bill W.], curing me of this terrible disease, that I just want to keep talking about it and telling people." [Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed. (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2001), 191.]
"I [Abby G.] wanted to know what this was that worked so many wonders, and hanging over the mantel was a picture of Gethsemane and Bill [W.] pointed to it and said, 'There it is,' . . ." [Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd ed. (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1975), 216-17.]
The Success of Early A.A. as Reported in
Alcoholics Anonymous
“Of alcoholics who came to A.A. and really tried, 50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with A.A. showed improvement.” [Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism, 4th ed. (New York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2001), page xx.]
The Alcoholics Anonymous Original “Program”
as Was Reported by Frank Amos in
DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
· An alcoholic must realize that he is an alcoholic, incurable from a medical viewpoint, and that he must never drink anything with alcohol in it.
· He must surrender himself absolutely to God, realizing that in himself there is no hope.
· Not only must he want to stop drinking permanently, he must remove from his life other sins such as hatred, adultery, and others which frequently accompany alcoholism. Unless he will do this absolutely, Smith and his associates refuse to work with him.
· He must have devotions every morning–a “quiet time” of prayer and some reading from the Bible and other religious literature. Unless this is faithfully followed, there is grave danger of backsliding.
· He must be willing to help other alcoholics get straightened out. This throws up a protective barrier and strengthens his own willpower and convictions.
· It is important, but not vital, that he meet frequently with other reformed alcoholics and form both a social and a religious comradeship.
· Important, but not vital, that he attend some religious service at least once weekly. [DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers (New York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc, 1980), 131.]
Much of this information you won't find in A.A.'s basic text (Alcoholics Anonymous) today or in our Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. But the simplicity of the original, early Alcoholics Anonymous Society (A.A.) will really astound you! And we are here speaking about the pioneer A.A. Christian Fellowship in Akron that--at the hands of Bill W. and Dr. Bob--developed A.A.’s spiritual program of recovery and was led by Akron physician Dr. Bob by common consent. This Akron “Program”—with its five required elements and two optional ones--was thoroughly investigated, and reported on to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., by Rockefeller’s agent, Frank Amos, who soon became one of A.A.’s first nonalcoholic trustees. [See DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers (New York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1980), 128-36—especially 131.]
How It Worked
Abstinence was Number One. Usually there was hospitalization or at least medical help to save the newcomer's life. At the hospital, the only reading material allowed in the room was the Bible. Recovered Alcoholics Anonymous drunks visited the patient and told their success stories. Dr. Bob visited daily. And he would explain the “disease” or “illness,” as it was then understood. The newcomer had to identify as an alcoholic, admit that he too was licked, and declare that he would do whatever it took to recover.
Reliance on the Creator was Number Two. DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers records on page 144 the statement of Clarence S. (who brought A.A. to Cleveland) as to how A.A. cofounder Dr. Bob talked with him about God while he (Clarence) was still in the hospital:
“Then he [Dr. Bob] asked, ‘Do you believe in God, young fella?’ (He always called me ‘young fella.’ When he called me Clarence, I knew I was in trouble.)
“‘What does that have to do with it?’
“‘Everything,’ he said.
“‘I guess I do.’
“‘Guess, nothing! Either you do or you don’t.’
“‘Yes, I do.’
“‘That’s fine,’ Dr. Bob replied. ‘Now we’re getting someplace. All right, get out of bed and on your knees. We’re going to pray.’
“‘I don’t know how to pray.’
“‘I guess you don’t, but that’s all right. Just follow what I say, and that will do for now.
“‘I did what I was ordered to do,” Clarence said. “There was no suggestion.”
The Alcoholics Anonymous newcomer would very soon be given the opportunity to “surrender” upstairs in the home of an Akron AA. This “surrender” involved the newcomer’s confessing Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior in a prayer session resembling what is described in James 5:14-16. (This confession of Christ by which the newcomer became born again has been confirmed as a “must” by four different and well-known A.A. old-timers—J. D. Holmes, Clarence Snyder, Larry Bauer, and Ed Andy.) At the time of the newcomer’s “surrender,” the "elders" (usually Dr. Bob, T. Henry Williams, and one other person) prayed with the newcomer that God would take alcohol out of his life, and joined him in asking God that he (God) would guide the newcomer so that he might live according to God's will.
Obedience to God’s will was Number Three. Successful Alcoholics Anonymous members in Akron during the early years were expected to walk in love and to eliminate sinful conduct from their lives. Many newcomers were too sick to venture far from Akron; so they lived with the Smiths (and later others) in Akron homes. Early A.A. members who recovered from alcoholism with the help of Dr. Bob and other Akron AAs did not do so in an afternoon or in four easy lessons. They shook. They shivered. They fidgeted. They forgot. They were ashamed, insecure, and guilt-ridden. But they learned from the Good Book what a loving God had made available to them and that obedience to God’s will was the key to receiving it.
Growth in Fellowship with their Heavenly Father was Number Four. At the homes in Akron, AAs had daily Quiet Time. This included Bible study, prayer, asking guidance from God, reading a devotional, and discussing selections from Anne Smith’s journal. They shared their woes and problems with Dr. Bob, with Anne (his wife), and with Henrietta Seiberling. They also had personal Quiet Times at their homes and elsewhere when they were not together with other AAs. Alcoholics Anonymous members had one meeting a week. There were no “drunkalogs.” There was no “whining.” There was no “psychobabble.” They prayed, read from the Bible, and had Quiet Time. They used The Upper Room or similar devotionals for discussion.
Intensive help for other alcoholics was the Fifth element. Following the surrender of newcomers upstairs at the weekly meetings, announcements were made downstairs about Alcoholics Anonymous newcomers who had been placed at hospitals. Religious comradeship and attendance at a church of choice were the two recommended, but not required, elements of the Akron program. Socializing followed an A.A. meeting. And it started all over again. There were sessions with Dr. Bob involving doing a moral inventory (which related to adhering to the Four Absolutes—honest, purity, unselfishness, and love), confession, prayer to have the sins removed, and plans for restitution.
What Happened?
Did the Akron program work? You bet it did. Alcoholics Anonymous in Akron achieved a documented, 75% success rate among the "seemingly-hopeless," “medically-incurable” alcoholics who really tried. That success was primarily among Akron A.A. members. And the fact that they had been cured by the power of God was widely publicized across America. Soon, Dr. Bob’s sponsee, Clarence S., brought the Akron program to Cleveland and achieved a documented, 93% success rate in Cleveland.
The same God (the Creator of the heavens and the earth), the same Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Son of the living God), and the same Bible (the Word of God) that helped early AAs in Akron and Cleveland recover from and be cured of alcoholism are still available today to help alcoholics and others suffering with “life-controlling” problems. The principles and practices of the early A.A. program in Akron and Cleveland were very similar to the basic principles that had also been working in the Salvation Army, the Rescue Missions, the YMCA, and Christian Endeavor. And they can and should be made available again today to those who still suffer.
And It Will Work Today!
Alcoholics Anonymous is certainly no longer a Christian fellowship (as it was in Akron); nor does it any longer require belief in God or even in anything at all. But, for those who do believe that the Creator of the heavens and the earth still can, and wants to, heal those suffering today, an accurate knowledge of A.A. history can help. That knowledge is vital too if the healing power of God is to be passed along to those in Alcoholics Anonymous who want it and who choose to receive it. As future A.A. nonalcoholic trustee Frank Amos reported to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the early Akron A.A. program took abstinence, God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, a life-change decision, living consistent with that decision, witnessing to others, fellowship with others, and time--lots of it. It was that simple. There were no “Steps,” and there was no “textbook.” The early AAs in Akron had Bibles. They had several Oxford Group precepts. They abstained from drinking and worked hard to avoid temptation. They relied on the Creator and His Son Jesus Christ. They endeavored to obey to God’s will—both through eliminating sin and by living a life of love and service. They sought to grow in fellowship with the Father, with His Son Jesus Christ, and with each other through Bible study, prayer, asking God for wisdom, and studying devotionals and other Christian literature. That was the program that Bill W., Dr. Bob and his wife Anne, and the other early A.A. pioneers founded in Akron during the summer of 1935. And the principles of that program can still help, and are helping, those still suffering today. As Dr. Bob—whom A.A. cofounder Bill W. called “the prince of all twelfth steppers” because he had personally helped more than 5,000 alcoholics to recover—stated in the last line of his personal story on page 181 of the Fourth Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous:
Your Heavenly Father will never let you down!
The Resources Provided by Dick B. on this Website to Help Those Who Want to Recover, and to Assist Those Who Want to Help
Others
to Recover
By Dick B.
Major Christian Recovery Resource #1
The “Introductory Foundations for Christian Recovery” (“IFCR”) class by Dick B. and Ken B. on four DVD's. This class comes in two (2) forms:
Form 1: The IFCR class for Groups and Organizations. This form includes:
Four (4) DVD’s.
[Each DVD is about one (1) hour in length.]
The
IFCR Class Guide for Students
The
IFCR Class Instructor’s Guide
The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd
ed., by Dick B. and Ken B.
IFCR class for Groups & Organizations “license fee”: $199.95 + $11.50 Shipping (Total = $211.45)
Credit or Debit Card, or PayPal Accepted. (PayPal is the gateway BUT NO PAYPAL ACCOUNT IS REQUIRED.)
For more information on the IFCR class for Groups and Organizations, please Click Here.
Form 2: The IFCR class for Individuals. This form of the IFCR class includes:
Four (4) DVD’s.
[Each DVD is about one (1) hour in length.]
The
IFCR Class Guide for Students
** We strongly encourage you to purchase The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed., together with the IFCR class for Individuals. The Guide provides extensive documentation and supplementary information for the Class. $30.00.
IFCR class for Individuals “license fee”: $99.95 + Shipping: $11.45 (Total = $111.45);
or
IFCR class for Individuals “license fee”: $99.95 + The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed.: $30.00 + Shipping: $11.45 (Total: $141.45)
Credit or Debit Card, or PayPal Accepted. (PayPal is the gateway BUT NO PAYPAL ACCOUNT IS REQUIRED.)
For more information on the IFCR class for Individuals, please Click Here.
Major
Christian Recovery Resource #2
The Complete, 29-Volume, “Dick B. Christian Recovery Reference Set”
How about a 57% Discount on the Set!
A lifetime treasure embodying Dick’s 20 years of research and writing. This one-of-a-kind, early A.A. history reference set provides books to study at your leisure on nearly every major A.A. history subject: From A.A.'s official cofounders—Bill W., and Dr.Bob—to Dr. Bob's wife Anne (whom Bill W. called the “mother of A.A.”), to others Bill W. called “founders” of A.A. (such as Rev. Sam Shoemaker and William James), to Carl Jung and Dr. William D. Silkworth, to the books and Quiet Time devotionals early A.A. pioneers read, to the roles of organizations such as the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor (of which Dr. Bob was a member in his youth) and the Young Men's Christian Association (of which Bill W. was the president at Burr and Burton Academy, and of which Dr. Bob's father was the St. Johnsbury president much of the time Dr. Bob attended the St. Johnsbury Academy just down the street from the St. Johnsbury YMCA).
For an alphabetical list of, and detailed information about the subjects covered in, the 29 titles, please Click Here.
The retail/list price of the 29 volumes purchased separately, with an average price of $23.19 per book, is:
$672.55.
We are offering the entire, 29-volume, "Dick B. Christian Recovery Reference Set" for:
$289.00
(plus $30.00 Shipping & Handling)**
You save more than $383.00 dollars off the total retail/list price of $672.55 (if the 29 volumes were purchased separately).
Ongoing Special!
Only $249.00—Shipping included!*
* Please note: The “Shipping included” offered as part of this “July Special” opportunity for the "Dick B. Reference Set" only applies within the continental United States. For Shipping & Handling for areas outside the continental U.S., please contact Dick B. via email at DickB@DickB.com for details.*
** Please note: The $30.00 Shipping & Handling for the "Dick B. Reference Set" only applies within the continental United States. For Shipping & Handling for areas outside the continental U.S., please contact Dick B. via email at DickB@DickB.com for details.
Credit or Debit Card, or PayPal Accepted. (PayPal is the gateway, BUT NO PAYPAL ACCOUNT IS REQUIRED.)
The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed. (2010)
Dick B.’s lifetime of Bible study, legal scholarship and training, 23 years of continuous sobriety, active participation in the A.A. Fellowship, experience sponsoring more than 100 sponsees, 19 hears of historical research, and 35 published titles.
This edition is the product of one year of conferences, meetings, and personal talks by the authors (Dick B. and Ken B.) with Christian recovery leaders and others from the United States and Canada. It is based on their needs, their suggestions, their responses, and the compelling need for “A New Way Out” for Christians in the recovery arena who are not, and don’t want to be, alone. It can be used as a guide by 12-Step members, sponsors, counselors, facilitators, Christian recovery pastors, Christian recovery groups, clergy, study groups, and those engaged in carrying the story of early A.A.’s Christian fellowship, simple program, and astonishing successes to fellowships, treatment facilities, prisons, homeless, veterans, military, and hospitals.
Table of Contents
The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide,
3rd ed.,
by Dick B. and Ken B.
(April 2010)
Introduction (by Dick B.)
Miraculous Healings Are Recorded in the Bible and Are Still Occurring Today
Effective Christian Work with Alcoholics Before A.A.
The Background Factors from Dr. Bob’s Youth in St. Johnsbury (1879-1898)
The Background Factors from Bill Wilson’s Youth (1895 to 1913) and Later
The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous
The New York Origins
The Crucible at the Smith Home in Akron During the Summer of 1935
The Highly-Successful, Original Akron A.A. Program, as Summarized by Frank Amos and Quoted in DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
14 Specific Practices Associated with the Original Akron A.A. “Christian Fellowship” Program Bill W. and Dr. Bob Developed
The Verification of Early A.A.'s
Astonishing Success Rates
Documenting the Successes of the
First 40 Pioneers
Helping the Newcomer with a Full Kit of Spiritual Tools
Some Suggested Tools with Which to Arm the Nestling about to Be Flung out of the Nest
Helping a Christian to Begin Recovery Today
"A New Way Out"
An Emerging Picture of Proposals and Potential Service from the California Meetings with Dick B. and Ken B. July 12-21, 2009
Address by Dick B. at the Association of Christian Alcohol and Drug Counselors (ACADC) Conference in Palm Springs, August 29, 2009
Conclusion
Purchase The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed.
updated, revised
$35.50 per copy
$30.00 + $5.50 (USPS Priority Mail Shipping **)
Credit or Debit Card, or PayPal Accepted. (PayPal is the gateway, BUT NO PAYPAL ACCOUNT IS REQUIRED.)
** $5.50 USPS Priority Mail Shipping per copy for The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide only applies within the 50 states of the United States. USPS International Priority Mail Shipping is $11.00 per copy for destinations in Canada and Mexico (i.e., $41.00 total per copy) and $13.00 per copy for destinations in other countries (i.e., $43.00 total per copy).
Other Christian Recovery Resources
FREE: Over 500 articles by Dick B.:
www.DickB.com/Articles.shtml.
FREE: Over 175 recorded audio talks by Dick B.: DickB.com/Audio-talks.shtml.
FREE: Follow Dick B. on Facebook, on Twitter, and on the Dick B. Blog.
Ongoing announcements, comments, research items, notices, interchange
FREE: Join and participate in the International Christian Recovery Coalition
Christian leaders and workers in the recovery arena who stress the role that God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible played in the origins of the recovery movement; in the founding and original Akron “Christian fellowship” program of A.A.; and can play in recovery today among those who want God’s help.
New! Become a “Christian Recovery Resource Center” for your local community and area.
The International Christian Recovery Coalition has just launched a new, worldwide effort to connect alcoholics, addicts, and others with life-controlling problems and self-destructive behavior, with Christian (and secular, when necessary) recovery resources in local areas as well as other locations throughout the world through “Christian Recovery Resource Centers.”
Our vision is for Christian groups and organizations, as well as Christian individuals, to establish a “Christian Recovery Resource Center” in their area of operation. These centers will enable those needing and wanting God's help in recovery, those who are searching for Christian-oriented recovery resources in their areas and elsewhere, and other Christian leaders and workers in the recovery arena, to find and make use of Christian recovery resources throughout the world.
A few of the Christian recovery resources provided to Christian groups, organizations, and individuals who become “Christian Recovery Resource Centers” include:
-
The “Introductory Foundations for Christian Recovery” class by Dick B. & Ken B. on 4 DVD's, including The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed. (2010).
-
The brand-new Dick B. Handbook for Christian Recovery Resource Centers (2011).
-
A case of brand-new books by Dick B. for free distribution or sale to support your efforts.
-
Frequent communications from Dick B., Executive Director of the International Christian Recovery Coalition, about Christian recovery efforts throughout the world.
How can you become a “Christian Recovery Resource Center” affiliated with the International Christian Recovery Coalition? Simple!
-
Provide your contact and other relevant information to Dick B.; and
-
Make a one-time donation of $500.00.
For more information, please
check the
International Christian Recovery Coalition web
site. Or contact Dick B. at
DickB@DickB.com;
www.DickB.com; or (808) 874-4876.
Help Support Our Work
First, if you have benefited from and wish to support this work financially, you can now make your donations online by clicking here!
Credit or Debit Card, or PayPal Accepted. (PayPal is the gateway BUT NO PAYPAL ACCOUNT IS REQUIRED.)
Second,
Click here to
see other A.A. history books Dick B. recommends.
Dr. Bob and Alcoholics Anonymous
Books about Dr. Bob and Alcoholics Anonymous
DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers
(NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1980)
RHS: Co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Our Beloved Dr. Bob (New York: The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., 1951, 1979)
The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical
Sketches: Their Last Major Talks (New York:
Alcoholics Anonymous World
Services, Inc., 1972, 1975)
Bob Smith and Sue Smith Windows, Children of the Healer:
The Story of Dr. Bob’s Kids (Center City, MN:
Hazelden, 1994)
Dick B., Dr. Bob and His Library: A Major A.A. Spiritual
Source, 3rd ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research
Publications, Inc.,
1998)
URL: http://dickb.com/drbob.shtml
Dick B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, 2d ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998).
URL: http://dickb.com/Akron.shtml
Dick B., Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous: His Excellent Training in the Good Book As a Youngster in Vermont (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2008)
URL: http://dickb.com/drbobofaa.shtml
Dick B., Dr. Bob’s Days in St. Johnsbury,
Vermont–working title of work in progress.
Dick B., The Prince of All Twelfth Steppers: A Biography of Alcoholics Anonymous’ Cofounder Robert Holbrook Smith, M.D. (Dr. Bob)–work in progress.
A.A. History: Seven Major Spiritual Sources
-
The Bible. A.A.'s basic ideas came from the Bible. For details, see Dick B., The Good Book and The Big Book: A.A.'s Roots in the Bible.
-
Quiet Time and the daily devotionals--such as The Upper Room. For details, see Dick B., Good Morning!: Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A.
-
The teachings of the Rev. Sam Shoemaker, Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in New York. For details, see Dick B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A.
-
The life-changing program of the Oxford Group. For details, see Dick B., The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous: A Design for Living that Works.
-
Anne Smith's spiritual journal (the journal kept and shared from 1933 to 1939 by Dr. Bob's wife with alcoholics and their families). For details, see Dick B., Anne Smith's Journal, 1933-1939.
-
The Christian literature early AAs read for spiritual growth. For details, see Dick B., Dr. Bob and His Library; Anne Smith's Journal; The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous; The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth; and Bill Pittman, AA: The Way It Began.
-
The United Christian Endeavor Society-- a worldwide organization, numbering 3,500,000 members at its peak, consisting primarily of young people supporting their particular church. It espoused most of the principles and practices that characterized the unique Akron A.A. Christian Fellowship program. For details, see Dick B., When Early AAs Were Cured. And Why; The James Club.
Additional Big Book and Twelve Step Sources
-
See Dick B., A New Way Out: New Path—Familiar Road Signs—Our Creator’s Guidance (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2006), 1-21. (This title covers all 16 sources of the ideas): the Bible; the United Christian Endeavor Society; the Salvation Army; rescue missiohttp://christianrecoverycoalition.com/christian-recovery-resource-centers.shtmlssociation (the YMCA); the Oxford Group; Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker; Dr. Bob’s wife—Anne Ripley Smith; conversion and Dr. Carl Jung; William James and his Varieties of Religious Experience; William D. Silkworth; “Quiet Time” and Christian “devotionals”; non-Oxford Group literature by leading Christian writers; lay therapist Richard Peabody; New Thought writers like Emmet Fox; and the “hands-on” “personal work” of recovered alcoholics with newcomers.
-
Dale Mitchel, Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks: The Biography of William D. Silkworth, M.D.; (See www.Silkworth.net).
-
Dr. Carl Gustav Jung. (See Dick B. www.DickB.com/Conversion.shtml)
-
Professor William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience
-
Richard Peabody, lay-therapist, The Common Sense of Drinking
-
New thought writers. See Mel B., New Wine: The Spiritual Roots of the Twelve Step Miracle.
A.A.’s Experiment of Faith
and Cofounder Sam
Shoemaker
(The rector whose
teachings were
the foundation of Bill W.'s 12-Steps)
By Dick B.
To read this article, please click here
 |
 |
 |
|
|
||
|
|
||
 |
|
 |
|
|
||
|
+ Last updated: |
|
|
Tremendous bargain!
Buy for a lifetime! |
|
"How well do you know GOD?" |
| Maui A.A. Meetings
Click Here |
|
|
|
Featured |
|
The First International Alcoholics Anonymous History Conference September 6-7, 2013 Portland, Maine (Christian Endeavor—of which Dr. Bob was a member—was founded here on February 2, 1881) Featuring A.A. Historian Dick B. of Maui, Hawaii, and Special Guests
The First International Alcoholics Anonymous History
Conference |
|
A.A., Dr. William D. Silkworth, and the “Great Physician” By
Dick B. [This article updates and substantially enhances the information and citations previously included in my article of several years ago. For now, we know a great deal more about Bill Wilson’s own writings, the talk of the Great Physician, and A.A.’s own early history.] Researching A.A. history and personalities often reminded me of hunting game birds with my dad. First of all, you had to go to a place where the birds were likely to be hanging out. Second, you had to work at your task and be patient. Third, if you reached a fruitful spot, you needed to get those birds out of hiding and on the wing. Finally, you needed to take good aim, be a good shot, and plan to bag one provided all the factors had come together.
A.A., Dr. William D. Silkworth, |
|
A.A. Big Book/12 Step/Bible Study Groups: Which Bible Version Should We Use?
By Dick B. Part One First, Which “Big Book” Should We Use? Until just recently, if an A.A. group chose to use the first (1939) edition of Alcoholics Anonymous (“the Big Book”), it might encounter several objections: (1) The 1939 edition is not copyrighted and is thus in the public domain; i.e., it is not/no longer “owned” by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (2) The 1939 edition was not “A.A. General Service Conference-approved” (as there was no “Conference” in existence in 1939 to approve it!); and therefore, some asserted, neither individuals nor groups should (be allowed to) use it. (3) Use of the 1939 edition, some asserted, was (somehow) a violation of the Twelve Traditions because that edition was not A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature. (4) Occasionally, groups have been stricken, or barred, from A.A. office group listings if someone decided that a particular piece of literature was not A.A. General Service Conference-approved, was considered religious, or had not been approved by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., in New York. |
|
Do You Think There Is No Solution for Drunkenness and Drug Addiction? Some Questions and Comments That May Help You and Yours By Dick B. © 2013 Anonymous. All rights reserved Do you have a son, daughter, boyfriend, fiancé, uncle, sister, father, or other loved one who’s in jail or prison for alcohol- or drug-related offenses? Would it do you any good to hear “Once an alcoholic or addict, always a alcoholic or addict?" We think not! See When Early AAs Were Cured and Why .
Do You Think There Is No Solution for Drunkenness and Drug
Addiction? |
|
The Use of the Word “Cured” by Early AAs
By Ken B. The following resources published by A.A. World Services, Inc., contain reproductions of hundreds of newspaper articles from 1939-1944, many of which include uses of the word “cure” to describe the victories of A.A.’s pioneers over alcoholism: |
|
Bill W.’s First Draft of the Big Book Chapter Titled “There Is A Solution”
By
Dick B. During the early 1990’s, while I was doing research at Stepping Stones in New York, I found, and was given permission to make a Xerox copy of, a manuscript Bill W. wrote titled “Alcoholics Anonymous: Chapter #1: THERE IS A SOLUTION.” As my son Ken and I note in “Appendix Two: Key Highlights in the Writing of the Big Book with Approximate Dates” of our new title God, His Son Jesus Christ & the Bible in Early A.A., when Bill W. originally wrote the chapter titled “There Is A Solution” in March or April of 1938, it was identified as chapter one. As I was reviewing my copy of Bill W.’s manuscript again today, I was struck by significant differences in language between Bill’s early manuscript and the Big Book as we know it today—particularly relative to the phrase “religious experience(s).”
Bill W.’s First Draft of the Big Book Chapter Titled
“There Is A Solution” |
|
Taking, Believing, and Understanding the Twelve Steps By Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved |
|
Why Take Them Before You Know What the A.A. Cofounders Said about Them? Both Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, the cofounders of A.A., spoke explicitly on where the 12 Steps came from. In sum, they stated that the basic ideas came from: (1) the Bible; (2) Dr. William D. Silkworth; (3) Professor William James; and (4) Reverend Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr. As we will see in this article, that is not the whole story. But here’s what A.A.'s cofounders said:
Taking, Believing, and Understanding the Twelve Steps |
|
A.A., the "Higher Powers," and the New Thought Compromise By Dick B. © 2011 Anonymous. All rights reserved |
|
My Search for the Curious Nonsense “gods” Floating Around Recovery Talk As many know by now, my searches for the history of A.A. began when a young man told me when I was three years sober that A.A. had come from the Bible. I told him I had never heard such a thing in the thousand or more meetings I had attended. He then suggested I read the A.A. General Service Conference-approved book, DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers; Which I did. And the young man was right.
A.A., the "Higher Powers," and the New Thought
Compromise |
|
Applying “Old School” A.A. (Original Program Basics) in Today’s Recovery Fellowships
Dick B. |
|
What the “Original,” “Old School,” A.A. Program Was Take your starting information from today’s A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature—the Big Book, The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches, Their Last Major Talks (Pamphlet P-53), DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, and The Language of the Heart: Bill W.’s Grapevine Writings. This literature today contains many of A.A.’s own published descriptions of the pioneer program of 1935 A.A. Applying “Old School” A.A. (Original Program Basics) in Today’s Recovery Fellowships(read more) |
| A Great Song! |
Contact Dick B.
Phone: (808) 874 4876
dickb@dickb.com
PO Box 837
Kihei, HI 96753-0837
© 1999-2011.
Paradise Research
Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Trademarks and Disclaimer: ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS,
A.A., and Big Book are registered trademarks of Alcoholics Anonymous World
Services, Inc. Dick B.'s web site, Paradise Research Publications, Inc., and Good Book Publishing
Company are neither endorsed nor approved by nor associated or affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous
World Services, Inc.
Established November 18, 1995
Site Visitors:
|
4,700,342 |
