The Little Red Book of AA

INDEX

INDEX.............................................................................1
AA's Little Red Book.......................................................3
INTRODUCTION........................................................3
FACTORS THAT HELP FOR A HAPPY SOBRIETY
......................................................................................8
We admitted our powerlessness over alcohol and that
our lives had become unmanageable............................9
SECOND STEP..........................................................17
We came to the conviction that only a Power greater
than ourselves could restore us to sanity....................17
We decided to put our lives and our will in the care of
God, as each of us understands Him...........................24
Without any fear, we made a complete moral inventory
of ourselves.................................................................35
We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another
human being the exact nature of our faults.................49
We humbly beg God to free us from our defects.......53
EIGHTH STEP...........................................................57
We made a list of all those people to whom we had
done wrong and we set out to make amends for the
The Little Red Book of AA

damage we had caused them......................................57

NINTH STEP.............................................................58
We repair, to the extent humanly possible, the damage
we caused to those people except in those cases where
doing so would cause harm to them or others............58
We continue with our moral inventory, spontaneously
admitting our faults as we recognize them.................67
The Little Red Book of AA

AA's Little Red Book

Dean_Paz72

INTRODUCTION

The introduction to the Twelve Steps of the Alcoholics

Anonymous Program is humbly offered to men and women
whose lives “have become unmanageable” because of their
powerlessness over alcohol.

The purpose of this interpretation is to assist members in

working out an acceptable 24-hour plan for living according to
AA. The subject matter is based on the basic information in our
book, “Alcoholics Anonymous.”

All supplementary material is based on the practical life

experience of fellow alcoholics who have found peace of mind
and happy sobriety through the planned spiritual way of living
set forth in the book Alcoholics Anonymous.

We often do not realize how physically, mentally and spiritually ill

we are and out of ignorance we try to reduce the program to fit
our distorted point of view…

It is obvious that much good can be achieved by sharing the

wealth of knowledge that has been gained through experience
by senior members who have had success. The purpose of this
introduction and the object of this interpretation serve that
purpose.

As uncontrolled drinkers, few of us realized how dangerous our

situation was or how much the disease of alcoholism had
The Little Red Book of AA

deteriorated our bodies and minds. Nor did we realize the full
significance and effectiveness of our simple program if we had
had the help and cooperation of understanding members who
had succeeded in arresting their alcoholism.

The AA program through which we carry out our recovery, it is

simple. It actually requires little interpretation in itself. It will work
if we live it consciously. The barriers to success are:
ignorance about our illness, reservations,
indifference, dishonesty: as well as severe organic damage.

AA It is not a religion. It has no responsibilities to organized

religion, medicine or psychology. However, it has taken
therapeutic virtues from all of them, molding them into a “New
Way of Living” according to which we live in sobriety and
become useful and respected in society again.

The AA program It is designed for unrestrained drinkers who

sincerely want permanent sobriety and are willing to go to any
extremes to achieve it. But it invariably fails alcoholics who are
simply seeking to learn to control their drinking. Men and women
who are interested in limited sobriety or controlling their drinking
are not ready for this program.

See Chapter 3 of the Book “Alcoholics Anonymous”

Rigorous honesty with oneself is an indispensable requirement

for recovery. A strong desire to get well and a belief in a Power
greater than ourselves are also essential for success.

It is necessary to embrace spiritual concepts, but we repeat, this

does not imply organized religion and although we must believe
in a Higher Power, we nevertheless have the privilege of
interpreting it according to our own concept.

Alcoholics who have recovered through Alcoholics Anonymous

are an international refutation of the centuries-old belief that all
The Little Red Book of AA

alcoholics are untrustworthy and destined to end up as hopeless

drunks. The thousands and thousands who have achieved this
are a refutation of this and hundreds of them are proving daily
that they are living according to the Philosophy of AA alcoholism
can be arrested.

Daily sobriety is the simple goal of AA But not drinking is not

enough. We must acquire honesty, humility and self-respect and
destroy self-centeredness in order to stay sober.

The Twelve Steps are not a Program to be taken at random and

we should not treat them rashly. This may be our last port of call.
AA members who admit their alcoholism and follow the AA way
of life rarely fail to achieve happy sobriety.

It is true that certain members have not had much success.

These are some reasons for their failures.

1. Those who see alcoholism as a moral problem rather than a

fatal disease.

2. Some had advanced brain injuries caused by alcohol

3. Self-administration of sedatives leads to failure. The use of

these prevents the personality change that is so necessary to
recover from alcoholism.

4. Some were forced into the movement. They lacked sincerity

and that's why they didn't last.

5. Some drank excessively, but they were not alcoholics. They

were not mentally or physically one of the seven out of every
thousand adults who are alcoholics.

6. From time to time there has been an atheist who is not willing
to accept the spiritual concept of AA. (See the Big Book
Appendix “Spiritual Experience.”)
The Little Red Book of AA

7. The alcoholic who “by his very nature is dishonest” has little
chance of recovery. He cannot be honest with himself. (See
chapter 5 of the Big Book)

8. Some seek our help to appease their wives, their employers,

or the judge; others to avoid impending evils that result from
prolonged drinking. Their problem is temporary. We have
nothing to offer them as long as they do not classify themselves
as alcoholics and want to stop drinking.

9. Those who have a relatively short history of alcoholism and

for whom drinking is more of an inconvenience than a matter of
life or death.

10. Those who only accept part of the Twelve Step Program
and do not try to live it in its entirety.

11. Those who want to give all the Steps a distorted and selfish
interpretation for their own convenience.

12. Those who are psychopathic.

Members who fall into any of the groups listed here, with the
possible exception of Group 9, have little chance of recovery as
long as they do not view alcoholism as a fatal disease and have
a vital interest in getting well.

Those classified in group 9 can recover if they come to “know

themselves.” Having suffered few setbacks, they have to be very
receptive in order to benefit from the bitter experiences of
others. This requires rigorous treatment of your illness based on
Step Twelve.

See Chapter 3 of the Big Book

Could some people who reason that they are not alcoholics
avoid alcoholism by belonging to an AA group? This is
The Little Red Book of AA

problematic, because it is not until the alcoholic has severely

punished himself and his family that he thinks seriously about
his alcoholism. Even then, he has to prove to himself that he
“can’t drink.” We have to beat our heads against the wall of
alcoholism for a long time before we get to know each other.

See “Twelve Steps” and “Twelve Traditions”

For those who qualify as alcoholics and are willing to accept the
AA Program As a means of recovery from alcoholism, we
recommend a careful study of the book “Alcoholics Anonymous.”
Study repeatedly.

This book contains all the answers; it was written by alcoholics.

For alcoholics and is based on the essays and experiences of
the first hundred AA members.

Using this textbook, attending AA sessions regularly And by

referring to the interpretations of the Twelve Steps as we go
along, we will build a firm foundation for rebuilding our lives.

Let us not be overly concerned that strict adherence to this

Program requires perfection. We know that perception is
impossible. We are simply doing our best to perfect ourselves in
a way of living that is necessary to maintain for happy sobriety,
health, and sane behavior in our recovery program.

FACTORS THAT HELP FOR A HAPPY SOBRIETY

Key factors contributing to the longevity of sobriety of thousands

of AA members are their humility, strength, love, and willingness
to serve. The following definitions will help to achieve a
reasonable understanding of these factors:

HUMILITY:- Truthful appreciation of things as they are;

willingness to face facts; recognition of our alcoholic condition;
freedom from pride and arrogance; understanding of the proper
The Little Red Book of AA

relationship between ourselves and a higher power, as well as

between ourselves and our fellow men; acceptance and practice
of this relationship for 24 hours.

HONESTY: Freedom from wishful thinking; integrity in action

and thought; sincerity in our desire to recover from alcoholism;
willingness to admit a mistake; fairness in all our dealings with
others; resisting that first sneaky drink.

FAITH:- Security, hope, and confidence in the AA Program;

belief that we can recover as other members are doing; that the
practice of the Twelve Steps is a Higher Power.

STRENGTH: A state of mind which enables us to deal with the

problems and realities of life without depending for it on what is
necessary for judicious abstinence leading to happy sobriety: a
willingness to seek the help of an alcoholic; a fortitude to bear
the things we cannot change; a determination to hold fast to the
attitude of asking God's help with every problem, whether
pleasant or unpleasant, which might lead us back to
drunkenness; fearlessness in the practice of faith, humility,
honesty, and self-denial.

LOVE:- Love is the continuity of the miracle of our sobriety. It is

necessary to cultivate this mental attitude. As we develop our
readiness to love we increase our capacity to be happy and
helpful and to be content in our sobriety. Lack of love and
drunkenness go hand in hand.

SERVICE:- Serving God and our fellow man is the key to

success in AA. Helping other alcoholics who need and want help
gives us the tolerance and humility to be happy. Serving
combats egocentrism and reminds us of our powerlessness
against alcohol. Selfless and well-informed service is the life-
blood of the AA Fellowship.

THE TWELVE STEPS:- (Our Twelve Step Program for recovery

The Little Red Book of AA

is outlined in the Book “Alcoholics Anonymous.” See Chapters 5,

6 and 7).

FIRST STEP

We admitted our powerlessness over alcohol and that our

lives had become unmanageable.

Men and women who are allergic to alcohol and who

compulsively insist on using it as a drink, eventually become sick
with a singular illness. This disease is known in medicine as
alcoholism, it is unique because it affects us physically, mentally
and spiritually.

The First Step briefly summarizes the pathetic enigma of an

uncontrolled drinker who has acquired the disease against which
he is powerless.

Drinkers of this type view alcohol as a physical necessity and

gradually increase their consumption at the expense of nutritious
foods. This practice induces physical and nervous disorders that
are decidedly harmful to your well-being and health.

This First Step study will be devoted primarily to the physical

part of the disease of alcoholism. (The importance of physical
fitness in our recovery is stressed in the Big Book. See the
section entitled “The Doctor’s Opinion”).

Few alcoholics have made a well-founded study of their drinking

problem. They reluctantly accept that they have to stop drinking,
but they continue to do so.

Hangovers or very strong hangovers make them realize that the

physical illness has something to do with their discomfort, but
then they resort to those of “one nail drives out another bald
head” and continue drinking until they get drunk again or finally
stop drinking little by little suffering many physical and moral
The Little Red Book of AA

anguish.

The alcoholic lives in a compulsive slavery because alcohol

provides him with the only means he knows to make life
bearable, or through which he can calm his nervous excitement.
Living in such circumstances soon makes life unmanageable.

Correcting this condition is a serious problem that requires

immediate attention. Recovery is possible when alcoholics
honestly want to stop drinking. The inability to control our lives
and the illness that is caused by compulsive drinking can be
arrested. The only thing that limits improvement is our own
desire to stop drinking and our conscious need for help.

The founders of Alcoholics Anonymous identified the financial

factor as part of their “powerlessness over alcohol.” This
“physical factor” was given first-class importance in his
“Recovery Program.” In Twelve Steps they outlined a “Way of
Living” to apply to daily life that restored physical health and
provided them with satisfying sobriety.

The daily application of that system was the key to his success.

Based on essays, they projected a Philosophy to stop

alcoholism. It covers knowledge about many fundamental facts.
Recovery is possible, but a cure cannot be effected. A man or
woman who has become an alcoholic can once again drink
under control. A serious illness has developed in them, against
which their diminished physical and mental resistance is
powerless. Control over alcohol has disappeared and continued
drinking now only produces physical illness and insane behavior.
They are truly sick people.

Experience has shown that recovery from alcoholism depends

on the following:

1. Have a sincere desire to stop drinking.

The Little Red Book of AA

2. Admitting and believing deep within ourselves that we are

powerless against alcohol

3. Consider alcoholism as a fatal and incurable disease that

attacks the body, mind and spirit.

4. Consider ourselves as patients who are in AA to undergo

treatment.

5. Identify alcohol as a poison rather than a drink

6. We aim to understand how alcohol affects us.

7. Realizing that we are alcoholics.

8. Learning, applying and having faith in the Twelve Steps of

the AA Program

9. Believing that we can stop our alcoholism but that we will

never be able to drink normally again.

10. Gain knowledge about alcoholism, which is related to how it

affects our health and well-being.

11. Using this knowledge and understanding of our illness not

only to achieve sobriety, but also to prevent ourselves from
drinking again.

12. Carry this out by having in mind the image of the

unmanageable life that alcohol leads us to and our
powerlessness against it.

One's view and understanding of alcoholism is based on known

facts supported by one's own experience, plus knowledge
gained from contact with other alcoholics. The following
discussion of alcoholism briefly covers the facts that the
newcomer needs to know, and naturally, he will gain a greater
The Little Red Book of AA

understanding as he progresses through the AA Program. their

way of life.

Nature has endowed every normal man and woman with a

physical body designed for the rigors of an active daily life.

A healthy person can withstand great hardships under the most

adverse circumstances provided he has oxygen, water, a
balanced diet and regular elimination, as well as adequate rest
and distraction. Human tenacity to retain that “spark of life” is
persistent, as long as these requirements are not suppressed.

When any of them is permanently repressed, we create

situations that nature cannot withstand for much of the organism
and nervous tension and neurotic conditions are established:
these conditions upset mental equilibrium and in time we die
from lack of rest and nutrition.

Alcoholism encourages such a situation and complicates it even

more with the daily and systematic ingestion of a toxin: alcohol.

As we replace the nutrition necessary for normal health with the

poison of alcohol, through the bloodstream, the cells of the
primary body and then those of the brain are affected.

This poison irritates the complex organism of the brain and

ultimately disrupts nature's protective defenses. Physical
deterioration is sometimes quite rapid, but in most alcoholics
addiction is acquired over the course of years, so that it is only in
the more advanced stages of the disease that physical
deterioration becomes apparent.

This disorder is not apparent to the alcoholic, as he is unable to

perceive the dangerous aspects of his physical or mental
condition. Alcoholism has gradually inhibited his power to
discern between social drinking and pathological drinking. A
marked change in personality, influenced primarily by negative
The Little Red Book of AA

thinking, then drives the alcoholic to drink more.

Friends and relatives are very concerned about the change in

personality, but not the alcoholic. His personality prevents him
from exercising self-criticism and barely allows him a false
adaptation to a normal environment with which he is so against.

Recovery from alcoholism, the disease that caused our lives to

become unmanageable, can only be achieved when we stop
drinking and put ourselves on a regular, balanced diet that is
entirely free from alcohol. “There is no shortcut, no substitute, no
other way out for the alcoholic.”

Drinkers who control themselves have no difficulty in adapting to

this procedure, but the alcoholic who has lowered his physical
resistance and exhausted his nervous system needs the help of
a doctor to begin to recover.

Many members who overlook their physical well-being as an

element of success in their recovery fail in their attempt to arrest
their alcoholism. They may recover some, but they slow down
the process if they are not feeling well physically.

We believe that all alcoholics who seek help from Alcoholics

Anonymous should be hospitalized. This is not possible in all
cases, so members who cannot be treated in a hospital are
advised of the need to consult a competent physician
experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of alcoholism.

This indication cannot be given too much importance. The

alcoholic is sick and tends to give little importance to his physical
condition. This should not be allowed by older members who
should point out the need for the new member to undergo a
complete medical examination.

Those who neglect the simple precaution of receiving adequate

medical treatment are less likely to recover quickly.
The Little Red Book of AA

The alcoholic whose life has become unmanageable as a result

of uncontrolled drinking has taken a very serious step when he
identifies himself with our Program and tries to make it his new
Way of Living. You cannot allow your deteriorating physical well-
being to diminish your chances of recovery, so you need to
safeguard your health, as poor health can lead to drinking again.

The new member would do well to research the various stages

of alcoholism that apply to him; he should admit that he is an
alcoholic and discuss his problems with older members, who are
always ready to give advice and help.

Get used to thinking of alcoholism as a disease state of the

nervous system caused by excessive use of alcohol. Reflect on
the helplessness against this disease. Learn about several
medical and psychological tests that identify alcoholics. Admit
that you can't drink. Consider your ability to “take it or leave it”
and keep in mind that your inability to stop drinking in the face of
impending disaster if you drink is a definite indication that you
are an alcoholic. The need to have a drink in the morning, the
day after a binge, is common to most alcoholics. There are
many other things that identify the alcoholic. Make it a point to
learn some of them.

1) Summary. - Recovery from alcoholism involves first, basic

knowledge of what our disease is and a conscious need for its
treatment. There is no mystery in it. Alcohol addiction has
produced poisoning in our body. Compulsive drinking, against
which we are powerless, naturally follows. “Our lives become
unmanageable.” The first step to recovery is to acknowledge our
alcoholism and admit that we are physically ill.

2) Why does this help? It makes us honest when we assess our

true physical condition. It makes us humble and willing to stop
rationalizing like alcoholics. It opens our eyes to the need for
hospitalization before entering AA. and adequate medical care
afterwards.
The Little Red Book of AA

3) Why are we sick? Those who are really alcoholics are

suffering from poisoning acquired as a result of substituting
alcohol for food and rest.

Can we heal ourselves? Physical health can be restored but

there is no cure that will allow us to become controlled drinkers.

4) Treatments.- Admitting our alcoholism. Be willing to receive

medical treatment. Personal effort to supplement medical care
with adequate diet and rest. Believing that we can recover. Daily
Practice of the AA Program

DRUGS:- Occasionally, some of us have turned to drugs to

provide physical comfort or sleep. This method is forbidden to all
alcoholics, except in rare cases where an ethically conscious
physician skilled in the treatment of alcoholism prescribes and
supervises such treatment.

We live the AA program to develop a normal, well-integrated

personality that excludes the use of narcotic alcohol. Drugs
prevent this change in personality. They distort our way of
thinking. All too quickly they become a substitute for alcohol and
are decidedly habit-forming for most of us.

When we say drugs we mean bromides, hydrochloride,

paraldehyde, all barbiturates, narcotics and benzedrine. We
know from experience the undesirable record of AA members.
who voluntarily continue to use them. We know that these drugs
alter our mental processes, preventing honesty and realism. In
our plan to live 24 hours at a time, the AA Program demands
FAITH in a Power greater than ourselves. The prudent thing is to
seek God's help in our problems and completely stop self-
administering sedatives.
The Little Red Book of AA

SECOND STEP

We came to the conviction that only a Power greater than

ourselves could restore us to sanity.

(Before you begin studying Step Two, see Chapter 3 of the Big
Book.)

Step Two deals with mental illness. Because, no matter how

intelligent we may have been in other ways, alcohol has been
involved everywhere in our lives. We have been extraordinarily
insane. This is strong language but. It isn't true?

(See Glossary of the Twelve Steps)

No true alcoholic behaves sanely while drunk. Chronic alcohol

poisoning results in compulsive drinking and insane behavior.

Willpower is not a factor in recovery until the compulsion is

removed. Since mental reservations frustrate any sincere effort
to stop drinking, we find it necessary to acknowledge our mental
instability. Avoiding the truth only results in distorted thinking and
opposition to help from a Power greater than ourselves.

Those of us who have had a sincere desire to recover from the

mental illness that alcoholism has imposed upon us have used
this Power with good success. Our sick personalities find a sure
source of strength and relief in a God, as we understand Him.
God renews our minds and puts our way of thinking in order.

The Second Step reveals to us a perspective of new hope when

we rely on good will and faith. What do we call this Power? It
depends on our preference. Call it what you like. Naming it is not
important. The important thing is to believe in Him, so that He
can help us restore our mental health and our ability to live
without alcohol.
The Little Red Book of AA

FAITH in a Higher Power is a basic law of recovery. It is always

evident in the lives of successful members. What they have
done, we can do too. By practicing the Twelve Steps we will gain
conscious contact with this Power greater than ourselves,
sufficient to live sanely in satisfactory sobriety.

Mental impediments or reservations arise from among us. Our

lack of self-criticism derails any honest assessment of our
alcoholism. The use of the term “good judgment” offends our
false pride. We admit our illness, but we rebel against the
question of good judgment. This partial acceptance is a danger
to our sobriety. We benefit most by accepting the Second Step
without reservation.

The beginner will avoid confusion in the interpretation of this

Step if he approaches it sincerely desiring the meaning accepted
by AA. Keep in mind that you are doing the Program

of AA your way of life because it is essential for you to recover

from alcoholism. Your mental and physical well-being, your
happiness, your life itself and the safety of your home depend on
it. I may very well disagree with any part of it. So decide to be
receptive and accept the Twelve Steps in their entirety.

Some members have come to understand the true meaning of

Step Two in these words: “We became convinced that a Power
greater than ourselves could make us sane again.”

The truth of the matter is that most of our members have only
acted at the level of insanity during periods of intoxication. This
is a common practice among all drinkers who get drunk, but for
the alcoholic who shortens the intervals between his periods of
drunkenness and finally joins them together in one prolonged
binge, it becomes a serious matter. Insane behavior due to a
night of drinking is usually excused, but when it continues for
weeks and months that turn into years, it becomes a permanent
attitude conditioned by the brain.
The Little Red Book of AA

We cannot overlook the damaging effect of prolonged alcohol

use on the brain and the unhealthy condition it produces in the
brain that results in a complete disregard for sound thinking or
normal behavior. The alcoholic cannot control his impulses; he
lacks mental coordination. Continued alcohol use damages the
brain and in some cases causes dementia.

There appear to be signs of injury in all alcoholics which are in

proportion to their physical endurance, the poisoning of the
alcohol, and the length of time they have been drinking
abnormally.

The alcoholic who wants to cling to the illusion that he is

exercising good judgment in his drinking is invited to test his
case according to the accepted definition of insanity.

A simple definition of dementia is that it is a behavioral disorder

that occurs when the body's impulses no longer find the brain, a
coordinating center for conditioning behavior. When this
condition occurs, the individual's behavior is unpredictable.
Legally he is crazy.

The behavior of the uncontrolled drinker is equally

unpredictable. Friends and relatives become alarmed as
alcoholism vitiates his reasoning powers, dulls his talents, limits
his instinct for self-preservation, making him irresponsible and a
danger to society.

How can the alcoholic explain that unhealthy impulse that incites
him to take that first drink that pushes him into another binge? Is
that a sane act? Are you obsessed? Is it a passionate desire
fueled by an irrational way of thinking? Does it involve thought?
Does good judgment in an alcoholic imply his ability to accept or
reject that first drink?

It seems so to us, because we believe that he cannot help

himself. We believe and know from experience that a Power
The Little Red Book of AA

Greater than itself can

to remove his obsession with drinking, to straighten out his way

of thinking and restore him to a sane way of thinking and acting.

Those who disapprove of the use of the term “sound mind” in

Step Two are usually alcoholics who have been fortunate
enough to escape the more serious aspects of alcoholism. They
argue that they were perfectly normal between one binge and
another.

(See Chapter 3 of the book “Alcoholics Anonymous”)

The alcoholic who does not seriously harm himself during his
drinking career must find relief in that fact. However, one must
take a broad view of the insanity of alcoholism, since most of us
have certainly been mentally deranged for more or less long
periods.

We must also remember that in the progressive development of

alcoholism the faculty of reasoning slowly deteriorates. This
fosters deception about our real health and mental fitness and
engenders a greater feeling of insecurity.

The following danger symptoms commonly observed in

alcoholics provide proof of this fact:

1. Taking that first drink with the idea that “This time I will
control the drinks.”

2. The continued use of alcohol and dependence on it for the

physical and mental energy needed to meet our daily
responsibilities.

3. The need for a “morning after” drink…

4. Our inability to self-criticize about the sanity of our conduct

The Little Red Book of AA

through long years of drinking.

Our refusal to consider the harm we have done to others and

ourselves.

5. The faith we had in childish excuses to drink the way we did

and the stupid alibis we believed in that allowed us to get away
with it.

6. The reckless abandon we displayed when driving drunk,

claiming that we drove drunk, claiming that we drove better
when drunk than when sober, and our resentment toward those
who differed with our opinion.

7. The critical physical condition we reach and the continuous

suffering we endure due to our uncontrolled drinking.

8. The economic risks we expose ourselves to; the shame,

sadness and frequent misery we inflict on our families.

9. The resentments that clogged our minds; the loss of our

responsibility; getting drunk to spite or hurt others; the mistaken
assumption that we could “drink or stop drinking”: our wanton
spending of money.

10. The “Mental Gaps”.

11. Suicide plans or attempts.

These are a few symptoms common to alcoholics that indicate

the existence of mental illness. Justifying our deduction that
alcohol, in large or small doses, has become a poison that
induces an abnormal way of behaving and restricts our mental
coordination.

There is no point in deceiving ourselves as to the fate of the

alcoholic if he continues to use alcohol. There are only two ways
The Little Red Book of AA

out: one is dementia and the other is death from alcoholism. The
Purpose of the AA Program As a “Way of Life”, it is to avoid
reaching those alternatives by arresting the disease of
alcoholism.

As alcoholics, we cannot undo what we have done in the past:

we can, however, use our knowledge that we have escaped
insanity and death from alcoholism as incentives to turn to God
and ask Him to help us avoid drinking.

We now have the prerogative of enlisting the help of a Power

Greater than Ourselves to curb our alcoholism. Our past alcohol
history is no basis on which our future will be judged. Before us
is a blank page; we are invited to write our own future on it.
Sobriety, sanity, confidence and peace of mind are within our
reach.

The future with the AA program as “Our New Way of Living” will
bring us a sane, useful and happy life. We have learned our
lesson, namely that alcohol is a poison to us, that makes us
mentally ill and makes our behavior insane.

Knowing this, there is no doubt that we can never claim to be in

our right mind if we have that first drink again.

MENTAL DRUNKENNESS: - Despite knowing all this, some of

us voluntarily continue in their egocentrism. We overlook our
mental illness. An alcoholic's way of thinking displaces humility

and physical drunkenness returning as a result of lack of

spiritual development and understanding.

In reviewing the reasons for our failure we discover that for

some time we had been fostering resentment and self-pity,
physical or mental exhaustion, and the belief that our faith in a
Power greater than ourselves was inadequate.
The Little Red Book of AA

We must never forget that our physical binges are always

preceded by others that are mental and end in “Spiritual
Lagoons.” They leave us blind and disabled, isolating us from
that “Higher Power” on which our judgment and sobriety depend.
We can discover them if we observe the danger signs that are
so evident during the formative period of mental intoxication.

ABSTRACT:- Mental illness becomes understandable when we

first admit our physical illness. A sick body cannot house a
healthy mind. As alcoholics, we cannot think or act sensibly
when we are drinking or when we are beginning to sober up.
When alcohol poisoning is removed, free will returns. However,
this cannot be trusted and therefore we turn to God for help.
These are the fundamental principles for recovery contained in
Step Two.

SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS:- Drinking

Continuously, Blackouts, Mental intoxication, Avoiding self-
criticism, Emotional instability, A distorted way of thinking, Deep
resentment, Outbursts of anger, Suicidal plans or attempts,
Erroneous ideas, Delirium Tremens.

TREATMENT: - An honest assessment of our sick personality

and the insufficiency of human will to remedy it. Be aware of the
need for treatment. Goodwill to recover from our illness.
Believing in a Power greater than ourselves can restore our
good judgment and allow us to act accordingly. It is up to a
Higher Power to recover from our mental illness.

RECOVERY: - Acquire spiritual strength, understanding,

humility, emotional stability, mental tranquility and satisfactory
sobriety.

THIRD STEP
The Little Red Book of AA

We decided to put our lives and our will in the care of God,
as each of us understands Him.

The Third Step identifies the spiritual disease of alcoholism and

shows us a simple and effective remedy. The success achieved
with this or any of the other Steps in our program is not a
coincidence, but rather the result of a way of thinking and
appropriate motives that are put into practice on a daily basis.

Knowledge and treatment of our physical and mental health are

of vital importance for those of us who are alcoholics. But lasting
and satisfying sobriety can only be sustained by surrendering
our lives and our wills to God as we understand Him.

The three First Steps are a combination that AA has been made
of various elements.

Fruits conceived from meditation and experience, they are a

basic recipe for recovery. Applied at the right time and in the
correct proportions, they immediately stop our alcoholic illness.
Complementing each other, the three make up that “basic
recipe.” Therefore, they are of no use when one of them is
omitted.

The First and Second Steps are the premise on which we base
our decision to give our lives as alcoholics to God. The Third
Step requires decision. Honesty, faith and prayer are the spark
of our success.

An understanding of the physical, mental and spiritual injuries

we have suffered as a result of drinking is essential to making
the honest and far-reaching decisions we wish to make. The
reflection born out of desperate need for help inspired us to
search for our concept of God. Our great need is to lose our
egocentrism and alcoholic obsession. The pioneers of AA They
found the solution to these problems as their spiritual
understanding developed and they depended on God's help for
The Little Red Book of AA

their recovery. Each of us has the same opportunities to do so,

provided we are honest and humble enough and have the
necessary good will to take advantage of them.

The Third Step leaves no room for any reservations or delays. It

requires an on-the-spot decision. The way in which we surrender
our alcoholic selves to God is of no immediate importance. What
is truly important is our good will to try to do it. Faith in the
practice of the Twelve Steps opens the way to understanding
God and provides ways to surrender our lives to Him.

Having made this decision, our negative mental attitude quickly

changes to a healthy and constructive way of thinking. We lose
the insecurity and fear we feel; stubbornness and rebellion
disappear. For some reason, we seem to gain a vague
understanding of what God's will is for us. It may be just a little
bit, but all we need to get started is a little bit. At first it comes to
us slowly.

Members who have accepted and practiced the Third Step know
the value of turning the defects of their alcoholic lives over to the
care of God, as they understand Him. Faith in His help and
willingness to try the spiritual practices of AA will turn our
weaknesses into strength and spiritual commitments. Sobriety,
which is the central purpose of our lives, is not gained without
self-denial and the help of God.

If fear of public opinion, spiritual predispositions or hypocritical

ideas stand in our way, let us learn to overcome them. We have
no other choice. It is a small price to pay for our lives and our
sanity, especially when we realize that our prejudices are
nothing more than preconceived judgments fostered by ill health,
ignorance and pride.

Public opinion is for us, not against us. Prejudices in the spiritual
realm are nothing more than the result of an obstinacy that does
not yield to reason. Trying to understand what God's will is for us
is hypocrisy. It is a basic principle of recovery for sick alcoholics.
The Little Red Book of AA

It never fails those who use it sincerely.

AA It is an anonymous group that will protect us from publicity,

“it is a place where we escape death by alcoholism” through a
life based on spirituality.

(See Chapter 4 of the book “Alcoholics Anonymous”)

The only thing that is known about us in the public eye is that we
no longer drink. They didn't approve of us drinking, but they
accepted and respected us when we stopped. This is a simple
and unequivocal demonstration of spiritual progress.

After we make our decision to live on a moral and spiritual basis,

many confusions arise. How are we to conceive of God? How
are we going to give him our life and our will?

We are told that the AA Program It is simple and we should

practice them in the simplest way possible. Despite this, in the
Third Step we face the age-old mystery of the relativity between
man and God. Our natural inclination is to avoid the topic
completely. Surely there must be an easier way. There certainly
is, and if our alcoholic mind is given a chance it will find it, but
this leads back to drinking.

We know what needs to be done about this issue but we are not
being honest with ourselves when we refuse to seek
understanding from God.

to resort to His help and Power. We still reason according to an

alcoholic way of thinking. It is difficult to give up the
rationalizations and excuses of our old selves. We also overlook
the service that leads to HIM when we are looking for a Tangible
God.

After groping through the dense fog of rebellion, twisted thinking

and desperation, we will find solutions. No matter how honestly
The Little Red Book of AA

and sincerely we try to interpret them, they usually seem

extremely confusing to us. Overlooking the fact that we are sick,
it is easy to see only moral offense in our behavior and decide
that religion is the solution to our problem. Those who have
tested with that solution excluding AA They have usually ended
up getting drunk.

We should not confuse organized religion with AA let us keep

our religion apart.

Let's not replace our AA philosophy with her. Upstanding clergy

may facilitate spiritual attainments but they generally lack
understanding of the physical and mental side of the disease of
alcoholism. If your trusted clergyman is interested in AA There is
no doubt that it helped him. Regardless of where you stand on
this.

Obviously, the question of religious creed must be dealt with

outside of AA. Our God principle as we understand it and belief
in a Higher Power to restore spiritual health is all that is required
in the Program. We found this to be entirely appropriate.

A great barrier to finding God is impatience. We soon

understand that to achieve spiritual good we have to deserve it.
Our understanding of God is constantly increasing so we never
reach perfection.

Since this process does not happen overnight, we suggest that

you think about it and keep it in mind when praying. At first we
use two separate approaches to surrender our willful lives and to
arrive at our own concept of God. After first deciding what
isolates us from Him, we awaken spiritually as we eliminate the
isolating factors (character defects).

We deal with God in the abstract, so our contacts have to be on

a mental level. We believe that acts of drunkenness, dishonesty,
envy, self-pity, spite, hatred, resentment, malice and injustice
The Little Red Book of AA

not only harm us but are, in the eyes of society, acts of wicked
people and are opposed to all the spiritual virtues known to AA
members. who have had a spiritual awakening.

If this is true and we can accept it, as the vast majority of our
members have done, then there is no problem in committing our
lives and wills to the care of God. We find all these
characteristics in our unmanageable lives as alcoholics. If these
are spiritual debts, our drunkenness has led us to spiritual
bankruptcy.

The Third Step should not cause us confusion. It requires a

decision to correct our character defects through spiritual
intervention. The common cause of failure is time and effort
wasted in vividly picturing God in our minds or vaguely trying to
reach Him before we make the decision to surrender and
honestly strive to change our unmanageable, insane lives.

Maturity is required without the pain of experience and

development, and this is both unreasonable and impossible. For
that system we only need a Three-Step Program and not a
Twelve-Step Program. The practice of the remaining Eight Steps
is what makes our concept of God take shape. This concept
begins with blind faith which, when open to conviction, develops
into a conscious personal contact with God; spiritual
development is our goal. Is prudent avoid all the
concepts of God that is
oppose this goal.

Thelack of Faith stops our progress. The delay and the

skepticism are enemies of spiritual achievement. Skepticism
demands evidence of God's help; delay prevents such help.
Faith, good will and prayer overcome all obstacles and amply
demonstrate to us His help in our lives of sobriety.

We usually form our own concept of God, as best we can, when

we humbly admit our alcoholic suffering and give ourselves over
to the AA “way of living.” Acts of kindness, forgiveness, and
The Little Red Book of AA

reparation help our understanding.

God speaks to us in as many ways as we can find to have

contact with HIM. Abstract as your answers may be, you can
sense the mind, the emotions, and the new consciousness we
have developed. The inspiration we receive is in accordance
with our thoughts and conduct, whether with feelings of faith,
accomplishment and serenity or with confusion, self-pity and
fear, as the case may be.

Few alcoholics need an introduction to what the concept of a

Divine Being is. Most of us were taught what this is like when we
were young. We have all had evidence of the existence of a
Power greater than ourselves in our well-regulated world of fixed
rates, of day and night, of heat and humidity: peopled by the
reproduction of human life and made habitable by the love and
tolerance of human beings.

Most of us have appreciated the perfection of the universe, the

animation of life, the workings of the human mind, the power of
love. All these things seem to be signs that there is a Dynamic
Power of life, behind, within, and from the beginning to the end
of everything around us. This Power seems to direct all things
harmoniously but irresistibly toward a natural, definitive, and
useful conclusion.

Is it difficult to recognize in this Power of Life a Power Greater

than ourselves? Do we perceive its creative energy, its
intelligence and its power? Is not man weak and unimportant
apart from the Power of God?

Our founders discovered through trial and error that spiritual

contact with God, as they understood it, was the only security for
an alcoholic to lead a normal life, a life of sobriety.

The instinct of conservation drives us to seek this relationship

and try to understand God's help.
The Little Red Book of AA

Understanding comes slowly through the practice of The Twelve

Steps. It is the result of simple acts. Such as these:

1. Humbly admitting our alcoholism, wanting to stop drinking

and undergoing treatment for our illness.

2. Let us honestly strive to shed our skepticism as alcoholics.

Faith in God and the AA program

3. Make the decision to live as free as possible from our mental

hangovers.

4. Identify the character defects that keep us from our sobriety.

5. Submit these defects to God's help, in our prayers

6. Live honestly each of the Steps to establish conscious

contact with HIM.

7. Pray without resentment in our hearts.

8. Study the Big Book to understand how to improve our

consciousness. Forgive our fellow men.

9. Be motivated by healthy motives; have a fair deal

10. Act with kindness and prudence in our business and at

home

11. Be honest and understanding. Help others. Show tolerance.

12. Believing in our spiritual potential, good will to find God by

developing it.

The important thing is that we are willing to try to do it. Every

alcoholic has spiritual potential. We have to learn to bring them
to light in order to form our convictions and allow them to
The Little Red Book of AA

develop.

Whenever possible, we should confide in our wives or closest

relatives what we are doing to implement this Step. We have
found that it is a great help and strength for the member to have
the trust and cooperation of those close to him. When there is no
such cooperation, we have to do it alone.

We must avoid the common mistake of causing mental

confusion with anxious pondering about the time and manner in
which God will manifest Himself to us. Our understanding will
come gradually as we earn and develop it.

It is rare for a member to have a sudden spiritual uplift.

Awakening or spiritual experience comes slowly and often in
strange ways. However, it comes, but so naturally that many
times we fail to recognize it.

Our task is to be prepared and willing for these experiences, that

we may be encouraged by the example of other members who
are living the AA Program; that we may keep our minds open to
our pursuit of understanding God; that we may realize that this is
not a single instantaneous achievement but a gradual one, and
that our inspiration will be influenced by our attitude and our
actions.

Our recovery from alcoholism depends on humility, honesty,

faith in God, understanding, and helping other alcoholics.

The active member who takes the Program seriously, applying it

to his home life, his business life, his dealings with new
members, and admitting the damage he has done and repairing
it, is slowly but surely laying the foundation for an intimate
personal contact with God.

Periods of tranquility and prayer are extremely necessary to

achieve this Step. The alcoholic must always keep in mind the
The Little Red Book of AA

value of tranquility, apart from prayer. We must not overlook the

fact that all alcoholics are naturally restless, that restlessness
and tension are partly the cause of our troubles, that we resorted
to alcohol to calm this state, and that we are now seeking to
correct it under God's supervision.

The alcoholic must learn to calm down every time he is upset,

when excessive activity makes him feel physically or mentally
exhausted, when he becomes excessively impatient, angry,
bored, or resentful.

Staying calm helps us maintain physical, mental and spiritual

balance. It helps you think clearly and this prevents us from
wanting to direct everything. It allows for “conscious contact with
God,” our only hope for recovery from alcoholism.

We have complete confidence in the results of this Step, for we

know from the example of other members that God's will can be
understood: that our concept of His protection, His help, will give
us a new personality that excludes alcohol, a personality that
relates happily to Him, to our fellow men, and to a world that we
accept as it is.

ABSTRACT:- The bewildering calamities of alcoholism need no

longer frustrate the alcoholic who wants to get well. The First
and Second Pillars reveal alcoholism to us as a “Disease”, as a
fatal evil that is incurable.

Chronic alcohol poisoning induced by alcohol addiction explains

our physical and mental illness. This illness is the premise in
which we seek our “Decision” to ask God for help for our
recovery.

Spiritual illness ceases to be mysterious and vague when we

agree that alcohol has played the role of an anesthetic in our
lives. Explains the mental paralysis and moral deviations that go
hand in hand with compulsive drinking. We come to understand
The Little Red Book of AA

that self-pity, fear, intolerance, resentment, belligerence,

vindictiveness, and dishonesty have isolated us from God. They
have hardened our conscience. They have produced spiritual
illness.

Step Three only confuses us when we reverse the indicated

application. This Step has three parts: First, a decision. Second,
we try to determine what constitutes our life and our will. Third,
we try to form a concept of God by placing them in His care.

TREATMENT:- We stop playing God.

We give Him our self-centeredness. We stopped being in

tension. We avoid confusing AA with religion. We are not trying
to define God. We recognize and try to develop our spiritual
possibilities. We strive to have personal contact with God,
thinking and acting according to moral values that help us
develop an improvement in our conscience. We plan and try to
lead a daily life that embraces sobriety, faith, honesty, prayer,
tolerance, drinking, serving our fellow man, and making
restitution when indicated.

Sudden spiritual experiences and heightened personality

changes are not for most of us. We come to understand God as
a result of living the Twelve Steps. If we want to count on God's
help in our time of need, let's take a pen and paper right now
and make a list of all the things that Step Four identifies as
barriers to receiving His help in our recovery from alcoholism.

FOURTH STEP

Without any fear, we made a complete moral inventory of

ourselves

The purpose of making our inventory is to recognize the harmful

traits of our personality, in order to eliminate them in the new
personality that with the help of the Alcoholics Anonymous
The Little Red Book of AA

Program we propose to develop in “A New Way of Living.”

The use made of AA The term “personality” refers to the

development of new character traits necessary for our recovery
from alcoholism. It has no relation to the magnetism that
emanates from physical health, beauty or personal sympathy,
which is also considered “personality.”

We value the personality of the AA member according to

maturity in AA, which is evidenced by such qualities as: Strength
and understanding from a Power greater than ourselves,
renunciation of self-centeredness, readiness to admit mistakes,
make amends, serve others, and the example of a sober and
happy life.

Before we can develop the qualities that will make AA

personalities, we have to find the causes of our powerlessness
over alcohol, we need to know why we have been at war with
ourselves, we need to discover and study the limitations that
alcoholism has placed on our lives.

We hope to overcome our limitations of alcoholism in order to

mend our unmanageable lives, so we examine our alcoholic
personalities “to seek out the faults in another way of being that
caused our failure.”

(See Chapter 5 of the Big Book)

The truth about our drinking problem is deep-rooted; it involves

self-centered habits. Emotions and misconceptions acquired
over the years have undermined our mental powers, weakened
our physical resistance, and fostered irrational ways of thinking
and acting. This has caused severe physical and mental
suffering to us and anxiety and grief to others.

It is not possible to stop our alcoholism until we know our

defects. Without fear, we make a complete moral inventory of
The Little Red Book of AA

ourselves; when we do so in a thorough and practical way; when

we reasonably forgive our neighbor and truly discover our
defects, we take precise measures to correct our physical,
mental, and spiritual incapacity.

The beginner cannot help but be impressed by the array of

defects he will discover and want to correct. The caution with
which this Step is taken is due to the fact that few of us are
ready to give up all our faults; we want to feed a few of them and
by this procedure we encounter future difficulties in the form of a
partial recovery, which is not in accordance with the AA Plan of
Recovery.

This Step requires a complete inventory; our Program does not

support half-measures and efforts; our goal is a complete
recovery. Mental reservations defeat that purpose. They take
away satisfaction from sobriety. An inventory of a lifetime of
drinking cannot be made quickly, nor is it easy to do so. We find
that there are many complexities in this that require study and
meditation. It must be sincere, honest and complete. To be
effective it must be in writing, as we will later compare it and
refer to it frequently. The mental self-assessment is merely a
supplement to the written inventory. It is necessary but not
sufficient on its own.

Experience has taught us that this Step should be addressed

immediately, but leaving the door open for future reference, so
that during the process of our mental and spiritual ventilation we
can add the new details that are presented to us.

The brief discussion of a few defects in this book is entirely

inadequate compared to the time and thought it will take the
reader to apply this Step to his or her alcohol problem.

If we consult Chapter 5 of the book “Alcoholics Anonymous” we

will find a detailed discussion of the Fourth Step. In these pages
we can learn how to take inventory as our Founders advocated.
The Little Red Book of AA

You will find that various manifestations of egocentrism are

undoubtedly the roots of our difficulty and that some of these
manifestations present themselves in the form of Resentment,
Dishonesty, Self-Pity, Envy, Censorship, Fear, Anger.

RESENTMENT:- Resentment is common among all alcoholics.

We are never safe from it and as intangible as it may be, it has
material consequences of destructive force and energy.
Resentment is dynamite for the alcoholic.

As we study the book “Alcoholics Anonymous,” we are reminded

that “Resentment is the Number One Offender.” It destroys more
alcoholics than anything else. From this spring all forms of
spiritual illness, because we have not only been sick physically
and mentally, but spiritually as well. Resentment is pure mental
drunkenness. We have to deal with it mentally and spiritually to
remain physically abstinent.

“When resentments are dealt with, they are put in writing. We

make a list of the people, institutions or principles that cause us
serious anger. We wonder why we are angry. In most cases we
have found that our self-esteem, our pocketbook, our
relationships (including sexual ones), our ambitions have been
hurt or threatened. So we were resentful: we were angry.

Make a list of your “grudges”; look at those who are within the
circle of your hatreds; determine why they are there. Has your
life been happier because of your resentments? Have those
factors really been offensive? The Founders of Alcoholics
Anonymous answer the question with a definitive statement: “It
is clear that a life filled with deep resentment leads to subtlety
and unhappiness. To the degree that we allow them, we
squander hours that could have been worthwhile.”

They explain that resentment prevents spiritual development

and the preservation of this which is the alcoholic's only hope,
and that without the light of this experience, the madness of
alcoholism returns and we drink again.
The Little Red Book of AA

LACK OF HONESTY:- “Those who do not recover with the help

of our Program are generally men and women who do not give
themselves over to the Program and who are by nature
incapable of being honest with themselves.”

Dishonesty requires one more brief comment. It has no place in

our Program. It has to go if we hope to achieve any real
success. Honesty with oneself, with God and with our fellow
men is the master key on the AA bridge. that goes from the
abyss of alcoholism to permanent sobriety.

Without Honesty, the AA Program It can only be a hypocritical

and unconscious way of living. It would be negative and
antagonistic to recovery. Any form of habitual dishonesty breaks
down the alcoholic's defense against that first drink which he will
eventually take if he is not honest with himself.

CENSORSHIP: - Censorship, a negative form of judging, is

completely outside the scope of our group. She is a “black
sheep” in the AA family; she is a malignant carrier of rivalry and
rebellion. It robs us of peace of mind and prevents sobriety from
being satisfactory.

Well-intentioned advice, when sought, can be very helpful and

encouraging because of its sincerity; but censure cannot. This is
viciously opposed to the personality we are trying to develop. It
is not a cooperative gesture indicating friendly concern but
rather a destructive force that fosters self-pity, jealousy,
resentment, and ill will.

The common interest of the AA Program is sobriety. Censorship

has no place when it comes to helping an individual or a group
achieve sobriety.

Criticism and gossip destroy the results of many constructive AA

efforts. They serve no good purpose and must therefore be
controlled by tolerance and understanding in order to suppress
The Little Red Book of AA

our tendency to censor.

If you have to censor yourself, just censor yourself.

SELF-PITY: - Self-pity is not generally recognized by alcoholics

as a particularly damaging emotion. We have all given free rein
to this in various forms, the most common being when we suffer
the torture of a hangover. There are other forms of self-pity that
involve resentment and hatred, produced by imaginary or real
grievances, by bad luck, by illness, or by supposing that God is
unfair to us.

Self-pity is often outright rebellion against self-created

circumstances in which we feel sorry for ourselves and take a
negative attitude toward life.

We free ourselves from it when we see evidence of resentment

in this emotion and realize that it makes us have a wrong
attitude toward life and the people we deal with.

The alcoholic must free himself from all forms of resentment; his
happiness in life depends on his attitude and on his being useful
to others. You cannot allow yourself to be subject to self-pity
because it is related to resentment and inferiority. Furthermore,
you delay your recovery from alcoholism by closing your mind to
the healthy opportunities available to you; you foster a way of
thinking that is self-centered rather than directed toward God
and establishing an intimate relationship with Him.

Emotional maturity and development in AA are repressed by

self-pity. This exaggerated form of egocentrism is a lack of
FAITH and therefore, opposed to spiritual development. We
seek God to treat this extremely serious character defect.

TREATMENT:- Recognize self-pity. Pray to be freed from this

defect. Cultivate an appreciation for sobriety. Give thanks to
God. Help another alcoholic. In this way, we will develop a new
The Little Red Book of AA

spiritual force that will replace fear and self-pity and thus
eliminate it.

JEALOUSY (ENVY): - Few, if any, men and women escape this

emotional monstrosity. The proportions it reaches can be
measured in terms of fear and self-pity, anger, resentment and
frustration.

Being jealous (or envious) of an individual's good position,

personality, talent, or personal possessions can weigh down the
human mind until, like a malignant cancer, it damages and
destroys it.

The beginner who takes the time to analyze jealousy (or envy)
will find in it a combination of all his defects. The reader is
advised to do this analysis to become familiar with this harmful
form of mental drunkenness.

Look for the confusing points that cause the alcoholic to start
drinking compulsively again. A careful examination will reveal a
surprising array of moral flaws. These may be present in a
moderate or passive form, but they are still there: Self-pity,
Resentment, Intolerance, Lack of Honesty,

Censorship, Malice, Anger. This summary will teach us that fear

and frustration link all these defects.

It is good to avoid falling victim to this emotion that can so easily

compromise a member's mental health and lead to resentment,
bitter hatred and drunkenness.

INTOLERANCE: - Lack of tolerance has a lot to do with that first

drink that, in certain circumstances, the alcoholic is unable to
resist. This condition existed when there was physical
discomfort, when the realities of life became too demanding of
our time and energies, when mental tension was great, when
resentments at home or business became unbearable, when
The Little Red Book of AA

business was bad, when we became fatigued from over-activity,

or when we were faced with disturbing circumstances. We
thought things had reached a breaking point, we couldn't stand
it, so we got drunk.

We must never forget the intolerable hangovers and desperation

of compulsive drinking, nor the help of God to free us from it. We
need more help with new problems. Don't expect God to deliver
you from them overnight. Practicing tolerance is part of recovery.
It helps spiritual progress and helps us control our emotions and
promote sobriety.

Evidence of intolerance in one member is not a good sign. It

shows a lack of balance and indicates symptoms of a relative
mental and spiritual position that is unstable. Our attitude of
tolerance, where reasonably expected, reflects our
understanding and practice of the AA Philosophy. as a “New
Way of Living”.

The alcoholic has persistently transgressed the tolerance of

humanity. There is much to be done in this regard and he must
immediately reverse his role, showing consideration when
appropriate.

We do not believe that tolerance of incorrect situations is

sensible. God gave us the intelligence to determine between
right and wrong; therefore we find that there is as much harm in
being tolerant of an improper way of acting or thinking as in
being intolerant of the proper things.

Caution is needed in the use of tolerance and if we are

practicing the AA program As a “Way of Living” we will be willing
to do whatever is suggested to us in the cases of the many
people with whom we have been intolerant. Tolerance, both with
new and old members who are sincerely trying to live according
to this Program, is essential to our recovery from alcoholism. If
they are honestly trying to bring their “Way of Life” into line with
AA, we owe them our help.
The Little Red Book of AA

It is not judgment to become intolerant of “things we cannot

change”; the AA Program advises to achieve an understanding
of God's will. The condition that cannot be changed must be so
because it is not God's will that it change. We should not be
intolerant in this case, but rather direct our time and energies
towards a constructive and useful attitude that can yield
satisfactory results.

“May God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot

change, the courage to change the things we can, and the
wisdom to know the difference.”

FEAR: - The tendency of alcoholics to dismiss fear as a

contributing factor to alcoholism often causes newcomers to
downplay its importance to their inventories. They mistakenly
associate fear with cowardice and want nothing to do with it.
However, fear had a lot to do with his drinking and a full
understanding of that is essential to his recovery.

The fear It's an emotion that has a place defined in the

lives of all beings humans. He primitive man No
I could have survived without fear. The experience made him
afraid of dangerous or destructive things over which he was
powerless, and the fear gave him the extra energy to evade or
escape from them.

When used for real purposes of self-preservation, fear does not

give the caution and discretion necessary for the everyday
requirements of life. Fear prompts us to use safe procedures
and protect our families from poverty and disease. Under his
guidance, we gain the energy to build homes, to work, to face
reality and to assume responsibility.

As alcoholics, we have used a few of the positive qualities of

fear, but we have used mostly the negative ones, especially to a
great degree the anxiety, dread, worry, uncertainty, and
apprehension of harm or evil that always seemed to be just
around the corner.
The Little Red Book of AA

Plagued by the fear of hangovers and alcoholic insomnia, we hid

alcohol everywhere in our homes. Fear and the ban filled us with
panic and uncertainty. Anxiety constantly obstructed our efforts
to conceal our addiction, to sustain our lies, to escape from our
creditors.

Fear of authority, or of public opinion, and the loss of home and

business did not allow us to have peace of mind. The negative
elements of fear belong to our inventories. If we refer to Chapter
5 of Book AA We will find examples of fear in our lives and a
general plan of a classification system. Part of our personality
change revolves around our understanding and treatment of this
emotion.

The AA Program is not based on fear. It is a Way of Living

based on a Power Greater than our own: on Faith in a Power
Greater than Ourselves to overcome fear and other defects of
our alcoholic personality. We have seen members try to find
sobriety by basing their attempt on education motivated by fear
of alcohol. They don't stay sober for long. We have known
people who, in order to protect themselves from drinking,
completely abstain from going to bars and nightclubs, assuming
that they would be extremely tempted. Based on your
experience, we believe that this abnormal preoccupation
indicates an indifferent effort towards the Program and an
unspoken desire to drink again.

Our book, “Alcoholics Anonymous,” states: “In our opinion, any

plan to combat alcoholism that is based on shielding the patient
from temptation is doomed to failure. If the alcoholic tries to
shield himself, he may be successful for a time, but he usually
ends up exploding more than ever. We have tried these
methods. These attempts to do the impossible have always
failed us. Therefore, our rule is not to avoid being in a place
where drinking occurs, if we have a legitimate reason to be
there. Go to them or walk away from them, whatever feels best
to you. But be sure that you are on firm spiritual ground before
you go there and that your motive for going is entirely good.”
The Little Red Book of AA

The important thing is to be on the spiritual level, but we must

not overlook the fact that we have a certain role to play. God can
only help us if we are willing to recover and are trying to do so.
Realizing that temptation will always be present and that we
have never before been successful in avoiding it, should draw us
closer to God for help. We have no knowledge of how or when
the urge to drink will come to us. However, we know that it will
come and we cannot wait until it is upon us. We must prepare
ourselves with Faith by praying for our hour of need.

Steps One and Two tell us that it is important to understand all

of our alcohol problems. We must never forget our
powerlessness against alcohol and the unhealthy behavior and
unmanageable life it brings us. Nature supports this theory with
dreams in which we get drunk. Dreams that are so realistic that
they fill us with genuine remorse and strengthen our resolve to
achieve happy sobriety.

We have to admit that we are alcoholics; it is good to do so. All

members should strive to cultivate an appreciation of what
alcohol does to them, as part of an insurance against any return
to drinking. This does not mean using fear but rather intelligence
to avoid falling back into alcohol addiction. We are not afraid of
alcohol. There can be alcohol all around us without any harmful
effects if our “spiritual terrain” is right and we are on the plan to
practice our philosophy 24 hours at a time. We must, however,
be afraid of drinking it, as afraid as of any other poison.

In this way, we strengthen our minds with prayer and with the
mental resources that God has given us. The intelligent use of
mental portraits, based on the knowledge of our condition as
alcoholics, are invaluable to our recovery from alcoholism. We
do not rebel against the fact that we cannot drink or use poisons
in general. Sobriety will come more easily when we learn to
remove alcohol from the classification of drinks and put it among
the poisons, which for us, is exactly where it belongs.

Members who are unable to overcome their fear by practicing

The Little Red Book of AA

the AA Program They should consult their doctor or psychiatrist

who will probably be able to help them. This kind of help, plus
the help from our program, usually puts them on the path to a
happy sobriety.

Fear that is not an obsession can be corrected with the

Philosophy provided by the AA Program Fear is nothing more
than a more or less deformed faith in the things of life and the
evils that could beset us.

To the AA philosophy anxiety and fear do not concern him. As

alcoholics we have been unstable because of problems and
anxieties that seemed impossible to remedy. The spiritual
concepts of this Program have removed them and replaced
them with peace of mind. We no longer worry; we have been
temporarily freed from danger.

This liberation is extended by God day by day as a reward for

our gratitude for His help and the selfless service we provide to
others.

Our antidote to fear is FAITH, not faith distorted by fear, but faith
in God as we understand Him. We have found this to be an
effective measure to overcome all the fear to which the alcoholic
is subject.

IRA:- There is not a single case among those touched upon in

the Twelve Steps, in which

the anger of some benefit. However, we are led to the

conclusion that it is a kind of mental poison that has the power to
induce a confused way of thinking and that, influenced by this,
we are more than likely to end up using alcohol again.

Anger is the opposite of our philosophy. It nullifies reason. An

alcoholic's recovery stagnates and progress stops as anger
takes over. The different degrees of anger, which fluctuate from
The Little Red Book of AA

indignation to rage, indicate various dangers for the member

who subordinates his thoughts and actions to this strong
emotion.

The following quote from our AA Book clearly predicts the

impending danger for those of us who allow ourselves to be
provoked: “If we were to live, we had to be free from wrath. Bad
temper and temporary fits of madness were not for us. They
may be dubious luxuries for normal individuals, but for alcoholics
they are poison.

A simple analysis of this emotion should curb future excesses on

our part. The impulse to harm either friend or enemy will always
be present in it. When it is fully activated, the purpose of its
application is to kill. The alcoholic is only human. You will be
exposed to

all human impulses and frequently facing conditions that upset

him, but he has to be unaware of the treacherous nature of
anger and the destructive actions that his impulses can take in
his recovery.

When we compile our inventory, let us bear in mind the fact that
we are alcoholics, that we are sick physically, mentally, and
spiritually; that we have not been able to recover from our
disease by our own efforts, but that before us thousands of
alcoholics have recovered by changing their alcoholic
personality to the sober and happy one that results from the AA
way of life. With this in mind, we turn to a Higher Power for
guidance in taking a complete moral inventory of ourselves as
one of the Steps to recovering from our illness.

CONFUSING POINTS:- At this point it is advisable to face the

fact that, despite our sincere effort to inventory “The defects of
our character that caused us to fail”, we will not point out some
of them. Because? Simply because we fail to see them. Our
mental and moral vision has been blinded too long by the
reservations and rationalizations of alcoholism.
The Little Red Book of AA

It is necessary to reserve a blank space in our inventory for the

confusing points that we will clarify later. We should not worry
about these unreported errors. However, it is advisable to be
reasonable about its existence and let AA as “Way of Living”
reveals it to us. So, we will point them out to correct them.

SUMMARY: - Having decided to let God direct our wills and our
unruly lives, we stepped out of the “driver’s seat” to fearlessly
examine our alcoholic personalities, a complete moral inventory
of ourselves not as a psychiatrist but as laymen who need to
have a simple knowledge of our ills and defects, things that God
will sublimate or help us overcome. AA member personality
changes They start with an honest assessment like that. In
Chapter 5 of the Big Book, countless character defects common
to alcoholics are noted and should be noted in a written
inventory. From our inventory we learn the spiritual disease of
resentment and dishonesty; frustration, envy, malice, self-pity,
fear, anger, and false pride; the damaging nature of blame,
intolerance, and vindictiveness.

We revive our dull consciousness as we catalog our devastating

self-centered habits. We develop discernment between right and
wrong as we honestly take inventory in writing. This written
inventory can mean the difference between sobriety and another
binge.

FIFTH STEP

We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human

being the exact nature of our faults.

If we have been honest and thorough with our moral inventory,

we have made a record of our character defects and analyzed
them, and we have the data of the damage we have caused to
others, we have a record of our greatest handicaps and defects,
and the names of the people harmed as a result of our unruly
lives and unhealthy behavior.
The Little Red Book of AA

These facts point out certain faults that we have committed, they
form the list of our unreasonableness. We have acknowledged
our shortcomings and not only intend to correct them, but we
also intend to prepare a plan of action that will mean restitution
and happiness for those who have suffered physical, mental or
financial harm as a result of our uncontrolled drinking.

Step Five is a preparatory step for the restitution we hope to

make by fulfilling the provisions of Step Nine, according to which
reparations are necessary, and we do so. The exact nature of
our defects has been admitted to God and to ourselves, and has
been spoken of to a third person.

The founders of our movement knew the value of doing this;

they knew that only by doing so could we acquire the humility,
honesty, and spiritual help necessary to succeed in living the AA
Program.

Most of us thought that our assessments were accurate and that

since we had accepted before God the error of our previous way
of thinking and acting, there was no need to go any further. We
assumed that God knew, that He would forgive us, and that the
matter was settled.

This is an alcoholic way of thinking. It follows the old pattern and

is nothing more than a pretense, a new way of evading
responsibility. We have to trust another person with our long-
accumulated secrets if we are to achieve peace of mind, self-
esteem, and recovery from alcoholism.

The humility that this step brings us is necessary for our future
well-being. We will not have any spiritual inspiration or freedom
from fear until we get rid of those ghosts that we have stored
away. We must stop avoiding people and start facing facts and
problems if it is to be our release from panic and tension.

The Fifth Step is a cardinal Step. It requires the action that sets
The Little Red Book of AA

in motion a true spiritual awakening when we back up our FAITH

with Oral Works.

If this Step seems difficult to you (and it may well seem that way)
remember that you are no exception. Many of us have reacted
like this. This relationship is nothing more than the reflexes of a
dying alcoholic personality trying to avoid reality; very little time
has elapsed between our sudden change from a rationalizing
manner as an alcoholic to that of receptive behavior necessary
in our Program. Without realizing it, we are being dominated by
our old thoughts. These are nothing more than momentary ideas
of rebellion. They will quickly give way to the sublimating power
of our new Philosophy if we keep an open mind and have FAITH
that God will help us find the right solution.

This Step specifically outlines the course of action to be taken.

In due course, I arranged an interview with anyone who is not in
AA and will be understanding but unaffected by your narrative.

(See Chapter 6 of the book “Alcoholics Anonymous”)

We should not take this Step with someone who may not
respect our confidences. For this reason, the clergyman, the
psychiatrist or the doctor are the most suitable. Most of these
men are qualified to hear our story, but the cleric is preferable
because he has dedicated his life to the service of God and his
fellow men.

There is no fixed time to take this Step, there is no need to rush

into doing it. We don't have it as a formula that we have to
comply with. There is a frame of mind that will present itself to all
members who are experiencing the AA Philosophy, which frame
of mind will indicate to them quite clearly when they are ready to
do so. But when that time comes, we have to act immediately.

Postponing giving it is incompatible with our recovery plan.

The Little Red Book of AA

If you are in doubt about when to take the Fifth Step, do it

immediately. It is much better to give it before we think we are
ready to do so, than to postpone it and not give it later. Many
members with years of sobriety in AA find that it helps them
maintain their sobriety. The Fifth Step induces mental and
spiritual catharsis and may need to be practiced periodically.

Now you are dealing with a matter with God and another human
being. If your inventory has been thoroughly made, you are in a
position to guard your pride, to tell a story that sheds light on
every character trait, every dark passage from the past. You do
not have to doubt the psychological and spiritual values that are
offered to you. Your efforts will be well rewarded, and you will
not find words to express the gratitude you will feel.
Understanding such things only comes with experience.

The interpretation of the profound meaning of admitting our

faults before God, before ourselves and before another human
being, is logically summarized by saying: “Once we have taken
this Step without holding anything back, we feel very happy. We
can see the world face to face. We begin to feel the proximity of
the Creator. We have had certain spiritual beliefs, but Now We
Begin to have a Spiritual Experience.

ABSTRACT:- The Metamorphosis of the Alcoholic into the New

AA Personality becomes more evident upon completion of Step
Five. We are impressed with the simplicity of this effective
spiritual plan, which has been the means for spiritual awakening
to begin within us. This Step is a direct challenge to our
sincerity, since we have been promised humility, a spiritual
experience and the loss of fear when we have spoken about our
defects with a third person.

This is the Step of the Program that tells us what to do when we

have completed it. This direction is given to us in the Big Book,
and it says: “When we return home we go somewhere where we
can be quiet for an hour, carefully examining what we have
done. We thank God with all our hearts for knowing Him better.
The Little Red Book of AA

We take this Book and look for the pages that refer to the
Twelve Steps. We read the first five propositions carefully and
ask ourselves if we have omitted something, because we are
building an arch that, by crossing it, we will finally be free. Has
our work been consistent so far? Have the stones been placed
properly? Have we skimped on cement in the foundations? Have
we tried making the mix without sand? If we can answer to our
satisfaction, we can look at Step Six.

(See Chapter 6 of the Big Book)

SIXTH STEP

We were completely willing to let God remove our character

defects.

SEVENTH STEP

We humbly beg God to free us from our defects.

It is not until after the Fifth Step has been completed, when
humility has been experienced and self-esteem has been
restored as a result of admitting to God and to another human
being the exact nature of our faults, that we are in a proper
spiritual condition to sincerely carry out the stipulations of the
Sixth and Seventh Steps.

This action brings a hitherto unknown feeling of moral strength.

For the first time we face our True Self. The Self whose withered
roots have touched sources of conviction, power and security
from which they are now drawing.

In the completion of these Steps we find a New Peace. A

release from Tension and Anxiety as we place our mistakes and
character defects in God's hands. We are asking you to remove
it from our lives. We are making a great mental effort to
cooperate with God. We feel an intense humility that cries out for
The Little Red Book of AA

recognition and Divine Help.

Spiritual Upliftment, the nearness of our Creator experienced as

a result of humbly invoking His Aid, and our willingness to be
freed from willful thoughts and habits are both essential to the
successful accomplishment of these Steps.

The mental hygiene and spiritual ventilation that we have begun

with our inventory and continued with the Fifth Step reach their
climax when we fully submit our will to God and want to give Him
all our moral defects.

The various objectives of the Sixth and Seventh Step are:

1. Become honest and humble. Seek His Help without

reservation.

2. To perfect ourselves in the practice of praying selflessly.

3. Be aware of the defects of our character.

4. Wanting them to go away.

5. Completely renounce all character defects.

6. Believe that God can free us from them.

7. Ask HIM to take them all away from us.

The results we expect from the pursuit of these objectives are:

a) Reconcile ourselves with God's way of dealing with things.

We get fed up with our way of doing things and when we look
beyond, we try to control everything.

b) Goodwill to carry out our plan to suppress self-centeredness

through faith and conscious contact with God.
The Little Red Book of AA

c) Disgust with our alcoholic habits and search for religious

inspiration that will give us an inner feeling of security and
peace.

d) Increase of our faith, healthy heart and mind, ability to be

generous in our prayers.

e) Spiritual courage that translates into a confident attitude

toward life; the desire to make restitution to those who have
been harmed by our drinking.

f) A desire to let go of our whims and give God an opportunity

to remove from our lives everything that prevents us from
serving HIM and our fellow men. True humility.

g) Eliminating our character defects. Achieve peace of mind and

sobriety.

The spiritual attitude and the rest of the spirit necessary for the
effective completion of these Steps has been progressively
formed in the completion of the first five Steps of our Program.

The knowledge of alcoholism, our disease, drives us to

approach God for help. The Alcoholic has to pray. There is no
fixed type of prayer for our Use. Our remorse for past mistakes
and a genuine desire to correct them will guide us in how we
should pray.

We all come to God as sick people. We don't try to justify

ourselves. We have no defense. We present ourselves to HIM
as victims of alcoholism. We ask for understanding of this
disease and Your Help to stop it. We want to stop it but only for
selfless purposes. We apologize for the mistakes we have
made. We ask for sanity and understanding to know His Will.

Recognizing our defects, we pray to God, sincerely asking Him

to free us from them.
The Little Red Book of AA

Prayer, our supreme form of mental energy, serves a threefold

purpose: through it we ask God for help, we thank Him for our
recovery, and we maintain our satisfactory sobriety.

There is nothing outstanding about an alcoholic's prayer to God.

It is something simple and sincere in which the alcoholic has
nothing to lose, but something to gain: Sobriety, Sensible
Conduct, Peace of Mind and Happiness for himself and his
loved ones. There is latent within each of us a power that is
developed through conscious contact with God. Replace fear
and weakness with spiritual strength and understanding.
Through that power the miracle of AA is made possible. Steps
Six and Seven make use of that contact, which thousands of
alcoholics have humbly used to rid themselves of their character
defects.

In these Steps is the forge in which we heat and forge the

separate links that form the chain of the new personality that we
are forging. Without them our recovery is impossible.

“Reservations” are understood to mean those mental attitudes

that oppose self-evaluation, as well as cooperation, honesty,
tolerance, forgiveness, faith, love, and unselfish prayer. These
“character defects” stand between us and satisfying sobriety.
They perpetuate spiritual illness. Recovery from alcoholism
depends on eliminating it.

In the Sixth and Seventh Steps a type of divine surgery is

indicated. Humble prayer is the scalpel with which God
separates the injured parts of our sick personalities. Total
surrender and the will of God assures us a painless and
successful operation. Surrendering our “defects” to a Higher
Power is not the lifeless act of a defeatist, but rather the well-
founded act of an alcoholic who would exchange his fear and
weakness for spiritual strength, understanding, encouragement,
and sobriety. Therefore, “We earnestly pray to God to free us
from our defects.”
The Little Red Book of AA

EIGHTH STEP

We made a list of all those people to whom we had done

wrong and we set out to make amends for the damage we
had caused them.

(See Chapter 6 of the Big Book)

NINTH STEP

We repair, to the extent humanly possible, the damage we

caused to those people except in those cases where doing
so would cause harm to them or others.

The purpose of Steps Eight and Nine is to outline and carry out
an operative course of conduct that will directly right the harm or
wrong that our drinking may have caused others and thus have
a harmonious relationship with God and with our fellow men.

The Practice of AA Philosophy adequately meets these

requirements. It is a proven “Way of Living” through which the
alcoholic corrects his past mistakes and makes restitution to
relative, friend, or enemy, as he effects his own recovery from
the physical, mental, and spiritual ravages of alcoholism.

Many alcoholics agree with the effectiveness of our Philosophy

but fail to benefit from it because they have not adequately
valued their alcoholic illness.

Since they don't believe they are sick, they see no reason to
bother getting well. Their reservations about their spiritual illness
create indifference when it comes to “Making Amends.” AA
members They do not stop their alcoholism or achieve recovery
just by agreeing with the principles of AA philosophy. They only
recover if you live them.

These Steps operate in conjunction with each other. We have a

The Little Red Book of AA

relationship with those we have harmed, we have our

relationship of resentment, we have a relationship with those we
have harmed and by living this Program we are first making
reparations to ourselves, to our battered, confused minds, to our
restless spirits.

It is not difficult to make a list of the people who suffered

because we drank. Our real problem is to arrive at a frame of
mind that accepts the harm we have done and embraces a
sincere willingness to make amends.

The Ninth Step cannot be put into practice easily or quickly.

There begins to be some degree of restitution when we accept
the AA Program. As a “Way of Living” this is generally limited
because it is not until we have belonged to AA for several
months and strengthened our sobriety with a solid fundamental
knowledge of the Program, when we acquired the spiritual
strength and understanding necessary to discreetly make the
repairs.

The member encounters many obstacles in completing this

Step.

We find that procrastination is a deterrent for some members.

This should be avoided. On the other hand, there are those who
are too ambitious to rebuild, to leave the matter finished once
and for all. Remember that in most cases it will take a lifetime to
complete the Ninth Step. Some members become emotional
with the inspiration of the new personality they are forming and
act impulsively. His performance tends to fall short of his
achievement. Pride is an obstacle. Another common obstacle is
confusion caused by misinterpretation of the purpose of This
Step.

Senior members will be able to help, if consulted, wherever

confusion arises. Do not proceed hastily or when in doubt ask
them for their opinion, then formulate a plan of action and with
God's help, begin to repair the damage for which you are
The Little Red Book of AA

responsible.

Meditation and prayer are necessary to make restitution. No

restitution can be made that has not been preceded by prayer
because it would lack full intention and effectiveness. Conscious
contact with God regarding making amends will not only result in
a more satisfactory outcome but will help you to determine which
amends might harm others. Discretion in this regard is
imperative.

(See Chapter 6 of the “AA” Book)

The presence of God now in our lives elevates and sublimates

our mental and physical attitudes. It gives us the humility we
need to make repairs and an incentive to get to work. “We are
trying to put our lives in order. We do this by serving God and
those around us in any way we can.”

Now this question arises: Whose names should be in our

relationship? How do we make restitution to those people? What
is the procedure to follow?

Our answers to these questions are found in Chapter 6 of the

book Alcoholics Anonymous in the section dealing with the
Eighth and Ninth Steps.

The following summary of certain guidelines taken from those

pages is incomplete and must be expanded upon by each
member in applying it to his or her particular needs.

It is not impossible to cover this complex subject in its entirety,

but we have catalogued a few examples and indications. Four
types of people are listed, and a fifth type is discussed, which is
not usually included in the list of those to be made reparations
to, but which needs to be taken into consideration if permanent
sobriety is to be assured.
The Little Red Book of AA

FIRST GROUP: FRIENDS: - In this group are the people with

whom we have been related by an intimate friendship, by
negotiation, etc., those with whom we should have been friendly
but we have cut off our treaty out of resentment, pride or
imaginary grievances; those whom we have treated unfairly but
whom we have not harmed, except with harsh words or a foolish
way of proceeding and to whom we are in fact not indebted.

The technique to be observed when approaching people who fall

into this classification is based on sincerity. Our approach is
“calm, frank and open.” We try to convince the person we
approach of our good intentions and that we are sure that we
regret the treatment we gave them.

We talked to him about our alcoholic illness and the nature of

resentment and hatred in relation to our sobriety. We explain to
him what our intentions are and ask him to forgive us and help
us in our future associations. Our purpose is to create goodwill
and restore friendship.

We avoid giving anyone the impression that we are fanatically

religious, but we never avoid the subject of God if it comes up in
conversation.

Let us not try to make restitution to someone who is still

“stinging” from a recent injustice, nor make reparations that may
hurt another person.

There will be few cases where our applications are rejected. If

we cannot bring about a reconciliation and are not received
favorably, we simply drop the case in the hope that, in time, our
sobriety and future dealings will repair the breach.

The main point to be borne in mind is that we are performing a

duty, that we will not be upset or discouraged by an unpleasant
or harsh reception, that the purpose of our visit is to effect an
agreement, and that under no circumstances will we withdraw in
The Little Red Book of AA

a bad mood or resentment.

GROUP TWO: THE FAMILY:- (See the Chapter “The Family

Afterwards”, in the Book “Alcoholics Anonymous”).

People included in this group are usually found in our families.

The most prominent examples are wives in the case of
alcoholics and, in the case of alcoholic women, husbands. Next
come mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, and often close
friends whose lives we have disrupted with our selfish and
inconsiderate habits.

We have been like “hurricanes roaring through the lives of

others,” causing sorrow and killing cordial relationships. The
damage we have caused to people in this group spans many
years. It will take many years to repair it.

The technique used to approach people in this group is not is

a problem to less that the home has
been
undone and a separation makes
impossible the contact
necessary to make the repair. Even so, the member will benefit
from following the Program because the injured person usually
comes to know of his sobriety. It may take time to effect a
reconciliation, but satisfactory arrangements will usually come
soon.

These matters have often been discussed by letter, but direct

contact is preferable only in cases where it is possible.

If the home has not been broken up, the member's family is
aware of his desire to recant his alcoholism and rarely fails to
support him in his endeavor.

It is important that your family members read the book

“Alcoholics Anonymous” in order to acquire knowledge of
The Little Red Book of AA

alcoholism and the Steps indicated in our Program for its

treatment. A new member needs the full understanding and
cooperation of his or her family.

The repairs he makes to them are more thorough and he makes

it easier for his family members to realize what he is trying to do.

Our sobriety is a blessing to the people in Group Two. As a rule,

this is by itself the greatest restitution we can make, although it
must still be followed by acts of kindness and consideration. (It is
recommended to review the Chapter “To Wives” of the Book
Alcoholics Anonymous). Abstaining from drinking, in itself, is not
enough. We have to be attentive and considerate of the entire
family. There must be harmony and cooperation.
Demonstrations of our affection and desire to be worthy of their
respect will be very helpful. Irreparable damages can be many:
when we find cases of these we can only compensate them with
obvious manifestations of our good will to rectify the damage if
possible. Let us not waste time in making amends for what can
be done.

Sexual problems complicate the lives of many alcoholics. The

first thing we have to consider in order to deal with them is that it
is necessary to cut the difficulty at its source. Honesty is a
primary factor in the life of all AA members. and leaves no room
for adultery.

The harm caused to others must be considered when resolving

our sexual problems. We are always very tactful in handling the
situation in which a repair is indicated. When jealousy is
aroused, it hinders our progress. One must have confidence in
equanimity, meditation and prayer. We put the matter in God's
hands and then we are guided by the dictates of His Will and our
conscience.

GROUP THREE: CREDITORS: - “We do not avoid our

creditors.”
The Little Red Book of AA

(See Chapter 6 of the book “Alcoholics Anonymous.”

The creditor usually knows what we give. If not, we must “lay our
cards on the table.” If you can pay we make the best deal
possible. It may be at a future date when we start doing it with
small amounts until we can afford to pay more. The main thing is
to reach an understanding. We must be calm in this regard
because otherwise fear can lead us back to drinking. When our
creditor understands the nature of our alcoholic illness he may
realize that there will be no money in the near future unless we
maintain our sobriety and thus, he will be in a better position to
listen to our proposition.

FOURTH GROUP: THOSE WHO HAVE DIED: - The harm we

cause to relatives and friends who have already passed away is
often a cause for self-condemnation. This should not be; it is
harmful. To avoid this, we rely on prayer.

We have to realize the ineffectiveness of remorse for mistakes

that we can no longer correct. Let us not allow the mistakes of
the past to undermine our opportunity to be useful in the future.
Let us reason that the harm we have caused will be partly
compensated by our way of living in accordance with this
philosophy; that, since the deceased are beyond our reach, what
we must do is make restitution to their living relatives. If this is
not possible, we should turn to God in prayer, asking Him to see
our good will and to forgive our faults towards those people.

Then there are the reparations we have to make daily to God.

These become automatic; they are the requirements of each of
the Twelve Steps. The AA program It is a Great Restitution
divided into twelve parts.

Before we can determine the harm we have caused to others,

we must eliminate the cause of our physical and moral
devastation. Alcoholism is our disease. It is the reason for
having harmed our families, our friends and the loved ones who
have already passed away. It is the reason for our debt; it is
The Little Red Book of AA

responsible for our physical deterioration; it has brought upon us

irrational thinking, unhealthy behavior, and spiritual illness.

We restore ourselves to our pre-alcoholic selves by

understanding our illness, by clarifying our character defects and
eliminating them from our lives, by taking proper care of our
bodies, by restoring our minds through sobriety, and by treating
our spiritual illness through understanding and obeying the Will
of God. The recovery of the alcoholic depends on restitution and
will depend on it all his life.

Many times we tend to fill our relationship with insignificant

faults, already forgotten and unimportant. Repairs in these cases
would be endless; we must forget. Many of us have been
uncertain about whether it is advisable to make certain repairs.
There will be more to do in our relationship and we find that the
new mistakes that are constantly occurring in our lives will lead
back to fixing others that are already on our list.

The Ninth Step has brought about many reconciliations and

peace and happiness into the lives of those who suffered from
our alcoholism. His great recuperative power has also affected
the lives of thousands of alcoholics through the spiritual
awakening they have experienced. Because of this Step, these
same alcoholics have regained their self-esteem, have gained
courage and strength, and have assumed their responsibilities.
They feel the presence of God and with His presence comes the
realization that their lives are becoming manageable again.

SUMMARY:- We can hardly overstate the value of “Making

Restitution.”

Most of us underestimate its power to change our attitude

toward God, toward our fellow human beings, and toward the
daily circumstances of a sober life.

Our desire to lead a new life and to be tolerated and forgiven

The Little Red Book of AA

should make us react with tolerance and mercy and move us to

repair our errors. AA teaches us that “live and let live” is to
safeguard our sobriety.

An attitude of resentment towards others will impede our

recovery. We correct this attitude in the practice of the Ninth
Step. Restitution integrates our personalities through
harmonious and functioning relationships with God and with the
victims of our alcoholic obsession. We cannot hate and make
amends at the same time. Admitting and rectifying our mistakes
is a regenerative process necessary for our recovery.

It gives us the understanding and spiritual strength that helps us

find sobriety.

The Twelve Steps are a restitution we make to God and to

ourselves. Our own conservation demands it. We pay our
creditors; we confess our faults openly to God; and we make
amends to relatives and friends, except when doing so would
injure them or others. Attitudes of reserve and lack of good will
are dangerous for us. They fill us with discontent and make us
belligerent, resulting in drunkenness.

“We are trying to put our lives in order. We do this by serving

God and those around us in whatever way we can.” We believe
this is the purpose of Steps Eight and Nin.

TENTH STEP

We continue with our moral inventory, spontaneously

admitting our faults as we recognize them.

Step Ten is one of the Steps for conservation.

Its purpose is to remind us that the moral flaws we have

recognized in selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear are
problems we encounter every day; they remain serious threats
The Little Red Book of AA

to our sobriety. AA indicates that a daily inventory should be

made to reveal harmful thoughts and actions. It is essential for
our inventory and our sobriety to admit our faults.

George A. Dorsey has provided some very interesting

information regarding the instability of nature, saying: “Man is
something that is happening all the time; he is a continual
restlessness, he has his own rules, he amends his own formula
and recasts his own mould in the act of being and all the while,
he worked. Restlessness is in the nature of man.

This Step indicates the practice of a daily inventory to confront

our relative position, mentally and spiritually.

By this Step we avoid the unfortunate experiences that occur

when we are dominated by the various forms of egocentrism
that insidiously penetrate our lives.

We make the inventory a kind of information office that identifies

moral defects, both old and new. He has his gallery of
miscreants in which we catalogue each defect with its "aliases"
so that when egocentrism, for example, disguises itself as
complacency or boredom, we discover the impostor and after
arresting him, we subject him to the indicated process.

These defects are causes that are dangerous for us. They had a
lot to do with the damage suffered as a result of an abnormal
way of drinking. They can lead us back to the Dementia of
Alcoholism.

The Fourth Step pointed us to an inventory that served a definite

purpose. He revealed to us character flaws that we had
previously refused to acknowledge, flaws that made our lives
unmanageable. The need to catalogue these defects and
eliminate them becomes more and more obvious as the days we
go without drinking add up.
The Little Red Book of AA

The inventory gave us insight into our problem. He placed us

before ourselves, with our defects, with the purpose of freeing us
from them through the help of God. It was essential to do so
then and it only fulfilled its purpose when we catalogued the
nature of our willful alcoholic habits and defects. Without this
record our progress in AA would have been impossible.

Knowledge of our moral defects and the practice of the AA

program have completely changed our lives. They have
improved our attitude toward God, toward our daily problems,
and toward our fellow men.

We have earned the trust and respect of others. Many of our

friends have expressed their admiration for the sobriety we have
acquired. Self-respect and self-satisfaction follow this
achievement. We enjoy security and the friendly attitude of those
around us.

Step Ten safeguards this progress if we continue to take

personal inventory and promptly admit our mistakes when we
acknowledge them.

However, let us not forget the anxiety that is typical of alcoholics.

Based on this experience, our Founders knew that new
character defects would appear and that many of the old ones
would return in disguise. Hence the need for daily mental
examination to accept the arrival of each old defect, and as a
kind of mental sentinel alert to the arrival of new ones.

Avoid confusing the respective functions of the Fourth and Tenth

Steps. The Step consisted of making a written list of our
character defects, leaving it open to future additions. The Tenth
Step is the AA slide rule to compute daily progress in AA a
perpetual moral inventory that safeguards the Spiritual
Awakening of our sobriety, an evaluation with which we end
each day.
The Little Red Book of AA

The purpose of our Philosophy is to Live Every Step. The

purpose of Step Ten is not only to continue our personal
inventory, but also to check our daily progress in each of the
Steps of the AA program.

Reviewing our defects daily, we often realize that we are on the

wrong path. Due to the nature of the alcoholic, which generally
allows these situations to reach their ultimate limit, it is
necessary to correct it urgently when this discovery is made.

It is not surprising that we find ourselves on the wrong path,

what matters is to return to the right path. Daily inventory is
essential for this requirement.

We consider the following list of some of the “deviant positions”

to be appropriate so that all members can recognize them:

1. When we have forgotten that we are alcoholics, that we

have a nervous system incapable of resisting the narcotic effect
of alcohol.

2. When complacency leaves us unprepared, allowing

resentment and intolerance to creep back into our lives.

3. When we diminish the practice of honesty, humility, and

restitution.

4. When we get cocky about our successes in AA and we

cease our contact with God.

5. When we are not interested in new members and feel

uncomfortable helping them.

6. When we demand authority and expect our sobriety to be

praised.

7. When boredom sets in.

The Little Red Book of AA

8. When we started missing AA meetings

9. When we stopped studying the Big Book.

When the inventory reveals that we have any of these symptoms

we are at risk of drinking. Self-centeredness is our serious
problem.

The antidote is a quick review of our alcoholism. We must pray

for renewed interest; read the Big Book; talk about AA with
members; attend more sessions; help in any way we can;
consider that our alcoholism has been stopped but will never be
cured; give ourselves over to the Program; work with new
members; review the miracle God has done in our lives; be
honest and grateful and offer a prayer of thanks; carry the Big
Book with us whenever we go on a trip.

The second part of Step Ten, “admitting our faults sincerely and
spontaneously as we acknowledge them,” should not be taken
lightly. It serves to condition the character. Acknowledgment of a
mistake is not enough, it must be followed by a verbal
admission. According to the requirements of our Program, when
our fault has harmed someone, the appropriate thing to do is to
make amends. The inventory keeps us alert to our responsibility
in this matter.

The member who is sincere will apply this to himself. I will look
for the meaning of “admitting them by recognizing them.”

Recall in Step Five when we admitted to God, to ourselves, and

to another human being the exact nature of our flaws. Let us
remember how we meditated on them in Steps Six and Seven.
Let us remember the vital importance it had for our well-being
then.

It is still of vital importance. We have not changed in that sense

and we will never change. Alcoholism has been stopped, but we
The Little Red Book of AA

have not been cured.

It is not in the nature of the alcoholic to remain unchanged. We

must admit our defects in order to have the feeling of decorum
and dignity that keeps us in the proper spiritual condition that is
necessary to preserve sobriety.

Let's continue doing this daily inventory. When we make a

mistake, let us understand the value of admitting it quickly so
that we stop worrying. Let's admit our mistakes. It's foolish to try
to defend our mistakes and let's try to get rid of that habit.

Compliance with and practice of this Step will allow us to

understand it and develop our ability to practice it. The Tenth
Step will create a mental balance that is extremely useful for a
better spiritual condition that is so necessary in our recovery
from alcoholism.

Let us remember that our “New Personality is NOT compatible

with moral defects or hidden errors.” The Tenth Step makes us
self-analytical and less inclined to criticize others. It keeps us
alert.

When we use our inventories we turn our lives into a farce. To

make real progress we need to take a hard look at ourselves.
We owe it to God, to ourselves and to our families. We need to
think like sober men in order to live soberly.

The inventory will help us determine the degree of success we

are achieving in AA. It will allow us to know the state we are in
and will help keep it satisfactory.

ABSTRACT:- There is nothing more important for the recovery

of an alcoholic than maintaining his sobriety. The Tenth Step
provides us with a means for that preservation. It is a simple and
effective way to probe the dangerous waters of mental
drunkenness and locate reservations, thoughts, moods and
The Little Red Book of AA

actions that can lead us back to physical drunkenness. Self-

centeredness remains a horrible danger. We safeguard our daily
sobriety by frequent mental reviews of our conduct and our
willingness to admit our mistakes. We make a daily habit of
mental inventory. It will reveal much to us about our negative
thoughts and willful behavior, so that we can correct them
according to the dictates of our conscience.

If we end the day with a review of our emotional behavior and

the way we treat others, we can correct both our whims and our
faults.

Admitting our faults brings us both psychological and spiritual

benefits. It complements our personal inventory. The continued
practice of the Tenth Step vivifies our consciousness, making it
alert to the knowledge of our need for God's help and Divine
sublimation in our wills.

ELEVENTH STEP

We seek, through prayer and meditation, to improve our

conscious contact with God, as we understand Him, asking
Him to enlighten us so that we can fulfill His Will.

This step can be divided into three parts. Let us first consider the
part that indicates the need for prayer and meditation to improve
our understanding of God; our contact with Him. A prayer for
improvement? Contact with God and knowledge of His Will as
well as the physical, mental and spiritual energy to fulfill it.
Everything requires the coordinated effort of our faculties.

Knowledge of the need for this Step is based on the experience

of AA members, some of whom have demonstrated that it is
possible to forget that one has not been cured of alcoholism.
They have confused recovery with healing and therefore, after a
few months of sobriety, have deemed the practice of AA
Philosophy unnecessary. They have overlooked the fact that the
The Little Red Book of AA

human mind is not constituted to remember the pain and sorrow

suffered as a result of our illness. They go too far in accepting
their personality change as a fact, assuming that once it has
been made, it will remain that way.

In a time of tremendous need, God's help was needed, but that

is a time past for them. Today they say, “We will never drink
again” or “We don’t even think about it.” They are exposed and
their spiritual contacts and service diminish.

A categorical attitude towards the permanence of sobriety is

laudable but is only recommended when applied to every
twenty-four hour period.

Having no desire or intention to ever drink again is a good state

of mind for a new member. It is our ambition, it is a state of mind
for which we should be thankful, but it is one which too often
fosters a complacency which may bring us trouble, unless God
is given due credit for the sobriety we enjoy.

When complacency sets in, we are prone to forget the part God
has played in bringing about our recovery. We overlook the fact
that our nervous system is still that of an alcoholic. We seem to
forget that as alcoholics, we are susceptible to moods and
emotions that we previously calmed with alcohol. Complacency
confuses the knowledge that our recovery from alcoholism was
granted to us by a Higher Power and that without contact with
God, a return to our old, low physical and spiritual levels is likely.

Cooperation with a Higher Power has lifted us out of the

alcoholic groove. Step Eleven is a Conservation Step, designed
to keep us out of that rut and to keep us calm.

It keeps us spiritually active and in a harmonious relationship

with God. It protects us against the dulling of inspiration that
appears as our alcohol problems diminish.
The Little Red Book of AA

Understanding this situation and knowing that members

sometimes stray from the spiritual path is our first line of
defense. We strengthen this defense by always keeping in mind
first of all that we are really only enjoying the daily suspension of
a sentence to which we are condemned; that the possibility of
such suspensions is subject to our spiritual conditions.

(See Chapter 6 of the book “Alcoholics Anonymous”)

The bitter experiences of members who insist on learning the

easy way, of backsliders who returned to drinking, attest to the
truth of this statement.

Their difficulties invariably begin with forgetting the practice of

prayer. They grow very slowly as they abandon their conscious
contact with God and stop serving others.

The understanding we have reached above of God's help points

us to the fact that this help can serve us in the future for even
better purposes. A sure conscious way of increasing it and
improving our contact with God is possible through simple
prayers of sincere gratitude. Meditate on the help given by Him,
recognize its origin and be sincere in thanking Him for
understanding your alcohol problem and the strength He has
given you to overcome that problem. He has made a miracle
manifest in our lives. We have been freed from alcohol and the
compulsion to drink. We have acquired sobriety and are
enjoying its benefits. Through this miracle we have regained our
physical health and mental normality, achieving self-esteem, in
our homes and among our friends.

It is our prerogative and our obligation to safeguard and protect

this miracle. It was accomplished through humility, faith, and
prayer as we diligently sought to understand and fulfill His Will.

Prayers of thanksgiving are especially good for alcoholics. They

destroy selfishness and awaken us to the real values of life.
The Little Red Book of AA

Try to communicate with God through gratitude. He renews our

faith by answering that kind of prayer. We need continued
experience in the practice of selfless prayer to offset the spiritual
debt that alcoholism has charged to our account.

Naturally, each member will have his or her own way of

improving conscious contact with God, but if there are no
prayers of gratitude in it, this way should be applied including
these prayers. It is wiser to ask for something you need after
having acknowledged and been grateful for what you have
received previously.

Prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with

God seem easier when we are calm, serene (when we put aside
stubbornness, fear and resentment) and in harmony with those
around us. It is therefore advisable to consider the importance of
calm and physical and mental tranquility in regard to prayer and
to discuss them more broadly as stabilizers of the restless
nature of the alcoholic.

It must be kept in mind that the Twelve Steps may lead many of
us to recognize our need for spiritual help, but they do not draw
our attention to the fact that we may be abusing our physical and
mental energy. Tranquility of body and mind and the surrender
of our will to God are undoubtedly necessary before we can
successfully devote ourselves to meditation and prayer.

We owe God humility and respect, and we demonstrate this by

freeing ourselves, for the moment, from material considerations,
self-pity, fear or anxiety, and giving Him all our attention.

It is beneficial for us to understand the value of keeping our

bodies healthy and maintaining balance and composure.

The alcoholic is prone to a restless disposition that tends to

over-activity; not only has he demonstrated this by his
unrestrained drinking, but he has also given proof of his
The Little Red Book of AA

intemperance in many other ways. We therefore recommend

that meditation and prayer help to keep calm, and suggest that a
moment of peace is beneficial for every alcoholic.

(See Chapter 6 of the Big Book)

The habit of staying calm during the quiet times in each day is
exactly what we need. Prominent medical authorities agree with
this.

The intervals of calm will be determined by our moods and

mental activities and by our reactions to fear, anger, fatigue,
emotional tension and the oppression we feel due to acute
nervous tension.

The evil effects of these things on the mental condition of the

alcoholic are decisive regulators of conduct. They constitute a
risk that hinders their chances of recovery. These are the things
we used to remedy by drinking. We cannot ignore them now and
at the same time expect to function normally or acquire that
sense of mental and spiritual efficiency that would bring us
serenity.

TREATMENT:- We try to temporarily suspend all physical or

mental activity, we try to relax all the muscles in our body; then
we close our minds to the worries and anxieties that surround
us.

What are we thinking about? Alone in tranquility. So we will let

go of our cares and turn to God with this simple prayer: Thy will
be done.

For how long do we do this? Judge for yourself. If necessary, it

can be a matter of minutes. However, we know from experience
that even thirty seconds of complete physical and mental
tranquility can serve the desired purpose. It's simple. Take the
test. We owe it to ourselves and we owe it to those around us.
The Little Red Book of AA

Our contact with God can hardly be complete without that.

In the second part of this Step we ask God, through prayer, to

enlighten us to know what His Will is. This knowledge will allow
us to make proper use of our will, which seems to be linked to
self-denial and the good will to serve others.

AA members Suddenly they ask themselves: What is the will of

God and how am I going to know it by my own will? In AA God's
will for an alcoholic is to be sober. Other aspects include
conscious contact with Him, Faith, Prayer, Honesty and Humility.
But, day by day, sobriety is the first among the essence of His
Will for us. Members must quickly realize that the AA Philosophy
It is not a religion

AA has a practical therapy to stop alcoholism. The practice of

the Twelve Steps is in no way in conflict with any religion. It does
not ask for fidelity to be shared with it, just as medical therapy
does not ask for the treatment of an illness.

The will of God would be more easily understood if there were

no one in the world to consider but ourselves.

We would not lie to ourselves as we do in the present

circumstances; deception would not only be unnecessary but
impossible. We could not commit adultery and there would be no
excuse or occasion to lead a double life.

Under those circumstances, getting drunk would not harm

anyone but ourselves. Moral values would be completely
changed, making sin impossible unless we completely denied
God. The nature of our prayers would bear little resemblance to
those we offer today. The main need we would have from God
then would be that of a personal contact with Him to
compensate for loneliness, to ward off danger, to cure illness
and to establish security in the world beyond.
The Little Red Book of AA

A way of life that focused so much on oneself would be

incredibly boring. We would long for the company of other
human beings; to have someone with whom to share our lives,
to whom to share our sorrows and to whom to help. Our
successes and setbacks would mean little if we had no one to
share them with. Man's happiness emanates from faith in

God, from human company, from a desire to live and let live.
God made it this way and He could not accomplish His purpose
any other way. Fortunately, we are not alone in this world but
are one among millions, who depend entirely on each other for
the necessities of life and for the peace of mind that makes life
worth living.

We therefore deduce that our understanding of God's will begins

with the surrender of our will to Him, and with acts of charity,
love and service to others. Our spiritual awakening depends on
our personality change. It is the result of giving up stubbornness;
admitting our mistakes; charitable acts that benefit others at the
expense of our time and money; making restitution. It has only
been when we have been engaged in thought and activities of
this nature that we have deeply felt the presence of God, or
have come closer to the knowledge of His Will. We obtain the
answer to our prayer with minimal effort when we are engaged
in spiritual missions of help and service. When our conscience
guides us. When we forgive and are understanding. Our efforts
in this regard, aided by faith and prayer to guide us, will bring us
closer to God.

The daily practice of the Alcoholics Anonymous Program keeps

us close to the material and spiritual needs of humanity. There is
much that can be done in this regard and as long as we are
interested in working towards it, we do so. We are acquiring the
best that can be done, a knowledge of God's will, through the
practice of faith, honesty, and selfless service.

The AA A person who is trying to fulfill God's will in his daily life
should never be discouraged when he is criticized at home or by
The Little Red Book of AA

other colleagues, as long as his motives are sincere and

constructive. If he is wrong, he admits it and tries to have a
greater understanding of God's will. Persevere. You have to
keep your faith in what you are doing and in prayer.

Appreciation of the above is necessary for all members. None of

us should object to the work of another unless we know the
motive is outside the will of God.

Criticism, even when not indicated, should be constructive in

nature. When offered, it should be with the intention of
cooperating and not a result of resentment or envy.

Older members take steps and support systems that are

generally sound and sound, as they are based on understanding
of past experiences. The new member may question these
measures and methods because he does not understand them,
and this may lead him to take a permanent attitude against what
you suggest he adopt.

We are therefore warned against objecting to the acts of any

member until we know the motive which prompted him, until we
know that he is wrong. If he is right, we could easily be objecting
to God's will. Our purposes are to conform to it. Never oppose it.
The third part of this Step relates to prayer to have the power to
fulfill God's Will. This is a prayer for Mental Efficiency, Spiritual
Strength and Physical Endurance.

We have to earn the power we seek by first improving our

efficiency. Mental energy, spiritual strength and physical
endurance are not granted until we have the capacity to have
them. We can pray for them and we should do so, but it is not
possible to have them just by asking for them. They must be
earned through honest effort.

Power is developed as we give up self-centeredness and

through prayer and meditation: “We Improve Our Conscious
The Little Red Book of AA

Contact with God” when we forgive and help others.

We can't live their lives but we can help them help themselves.
Our interest will urge them to renew their efforts. As we help
your progress, we enrich our resource capacity. As we help
them develop their strength we will unconsciously be devising
ways and means to gain new power and understanding of
ourselves.

It is not wise to pray selfishly for power, or with resentment,

envy, or self-pity in our hearts. God liberally gives help to honest
alcoholics who try to live according to the AA Program. The only
thing that limits this assistance are reservations and indifference
in the implementation of the programme. Members who faithfully
follow the Twelve Steps, to the best of their ability, should pray
frequently. God will answer your selfless prayers.

Sometimes our way of thinking becomes self-centered. We try to

force events. We confuse our will with the will of God and
through sheer willpower we achieve certain goals. It soon
becomes clear what the true origin of this power is. We find
ourselves in disagreement with another member. We lose that
feeling that comes from achievement. We lack the proper
inspiration. We are neither appreciated nor understood. We do
things that give us no satisfaction and are of no particular use to
others. When this happens we can be sure that the power we
are producing has no relationship to a Power greater than
ourselves.

This comparison can safely be used as a pattern to determine

the origin and quality of our power.

When our efforts do not bring us any inspiration or happiness, it

is certain that we are not in agreement with God or with those
around us. We must immediately apply the Tenth Step. It will be
very helpful to admit our mistakes and pray for spiritual help.
This must be followed by a service performed directly to
someone. God grants power to those whose lives are a conduit
The Little Red Book of AA

of His Will. This takes us out of the driver's seat and back to the
AA Program.

We all suffer from spiritual apathy and from misusing our

emotional energy. Perhaps we need to restore spiritual balance
by returning to practicing Step Five. Paradoxically, the
alcoholic's emotions either shape or destroy him. It seems to be
necessary for us to know its constructive use.

There is a practical solution to our emotional problems - a

procedure which corresponds to the intelligent application of
facts which science has provided.

Experience teaches us what role our emotional behavior has

played in acquiring and maintaining our alcoholic condition. It is
generally agreed that feelings of hatred, blame, resentment, self-
pity, jealousy, intolerance, and other such manifestations of
emotion or feeling prolonged and seriously aggravated the
unhealthy conduct of our compulsive drinking.

Psychology teaches us that emotions and feelings are sources

of energy. Examples of this energy are found in the emotions of
sex, fear, anger and love. It also teaches us that man must have
this energy to function physically and mentally. Without it it
would be abnormal.

He also informs us that without the impulse of emotional energy

man would be a helpless and impotent creature. He would lack
the necessary capacity to undertake the daily routine of life. I
wouldn't think, I wouldn't take a step. I would be a still
practitioner. Nothing but his reflected action would remain in
him.

The simple deductions that can be made from these facts are
that the alcoholic has overlooked the value of controlling
appropriate emotional energy. You have used the energy of
negative destructive power at the expense of positive creative
The Little Red Book of AA

power.

Obviously, the impulse derived from sex, fear and anger has
been used instinctively. Ironically we have subjugated our will to
them to the detriment of our spiritual well-being. We have not
taken time to form a mental picture of our inability to withstand
the demands of such devastating energy. We have overlooked a
greater source of energy than we are capable of producing:
Love.

Human energy reaches its highest level and is in its most

constructive form when the mind and body are activated by this
meritorious emotion.

It is reasonable to believe, therefore, that the power to fulfill

God's will must come from the inspiration and energy found in
the emotion of love. Love that encompasses God and our fellow
men. Serve them and appreciate them.

ABSTRACT.- We outlined a defined 24-hour discipline for our

emotional behavior. We begin each day with a moment of quiet,
praying for our freedom from self-centeredness, fear, and
dishonesty. We plan our day, we ask to know what God's will is,
we ask for Divine direction so that we can make the right
decisions. Our prayers must be selfless and for the good of
others.

Every night we would inventory our activities for that day. We

admit the harm we have caused. We ask God for forgiveness
and consult Him about any repairs that need to be made, closing
the day with a prayer of gratitude for His help in our sobriety.

(This summary is made from the discussion of the 11th step in

Chapter 6 of the book “Alcoholics Anonymous.”)

TWELFTH STEP
The Little Red Book of AA

Having experienced a spiritual awakening as a result of

these Steps, we tried to carry this message to other
alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our
actions.

(See the “How it Works” Chapter in Book AA)

The purpose of this interpretation is to expose the operating

mechanics of the Eleventh Step. All the references we make are
from a trustworthy source: The Book “Alcoholics Anonymous”.

This Step is understood and practiced simply by studying the

three parts into which it can be divided.

PART ONE:- “Having experienced a spiritual awakening as a

result of these Steps.”

Since this is an interpretation of established AA concepts It

would be inconsistent to mince words when it comes to spiritual
values, or to withhold the fact that spiritual awakening is an
essential part of our recovery.

Providentially for us, at least six of the Twelve Steps are spiritual
in nature. Knowing the fallacies of the alcoholic way of thinking,
it is inconceivable that we could recover from alcoholism without
inspiration that depends on a Power greater than our own. We
receive this inspiration and come to know God by living the
Twelve Steps.

Without the spiritual principles of the Twelve Steps there could

be no AA. Instead of what it is, it would be a group of grumpy
alcoholics, temporarily not drinking and living in a perpetual state
of mental drunkenness.

Lacking the benefit of spiritual influence, the jungle law of the

alcoholic's resentful way of thinking would take over and drive
each member back into the insanity of alcoholism. Our sobriety
The Little Red Book of AA

requires a change of personality. We achieved this in the form of

a spiritual awakening as a result of living the AA Program.

Do we really have a spiritual awakening or is it chance, fear,

stubbornness or alcoholic rationalization that keeps us sober? If
it is the latter, then what is it that fills us with enthusiasm and
desire to carry this message to other alcoholics?

Who gives us the power to stop drinking and to help other

alcoholics to stop, to say nothing of our desire to help them?
What gives them the power to acquire and transmit the miracle
of sobriety? Is it possible for an alcoholic to curb the physical
“allergy” and mental obsession of alcoholism by his own power?
We don't think so. Medicine agrees that it is not. Alcoholics who
try to disprove this theory end up getting drunk.

Obviously, there are only two answers to these theories. First:

Those who accept and try to live all Twelve Steps rarely fail in
AA. Second: Those who ignore the spiritual principles of the
Steps rarely succeed.

Obviously, we need spiritual help to acquire the mental stability

conducive to the sobriety we want to enjoy.

A survey of several hundred AA members revealed many

interesting opinions concerning the relationship of their spiritual
awakening to their sobriety. Only members with one year or
more of sobriety were approached.

The following questions were asked to the members in a casual

manner:

1. Have you had a spiritual awakening?

2. Was it vital to your recovery?

3. When did it take place?

The Little Red Book of AA

4. Can you define it?

(These questions can be asked in a Group session. Encourage

an excellent type of discussion).

Of those interviewed, most agreed that they had undergone a

profound personality change for the better. Only two people
claimed to have experienced revolutionary spiritual
transformations. Those in both groups acknowledged the
importance of a personality change to their sobriety and saw
evidence of a spiritual awakening in their willingness to accept
God's help in facing the problems of a life of sobriety. Few of the
members could remember when their spiritual awakening had
taken place. Many times it had been those closest to them who
had noticed it first. Some could not define their conscious
contact with God, but each of them claimed to have enough to
stay sober.

Their experiences began with surrendering their character

defects to “God as they understood Him” and progressed as
they trusted in Him instead of alcohol and self. The opinions
regarding spiritual awakening that were collected among
members from various countries had common denominators of
faith, dedication, humility, tolerance and love. They cannot be
classified in any order of importance. Each one was important to
the one who issued it.

These are some of his convictions. “I sincerely believe I had a

spiritual awakening when:

1. “I realized that something had kept me away from that first

drink.” When I let go of my previous skepticism about God and
gained more faith in AA, when I felt gratitude and humbly
expressed it to “God, as I understood Him.”

2. “I attended an AA session "In which I was impressed by the

talk of a member who had been a member for six months, who
The Little Red Book of AA

was only content with a satisfactory abstinence." “His willingness

to come clean got me thinking. I had been sober for two years
but this didn't make me happy. The next day I put Step Five into
practice with a sympathetic clergyman. “That was the beginning
of my spiritual awakening.”

3. “My faculty of understanding enabled me to realize that there

must have been an operating power within me, apart from my
physical being, which had given me sobriety and peace of mind,
both at the same time.”

4. “The first time I realized the things I had that deserved

gratitude, and that I cared enough about

“It was through the needs of others that, by relying on a Higher

Power, I remained sober and regained confidence in myself.”

5. “I voluntarily accept my own concept of God; not someone

else's ideas, but my own concept.”

6. “I went to AA seeking help and I was treated with friendship

and understanding by my new friends.”

7. “I fully admitted my powerlessness as an alcoholic and

realized that it would take a power other than my own to save
me from insanity or death as a result of alcoholism. My
awakening was gradual, with each of the “Steps” contributing its
part to it.

8. “At the end of my first month of being in AA A moment took

hold of me tremendous compulsion for
drink. Being already in a
canteen, I asked God for help. I received it immediately. I left
of that place without having drunk not
even a glass and with
gratitude in the heart.”
The Little Red Book of AA

9. “After trying to live according to the spiritual principles of the

Twelve Steps, I became convinced that I had accomplished my
first honest day of work and that I had really tried to make it a
worthwhile day. It was then that I realized that I had not been
alone.”

10. “After the decision I made in Step Three, I began to take

inventory to realize what was keeping me distanced from the
God of my childhood. My awakening must have taken place
when I discovered my conscience when I heard it and used it as
a decision factor to judge between what is right and what is
wrong.”

11. “I was able to see the point of view of others and take into
account their faults, as well as admit my own; when I began to
pray for their well-being as well as my own.”

12. “I started making repairs. My first effort was well received

and gave me a wonderful feeling of satisfaction and well-being. I
suspect the origin of this was spiritual. But when I was on the
verge of being thrown out of a guy's office and when the next
time I didn't lose my temper, I knew that it was God's will and not
my own that was guiding me.”

The results of this survey did not reveal that time was the
essence of a spiritual awakening, nor did the speed with which it
occurred have any connection with its depth or quality.

Some members experienced it early on. For others, it took

weeks to months of effort and association in AA. before
awakening to an inner sense of God's presence. But no matter
how long these awakenings took place or how deep they were,
all alcoholics had them as they became aware of their character
defects and became willing to be delivered from them by “God
as they understood Him.”

Were these experiences pure fantasy? It can hardly be so.

The Little Red Book of AA

Sobriety and peace of mind only came after faith and

dependence on God's will.

It takes time for the newcomer to discern a spiritual awakening

in his way of living according to AA. That is why our founders
advised that “you and the new man must walk, day by day,
along the path of spiritual progress.”

(See Chapter 7 of the Big Book)

Few members realize the need for, or know the importance of,
the AA Spiritual Program. for the daily maintenance of your
sobriety. Lost in the disorienting labyrinth of their alcoholic
dilemma, they think only of escaping the physical and mental
agony of their drinking. The quality of their sobriety does not
seem important to them at first.

When I entered AA, it was difficult to picture in my mind any goal

beyond miserable abstinence. The compulsive way of drinking
had us in a bind. We couldn't live without alcohol, and yet life
seemed impossible without it. AA It gave us sobriety, but there
were conditions for that. It came in a “Spiritual Package” that
some of us refused to accept.

This was not surprising, since for many years we had been at
odds with God's will. Speaking to older members, we were
advised to stop taking ourselves so seriously and familiarize
ourselves with the Program before starting to write it again.

We were told that personalities did not change overnight and

that we needed to be more open-minded and patient in working
out the many details of our recovery.

Later, we understood that the Twelve Steps helped us

progressively achieve that goal. As we began to live by them
regularly, they broke down the mental barriers of prejudice and
stubbornness that we had erected between God and ourselves.
The Little Red Book of AA

Over time, this way of living brought about an awakening that

opened our eyes and gave us an entirely new view of the true
values of life.

We must strive to attain this life-giving experience and be able to

order our existence around it. Losing that help only strengthens
the problems that have defeated us. Alcoholics who serve only
themselves instead of God have all kinds of difficulties. They
easily fall prey to mental or physical intoxication, and usually
both.

Occasionally members lull themselves into a false sense of

security through periods of sobriety gained through group
association but without spiritual help.

For us, this is a misstep. It seems to be what is needed but it

fails when it comes to resolutely facing adversity, resentment or
the vehement physical desire for alcohol.

Daily spiritual development driven by a desperate need for help

is the surest protection against these impulses. The help of God,
plus group association, are auxiliaries to this necessary
development. These are the requirements for a successful life
as an anonymous alcoholic. They tend to make us satisfied with
living without alcohol.

It does not take a gifted mind to determine the source of the

power we use to arrest our alcoholism. The evidence of spiritual
change in our lives is seen in almost every one of our thoughts
and actions. What else but a spiritual awakening could sublimate
our fear, resentment and dishonesty? What else could suppress
our mental obsession and our vehement physical longing to
drink?

There should be no difficulty in recognizing the essence of a

spiritual awakening in the sobriety we enjoy, in the responsibility
we assume daily, in attitudes of forgiveness, in the restitutions
The Little Red Book of AA

we make, in the willingness to admit our mistakes, in the self-

denial of our concern for helping other alcoholics and others less
fortunate than ourselves.

The spiritual aspects of our lives become even more compelling

when we find that these things are done without thought of
personal prestige or material gain.

But the result of a spiritual way of living is never without reward.

God distributes dividends, not in worldly currency, but in the
serenity of a divine stamp.

The benefits of living according to the Eleventh Step increase

when we share them with others. We are wise when we share
them because we cannot eliminate the spiritual gifts of AA and
have sobriety at the same time.

Every valuable thought we put into practice brings us one step

closer to God. All Twelve Steps lead to awareness of God's
presence. They are the means by which we achieve conscious
contact with HIM.

They rise as bulwarks between us and the lives of despair and

drunkenness. By practicing them we acquire the priceless jewel
of sobriety. This is ours to hold, as long as we are willing to
share it with other alcoholics who are sincerely seeking help.

PART TWO:- “We try to carry this message to other alcoholics.”

Trying to carry the AA message To alcoholics who seek our

help, it seems like a mandate from a Higher Power to the
members of our fellowship. It is the premise on which AA was
founded.

By providing this service we immunize ourselves against

drinking that first glass. We help drinkers who have lost all hope
of recovering from their alcoholic condition to regain faith in God
The Little Red Book of AA

and physical health. This spiritual gift does not have to be

denied.

God has entrusted to us this special gift of recovery for sick

alcoholics, which they have refused to all other people. This gift
has not been given to the educator, nor the doctor, nor the
clergyman, but it has been given to us so that we might justify
our right to lead normal, sober lives by helping other alcoholics
recover from their illness.

Assuming this responsibility to carry the message, we do not

consider it presumptuous to suggest a general plan for
sponsoring newcomers to AA.

The following suggestions are based on the guidelines found in

Chapter 7 of the book “Alcoholics Anonymous” and on the
experience of AA members. who have been successful in
following these guidelines.

We have learned from your experience that a true understanding

of our obligation in regard to the Tenth Step must be very broad
to encompass its purpose. For identification purposes, it is
convenient to distinguish between the daily acts aimed at
carrying the message and the more complex obligations of
sponsorship referred to in the Big Book under the title of
“Working with Others.” The latter concerns human life and
happiness, and those members who are capable of doing so are
best able to take charge of it.

Looking at the issue from this point of view, we can quickly see
that the sponsoring member carries the message, but that a
member can carry the message without actually sponsoring
another alcoholic. In fact, much more time is spent on this kind
of AA activities. than the one dedicated to sponsorship.

This is good for our group. It provides something to do for

everyone including the newcomer who may feel too
The Little Red Book of AA

inexperienced to be of any use.

There are many other ways to carry the message besides

sponsorship. The following list contains some of these activities.

1. The most compelling message we can bring to the alcoholic

is our example of sobriety.

2. Accompany older members on their visits to the new

member they are sponsoring.

3. The example of regularly attending AA sessions (Assist

to the sessions of other AA Groups)

4. Visit members who are in the hospital.

5. Talking to newcomers on the phone.

6. Friendly discussions with members after sessions, especially

with newcomers and those who have difficulty following the
program.

7. Owning a copy of the book “Alcoholics Anonymous”.

Encouraging others to buy their own and study it to gain better
knowledge of AA

8. By making our copy available to others and distributing our

literature to interested people.

9. Assuming the duties and obligations that help our group.

10. Talking to relatives or other people associated with

alcoholics who are drinking. Explaining to them that alcoholism
is a disease and how we can stop it in AA

11. Telling doctors, clergy, educators, employers, and civil

The Little Red Book of AA

authorities, if we know them well, about AA to further the cause

of AA, or to help another alcoholic.

12. Speaking in other groups, or leading the session in our own.

13. By devoting a reasonable portion of our time, energy and

money to our group.

14. With our obvious belief that we have received help from a
Higher Power.

15. Living according to AA

SPONSORSHIP.- “Working with other alcoholics.”

Sponsorship represents in AA The essential thing is to give,

through this fraternal action, to people who enjoy a temporary
suspension from the danger of insanity or death due to
alcoholism; they share their recovery with others who are willing
to avoid the same penalty. This action is not entirely charitable,
because withholding aid means losing his own reprieve.

Sponsorship, a dynamic factor in AA growth, meets three

defined requirements:

1. It helps us maintain our sobriety.

2. Help others curb their alcoholism.

3. Destroy complacency and progressively renew the ranks of

our group

The principle of working with others is sound, as found in the

everlasting axiom: “GIVE AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE.”

The work of the “Twelfth Step” integrates our personalities and

helps spiritual development. We cannot play the role of a good
The Little Red Book of AA

counselor every day, hiding our actions in anonymity, without

ultimately becoming better people because of it.

In the same way, we gain many spiritual blessings as we

selflessly give our time and expertise to suffering alcoholics.
These rewards are intangible but of inestimable value when they
bring us peace of mind, self-esteem and sobriety.

The Big Book really emphasizes our need to carry the message
when it says, “This is an experience you should not miss.”
Sponsorship fills our need for active service and helps us stay
sober.

Members seeking to provide this service are faced with this

complex question:

What do we do to be able to sponsor as best we can? AA does

not have a definite answer. Everyone has to plan their own
system. The result is indecision and often conflicting views about
the proper procedure.

There are many procedures, both good and bad, among which
we can discern the proper course to follow. Some godparents
take their tolerance to a harmful degree of indulgence. Some are
evangelizers. There are those of the “Little by Little” type who
are satisfied simply by taking their candidates to a session.
Others are more demanding. They only work with “True
Alcoholics” and insist that their candidates cooperate fully with
them in trying to understand and practice the Twelve Steps of
AA.

This apparent lack of set rules, or a unified plan for working with
others, would be extremely discouraging to a member who had
never sponsored before without a good source of knowledge of
how to do it and practical experience to draw on.

Fortunately, no member need be confused or unfamiliar with the

The Little Red Book of AA

mechanics of sponsorship if he or she studies the Big Book. This

contains all the answers. They can be found in the chapters
titled “Working with Others,” “The Doctor’s Opinion,” “A Vision
for You,” “There is a Solution,” and “The Family Afterward.”

It is not difficult to establish a successful sponsorship procedure

if we follow the instructions given in these chapters. We don't
need to accept it on faith alone. We can safely draw on the
experience of our Founders who have in the AA Fellowship
proof that the plan works.

Following his guidance wholeheartedly and drawing heavily on

his experience, we present this guide to sponsorship intended to
be helpful to those who work with alcoholics.

The Godfather: An honest interpretation of the Twelfth Step

allows for no alteration of its principles. The simple phraseology
of this Step denotes its intent. Outlines the requirements that a
godfather must meet. Identify the people we work with and then
indicate a way of life that will make us fit for future sponsorship.

The first requirements for sponsorship are: Sobriety and a

Change of Personality based on some operative concept of the
will of God. We meet these requirements by living according to
the Twelve Steps. Then a knowledge of the Alcoholics
Anonymous Program, and the purpose of the Twelfth Step, is
required. This is achieved by working with a special group of
people, namely Alcoholics.

Following this plan brings good success with our candidates. By

deviating from it we cause failure and headaches in AA. Some
say we are tested every time we sponsor. The life of a
newcomer and his future in AA They could easily depend on our
sobriety and the way we share with other alcoholics.

Working with others is always a serious matter for our Society

and for the candidate. First, they expect advice from us to help
The Little Red Book of AA

them solve their drinking problems and then from the AA

Program. for the rehabilitation of their lives.

Younger members can prepare for sponsorship by carefully

studying the seventh and other chapters of the AA Big Book.

Bill had little success with alcoholics until he and Dr. Bob began
working together. Double sponsorship is equally important
today.

Its advantages include the following: Preparation,

Double Security, Efficiency, Good Presentation and better
continuation of the initial effort.

From a preparation standpoint, two members can plan and

pursue a course of action better than one. In pairs, we reduce
the element of danger and provide work for a younger member.
The candidate receives two points of view from AA The
continuation of the initial effort is more complete.

One member, one of the oldest and with a history of success in

his work with other alcoholics, never sponsors alone. Always call
a new one and insist that they both read Chapter Seven before
visiting, except in cases of emergency. The result has been
beneficial for both the candidate and the new member, who in
turn regulates his future sponsorship procedure according to this
practice.

Literally, a Godfather is someone who voluntarily agrees to take

responsibility for another's fault. AA's interpretation It differs in
that we undertake to help the newly arrived alcoholic, through
indoctrination into a new way of life, to take responsibility for his
own fault.

Among us, those of us who sponsor improve the pattern of our

procedure with each new experience. There are many things to
learn about helping the “Alcoholic Who Still Suffers.” This is first
The Little Red Book of AA

of all to know the quality of our own sobriety.

We must be scrupulous about our own development in this

regard, since it is impossible to share with another something
that we do not possess.

On the contrary, even if we are sufficiently qualified, we cannot

share with alcoholics who reject our help. There is no point in
trying to do so. We left them for a while but left the door to AA
open so that they can return, if they change their mind.

Considering this aspect of sponsorship, it would seem that

prospective members have to meet certain requirements in
order to enter our group. This is the case, but the requirements
are very limited. For the alcoholic, “the only indispensable
requirement for being a member of AA is the desire to stop
drinking.” There are other requirements for membership in
certain groups, but the main requirement is the same for all of
them.

Another significant aspect of sponsorship, in which several

members can carry the message, is to form new groups to work
with other groups that are weaker. We need this kind of service
which, in turn, strengthens us by providing our members with a
constructive outlet for their latent AA energies.

Although the benefits of working with another are mutually

shared by the sponsor and the candidate (whether an individual
or a group), we rarely think of ourselves when we make a visit to
“carry the Message.”

We often tell newcomers that it is vitally important for us to help

them, but in reality, their well-being is our primary concern at
that moment.

This is a cardinal virtue of sponsorship. It is the momentary loss

of egocentrism. This attitude, engendered by the desire to share
The Little Red Book of AA

our recovery with other alcoholics, is a sign of healthy

development in AA. As we share, we grow in AA stature, and we
increase our chances for a happy, sober life.

Every AA member is a potential sponsor and most members

aspire to be successful sponsors.

Our great ambition is to help alcoholics recover from their

illness. Success often rewards our efforts, but we are never
discouraged when the candidate does not cooperate. It takes a
lot of visits before you find an alcoholic who is desperate enough
to accept AA. Our duty is to find them. How is this achieved?
Where can they be located?

Locating the alleged members. Any progressive AA group You

can easily establish a harmonious plan that is satisfactory for
locating AA candidates. and to work constructively with them in
the future. Such a plan is explicitly outlined in Chapter Seven of
the Big Book. Those members who mutually accept him as an
authoritative guide for sponsorship are sensible. In this way they
work by uniting with each member, having at their disposal the
same source of experience as our founder. There are many
ways you can find new members. The wide dissemination of
what AA is provides us with telephone and written contacts. This
important service has contributed to the considerable growth of
our group. The value that it has is established, but the members
who depend on it exclusively are going backwards.

Each member has to carry the message for the growth of AA

and to gain personal experience, if we try to continue the series
of references that began with our Founders.

How is this achieved? You can find the answer in the Big Book.
Look in the Chapter titled “Working with Others” for the part that
says: “You may not know any drinkers who want to recover. You
can easily find some by asking doctors and clergy, or at a
hospital.”
The Little Red Book of AA

Good public relations are established as a result of such efforts

and over time requests for help begin for real alcoholics who
need AA.

We are the ones who benefit the most from these calls because
we have contributed to their being made.

Informing doctors, clergy, judges, law enforcement, and industry

executives about the kinds of people AA can help we will avoid
flooding our ranks with the uncomfortable preponderance of
non-alcoholics.

Inquiries made by relatives of alcoholics are often overlooked as

a means of locating new candidates. The fact that the alcoholic
wants nothing to do with AA It does not prevent us from carrying
the message to the relatives who are investigating. Those who
ask for it have the right to an explanation of what alcoholic
illness is. We need to tell them about the Twelve Steps and how
the Program will bring satisfactory results to their sick family
member, if he or she accepts it.

They will find a way to make things clear to him. Leave them
some AA literature and will have planted a seed in their minds
that could result in a good future candidate.

Other means of finding candidates for Alcoholics Anonymous

are radio and television.

Tact and good judgment must be exercised in this matter

because it is better not to make any publicity than to make one
that may be harmful to AA. or detract from its dignity and
attractiveness.

In all contacts made within the field of public relations there must
be a full understanding of our principle of anonymity. It is our
obligation to ensure that it is respected.
The Little Red Book of AA

All groups should consider their objectives and motives before

making public an advertising program.

We must protect our individual anonymity. Motives that are

driven by a desire to glorify AA or its members are wrong. Our
Goal is to Serve. Using the principle of attraction we must help
those suffering from alcoholism find their way into AA.

Requirements for Newcomers. Since the Big Book states, “The

only qualification for membership in Alcoholics Anonymous is a
desire to stop drinking,” the sponsor is occasionally prone to
overlook a preliminary requirement for a prospective member.
This requirement can be identified in the part of the Twelfth Step
that says “we try to carry this message to other alcoholics.” Such
is the purpose of sponsorship. We accomplish this when we
bring receptive alcoholics to AA and work with them and their
families until they have recovered sufficiently to stand on their
own feet.

The demands placed on the candidate are few, to be exact,

three in all. However, they are definitive if you hope to recover
from alcoholism through AA. It is imperative that the candidate:

1. Be an alcoholic

2. I want to stop drinking

3. Go to AA looking for help

Abhorrent as the word “requirement” may be to the alcoholic,

godparents who are successful in their work demand that the
newcomer meet these requirements. This saves time and effort,
and prevents AA from getting involved in embarrassing
situations.

This is just the beginning of the requirements that the candidate

has to meet, because once in AA will need to make a
The Little Red Book of AA

determined effort to live according to the Program in order to

achieve lasting sobriety and develop his spiritual qualities for
future sponsorship.

Helpful Tips for Godparents: The following

Suggestions are taken from data found in Chapter Seven of the
Big Book. We trust that they will prove useful as a
supplementary guide to the study of that chapter.

Certainly the most impressive thing we have to offer the

candidate is the example of a sober, happy and purposeful life.

Keep in mind the fact that the candidate is physically, mentally

and spiritually ill and only we can help him recover. Alcoholics
belittle their drinking when they talk about it in front of their
families. Try to talk to them alone, if possible. Additional data
may be provided later by family members. To help him, we need
to know his drinking habits, hobbies, religion, business, financial
situation and what kind of cooperation can be expected from his
family.

If hospitalization is required, help the patient get admitted by

making the necessary arrangements.

We must tell our stories and encourage him to tell his. Without
evangelizing, we will explain how AA operates. how it has
worked for us and how it can work for him. Put emphasis on
anonymity. Say that alcoholism is a disease. Leave him AA
literature if he is interested in her. Suggest that they call you
after reading it. If you think you are an alcoholic and want to join
our fellowship, please make sure you read the Big Book. We
should not push him to enter AA, we should let him be the one to
decide.

The newcomer should learn about the spiritual aspect of AA and

especially, that it is not a religion but his own notion of “God as
he conceives Him.”
The Little Red Book of AA

When the attitude of the newcomer indicates that his willingness

to enter AA is motivated only by his idea of helping his family,
discourage him from this motive. Explain why it won't work. Tell
him that he is the one who is suffering from alcoholism, not his
family members.

The family members of the alcoholic should not be ignored. Tell

them why this AA Program will become part of the candidate's
daily life. Invite them to cooperate. Often their cooperation
motivates indifference between success and failure.

Problems relating to lending money, hosting alcoholics in one's

home, divorce, spiritual development, family disagreements, and
avoiding drinking places are dealt with in Chapter Seven of the
Big Book. It is advisable to study them to be prepared for these
contingencies.

Recognize the sick and lonely condition of the alcoholic. Be

friendly to him, but don't pamper him. Treat your case using
reason. We can take it to the first session, but we must not let
this become a habit. Please emphasize the need to attend the
sessions. Describe the opportunity presented to you as a once-
in-a-lifetime privilege that nothing should cause you to miss. Be
worthy of the candidate's trust. Give him sensible advice. Advise
him to buy the Big Book. See that he studies it so that he can
better understand his new way of living.

Tips for the Newcomer: For best results, consider yourself as a

patient who is in AA to stop his incurable disease. Decide what
you are going to get out of your treatment – as much as you can.
Follow the theory that AA Avoid making unreasonable demands
on your godfather. Never have the idea that by relapsing you will
make him look bad. You will be the one who suffers. You will be
wrong with God, not your godfather.

Buy your Big Book and follow its instructions. It is foolish to try to
recover from alcoholism without a text of instructions on how to
do so.
The Little Red Book of AA

Refrain from weakening the AA Program with Twelfth Step

substitutions or you will dilute it to the point of drunkenness.
Don't take AA lightly. This may be your last chance for sanity
and sobriety. Your decision to live according to the AA Program
is important. Don't put anything first. Approach it with honesty,
humility, tolerance, goodwill and gratitude.

THIRD PART:- “And to practice these principles in all the acts of

our lives.” (See Chapter Five of the book “Alcoholics
Anonymous”). The principles of the Twelve Steps summarize a
way of

a feasible and logical way of living that will restore health,

sobriety and happiness to desperate alcoholic patients. The
thousands of members who have recovered from alcoholism are
living proof that the AA Program It works through daily action,
which is all we should hope for. Experience teaches us that we
cannot go back to drinking normally. Our legacy of sane living is
denied to us until we begin to treat our alcoholism as something
that is physical, mental and spiritual. We receive our legacy
when:

1. We recognize our physical, mental, and spiritual illness, and

work toward recovery.

2. We seek the help of God, as we understand Him, to curb our

spiritual illness.

3. We study and isolate our character defects with a view to

correcting them.

4. We admit these flaws to God and to ourselves and talk about

them with another person.

5. We depend on the Twelve Steps to inspire us with worthy

motives.
The Little Red Book of AA

6. We know the damage our addiction has inflicted on others.

7. We ask God for forgiveness for these acts and make

reparations to those harmed.

8. We acquire the habit of admitting our mistakes and correcting

our character defects.

9. We cultivate better relationships with God and try to fulfill His

Will.

10. We share our experience of recovery with alcoholics who

ask for help.

11. We continually carry the way of life within AA “practicing

these principles in all