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From the books  ...  Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (12 & 12)


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1.
... A.A.   12&12 p.35, Step Three
Already a willingness has been achieved to cast out one's own will and one's own ideas about the alcohol problem in favor of those suggested by A.A.

2.
... A.A.   12&12 p.46, Step Four
They comfort the melancholy one by first showing him that his case is not strange or different, that his character defects are probably not more numerous or worse than those of anyone else in A.A.

3.
... A.A.   12&12 p.117, Step Twelve
Permanent marriage breakups and separations, however, are unusual in A.A.

4.
... A.A.'s.   12&12 p.119, Step Twelve
Some marry fellow A.A.'s.

5.
... A.A.   12&12 p.119, Step Twelve
The considerations are equally true and important for the A.A.'s who marry "outside" A.A.

6.
... A.A.   12&12 p.15, Foreword (Note)
(*) In 2003, it is estimated that over two million have recovered through A.A.

7.
... A.A.   12&12 p.131, Tradition One
Thus has it been with A.A.

8.
... A.A.   12&12 p.135, Tradition Two
They become the real and permanent leadership of A.A.

9.
... A.A.   12&12 p.139, Tradition Three
No matter who you are, no matter how low you've gone, no matter how grave your emotional complications -- even your crimes -- we still can't deny you A.A.

10.
... A.A.   12&12 p.140, Tradition Three
We built a fine-mesh fence right around A.A.

11.
... A.A.   12&12 p.143, Tradition Three
He had at least an idea a minute on how to improve A.A.

12.
... A.A.   12&12 p.153, Tradition Five
It was based foursquare on the single purpose of A.A.

13.
... A.A.   12&12 p.160, Tradition Seven
Probably no A.A.

14.
... A.A.)   12&12 p.163, Tradition Seven
(That was in the period when you couldn't mix money and A.A.)

15.
... A.A.   12&12 p.164, Tradition Seven
Whoever pays the piper is apt to call the tune, and if the A.A.

16.
... A.A."   12&12 p.167, Tradition Eight
Caretakers who swept floors, cooks who fried hamburgers, secretaries in offices, authors writing books -- all these we have seen hotly assailed because they were, as their critics angrily remarked, "making money out of A.A."

17.
... A.A."   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
They weren't asked to speak at A.A. meetings because they were "making money out of A.A."

18.
... A.A.   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
Then we saw that if a hardworking secretary answered the phone dozens of times a day, listened to twenty wailing wives, arranged hospitalization and got sponsorship for ten newcomers, and was gently diplomatic with the irate drunk who complained about the job she was doing and how she was overpaid, then such a person could surely not be called a professional A.A.

19.
... A.A.'s.   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
They are professional secretaries,(*) but they certainly are not professional A.A.'s.

20.
... A.A.!"   12&12 p.170, Tradition Eight
That guy is making money out of A.A.!"

21.
... A.A.   12&12 p.183, Tradition Eleven
This Tradition is a constant and practical reminder that personal ambition has no place in A.A.

22.
... A.A.   12&12 p.191, Tradition Nine (Long)
The trustees of the General Service Board are, in effect, our A.A.

23.
... A.A.   12&12 p.191, Tradition Nine (Long)
They are the custodians of our A.A.

24.
... A.A.   12&12 p.191, Tradition Nine (Long)
Tradition and the receivers of voluntary A.A. contributions by which we maintain our A.A.


25.
... A.A.   BB p.104, To Wives (Note)   Go to page 104 in the Big Book
But many of the suggestions given here may be adapted to help the person who lives with a woman alcoholic -- whether she is still drinking or is recovering in A.A.


26.
... A.A.   BB p.155, A Vision For You (Note)   Go to page 155 in the Big Book
These men later became cofounders of A.A.


27.
... A.A.   BB xi, Preface   Display entire Preface
The second edition added the appendices, the Twelve Traditions, and the directions for getting in touch with A.A.


28.
... A.A. "12 Step" work is never to ...   BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
But our usual A.A. "12 Step" work is never to be paid for.


29.
... A.A.'s "12 Traditions" are seen in their ...   BB p.561(563), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
On the next page, A.A.'s "12 Traditions" are seen in their so-called "short form" the form in general use today.

30.
... A.A. a national institution.   12&12 p.186, Tradition Twelve
Jack Alexander's famous Saturday Evening Post piece made A.A. a national institution.

31.
... A.A. a particle of harm.   12&12 p.178, Tradition Ten
Despite their din, our puny rows never did A.A. a particle of harm.


32.
... A.A. activity in approximately 150 countries, with ...   BB p.162, A Vision For You (Note)   Go to page 162 in the Big Book
There is A.A. activity in approximately 150 countries, with an estimated membership of over two million.

33.
... A.A.'s all around the globe.   12&12 p.151, Tradition Five
This is our gift from God, and its bestowal upon others like us is the one aim that today animates A.A.'s all around the globe.

34.
... A.A. all right, and were quick to ...   12&12 p.97, Step Eleven
We liked A.A. all right, and were quick to say that it had done miracles.

35.
... A.A., and for the first time in ...   12&12 p.57, Step Five
When we reached A.A., and for the first time in our lives stood among people who seemed to understand, the sense of belonging was tremendously exciting.

36.
... A.A. and his new friends that he ...   12&12 p.118, Step Twelve
Her husband may become so wrapped up in A.A. and his new friends that he is inconsiderately away from home more than when he drank.


37.
... A.A. and I have come to the ...   BB p.569(571), Appendix III, The Medical View on A.A.   Display entire Appendix III
Dr. Harry M. Tiebout, psychiatrist: "As a psychiatrist, I have thought a great deal about the relationship of my specialty to A.A. and I have come to the conclusion that our particular function can very often lie in preparing the way for the patient to accept any sort of treatment or outside help.

38.
... A.A. and intends to stick has, without ...   12&12 p.35, Step Three
Every man and woman who has joined A.A. and intends to stick has, without realizing it, made a beginning on Step Three.

39.
... A.A.'s and long enough acquainted to know ...   12&12 p.119, Step Twelve
The prospective partners need to be solid A.A.'s and long enough acquainted to know that their compatibility at spiritual, mental, and emotional levels is a fact and not wishful thinking.

40.
... A.A. -- and medically supervised.   12&12 p.190, Tradition Six (Long)
But hospitals, as well as other places of recuperation, ought to be well outside A.A. -- and medically supervised.


41.
... A.A. -- and medically supervised.   BB p.564(566), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
But hospitals, as well as other places of recuperation, ought to be well outside A.A. -- and medically supervised.

42.
... A.A. and money.   12&12 p.161, Tradition Seven
On every lip were the words "You can't mix A.A. and money.


43.
... A.A. and really tried, 50% got sober ...   BB xx, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
Of alcoholics who came to A.A. and really tried, 50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with A.A. showed improvement.

44.
... A.A. and sober, and winning back the ...   12&12 p.92, Step Ten
Now that we're in A.A. and sober, and winning back the esteem of our friends and business associates, we find that we still need to exercise special vigilance.

45.
... A.A. and spiritual things, often enhance such ...   12&12 p.119, Step Twelve
Their common suffering as drinkers, their common interest in A.A. and spiritual things, often enhance such unions.

46.
... A.A. and the public.   12&12 p.165, Tradition Seven
The board would be isolated, and would fall under heavy attack of criticism from both A.A. and the public.

47.
... A.A. and the whole world abound.   12&12 p.48, Step Four
Of course the depressive and the power-driver are personality extremes, types with which A.A. and the whole world abound.

48.
... A.A., and there we discover the fatal ...   12&12 p.24, Step One
Under the lash of alcoholism, we are driven to A.A., and there we discover the fatal nature of our situation.

49.
... A.A.'s anonymity policy.   12&12 p.183, Tradition Eleven
Since that time, editors and rewrite men have repeatedly deleted names and pictures of members from A.A. copy; frequently, they have reminded ambitious individuals of A.A.'s anonymity policy.

50.
... A.A. answer to these questions about living ...   12&12 p.112, Step Twelve
The A.A. answer to these questions about living is "Yes, all of these things are possible."


51.
... A.A. apart?   BB xix, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
Would there be schisms which would split A.A. apart?

52.
... A.A.'s are active folk, enjoying the satisfactions ...   12&12 p.96, Step Eleven
We A.A.'s are active folk, enjoying the satisfactions of dealing with the realities of life, usually for the first time in our lives, and strenuously trying to help the next alcoholic who comes along.

53.
... A.A. are but trusted and experienced servants ...   12&12 p.191, Tradition Nine (Long)
All such representatives are to be guided in the spirit of service, for true leaders in A.A. are but trusted and experienced servants of the whole.


54.
... A.A. are but trusted and experienced servants ...   BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
All such representatives are to be guided in the spirit of service, for true leaders in A.A. are but trusted and experienced servants of the whole.

55.
... A.A. as a whole."   12&12 p.146, Tradition Four
"Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole."

56.
... A.A. as a whole.   12&12 p.164, Tradition Seven
Foundation obtained money from outside sources, its trustees might be tempted to run things without reference to the wishes of A.A. as a whole.

57.
... A.A. as a whole.   12&12 p.175, Tradition Nine
It is in this spirit of service that we elect the A.A. group's informal rotating committee, the intergroup association for the area, and the General Service Conferences of Alcoholics Anonymous for A.A. as a whole.


58.
... A.A. as a whole.   BB p.562(564), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Four -- Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.


59.
... A.A. as a whole could survive and ...   BB xix, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
As we discovered the principles by which the individual alcoholic could live, so we had to evolve principles by which the A.A. groups and A.A. as a whole could survive and function effectively.

60.
... A.A. as a whole is threatened.   12&12 p.146, Tradition Four
But in relation to us, it means very simply that every A.A. group can manage its affairs exactly as it pleases, except when A.A. as a whole is threatened.

61.
... A.A. as a whole, nor ought it ...   12&12 p.147, Tradition Four
In charting this enormous expanse of freedom, we found it necessary to post only two storm signals: A group ought not do anything which would greatly injure A.A. as a whole, nor ought it affiliate itself with anything or anybody else.

62.
... A.A. as a whole -- should never be ...   12&12 p.172, Tradition Nine
Today, we are able to say with assurance that Alcoholics Anonymous -- A.A. as a whole -- should never be organized at all.

63.
... A.A. as a whole, that's quite a ...   12&12 p.177, Tradition Ten
But when it comes to A.A. as a whole, that's quite a different matter.

64.
... A.A. as a whole without conferring with ...   12&12 p.189, Tradition Four (Long)
And no group, regional committee, or individual should ever take any action that might greatly affect A.A. as a whole without conferring with the trustees of the General Service Board.


65.
... A.A. as a whole without conferring with ...   BB p.563(565), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
And no group, regional committee, or individual should ever take any action that might greatly affect A.A. as a whole without conferring with the trustees of the General Service Board.

66.
... A.A. as a whole, would suffice as ...   12&12 p.107, Step Twelve
For the time being, we who were atheist or agnostic discovered that our own group, or A.A. as a whole, would suffice as a higher power.

67.
"A.A., as such, ought never be organized; ...   12&12 p.172, Tradition Nine
"A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."


68.
... A.A., as such, ought never be organized; ...   BB p.562(564), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Nine -- A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

69.
... A.A., as they are known today, were ...   12&12 p.16, Foreword
The basic principles of A.A., as they are known today, were borrowed mainly from the fields of religion and medicine, though some ideas upon which success finally depended were the result of noting the behavior and needs of the Fellowship itself.

70.
... A.A. as we know it would stop.   12&12 p.175, Tradition Nine
If nobody does the group's chores, if the area's telephone rings unanswered, if we do not reply to our mail, then A.A. as we know it would stop.

71.
... A.A.'s ask with much earnestness and faith ...   12&12 p.103, Step Eleven
We have seen A.A.'s ask with much earnestness and faith for God's explicit guidance on matters ranging all the way from a shattering domestic or financial crisis to correcting a minor personal fault, like tardiness.

72.
... A.A. at all, so great was the ...   12&12 p.140, Tradition Three
If all those rules had been in effect everywhere, nobody could have possibly joined A.A. at all, so great was the sum of our anxiety and fear.

73.
... A.A.'s at first try to bypass Step ...   12&12 p.55, Step Five
So intense, though, is our fear and reluctance to do this, that many A.A.'s at first try to bypass Step Five.


74.
... A.A.'s basic text, those words have proved ...   BB xxiii, Foreword to Fourth Edition   Display entire Foreword to Fourth Edition
Like so much of A.A.'s basic text, those words have proved to be far more visionary than the founding members could ever have imagined.

75.
... A.A. beam.   12&12 p.84, Step Nine
First we will wish to be reasonably certain that we are on the A.A. beam.

76.
... A.A. because of such conversations.   12&12 p.186, Tradition Twelve
Many a new man and woman came to A.A. because of such conversations.


77.
... A.A. before the general public that alcoholics ...   BB xviii, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
Then Jack Alexander wrote a feature article in the Saturday Evening Post and placed such a compelling picture of A.A. before the general public that alcoholics in need of help really deluged us.

78.
... A.A. before the whole public.   12&12 p.187, Tradition Twelve
We simply couldn't afford to take the chance of letting self-appointed members present themselves as messiahs representing A.A. before the whole public.


79.
... A.A.'s believe, the best answers that our ...   BB p.561(563), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
The "12 Traditions" of Alcoholics Anonymous are, we A.A.'s believe, the best answers that our experience has yet given to those ever-urgent questions, "How can A.A. best function?" and, "How can A.A. best stay whole and so survive?"


80.
... A.A. best function?" and, "How can A.A. ...   BB p.561(563), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
The "12 Traditions" of Alcoholics Anonymous are, we A.A.'s believe, the best answers that our experience has yet given to those ever-urgent questions, "How can A.A. best function?" and, "How can A.A. best stay whole and so survive?"

81.
... A.A.'s best press agents.   12&12 p.181, Tradition Eleven
It resulted in more favorable publicity of Alcoholics Anonymous than could possibly have been obtained through all the arts and abilities of A.A.'s best press agents.


82.
... A.A. best stay whole and so survive?"   BB p.561(563), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
The "12 Traditions" of Alcoholics Anonymous are, we A.A.'s believe, the best answers that our experience has yet given to those ever-urgent questions, "How can A.A. best function?" and, "How can A.A. best stay whole and so survive?"

83.
... A.A.'s bold enough to accept employment with ...   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
No individuals have been more buffeted by such emotional gusts than those A.A.'s bold enough to accept employment with outside agencies dealing with the alcohol problem.

84.
... A.A. booms in Middletown.   12&12 p.133, Tradition Two
In a matter of months, A.A. booms in Middletown.

85.
... A.A.'s bring a wide range of business ...   12&12 p.169, Tradition Eight (Note)
These A.A.'s bring a wide range of business and professional experience to their service at G.S.O.

86.
... A.A. business, I thought, is totally unscientific.   12&12 p.27, Step Two
This A.A. business, I thought, is totally unscientific.

87.
... A.A. business meeting and blow his top ...   12&12 p.177, Tradition Ten
A corporation director who had just voted a company expenditure of a hundred thousand dollars would appear at an A.A. business meeting and blow his top over an outlay of twenty-five dollars' worth of needed postage stamps.

88.
... A.A., but did not succeed because they ...   12&12 p.23, Step One
Many less desperate alcoholics tried A.A., but did not succeed because they could not make the admission of hopelessness.

89.
... A.A., but in all other matters I ...   12&12 p.36, Step Three
But suppose that instinct still cries out, as it certainly will, "Yes, respecting alcohol, I guess I have to be dependent upon A.A., but in all other matters I must still maintain my independence.

90.
... A.A. but that hypothetical class of people ...   12&12 p.140, Tradition Three
"We were resolved to admit nobody to A.A. but that hypothetical class of people we termed 'pure alcoholics.'

91.
... A.A. by tens of thousands, largely as ...   12&12 p.17, Foreword
In the next years alcoholics flocked to A.A. by tens of thousands, largely as the result of excellent and continuous publicity freely given by magazines and newspapers throughout the world.

92.
... A.A. calendar it was Year Two.   12&12 p.141, Tradition Three
On the A.A. calendar it was Year Two.

93.
... A.A. campus," and love follows at first ...   12&12 p.119, Step Twelve
It is only where "boy meets girl on A.A. campus," and love follows at first sight, that difficulties may develop.

94.
... A.A.'s can agree with him, for we ...   12&12 p.94, Step Ten
How heartily we A.A.'s can agree with him, for we know that the pains of drinking had to come before sobriety, and emotional turmoil before serenity.


95.
... A.A. can be located through the local ...   BB p.573(575), Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.   Display entire Appendix VI
In such places, A.A. can be located through the local telephone directory, newspaper office, or police station, or by contacting local priests or ministers.

96.
... A.A. can compel another to do anything; ...   12&12 p.129, Tradition One
No A.A. can compel another to do anything; nobody can be punished or expelled.

97.
... A.A. can give another a directive and ...   12&12 p.132, Tradition Two
When told that our Society has no president having authority to govern it, no treasurer who can compel the payment of any dues, no board of directors who can cast an erring member into outer darkness, when indeed no A.A. can give another a directive and enforce obedience, our friends gasp and exclaim, "This simply can't be. There must be an angle somewhere."


98.
A.A. can, of course, mean just as ...   BB p.561(563), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
A.A. can, of course, mean just as much to uncounted alcoholics not yet reached.

99.
... A.A.'s can say to the drifter, "Yes, ...   12&12 p.28, Step Two
Any number of A.A.'s can say to the drifter, "Yes, we were diverted from our childhood faith, too.

100.
... A.A.'s can say, "Yes, we were like ...   12&12 p.29, Step Two
To these, many A.A.'s can say, "Yes, we were like you -- far too smart for our own good.

101.
... A.A.'s cannot pretend to offer full answers ...   12&12 p.117, Step Twelve
We A.A.'s cannot pretend to offer full answers to age-old perplexities, but our own experience does provide certain answers that work for us.

102.
... A.A. carry them through?   12&12 p.38, Step Three
Would the kind of dependence they had learned in A.A. carry them through?

103.
... A.A. classic.   12&12 p.149, Tradition Four
Then he did something else that was to become an A.A. classic.

104.
... A.A. comes harder to those who have ...   12&12 p.28, Step Two
Sometimes A.A. comes harder to those who have lost or rejected faith than to those who never had any faith at all, for they think they have tried faith and found it wanting.

105.
A.A.'s commenced to thump tables in legislative ...   12&12 p.157, Tradition Six
A.A.'s commenced to thump tables in legislative committee rooms and agitated for legal reform.

106.
... A.A. connections, and we feared we'd be ...   12&12 p.161, Tradition Seven
We took this violent new tack because here and there members had tried to make money out of their A.A. connections, and we feared we'd be exploited.

107.
... A.A. consists mainly of racking dilemmas and ...   12&12 p.125, Step Twelve
We have been considering so many problems that it may appear that A.A. consists mainly of racking dilemmas and troubleshooting.

108.
... A.A. contributions by which we maintain our ...   12&12 p.191, Tradition Nine (Long)
Tradition and the receivers of voluntary A.A. contributions by which we maintain our A.A.


109.
... A.A. contributions by which we maintain our ...   BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
They are the custodians of our A.A. Tradition and the receivers of voluntary A.A. contributions by which we maintain our A.A. General Service Office at New York.

110.
... A.A. copy; frequently, they have reminded ambitious ...   12&12 p.183, Tradition Eleven
Since that time, editors and rewrite men have repeatedly deleted names and pictures of members from A.A. copy; frequently, they have reminded ambitious individuals of A.A.'s anonymity policy.

111.
... A.A. could get along better without its ...   12&12 p.143, Tradition Three
His pet obsession was that A.A. could get along better without its "God nonsense."

112.
... A.A. could go faster and farther if ...   12&12 p.182, Tradition Eleven
They were sure that A.A. could go faster and farther if it availed itself of modern publicity methods.


113.
... A.A. could have made only the slowest ...   BB xx, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
Without such support, A.A. could have made only the slowest progress.

114.
... A.A. could never have grown as it ...   12&12 p.180, Tradition Eleven
Without its legions of well-wishers, A.A. could never have grown as it has.

115.
... A.A. did dream those dreams.   12&12 p.156, Tradition Six
Yes, we of A.A. did dream those dreams.


116.
... A.A., died in the spring of 1960.   BB p.572(574), Appendix V, The Religious View on A.A.   Display entire Appendix V
(*) Father Ed, an early and wonderful friend of A.A., died in the spring of 1960.


117.
... A.A., died January 24, 1971.   BB p.16, Bill's Story   Go to page 16 in the Big Book
Bill W. co-founder of A.A., died January 24, 1971.

118.
... A.A. dies.   12&12 p.129, Tradition One
We stay whole, or A.A. dies.

119.
... A.A.'s disciplinarians; we need no others.   12&12 p.174, Tradition Nine
Great suffering and great love are A.A.'s disciplinarians; we need no others.

120.
... A.A. do not question that.   12&12 p.181, Tradition Eleven
We of A.A. do not question that.

121.
... A.A. do obey spiritual principles, first because ...   12&12 p.174, Tradition Nine
So we of A.A. do obey spiritual principles, first because we must, and ultimately because we love the kind of life such obedience brings.

122.
... A.A. does seem to suggest..."   12&12 p.174, Tradition Nine
But the majority experience in A.A. does seem to suggest..."

123.
... A.A. does the group conscience decree the ...   12&12 p.134, Tradition Two
Thus throughout A.A. does the group conscience decree the terms upon which its leaders shall serve.

124.
... A.A. doesn't pay off after all.   12&12 p.113, Step Twelve
We begin to think that A.A. doesn't pay off after all.


125.
... A.A.'s early medical and religious friends will ...   BB xx, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
Some of the recommendations of A.A.'s early medical and religious friends will be found further on in this book.

126.
... A.A. emerged from its infancy into adolescence, ...   12&12 p.161, Tradition Seven
As A.A. emerged from its infancy into adolescence, we swung from the idea that we needed vast sums of money to the notion that A.A. shouldn't have any.


127.
... A.A. entered a new phase of its ...   BB xvii, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
The flying-blind period ended and A.A. entered a new phase of its pioneering time.

128.
A.A.'s entered the services and were scattered ...   12&12 p.38, Step Three
A.A.'s entered the services and were scattered all over the world.

129.
... A.A., entirely contrary to his own desires, ...   12&12 p.136, Tradition Two
One of the first members of A.A., entirely contrary to his own desires, was obliged to conform to group opinion.

130.
... A.A.'s, even the best, fall far short ...   12&12 p.112, Step Twelve
Of course all A.A.'s, even the best, fall far short of such achievements as a consistent thing.

131.
... A.A.'s existence in his community.   12&12 p.186, Tradition Twelve
These quiet disclosures helped him to lose his fear of the alcoholic stigma, and spread the news of A.A.'s existence in his community.

132.
... A.A. expecting to be taught self-confidence.   12&12 p.22, Step One
We had approached A.A. expecting to be taught self-confidence.

133.
... A.A. experience.   12&12 p.149, Tradition Four
He said he wished he'd paid some attention to A.A. experience.


134.
... A.A. experience has taught us that:   BB p.563(565), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Our A.A. experience has taught us that:

135.
A.A. experience has taught us we cannot ...   12&12 p.55, Step Five
A.A. experience has taught us we cannot live alone with our pressing problems and the character defects which cause or aggravate them.

136.
... A.A. experience in this Step has meant ...   12&12 p.82, Step Eight
Whenever our pencil falters, we can fortify and cheer ourselves by remembering what A.A. experience in this Step has meant to others.

137.
... A.A.'s experience means anything at all, this ...   12&12 p.56, Step Five
Yet if A.A.'s experience means anything at all, this is not only unwise, but is actually a perilous resolve.

138.
... A.A. experience tell all these they may ...   12&12 p.28, Step Two
Can A.A. experience tell all these they may still find a faith that works?

139.
... A.A.'s experience that particularly in these cases ...   12&12 p.104, Step Eleven
It is A.A.'s experience that particularly in these cases we ought to pray that God's will, whatever it is, be done for others as well as for ourselves.

140.
... A.A. experience, that we surely must try ...   12&12 p.73, Step Seven
But again we are driven on by the inescapable conclusion which we draw from A.A. experience, that we surely must try with a will, or else fall by the wayside.

141.
... A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial ...   12&12 p.192, Tradition Ten (Long)
Ten -- No A.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial issues -- particularly those of politics, alcohol reform, or sectarian religion.


142.
... A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial ...   BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
10. No A.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial issues -- particularly those of politics, alcohol reform, or sectarian religion.

143.
... A.A. Fellowship.   12&12 p.16, Foreword
Both were severe cases of alcoholism and were destined to become co-founders of the A.A. Fellowship.

144.
... A.A. finally drop all its membership regulations?   12&12 p.141, Tradition Three
Why did A.A. finally drop all its membership regulations?

145.
... A.A.'s find we need something much better ...   12&12 p.92, Step Ten
Although these attitudes are common enough, we A.A.'s find we need something much better in order to keep our balance.


146.
... A.A.'s first group, at Akron, Ohio, in ...   BB p.156, A Vision For You (Note)   Go to page 156 in the Big Book
This resulted in A.A.'s first group, at Akron, Ohio, in 1935.

147.
... A.A.'s First International Convention, held at Cleveland ...   12&12 p.18, Foreword
It was out of this vast welter of explosive experience that A.A.'s Twelve Traditions took form and were first published in 1946 and later confirmed at A.A.'s First International Convention, held at Cleveland in 1950.

148.
... A.A. fix drunks or was it an ...   12&12 p.156, Tradition Six
Did A.A. fix drunks or was it an educational project?

149.
... A.A. -- for example, your clergyman or your ...   12&12 p.61, Step Five
This individual may be entirely outside of A.A. -- for example, your clergyman or your doctor.

150.
... A.A. for the first time is greatly ...   12&12 p.130, Tradition One
Every newcomer, every friend who looks at A.A. for the first time is greatly puzzled.

151.
... A.A. for the solution of his alcohol ...   12&12 p.39, Step Three
He made a beginning, we have seen, when he commenced to rely upon A.A. for the solution of his alcohol problem.

152.
... A.A. friend.   12&12 p.39, Step Three
At first that "somebody" is likely to be his closest A.A. friend.

153.
... A.A.'s friends that these pieces might arouse ...   12&12 p.15, Foreword
Though the essays which follow were written mainly for members, it is thought by many of A.A.'s friends that these pieces might arouse interest and find application outside A.A. itself.

154.
... A.A. friends, these so-called loners tell us ...   12&12 p.120, Step Twelve
Surrounded by so many A.A. friends, these so-called loners tell us they no longer feel alone.

155.
... A.A. from its primary purpose.   12&12 p.165, Tradition Seven
The pressure of that fat treasury would surely tempt the board to invent all kinds of schemes to do good with such funds, and so divert A.A. from its primary purpose.

156.
... A.A. from the housetops, and did.   12&12 p.185, Tradition Twelve
They wanted to shout A.A. from the housetops, and did.

157.
... A.A., full of wisdom, who moves to ...   12&12 p.173, Tradition Nine
Who is more unpopular than the oldtime A.A., full of wisdom, who moves to another area and tries to tell the group there how to run its business?

158.
... A.A. functions as a society.   12&12 p.16, Foreword
Students of human relations are beginning to wonder how and why A.A. functions as a society.


159.
... A.A. General Service Committee.   BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
The trustees of the General Service Board are, in effect, our A.A. General Service Committee.


160.
... A.A.'s General Service Office, A.A. World Services, ...   BB p.573(575), Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.   Display entire Appendix VI
The General Service Board of A.A. (the trustees) administers A.A.'s General Service Office, A.A. World Services, Inc., and our monthly magazine, the A.A. Grapevine.


161.
... A.A. General Service Office at New York.   BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
They are the custodians of our A.A. Tradition and the receivers of voluntary A.A. contributions by which we maintain our A.A. General Service Office at New York.

162.
... A.A. get its direction?   12&12 p.132, Tradition Two
Where does A.A. get its direction?

163.
... A.A.'s go in for annual or semiannual ...   12&12 p.89, Step Ten
Many A.A.'s go in for annual or semiannual housecleanings.

164.
... A.A. got, or can we get, the ...   12&12 p.113, Step Twelve
Have we alcoholics in A.A. got, or can we get, the resources to meet these calamities which come to so many?

165.
... A.A. Grapevine.   12&12 p.191, Tradition Nine (Long)
They are authorized by the groups to handle our overall public relations and they guarantee the integrity of our principal newspaper, the A.A. Grapevine.


166.
... A.A. Grapevine.   BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
They are authorized by the groups to handle our over-all public relations and they guarantee the integrity of our principal newspaper, the A.A. Grapevine.


167.
... A.A. Grapevine.   BB p.573(575), Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.   Display entire Appendix VI
The General Service Board of A.A. (the trustees) administers A.A.'s General Service Office, A.A. World Services, Inc., and our monthly magazine, the A.A. Grapevine.

168.
... A.A.'s greatest friends.   12&12 p.63, Step Six
So declares a well-loved clergyman who happens to be one of A.A.'s greatest friends.

169.
... A.A.'s greatest protection.   12&12 p.183, Tradition Eleven
The Foundation(*) wrote letters to practically every news outlet in North America, setting forth our public relations policy of attraction rather than promotion, and emphasizing personal anonymity as A.A.'s greatest protection.


170.
... A.A. grew by leaps and bounds.   BB xx, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
While the internal difficulties of our adolescent period were being ironed out, public acceptance of A.A. grew by leaps and bounds.

171.
... A.A. group?   12&12 p.112, Step Twelve
Can we bring the same spirit of love and tolerance into our sometimes deranged family lives that we bring to our A.A. group?

172.
... A.A. group.   12&12 p.139, Tradition Three
In our early time, nothing seemed so fragile, so easily breakable as an A.A. group.


173.
... A.A. group.   BB p.573(575), Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.   Display entire Appendix VI
If you cannot find A.A. in your locality, visit our Web site: www.aa.org; or a letter addressed to Alcoholics Anonymous, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163, USA, will receive a prompt reply from this world center, referring you to the nearest A.A. group.

174.
... A.A. group an individual entity, strictly reliant ...   12&12 p.147, Tradition Four
This meant, of course, that we had been given the courage to declare each A.A. group an individual entity, strictly reliant on its own conscience as a guide to action.

175.
... A.A. group, as such, should never go ...   12&12 p.190, Tradition Six (Long)
An A.A. group, as such, should never go into business.


176.
... A.A. group, as such, should never go ...   BB p.564(566), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
An A.A. group, as such, should never go into business.

177.
... A.A. group, as such, simply couldn't handle ...   12&12 p.149, Tradition Four
An A.A. group, as such, simply couldn't handle this sort of project.

178.
... A.A. group as their higher power, claims ...   12&12 p.96, Step Eleven
To certain newcomers and to those one-time agnostics who still cling to the A.A. group as their higher power, claims for the power of prayer may, despite all the logic and experience in proof of it, still be unconvincing or quite objectionable.

179.
... A.A. group can bind itself to no ...   12&12 p.190, Tradition Six (Long)
An A.A. group can bind itself to no one.


180.
... A.A. group can bind itself to no ...   BB p.564(566), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
An A.A. group can bind itself to no one.

181.
... A.A. group can manage its affairs exactly ...   12&12 p.146, Tradition Four
But in relation to us, it means very simply that every A.A. group can manage its affairs exactly as it pleases, except when A.A. as a whole is threatened.

182.
... A.A. group could stand almost any amount ...   12&12 p.146, Tradition Four
When A.A.'s Traditions were first published, in 1946, we had become sure that an A.A. group could stand almost any amount of battering.


183.
... A.A. group had actually been formed, though ...   BB xvii, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
When the broker returned to New York in the fall of 1935, the first A.A. group had actually been formed, though no one realized it at the time.

184.
... A.A. group had exercised its right to ...   12&12 p.149, Tradition Four
Thus it was that under Tradition Four an A.A. group had exercised its right to be wrong.

185.
... A.A. group had many membership rules.   12&12 p.139, Tradition Three
"At one time," he says, "every A.A. group had many membership rules.

186.
... A.A. group's informal rotating committee, the intergroup ...   12&12 p.174, Tradition Nine
It is in this spirit of service that we elect the A.A. group's informal rotating committee, the intergroup association for the area, and the General Service Conferences of Alcoholics Anonymous for A.A. as a whole.

187.
... A.A. group into business; too many busybody ...   12&12 p.156, Tradition Six
Whereupon we tried A.A. hospitals -- they all bogged down because you cannot put an A.A. group into business; too many busybody cooks spoil the broth.

188.
... A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such ...   12&12 p.190, Tradition Six (Long)
While an A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never to go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied.


189.
... A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such ...   BB p.564(566), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
While an A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied.

190.
... A.A. group needs the least possible organization.   12&12 p.191, Tradition Nine (Long)
Nine -- Each A.A. group needs the least possible organization.


191.
... A.A. group needs the least possible organization.   BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
9. Each A.A. group needs the least possible organization.

192.
... A.A. group or member should ever, in ...   12&12 p.192, Tradition Ten (Long)
Ten -- No A.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial issues -- particularly those of politics, alcohol reform, or sectarian religion.


193.
... A.A. group or member should ever, in ...   BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
10. No A.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial issues -- particularly those of politics, alcohol reform, or sectarian religion.

194.
... A.A. group or upon a Higher Power ...   12&12 p.38, Step Three
But dependence upon an A.A. group or upon a Higher Power hasn't produced any baleful results.

195.
... A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or ...   12&12 p.155, Tradition Six
"An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."


196.
... A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or ...   BB p.562(564), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Six -- An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

197.
... A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, ...   12&12 p.160, Tradition Seven
"Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."


198.
... A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, ...   BB p.562(564), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Seven -- Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

199.
... A.A. group provided that as a group ...   12&12 p.147, Tradition Four
So confident of this had we become that the original statement of A.A. tradition carried this significant sentence: "Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group provided that as a group they have no other affiliation."

200.
... A.A. group, provided that, as a group, ...   12&12 p.189, Tradition Three (Long)
Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.


201.
... A.A. group, provided that, as a group, ...   BB p.563(565), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.

202.
... A.A. group should be responsible to no ...   12&12 p.189, Tradition Four (Long)
Four -- With respect to its own affairs, each A.A. group should be responsible to no other authority than its own conscience.


203.
... A.A. group should be responsible to no ...   BB p.563(565), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
4. With respect to its own affairs, each A.A. group should be responsible to no other authority than its own conscience.

204.
... A.A. group the higher power, would presently ...   12&12 p.109, Step Twelve
From great numbers of such experiences, we could predict that the doubter who still claimed that he hadn't got the "spiritual angle," and who still considered his well-loved A.A. group the higher power, would presently love God and call Him by name.

205.
... A.A. group was given five thousand dollars ...   12&12 p.161, Tradition Seven
One A.A. group was given five thousand dollars to do with what it would.


206.
... A.A. group was struck at Akron, Ohio, ...   BB xv, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
The spark that was to flare into the first A.A. group was struck at Akron, Ohio, in June 1935, during a talk between a New York stockbroker and an Akron physician.

207.
... A.A. group with medication and education had ...   12&12 p.148, Tradition Four
By his eloquence he allayed all fears, despite advice from the Foundation that it could issue no charter, and that ventures which mixed an A.A. group with medication and education had come to sticky ends elsewhere.

208.
... A.A. group would have to stick to ...   12&12 p.147, Tradition Four
The A.A. group would have to stick to its course or be hopelessly lost.

209.
... A.A. groups.   12&12 p.170, Tradition Eight
For this reason, some very good causes and all connected with them suffered unjust criticism from A.A. groups.


210.
... A.A. groups.   BB p.573(575), Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.   Display entire Appendix VI
In the United States and Canada, most towns and cities have A.A. groups.


211.
... A.A. groups and A.A. as a whole ...   BB xix, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
As we discovered the principles by which the individual alcoholic could live, so we had to evolve principles by which the A.A. groups and A.A. as a whole could survive and function effectively.

212.
... A.A. groups could duplicate everywhere.   12&12 p.147, Tradition Four
They figured the town needed a great big alcoholic center, a kind of pilot plant A.A. groups could duplicate everywhere.

213.
... A.A. groups for voluntary contributions.   12&12 p.162, Tradition Seven
So we asked the A.A. groups for voluntary contributions.

214.
A.A. groups had their fling at education, ...   12&12 p.156, Tradition Six
A.A. groups had their fling at education, and when they began to publicly whoop up the merits of this or that brand, people became confused.

215.
... A.A. groups, many thought, could go into ...   12&12 p.155, Tradition Six
The A.A. groups, many thought, could go into business, might finance any enterprise whatever in the total field of alcoholism.

216.
... A.A. groups multiplied, so did anonymity problems.   12&12 p.185, Tradition Twelve
As the A.A. groups multiplied, so did anonymity problems.


217.
... A.A. groups or from Box 459, Grand ...   BB p.570(572), Appendix III, The Medical View on A.A.   Display entire Appendix III
(This address is now available in pamphlet form at nominal cost through most A.A. groups or from Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163, under the title "Three Talks to Medical Societies by Bill W." -- formerly called "Bill on Alcoholism" and earlier "Alcoholism the Illness.")

218.
... A.A. groups themselves ought to be fully ...   12&12 p.190, Tradition Seven (Long)
Seven -- The A.A. groups themselves ought to be fully supported by the voluntary contributions of their own members.


219.
... A.A. groups themselves ought to be fully ...   BB p.564(566), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
7. The A.A. groups themselves ought to be fully supported by the voluntary contributions of their own members.

220.
... A.A. groups would have to reach quickly ...   12&12 p.186, Tradition Twelve
The A.A. groups would have to reach quickly as many despairing alcoholics as they could.


221.
... A.A.'s growth, and a striking phenomenon of ...   BB xxiii, Foreword to Fourth Edition   Display entire Foreword to Fourth Edition
Literature has played a major role in A.A.'s growth, and a striking phenomenon of the past quarter-century has been the explosion of translations of our basic literature into many languages and dialects.

222.
... A.A. had a very special meaning.   12&12 p.117, Step Twelve
For those of us who were like that, A.A. had a very special meaning.


223.
A.A. had become a national institution.   BB xviii, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
A.A. had become a national institution.

224.
... A.A., had brought us within reach of ...   12&12 p.156, Tradition Six
Providence, through A.A., had brought us within reach of our highest expectations.

225.
... A.A. had suddenly gone peaceable, and become ...   12&12 p.177, Tradition Ten
Maybe this sounds as though the alcoholics in A.A. had suddenly gone peaceable, and become one great big happy family.

226.
A.A. had taken its first step in ...   12&12 p.142, Tradition Three
A.A. had taken its first step in the formation of Tradition Three.

227.
... A.A. had to be publicized somehow, so ...   12&12 p.181, Tradition Eleven
Obviously, A.A. had to be publicized somehow, so we resorted to the idea that it would be far better to let our friends do this for us.

228.
... A.A. had to function.   12&12 p.161, Tradition Seven
Despite these misgivings, we had to recognize the fact that A.A. had to function.


229.
... A.A.'s had to hang together or die ...   BB xix, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
But out of this frightening and at first disrupting experience the conviction grew that A.A.'s had to hang together or die separately.

230.
... A.A. has an irresistible strength of purpose ...   12&12 p.130, Tradition One
They see liberty verging on license, yet they recognize at once that A.A. has an irresistible strength of purpose and action.


231.
... A.A. has become, for nearly every practical ...   BB p.574, Appendix VII, Twelve Concepts (Short Form)   Display entire Appendix VII
II. The General Service Conference of A.A. has become, for nearly every practical purpose, the active voice and the effective conscience of our whole Society in its world affairs.


232.
A.A. has flourishing communities in the British ...   BB xv, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
A.A. has flourishing communities in the British Isles, the Scandinavian countries, South Africa, South America, Mexico, Alaska, Australia and Hawaii.

233.
... A.A. has found that he can make ...   12&12 p.77, Step Eight
Every A.A. has found that he can make little headway in this new adventure of living until he first backtracks and really makes an accurate and unsparing survey of the human wreckage he has left in his wake.


234.
... A.A. has just about doubled, to an ...   BB xxiii, Foreword to Fourth Edition   Display entire Foreword to Fourth Edition
Since the third edition was published in 1976, worldwide membership of A.A. has just about doubled, to an estimated two million or more, with nearly 100,800 groups meeting in approximately 150 countries around the world.

235.
A.A. has many single alcoholics who wish ...   12&12 p.119, Step Twelve
A.A. has many single alcoholics who wish to marry and are in a position to do so.

236.
... A.A. has offset the damage to family ...   12&12 p.117, Step Twelve
To a surprising extent, A.A. has offset the damage to family life brought about by years of alcoholism.


237.
... A.A. has released thousands of alcoholics from ...   BB p.114, To Wives   Go to page 114 in the Big Book
Since this book was first published, A.A. has released thousands of alcoholics from asylums and hospitals of every kind.

238.
A.A. has to function, but at the ...   12&12 p.175, Tradition Nine
A.A. has to function, but at the same time it must avoid those dangers of great wealth, prestige, and entrenched power which necessarily tempt other societies.

239.
... A.A. has wrought in all of us.   12&12 p.160, Tradition Seven
This principle is telling evidence of the profound change that A.A. has wrought in all of us.

240.
... A.A. have a real leadership?"   12&12 p.134, Tradition Two
This brings us straight to the question "Does A.A. have a real leadership?"

241.
... A.A., have admitted defeat, have acquired the ...   12&12 p.38, Step Three
So it is by circumstance rather than by any virtue that we have been driven to A.A., have admitted defeat, have acquired the rudiments of faith, and now want to make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to a Higher Power.

242.
... A.A. have an earning power considerably above ...   12&12 p.121, Step Twelve
We forgot that most alcoholics in A.A. have an earning power considerably above average; we forgot the immense goodwill of our brother A.A.'s who were only too eager to help us to better jobs when we deserved them; we forgot the actual or potential financial insecurity of every human being in the world.

243.
... A.A.'s have attached themselves have been ill-conceived, ...   12&12 p.171, Tradition Eight
True, some of the projects to which A.A.'s have attached themselves have been ill-conceived, but that makes not the slightest difference with the principle involved.

244.
... A.A.'s have "become entirely ready" to have ...   12&12 p.64, Step Six
So in a very complete and literal way, all A.A.'s have "become entirely ready" to have God remove the mania for alcohol from their lives.

245.
... A.A.'s have ever worked the Twelfth Step ...   12&12 p.166, Tradition Eight
This has always been so obvious that only a very few A.A.'s have ever worked the Twelfth Step for a fee.

246.
... A.A.'s have found, too, that unless they ...   12&12 p.70, Step Seven
Nearly all A.A.'s have found, too, that unless they develop much more of this precious quality than may be required just for sobriety, they still haven't much chance of becoming truly happy.

247.
... A.A.'s have known from the very beginning ...   12&12 p.176, Tradition Ten
As by some deep instinct, we A.A.'s have known from the very beginning that we must never, no matter what the provocation, publicly take sides in any fight, even a worthy one.

248.
... A.A. have very happy homes.   12&12 p.117, Step Twelve
Most married folks in A.A. have very happy homes.

249.
... A.A.'s, he is not.   12&12 p.32, Step Two
To most A.A.'s, he is not.

250.
... A.A. headquarters, asking, "Is there anything in ...   12&12 p.158, Tradition Six
Straightway he appeared at New York's A.A. headquarters, asking, "Is there anything in our tradition that suggests I shouldn't take a job like this one?

251.
... A.A.'s headquarters in New York, wanting to ...   12&12 p.148, Tradition Four
They wrote the Foundation(*), A.A.'s headquarters in New York, wanting to know about this sort of streamlining.

252.
... A.A.'s headquarters in New York would be ...   12&12 p.173, Tradition Nine
You might think A.A.'s headquarters in New York would be an exception.

253.
... A.A. heart that one day our name ...   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
Perhaps the fear will always lurk in every A.A. heart that one day our name will be exploited by somebody for real cash.

254.
... A.A. hired out to such enterprises, he ...   12&12 p.170, Tradition Eight
In former days, the moment an A.A. hired out to such enterprises, he was immediately tempted to use the name Alcoholics Anonymous for publicity or money-raising purposes.

255.
... A.A. history.   12&12 p.165, Tradition Seven
Then our trustees wrote a bright page of A.A. history.

256.
... A.A. history, and soon have the solid ...   12&12 p.132, Tradition Two
Then they commence to watch us with speculative eyes, pick up a fragment of A.A. history, and soon have the solid facts.

257.
... A.A. hospitals -- they all bogged down because ...   12&12 p.156, Tradition Six
Whereupon we tried A.A. hospitals -- they all bogged down because you cannot put an A.A. group into business; too many busybody cooks spoil the broth.

258.
... A.A., if we go on growing, our ...   12&12 p.115, Step Twelve
After we come into A.A., if we go on growing, our attitudes and actions toward security -- emotional security and financial security -- commence to change profoundly.

259.
... A.A. in big-time trouble, and this would ...   12&12 p.159, Tradition Six
I certainly won't be the guy to land A.A. in big-time trouble, and this would really do it!"

260.
... A.A. in our Fellowship breaks anonymity at ...   12&12 p.171, Tradition Eight
It is significant, now that almost no A.A. in our Fellowship breaks anonymity at the public level, that nearly all these fears have subsided.

261.
... A.A. in the wills of people still ...   12&12 p.164, Tradition Seven
They pointed out that the Foundation board already knew of a total of half a million dollars set aside for A.A. in the wills of people still alive.

262.
... A.A. in this town.   12&12 p.133, Tradition Two
They say to one another, "Perhaps it would be a good idea if we continue to keep a firm hand on A.A. in this town.


263.
... A.A. in your locality, visit our Web ...   BB p.573(575), Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.   Display entire Appendix VI
If you cannot find A.A. in your locality, visit our Web site: www.aa.org; or a letter addressed to Alcoholics Anonymous, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163, USA, will receive a prompt reply from this world center, referring you to the nearest A.A. group.

264.
... A.A.'s inquire once more just what our ...   12&12 p.76, Step Seven
As we approach the actual taking of Step Seven, it might be well if we A.A.'s inquire once more just what our deeper objectives are.

265.
... A.A. into the dark regions of dope ...   12&12 p.155, Tradition Six
We'd spill A.A. into the dark regions of dope addiction and criminality.


266.
... A.A. is a group unto themselves and ...   BB p.569(571), Appendix III, The Medical View on A.A.   Display entire Appendix III
Dr. G. Kirby Collier, psychiatrist: "I have felt that A.A. is a group unto themselves and their best results can be had under their own guidance, as a result of their philosophy.

267.
... A.A. is a loving God as He ...   12&12 p.132, Tradition Two
These practical folk then read Tradition Two, and learn that the sole authority in A.A. is a loving God as He may express Himself in the group conscience.

268.
... A.A. is, and what we are trying ...   12&12 p.84, Step Nine
Then we are ready to go to these people, to tell them what A.A. is, and what we are trying to do.


269.
... A.A. is by far the greatest thing ...   BB p.570(572), Appendix III, The Medical View on A.A.   Display entire Appendix III
Dr. John F. Stouffer, Chief Psychiatrist, Philadelphia General Hospital, citing his experience with A.A., said: "The alcoholics we get here at Philadelphia General are mostly those who cannot afford private treatment, and A.A. is by far the greatest thing we have been able to offer them.


270.
... A.A. is composed of over 100,000 groups.   BB p.16, Bill's Story (Note)   Go to page 16 in the Big Book
(*) In 2001, A.A. is composed of over 100,000 groups.

271.
... A.A. is established in 150 countries.   12&12 p.18, Foreword (Note)
(*) In 2003, A.A. is established in 150 countries.

272.
... A.A. is full of people who once ...   12&12 p.26, Step Two
It's no doubt a fact that A.A. is full of people who once believed as I do.

273.
AA is not allied with any sect, ...   Grapevine, Preamble
AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes.


274.
... A.A. is one of the greatest assets ...   BB xix, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
Today the remarkable unity of A.A. is one of the greatest assets that our Society has.


275.
... A.A. is reaching out, not only to ...   BB xxii, Foreword to Third Edition   Display entire Foreword to Third Edition
Surveys of groups in the United States and Canada indicate that A.A. is reaching out, not only to more and more people, but to a wider and wider range.

276.
... A.A. is really saying to every serious ...   12&12 p.139, Tradition Three
For A.A. is really saying to every serious drinker, "You are an A.A. member if you say so.

277.
... A.A.'s is relatively high, we have some ...   12&12 p.114, Step Twelve
Though the earning power of most A.A.'s is relatively high, we have some members who never seem to get on their feet moneywise, and still others who encounter heavy financial reverses.

278.
... A.A. is the only safe harbor for ...   12&12 p.35, Step Three
Any willing newcomer feels sure A.A. is the only safe harbor for the foundering vessel he has become.

279.
... A.A., it amounts to a clear recognition ...   12&12 p.58, Step Five
To those who have made progress in A.A., it amounts to a clear recognition of what and who we really are, followed by a sincere attempt to become what we could be.


280.
... A.A., it is suggested that you write ...   BB p.573(575), Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.   Display entire Appendix VI
Should you be the relative or friend of an alcoholic who shows no immediate interest in A.A., it is suggested that you write the Al-Anon Family Groups, Inc., 1600 Corporate Landing Parkway, Virginia Beach, VA 23456, USA.

281.
... A.A. its present form, substance, and unity.   12&12 p.18, Foreword
The Tradition section of this volume portrays in some detail the experience which finally produced the Twelve Traditions and so gave A.A. its present form, substance, and unity.

282.
... A.A. itself.   12&12 p.15, Foreword
Though the essays which follow were written mainly for members, it is thought by many of A.A.'s friends that these pieces might arouse interest and find application outside A.A. itself.

283.
... A.A. itself function without full-time workers.   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
Neither could A.A. itself function without full-time workers.

284.
... A.A. itself, is possible to anyone.   12&12 p.34, Step Three
We saw that we were powerless over alcohol, but we also perceived that faith of some kind, if only in A.A. itself, is possible to anyone.

285.
... A.A. itself might survive.   12&12 p.131, Tradition One
As we had once struggled and prayed for individual recovery, just so earnestly did we commence to quest for the principles through which A.A. itself might survive.

286.
... A.A. itself your 'higher power.'   12&12 p.27, Step Two
You can, if you wish, make A.A. itself your 'higher power.'

287.
... A.A. knowledge and experience were being sold ...   12&12 p.167, Tradition Eight
In all these instances, and more, it was claimed that A.A. knowledge and experience were being sold for money, hence these people, too, were professionals.

288.
... A.A. landscape seems to be littered with ...   12&12 p.135, Tradition Two
At times the A.A. landscape seems to be littered with bleeding forms.

289.
... A.A. life.   12&12 p.21, Step One
Proved beyond doubt by an immense experience, this is one of the facts of A.A. life.

290.
... A.A. life confirm this ageless truth.   12&12 p.98, Step Eleven
To an amazing extent the facts of A.A. life confirm this ageless truth.

291.
... A.A. life everywhere.   12&12 p.187, Tradition Twelve
It is an all-pervading spiritual quality which today keynotes A.A. life everywhere.

292.
... A.A. life which brought us to this ...   12&12 p.132, Tradition Two
What are these facts of A.A. life which brought us to this apparently impractical principle?

293.
A.A.'s lifelines have to be tended.   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
A.A.'s lifelines have to be tended.

294.
... A.A. looked more like one prodigious squabble ...   12&12 p.177, Tradition Ten
Before we leveled off a bit, A.A. looked more like one prodigious squabble than anything else, at least on the surface.

295.
... A.A. maintains its unity and relates itself ...   12&12 p.15, Foreword
They outline the means by which A.A. maintains its unity and relates itself to the world about it, the way it lives and grows.

296.
... A.A. managers are usually preferred.   12&12 p.190, Tradition Six (Long)
For clubs, A.A. managers are usually preferred.


297.
... A.A. managers are usually preferred.   BB p.564(566), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
For clubs, A.A. managers are usually preferred.

298.
A.A.'s manner of making ready to receive ...   12&12 p.107, Step Twelve
A.A.'s manner of making ready to receive this gift lies in the practice of the Twelve Steps in our program.

299.
... A.A." meet the most stubborn resistance or, ...   12&12 p.173, Tradition Nine
He and all like him who "view with alarm for the good of A.A." meet the most stubborn resistance or, worse still, laughter.

300.
... A.A. meeting is an assurance that God ...   12&12 p.33, Step Two
True humility and an open mind can lead us to faith, and every A.A. meeting is an assurance that God will restore us to sanity if we rightly relate ourselves to Him.

301.
... A.A. meetings all over the world, statements ...   12&12 p.64, Step Six
In A.A. meetings all over the world, statements just like this are heard daily.


302.
... A.A. meetings and at first decided they ...   BB xx, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
Other thousands came to a few A.A. meetings and at first decided they didn't want the program.

303.
... A.A. meetings and listen, not only to ...   12&12 p.110, Step Twelve
We sit in A.A. meetings and listen, not only to receive something ourselves, but to give the reassurance and support which our presence can bring.

304.
... A.A. meetings because they were "making money ...   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
They weren't asked to speak at A.A. meetings because they were "making money out of A.A."

305.
... A.A. member.   12&12 p.63, Step Six
Of course, the often disputed question of whether God can -- and will, under certain conditions -- remove defects of character will be answered with a prompt affirmative by almost any A.A. member.

306.
... A.A. member acting as a citizen can ...   12&12 p.171, Tradition Eight
If an A.A. member acting as a citizen can become a better researcher, educator, personnel officer, then why not?

307.
... A.A. member and make it stick, let ...   12&12 p.173, Tradition Nine
Neither its General Service Conference, its Foundation Board,(*) nor the humblest group committee can issue a single directive to an A.A. member and make it stick, let alone mete out any punishment.

308.
... A.A. member be?"   12&12 p.185, Tradition Twelve
Squarely before us was the question "How anonymous should an A.A. member be?"

309.
... A.A. member carry our knowledge into other ...   12&12 p.167, Tradition Eight
But when we had declared that our Fellowship couldn't hire service workers nor could any A.A. member carry our knowledge into other fields, we were taking the counsel of fear, fear which today has been largely dispelled in the light of experience.

310.
... A.A. member declares that no satisfaction has ...   12&12 p.110, Step Twelve
Practically every A.A. member declares that no satisfaction has been deeper and no joy greater than in a Twelfth Step job well done.

311.
... A.A. member follows to the best of ...   12&12 p.174, Tradition Nine
Unless each A.A. member follows to the best of his ability our suggested Twelve Steps to recovery, he almost certainly signs his own death warrant.

312.
... A.A. member has been granted a release ...   12&12 p.64, Step Six
It is plain for everybody to see that each sober A.A. member has been granted a release from this very obstinate and potentially fatal obsession.

313.
... A.A. member has to conform to the ...   12&12 p.130, Tradition One
The A.A. member has to conform to the principles of recovery.

314.
... A.A. member's house and, unknown to the ...   12&12 p.144, Tradition Three
About two weeks later, Ed stole by night into an A.A. member's house and, unknown to the family, went to bed.

315.
... A.A. member if this really works.   12&12 p.132, Tradition Two
They dubiously ask an experienced A.A. member if this really works.

316.
... A.A. member if you say so.   12&12 p.139, Tradition Three
For A.A. is really saying to every serious drinker, "You are an A.A. member if you say so.

317.
... A.A. member is personal sobriety, the aim ...   12&12 p.175, Tradition Nine
Just as the aim of each A.A. member is personal sobriety, the aim of our services is to bring sobriety within reach of all who want it.

318.
... A.A. member's name -- and story, too -- had ...   12&12 p.185, Tradition Twelve
Clearly, every A.A. member's name -- and story, too -- had to be confidential, if he wished.

319.
... A.A. member solely because of his public ...   12&12 p.158, Tradition Six
Of course, there couldn't be the slightest objection if such an association hired an A.A. member solely because of his public relations ability and his knowledge of alcoholism.

320.
... A.A. member the minute you declare yourself."   12&12 p.139, Tradition Three
So you're an A.A. member the minute you declare yourself."

321.
... A.A. member to break his anonymity at ...   12&12 p.158, Tradition Six
But that wasn't the whole story, for in this case not only was an A.A. member to break his anonymity at a public level, he was to link the name Alcoholics Anonymous to this particular educational project in the minds of millions.

322.
... A.A. member to educate the public on ...   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
A university wanted an A.A. member to educate the public on alcoholism.


323.
... A.A. member who was living in a ...   BB p.163, A Vision For You   Go to page 163 in the Big Book
We know of an A.A. member who was living in a large community.

324.
... A.A. members.   12&12 p.176, Tradition Ten
It could almost be said that we were born with it, for, as one oldtimer recently declared, "Practically never have I heard a heated religious, political, or reform argument among A.A. members.


325.
... A.A. members.   BB p.573(575), Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.   Display entire Appendix VI
This is a world clearing house for the Al-Anon Family Groups, composed largely of the wives, husbands and friends of A.A. members.


326.
... A.A. members, and whose story of the ...   BB xvi, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
He had also been greatly helped by the late Dr. William D. Silkworth, a New York specialist in alcoholism who is now accounted no less than a medical saint by A.A. members, and whose story of the early days of our Society appears in the next pages.

327.
... A.A. members are left who deliberately break ...   12&12 p.183, Tradition Eleven
Only a few A.A. members are left who deliberately break anonymity at the public level.

328.
... A.A. members as individuals have been asked ...   12&12 p.170, Tradition Eight
These are only a few of the jobs which A.A. members as individuals have been asked to fill.

329.
... A.A. members began to run rest homes ...   12&12 p.167, Tradition Eight
Even greater furors were provoked when A.A. members began to run rest homes and farms for alcoholics, when some hired out to corporations as personnel men in charge of the alcoholic problem in industry, when some became nurses on alcoholic wards, when others entered the field of alcohol education.

330.
... A.A. members both among fellow alcoholics and ...   12&12 p.187, Tradition Twelve
Moved by the spirit of anonymity, we try to give up our natural desires for personal distinction as A.A. members both among fellow alcoholics and before the general public.


331.
... (A.A. members' fond nickname for this volume) ...   BB xii, Preface   Display entire Preface
All changes made over the years in the Big Book (A.A. members' fond nickname for this volume) have had the same purpose: to represent the current membership of Alcoholics Anonymous more accurately, and thereby to reach more alcoholics.

332.
... A.A. members have bought farms or rest ...   12&12 p.170, Tradition Eight
Now and then, A.A. members have bought farms or rest homes where badly beat-up topers could find needed care.

333.
... A.A. members have suffered severely from self-justification ...   12&12 p.46, Step Four
First off, they can be told that the majority of A.A. members have suffered severely from self-justification during their drinking days.

334.
... A.A. members into A.A. show-offs.   12&12 p.185, Tradition Twelve
They had changed from A.A. members into A.A. show-offs.

335.
... A.A. members of that time.   12&12 p.123, Step Twelve
They finally came up with a conclusion that shocked the A.A. members of that time.

336.
... A.A. members ought not be broadcast, filmed, ...   12&12 p.192, Tradition Eleven (Long)
Our names and pictures as A.A. members ought not be broadcast, filmed, or publicly printed.


337.
... A.A. members ought not be broadcast, filmed, ...   BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Our names and pictures as A.A. members ought not be broadcast, filmed, or publicly printed.

338.
... A.A. members recover and by which their ...   12&12 p.15, Foreword
It presents an explicit view of the principles by which A.A. members recover and by which their Society functions.

339.
... A.A. members resolved to keep our Society ...   12&12 p.179, Tradition Ten
As we surveyed the wreck of that movement, early A.A. members resolved to keep our Society out of public controversy.

340.
... A.A. members served them.   12&12 p.170, Tradition Eight
Drunk farms, educational ventures, state legislatures, and commissions advertised the fact that A.A. members served them.


341.
... A.A. members to tell their stories.   BB xviii, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
In the spring of 1940, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. gave a dinner for many of his friends to which he invited A.A. members to tell their stories.

342.
... A.A. members who, for a variety of ...   12&12 p.120, Step Twelve
And what can be said of many A.A. members who, for a variety of reasons, cannot have a family life?


343.
... A.A. members with computers can participate in ...   BB xxiv, Foreword to Fourth Edition   Display entire Foreword to Fourth Edition
Taking advantage of technological advances, for example, A.A. members with computers can participate in meetings online, sharing with fellow alcoholics across the country or around the world.

344.
... A.A. membership ever depend upon money or ...   12&12 p.189, Tradition Three (Long)
Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity.


345.
... A.A. membership ever depend upon money or ...   BB p.563(565), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity.

346.
... A.A.'s membership has been led to us ...   12&12 p.180, Tradition Eleven
It is no exaggeration to say that half of A.A.'s membership has been led to us through channels like these.

347.
... A.A. membership is a desire to stop ...   12&12 p.139, Tradition Three
"The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."

348.
... A.A. membership is a desire to stop ...   12&12 p.144, Tradition Three
He read aloud, "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking."


349.
... A.A. membership is a desire to stop ...   BB p.562(564), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Three -- The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.

350.
... AA membership; we are self-supporting through our ...   Grapevine, Preamble
There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions.

351.
... A.A.'s membership, will give such inquirers an ...   12&12 p.16, Foreword
The second section of this volume, though designed for A.A.'s membership, will give such inquirers an inside view of A.A. never before possible.

352.
... A.A.'s message.   12&12 p.110, Step Twelve
If our turn comes to speak at a meeting, we again try to carry A.A.'s message.

353.
... A.A.'s message.   12&12 p.111, Step Twelve
Perhaps this will happen in a succession of cases, and we may be deeply discouraged as to our ability to carry A.A.'s message.

354.
... A.A. message.   12&12 p.130, Tradition One
Neither he nor anybody else can survive unless he carries the A.A. message.

355.
... A.A.'s message.   12&12 p.181, Tradition Eleven
Veteran newsmen, trained doubters that they are, have gone all out to carry A.A.'s message.

356.
... A.A.'s message before scores of people.   12&12 p.142, Tradition Three
Tirelessly he laid A.A.'s message before scores of people.


357.
... A.A.'s message could be transmitted in the ...   BB xviii, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
New groups started up and it was found, to the astonishment of everyone, that A.A.'s message could be transmitted in the mail as well as by word of mouth.


358.
... A.A. message, sweeping changes in society as ...   BB xxiv, Foreword to Fourth Edition   Display entire Foreword to Fourth Edition
While our literature has preserved the integrity of the A.A. message, sweeping changes in society as a whole are reflected in new customs and practices within the Fellowship.


359.
... A.A. message to more than 5,000 alcoholic ...   BB p.171, Doctor Bob's Nightmare   Go to page 171 in the Big Book
To 1950, the year of his death, he carried the A.A. message to more than 5,000 alcoholic men and women, and to all these he gave his medical services without thought of charge.

360.
... A.A.'s message to the next alcoholic.   12&12 p.110, Step Twelve
To watch the eyes of men and women open with wonder as they move from darkness into light, to see their lives quickly fill with new purpose and meaning, to see whole families reassembled, to see the alcoholic outcast received back into his community in full citizenship, and above all to watch these people awaken to the presence of a loving God in their lives -- these things are the substance of what we receive as we carry A.A.'s message to the next alcoholic.

361.
... A.A.'s message to the next sufferer?   12&12 p.24, Step One
Who wants to sacrifice time and energy in trying to carry A.A.'s message to the next sufferer?

362.
... A.A. message to those who don't know ...   12&12 p.151, Tradition Five
Under these compulsions of self-preservation, duty, and love, it is not strange that our Society has concluded that it has but one high mission -- to carry the A.A. message to those who don't know there's a way out.

363.
... A.A. might have been!"   12&12 p.129, Tradition One
Back again in their caves, alcoholics would reproach us and say, "What a great thing A.A. might have been!"

364.
... A.A. more effective, how to do the ...   12&12 p.178, Tradition Ten
Let it be noted, too, that they were almost always concerned with ways to make A.A. more effective, how to do the most good for the most alcoholics.

365.
... A.A., moves -- let us say -- to Middletown, ...   12&12 p.132, Tradition Two
John Doe, a good A.A., moves -- let us say -- to Middletown, U.S.A.

366.
... A.A. must always stay poor.   12&12 p.165, Tradition Seven
They declared for the principle that A.A. must always stay poor.

367.
A.A. must continue to live or most ...   12&12 p.189, Tradition One (Long)
A.A. must continue to live or most of us will surely die.


368.
A.A. must continue to live or most ...   BB p.563(565), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
A.A. must continue to live or most of us will surely die.

369.
... A.A. must hit bottom first?   12&12 p.24, Step One
Why all this insistence that every A.A. must hit bottom first?

370.
... A.A. my reaction was just like yours.   12&12 p.27, Step Two
When I first looked at A.A. my reaction was just like yours.

371.
... A.A. name.   12&12 p.190, Tradition Six (Long)
Hence such facilities ought not to use the A.A. name.


372.
... A.A. name.   BB p.564(566), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Hence such facilities ought not to use the A.A. name.

373.
... A.A. name behind any meritorious cause.   12&12 p.155, Tradition Six
In fact, we felt duty-bound to throw the whole weight of the A.A. name behind any meritorious cause.

374.
... A.A.'s name for his own purposes, the ...   12&12 p.187, Tradition Twelve
If even one publicly got drunk, or was lured into using A.A.'s name for his own purposes, the damage might be irreparable.

375.
... A.A. name from clubs and Twelfth Step ...   12&12 p.157, Tradition Six
Even inside A.A. we found it imperative to remove the A.A. name from clubs and Twelfth Step houses.

376.
... A.A. name ought never be drawn into ...   12&12 p.176, Tradition Ten
"Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy."

377.
... A.A. name ought never be drawn into ...   12&12 p.179, Tradition Ten
Thus was laid the cornerstone for Tradition Ten: "Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy."


378.
... A.A. name ought never be drawn into ...   BB p.562(564), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Ten -- Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

379.
... A.A. name to any cause other than ...   12&12 p.159, Tradition Six
We saw as never before that we could not lend the A.A. name to any cause other than our own.

380.
... A.A. name to any related facility or ...   12&12 p.155, Tradition Six
"An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."


381.
... A.A. name to any related facility or ...   BB p.562(564), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Six -- An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

382.
... A.A. needed a lot of money; that ...   12&12 p.153, Tradition Five
Suppose my answer had to be that A.A. needed a lot of money; that A.A. went in for education, hospitals, and rehabilitation?

383.
... A.A. never before possible.   12&12 p.16, Foreword
The second section of this volume, though designed for A.A.'s membership, will give such inquirers an inside view of A.A. never before possible.

384.
... A.A. newcomers are confronted with a dilemma, ...   12&12 p.25, Step Two
The moment they read Step Two, most A.A. newcomers are confronted with a dilemma, sometimes a serious one.

385.
... A.A. no member can be set in ...   12&12 p.16, Foreword
Why is it, they ask, that in A.A. no member can be set in personal authority over another, that nothing like a central government can anywhere be seen?

386.
... A.A. now enters maturity, it has begun ...   12&12 p.18, Foreword
As A.A. now enters maturity, it has begun to reach into forty foreign lands.(*)


387.
... A.A. Number Three.   BB p.156, A Vision For You (Note)   Go to page 156 in the Big Book
(*) This refers to Bill's and Dr. Bob's first visit to A.A. Number Three.


388.
... A.A. number three.   BB xvii, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
Their very first case, a desperate one, recovered immediately and became A.A. number three.


389.
... A.A. numbered 8,000 members.   BB xviii, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
By the close of 1941, A.A. numbered 8,000 members.

390.
... A.A. of membership, that we must never ...   12&12 p.141, Tradition Three
Why did we dare to say, contrary to the experience of society and government everywhere, that we would neither punish nor deprive any A.A. of membership, that we must never compel anyone to pay anything, believe anything, or conform to anything?

391.
... A.A. of today.   12&12 p.178, Tradition Ten
In many respects, the Washingtonians were akin to A.A. of today.

392.
... A.A. offer them satisfactions of similar worth ...   12&12 p.120, Step Twelve
If they cannot have this kind of happiness, can A.A. offer them satisfactions of similar worth and durability?

393.
... A.A. offices, clubs, and homes, telephones ring ...   12&12 p.180, Tradition Eleven
In A.A. offices, clubs, and homes, telephones ring constantly.

394.
... A.A. oldtimers, sober for years, often pay ...   12&12 p.56, Step Five
Even A.A. oldtimers, sober for years, often pay dearly for skimping this Step.

395.
... A.A. on television...."   12&12 p.180, Tradition Eleven
One voice says, "I read a piece in the newspapers..."; another, "We heard a radio program..."; and still another, "We saw a moving picture..." or "We saw something about A.A. on television...."

396.
... A.A., once agnostic or atheistic, tells us ...   12&12 p.62, Step Five
Many an A.A., once agnostic or atheistic, tells us that it was during this stage of Step Five that he first actually felt the presence of God.


397.
... "A.A." or "Alcoholics Anonymous" in telephone directories.   BB p.573(575), Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.   Display entire Appendix VI
These so-called intergroup associations are found under the listing "A.A." or "Alcoholics Anonymous" in telephone directories.

398.
... A.A., or indeed any man, who tries ...   12&12 p.103, Step Eleven
The A.A., or indeed any man, who tries to run his life rigidly by this kind of prayer, by this self-serving demand of God for replies, is a particularly disconcerting individual.

399.
... A.A. or still drinking).   12&12 p.118, Step Twelve (Note)
Not a part of A.A., this worldwide fellowship consists of spouses and other relatives or friends of alcoholics (in A.A. or still drinking).

400.
... A.A.'s other group received into its membership ...   12&12 p.143, Tradition Three
Not long after the man with the double stigma knocked for admission, A.A.'s other group received into its membership a salesman we shall call Ed.

401.
... A.A. ought to avoid sensational advertising.   12&12 p.192, Tradition Eleven (Long)
We think A.A. ought to avoid sensational advertising.


402.
... A.A. ought to avoid sensational advertising.   BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
We think A.A. ought to avoid sensational advertising.

403.
... A.A.'s pioneering days.   12&12 p.182, Tradition Eleven
With perfectly good intent, these folks declared that the principle of anonymity was horse-and-buggy stuff, something appropriate to A.A.'s pioneering days.

404.
... A.A.'s pioneering time, none but the most ...   12&12 p.22, Step One
In A.A.'s pioneering time, none but the most desperate cases could swallow and digest this unpalatable truth.

405.
... A.A. pitch.   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
At the Foundation(*) and intergroup offices, we couldn't employ nonalcoholics as secretaries; we had to have people who knew the A.A. pitch.


406.
... A.A. plan is described by the members ...   BB p.572(574), Appendix V, The Religious View on A.A.   Display entire Appendix V
The A.A. plan is described by the members themselves as 'self-insurance.'

407.
... A.A. practices it, is really a means ...   12&12 p.36, Step Three
Therefore dependence, as A.A. practices it, is really a means of gaining true independence of the spirit.

408.
... A.A. presented a strange and refreshing spectacle.   12&12 p.165, Tradition Seven
To people familiar with endless drives for charitable funds, A.A. presented a strange and refreshing spectacle.

409.
... A.A. principles with all the fervor with ...   12&12 p.22, Step One
But a few did, and when these laid hold of A.A. principles with all the fervor with which the drowning seize life preservers, they almost invariably got well.

410.
... A.A. problem ranging from a lonely-heart Eskimo ...   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
Sacks of letters on every conceivable A.A. problem ranging from a lonely-heart Eskimo to the growing pains of thousands of groups must be answered by people who know.

411.
... A.A. professionals these workers of ours who ...   12&12 p.167, Tradition Eight
Ignoring the fact that these labors were not Twelfth Step jobs at all, the critics attacked as A.A. professionals these workers of ours who were often doing thankless tasks that no one else could or would do.


412.
... A.A. program."   BB p.569(571), Appendix III, The Medical View on A.A.   Display entire Appendix III
I now conceive the psychiatrist's job to be the task of breaking down the patient's inner resistance so that which is inside him will flower, as under the activity of the A.A. program."


413.
... A.A. program as a guide for husbands, ...   BB p.121, To Wives (Note)   Go to page 121 in the Big Book
Though it is entirely separate from Alcoholics Anonymous, it uses the general principles of the A.A. program as a guide for husbands, wives, relatives, friends and others close to alcoholics.

414.
... A.A.'s program as enthusiastically as I could.   12&12 p.27, Step Two
To acquire it, I had only to stop fighting and practice the rest of A.A.'s program as enthusiastically as I could.

415.
... A.A. program can be practiced with success ...   12&12 p.40, Step Three
Then it is explained that other Steps of the A.A. program can be practiced with success only when Step Three is given a determined and persistent trial.

416.
... A.A. program come in.   12&12 p.40, Step Three
That is just where the remaining Steps of the A.A. program come in.

417.
... A.A.'s program has been made.   12&12 p.39, Step Three
Of course the sponsor points out that our friend's life is still unmanageable even though he is sober, that after all, only a bare start on A.A.'s program has been made.


418.
... A.A. program, it appears, hold good for ...   BB xxii, Foreword to Third Edition   Display entire Foreword to Third Edition
The basic principles of the A.A. program, it appears, hold good for individuals with many different lifestyles, just as the program has brought recovery to those of many different nationalities.

419.
... A.A. program requires no willpower; here is ...   12&12 p.61, Step Five
No one ought to say the A.A. program requires no willpower; here is one place you may require all you've got.

420.
... A.A. program unless they have hit bottom.   12&12 p.24, Step One
The answer is that few people will sincerely try to practice the A.A. program unless they have hit bottom.

421.
... A.A. program will rest upon how well ...   12&12 p.34, Step Three
In fact, the effectiveness of the whole A.A. program will rest upon how well and earnestly we have tried to come to "a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him."

422.
... A.A.'s proved willingness to make these sacrifices ...   12&12 p.184, Tradition Twelve
It is A.A.'s proved willingness to make these sacrifices that gives people their high confidence in our future.

423.
... A.A. purpose.   12&12 p.191, Tradition Seven (Long)
Then, too, we view with much concern those A.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated A.A. purpose.


424.
... A.A. purpose.   BB p.564(566), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Then too, we view with much concern those A.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated A.A. purpose.


425.
... A.A. purse for final effectiveness.   BB p.575, Appendix VII, Twelve Concepts (Short Form)   Display entire Appendix VII
The Conference Charter is not a legal document; it relies upon tradition and the A.A. purse for final effectiveness.

426.
... A.A. real cheap.   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
They could regain some measure of virtue, it was thought, if they worked for A.A. real cheap.


427.
... A.A. recovery program, has been left untouched ...   BB xi, Preface   Display entire Preface
Therefore, the first portion of this volume, describing the A.A. recovery program, has been left untouched in the course of revisions made for the second, third, and fourth editions.

428.
... A.A.'s remaining eleven Steps means the adoption ...   12&12 p.24, Step One
For practicing A.A.'s remaining eleven Steps means the adoption of attitudes and actions that almost no alcoholic who is still drinking can dream of taking.

429.
... A.A.'s safe at home did.   12&12 p.38, Step Three
They had even fewer alcoholic lapses or emotional binges than A.A.'s safe at home did.


430.
... A.A., said: "The alcoholics we get here ...   BB p.570(572), Appendix III, The Medical View on A.A.   Display entire Appendix III
Dr. John F. Stouffer, Chief Psychiatrist, Philadelphia General Hospital, citing his experience with A.A., said: "The alcoholics we get here at Philadelphia General are mostly those who cannot afford private treatment, and A.A. is by far the greatest thing we have been able to offer them.

431.
... A.A.'s says: "We were plumb disgusted with ...   12&12 p.30, Step Two
Another crowd of A.A.'s says: "We were plumb disgusted with religion and all its works.


432.
... A.A. seed was planted, it has taken ...   BB xxiii, Foreword to Fourth Edition   Display entire Foreword to Fourth Edition
In country after country where the A.A. seed was planted, it has taken root, slowly at first, then growing by leaps and bounds when literature has become available.

433.
... A.A.'s seem to have the ability, by ...   12&12 p.114, Step Twelve
Our basic troubles are the same as everyone else's, but when an honest effort is made "to practice these principles in all our affairs," well-grounded A.A.'s seem to have the ability, by God's grace, to take these troubles in stride and turn them into demonstrations of faith.


434.
... A.A.'s service structure remain responsive and responsible ...   BB p.574, Appendix VII, Twelve Concepts (Short Form)   Display entire Appendix VII
Written by co-founder Bill W. in 1962, the Twelve Concepts for World Service provide a group of related principles to help ensure that various elements of A.A.'s service structure remain responsive and responsible to those they serve.


435.
... A.A.'s share experience, strength, and hope with ...   BB xxiv, Foreword to Fourth Edition   Display entire Foreword to Fourth Edition
In any meeting, anywhere, A.A.'s share experience, strength, and hope with each other, in order to stay sober and help other alcoholics.

436.
... A.A. should be separately incorporated and managed, ...   12&12 p.190, Tradition Six (Long)
We think, therefore, that any considerable property of genuine use to A.A. should be separately incorporated and managed, thus dividing the material from the spiritual.


437.
... A.A. should be separately incorporated and managed, ...   BB p.564(566), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
We think, therefore, that any considerable property of genuine use to A.A. should be separately incorporated and managed, thus dividing the material from the spiritual.

438.
... A.A. shouldn't have any.   12&12 p.161, Tradition Seven
As A.A. emerged from its infancy into adolescence, we swung from the idea that we needed vast sums of money to the notion that A.A. shouldn't have any.

439.
... A.A. show-offs.   12&12 p.185, Tradition Twelve
They had changed from A.A. members into A.A. show-offs.


440.
... A.A. showed improvement.   BB xx, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
Of alcoholics who came to A.A. and really tried, 50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with A.A. showed improvement.

441.
... A.A. showed results, prodigious results.   12&12 p.27, Step Two
I had to admit that A.A. showed results, prodigious results.

442.
... A.A.'s simple prayer:   12&12 p.125, Step Twelve
With each passing day of our lives, may every one of us sense more deeply the inner meaning of A.A.'s simple prayer:

443.
... A.A.'s single purpose, a member tells this ...   12&12 p.151, Tradition Five
Highlighting the wisdom of A.A.'s single purpose, a member tells this story:

444.
... A.A. slang as "elder statesmen" and "bleeding ...   12&12 p.135, Tradition Two
Ultimately, they divide into two classes known in A.A. slang as "elder statesmen" and "bleeding deacons."

445.
... A.A. slang, that blissful state is known ...   12&12 p.113, Step Twelve
In A.A. slang, that blissful state is known as "two-stepping."

446.
... A.A.'s so employed recklessly broke anonymity to ...   12&12 p.170, Tradition Eight
Unthinkingly, A.A.'s so employed recklessly broke anonymity to thump the tub for their pet enterprise.

447.
A.A.'s sole purpose was being compromised, and ...   12&12 p.170, Tradition Eight
A.A.'s sole purpose was being compromised, and the name of Alcoholics Anonymous was being misused.


448.
... A.A.'s speak the language of the heart ...   BB xxiv, Foreword to Fourth Edition   Display entire Foreword to Fourth Edition
Modem-to-modem or face-to-face, A.A.'s speak the language of the heart in all its power and simplicity.

449.
... A.A. speakers to appear before civic organizations, ...   12&12 p.186, Tradition Twelve
Soon, groups began to receive requests for A.A. speakers to appear before civic organizations, church groups, and medical societies.

450.
... A.A.'s spend most of their waking hours ...   12&12 p.89, Step Ten
Must A.A.'s spend most of their waking hours drearily rehashing their sins of omission or commission?

451.
... A.A. spirit and principle -- they get drunk.   12&12 p.135, Tradition Two
A few hemorrhage so badly that -- drained of all A.A. spirit and principle -- they get drunk.

452.
... A.A. spirit into our daily work?   12&12 p.112, Step Twelve
Can we actually carry the A.A. spirit into our daily work?

453.
... A.A. spiritual or was it medical?   12&12 p.156, Tradition Six
Was A.A. spiritual or was it medical?

454.
... A.A. sponsor usually laughs.   12&12 p.26, Step Two
At this juncture, his A.A. sponsor usually laughs.

455.
... A.A. staff members.   12&12 p.168, Tradition Eight
So we hire A.A. staff members.

456.
... A.A. stories.   12&12 p.187, Tradition Twelve
Other newspapers and magazines wanted A.A. stories.

457.
... A.A. such a closed corporation that we ...   12&12 p.171, Tradition Eight
We cannot declare A.A. such a closed corporation that we keep our knowledge and experience top secret.

458.
... A.A., such as clubs or hospitals which ...   12&12 p.190, Tradition Six (Long)
Secondary aids to A.A., such as clubs or hospitals which require much property or administration, ought to be incorporated and so set apart that, if necessary, they can be freely discarded by the groups.


459.
... A.A., such as clubs or hospitals which ...   BB p.564(566), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Secondary aids to A.A., such as clubs or hospitals which require much property or administration, ought to be incorporated and so set apart that, if necessary, they can be freely discarded by the groups.

460.
... A.A.'s suffer lingering and fatal illness with ...   12&12 p.114, Step Twelve
We have seen A.A.'s suffer lingering and fatal illness with little complaint, and often in good cheer.

461.
... A.A.'s suggested inventory.   12&12 p.45, Step Four
We will be offended at A.A.'s suggested inventory.

462.
... A.A. suggests a fearless moral inventory, it ...   12&12 p.49, Step Four
So when A.A. suggests a fearless moral inventory, it must seem to every newcomer that more is being asked of him than he can do.


463.
... A.A.'s surveyed are less than 30 years ...   BB xxii, Foreword to Third Edition   Display entire Foreword to Third Edition
Seven percent of the A.A.'s surveyed are less than 30 years of age -- among them, many in their teens.


464.
... A.A. take any particular medical point of ...   BB xx, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
Neither does A.A. take any particular medical point of view, though we cooperate widely with the men of medicine as well as with the men of religion.

465.
... A.A. take the gift?   12&12 p.164, Tradition Seven
The question was: Should A.A. take the gift?

466.
... A.A. talks for money, whether at a ...   12&12 p.166, Tradition Eight
When an A.A. talks for money, whether at a meeting or to a single newcomer, it can have a very bad effect on him, too.

467.
... A.A.'s tested experience with Step Four.   12&12 p.46, Step Four
They can do this, for they are the carriers of A.A.'s tested experience with Step Four.

468.
... A.A. that had the closed mind, it ...   12&12 p.27, Step Two
It wasn't A.A. that had the closed mind, it was me.

469.
... A.A. that we know we can seldom ...   12&12 p.151, Tradition Five
It is the great paradox of A.A. that we know we can seldom keep the precious gift of sobriety unless we give it away.

470.
... A.A. that we rediscovered it.   12&12 p.29, Step Two
It was in A.A. that we rediscovered it.


471.
... A.A. -- the Conference, the General Service Board ...   BB p.574, Appendix VII, Twelve Concepts (Short Form)   Display entire Appendix VII
III. To insure effective leadership, we should endow each element of A.A. -- the Conference, the General Service Board and its service corporations, staffs, committees, and executives -- with a traditional "Right of Decision."

472.
... A.A., the fallacy of our defiance was ...   12&12 p.31, Step Two
"When we encountered A.A., the fallacy of our defiance was revealed.

473.
... A.A. the individual doesn't count for much?   12&12 p.129, Tradition One
"Does this mean," some will anxiously ask, "that in A.A. the individual doesn't count for much?

474.
... A.A., the loss of confidence in our ...   12&12 p.185, Tradition Twelve
When such stories got into circulation outside of A.A., the loss of confidence in our anonymity promise was severe.

475.
... A.A., the movement, started and stayed broke, ...   12&12 p.161, Tradition Seven
So A.A., the movement, started and stayed broke, while its individual members waxed prosperous.


476.
... A.A. (the trustees) administers A.A.'s General Service ...   BB p.573(575), Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.   Display entire Appendix VI
The General Service Board of A.A. (the trustees) administers A.A.'s General Service Office, A.A. World Services, Inc., and our monthly magazine, the A.A. Grapevine.

477.
... A.A., the wife may become discontented, even ...   12&12 p.118, Step Twelve
After the husband joins A.A., the wife may become discontented, even highly resentful that Alcoholics Anonymous has done the very thing that all her years of devotion had failed to do.


478.
... A.A. their blessing.   BB p.572(574), Appendix V, The Religious View on A.A.   Display entire Appendix V
Clergymen of practically every denomination have given A.A. their blessing.

479.
... A.A. these are dangerous exceptions.   12&12 p.90, Step Ten
For us of A.A. these are dangerous exceptions.

480.
... A.A., these attitudes were sharply reversed, often ...   12&12 p.120, Step Twelve
Upon entering A.A., these attitudes were sharply reversed, often going much too far in the opposite direction.

481.
... A.A.'s, these distorted drives have been restored ...   12&12 p.124, Step Twelve
But today, in well-matured A.A.'s, these distorted drives have been restored to something like their true purpose and direction.

482.
... A.A., they can become the facts of ...   12&12 p.112, Step Twelve
And if these are facts of life for the many alcoholics who have recovered in A.A., they can become the facts of life for many more.

483.
A.A., they pointed out, included many persons ...   12&12 p.182, Tradition Eleven
A.A., they pointed out, included many persons of local, national, or international fame.


484.
... A.A., this chapter assumes that the alcoholic ...   BB p.104, To Wives (Note)   Go to page 104 in the Big Book
(*) Written in 1939, when there were few women in A.A., this chapter assumes that the alcoholic in the home is likely to be the husband.

485.
... A.A.'s, this often seems like a very ...   12&12 p.106, Step Twelve
To new A.A.'s, this often seems like a very dubious and improbable state of affairs.

486.
... A.A., this worldwide fellowship consists of spouses ...   12&12 p.118, Step Twelve (Note)
Not a part of A.A., this worldwide fellowship consists of spouses and other relatives or friends of alcoholics (in A.A. or still drinking).

487.
... A.A. to almost anyone.   12&12 p.186, Tradition Twelve
When opportunities to be helpful came along, he found he could talk easily about A.A. to almost anyone.

488.
... A.A. to identify himself with, and bring ...   12&12 p.150, Tradition Five
The unique ability of each A.A. to identify himself with, and bring recovery to, the newcomer in no way depends upon his learning, eloquence, or on any special individual skills.

489.
... A.A. to plump for their brand of ...   12&12 p.158, Tradition Six
They'd be out with lanterns looking for an honest A.A. to plump for their brand of education.

490.
... A.A. to stop working on a chronic ...   12&12 p.173, Tradition Nine
Committees have instructed many an A.A. to stop working on a chronic backslider, only to be told: "How I do my Twelfth Step work is my business.


491.
... A.A. too, and Catholic participation in it ...   BB p.572(574), Appendix V, The Religious View on A.A.   Display entire Appendix V
There is something spiritual about A.A. too, and Catholic participation in it almost invariably results in poor Catholics becoming better Catholics."

492.
... A.A. tradition.   12&12 p.165, Tradition Seven
At that moment, we believe, the principle of corporate poverty was firmly and finally embedded in A.A. tradition.

493.
... A.A. tradition?   12&12 p.170, Tradition Eight
The question was -- and sometimes still is -- are such activities to be branded as professionalism under A.A. tradition?


494.
... A.A. Tradition and the receivers of voluntary ...   BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
They are the custodians of our A.A. Tradition and the receivers of voluntary A.A. contributions by which we maintain our A.A. General Service Office at New York.

495.
... A.A. tradition carried this significant sentence: "Any ...   12&12 p.146, Tradition Four
So confident of this had we become that the original statement of A.A. tradition carried this significant sentence: "Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group provided that as a group they have no other affiliation."

496.
... A.A.'s Tradition Eleven was constructed.   12&12 p.183, Tradition Eleven
This, in brief, is the process by which A.A.'s Tradition Eleven was constructed.

497.
... A.A.'s Tradition of nonprofessionalism.   12&12 p.171, Tradition Eight
This is the exciting welter of events which has finally cast up A.A.'s Tradition of nonprofessionalism.


498.
... A.A. tradition, taking care that it never ...   BB p.575, Appendix VII, Twelve Concepts (Short Form)   Display entire Appendix VII
XII. The Conference shall observe the spirit of A.A. tradition, taking care that it never becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power; that sufficient operating funds and reserve be its prudent financial principle; that it place none of its members in a position of unqualified authority over others; that it reach all important decisions by discussion, vote, and, whenever possible, by substantial unanimity; that its actions never be personally punitive nor an incitement to public controversy; that it never perform acts of government, and that, like the Society it serves, it will always remain democratic in thought and action.


499.
... A.A. Traditions as first printed in 1946.   BB p.561(563), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
This is a condensed version of the original "long form" A.A. Traditions as first printed in 1946.

500.
... A.A.'s Traditions were first published, in 1946, ...   12&12 p.146, Tradition Four
When A.A.'s Traditions were first published, in 1946, we had become sure that an A.A. group could stand almost any amount of battering.

501.
... A.A.'s tread innumerable paths in their quest ...   12&12 p.27, Step Two
I must quickly assure you that A.A.'s tread innumerable paths in their quest for faith.

502.
... A.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, ...   12&12 p.191, Tradition Seven (Long)
Then, too, we view with much concern those A.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated A.A. purpose.


503.
... A.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, ...   BB p.564(566), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
Then too, we view with much concern those A.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated A.A. purpose.

504.
... A.A.'s Twelfth Step.   12&12 p.125, Step Twelve
Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes, and right action is the key to good living; therefore the joy of good living is the theme of A.A.'s Twelfth Step.

505.
... A.A.'s Twelfth Step."   12&12 p.170, Tradition Eight
Members who select such full-time careers do not professionalize A.A.'s Twelfth Step."

506.
... A.A.'s Twelfth Step, and action is its ...   12&12 p.106, Step Twelve
The joy of living is the theme of A.A.'s Twelfth Step, and action is its key word.

507.
... A.A.'s Twelfth Step work.   12&12 p.170, Tradition Eight
Yet not a single one of them had been hired to do A.A.'s Twelfth Step work.

508.
... A.A. Twelfth Step work is never to ...   12&12 p.191, Tradition Eight (Long)
But our usual A.A. Twelfth Step work is never to be paid for.

509.
... A.A.'s Twelve Steps.   12&12 p.70, Step Seven
Indeed, the attainment of greater humility is the foundation principle of each of A.A.'s Twelve Steps.

510.
... A.A.'s Twelve Steps.   12&12 p.112, Step Twelve
We know this because we see monotony, pain, and even calamity turned to good use by those who keep on trying to practice A.A.'s Twelve Steps.

511.
... A.A.'s Twelve Steps, and Step Three opens ...   12&12 p.40, Step Three
To make this increasingly possible is the purpose of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, and Step Three opens the door.

512.
... A.A.'s Twelve Steps and tries to teach ...   12&12 p.118, Step Twelve
Seeing her unhappiness, he recommends A.A.'s Twelve Steps and tries to teach her how to live.

513.
A.A.'s Twelve Steps are a group of ...   12&12 p.15, Foreword
A.A.'s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in their nature, which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole.


514.
A.A.'s Twelve Steps are principles for personal ...   BB p.574, Appendix VII, Twelve Concepts (Short Form)   Display entire Appendix VII
A.A.'s Twelve Steps are principles for personal recovery.

515.
... A.A.'s Twelve Steps ask us to go ...   12&12 p.55, Step Five
All of A.A.'s Twelve Steps ask us to go contrary to our natural desires . . . they all deflate our egos.

516.
... A.A.'s Twelve Steps for us.   12&12 p.113, Step Twelve
We temporarily cease to grow because we feel satisfied that there is no need for all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps for us.

517.
... A.A.'s Twelve Steps in his home, often ...   12&12 p.119, Step Twelve
He persistently tries all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps in his home, often with fine results.

518.
... A.A.'s Twelve Steps now come to a ...   12&12 p.125, Step Twelve
These little studies of A.A.'s Twelve Steps now come to a close.

519.
... A.A.'s Twelve Steps, these situations are often ...   12&12 p.118, Step Twelve
Nevertheless, under the influence of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, these situations are often set right.(*)

520.
... A.A.'s Twelve Steps, they have been able ...   12&12 p.15, Foreword
Many people, nonalcoholics, report that as a result of the practice of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, they have been able to meet other difficulties of life.

521.
... A.A.'s Twelve Steps we could lose those ...   12&12 p.121, Step Twelve
But as time passed we found that with the help of A.A.'s Twelve Steps we could lose those fears, no matter what our material prospects were.

522.
A.A.'s Twelve Traditions apply to the life ...   12&12 p.15, Foreword
A.A.'s Twelve Traditions apply to the life of the Fellowship itself.

523.
... A.A.'s Twelve Traditions repeatedly ask us to ...   12&12 p.184, Tradition Twelve
Because A.A.'s Twelve Traditions repeatedly ask us to give up personal desires for the common good, we realize that the sacrificial spirit -- well symbolized by anonymity -- is the foundation of them all.

524.
... A.A.'s Twelve Traditions, the group, too, can ...   12&12 p.174, Tradition Nine
Unless there is approximate conformity to A.A.'s Twelve Traditions, the group, too, can deteriorate and die.

525.
... A.A.'s Twelve Traditions took form and were ...   12&12 p.18, Foreword
It was out of this vast welter of explosive experience that A.A.'s Twelve Traditions took form and were first published in 1946 and later confirmed at A.A.'s First International Convention, held at Cleveland in 1950.


526.
... A.A.'s Twelve Traditions, which are stated in ...   BB xix, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
This was the substance of A.A.'s Twelve Traditions, which are stated in full on page 561 of this book.

527.
... A.A. unity."   12&12 p.129, Tradition One
"Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity."


528.
... A.A. unity.   BB p.562(564), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition   Display entire Appendix I
One -- Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.

529.
... A.A.'s unity contain not a single "Don't."   12&12 p.129, Tradition One
Our Twelve Steps to recovery are suggestions; the Twelve Traditions which guarantee A.A.'s unity contain not a single "Don't."

530.
... A.A. unless he has first accepted his ...   12&12 p.21, Step One
We know that little good can come to any alcoholic who joins A.A. unless he has first accepted his devastating weakness and all its consequences.

531.
... A.A., wants to deprecate material achievement.   12&12 p.71, Step Seven
Certainly no alcoholic, and surely no member of A.A., wants to deprecate material achievement.

532.
... A.A. was all about.   12&12 p.186, Tradition Twelve
Consequently, many groups began to hold meetings which were open to interested friends and the public, so that the average citizen could see for himself just what A.A. was all about.


533.
... A.A. was beset by these very problems ...   BB xix, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
Soon A.A. was beset by these very problems on every side and in every group.

534.
... A.A. was better for us than some ...   12&12 p.182, Tradition Eleven
There was actually a time when the press of America thought the anonymity of A.A. was better for us than some of our own members did.

535.
... A.A. was born, and by God's grace ...   12&12 p.177, Tradition Ten
That is the spiritual climate in which A.A. was born, and by God's grace has nevertheless flourished.


536.
... A.A.") was left unchanged.   BB xii, Preface   Display entire Preface
In the third edition, Part I ("Pioneers of A.A.") was left unchanged.

537.
... A.A. was now backing education -- liquor trade ...   12&12 p.158, Tradition Six
It would be bound to appear that A.A. was now backing education -- liquor trade association style.

538.
... A.A. was on the pious side.   12&12 p.143, Tradition Three
He browbeat everybody, and everybody expected that he'd soon get drunk -- for at the time, you see, A.A. was on the pious side.

539.
... A.A. was only three years old, an ...   12&12 p.135, Tradition Two
When A.A. was only three years old, an event occurred demonstrating this principle.

540.
... A.A. was quite young, a number of ...   12&12 p.122, Step Twelve
When A.A. was quite young, a number of eminent psychologists and doctors made an exhaustive study of a good-sized group of so-called problem drinkers.


541.
... A.A. was read:   BB p.569(571), Appendix III, The Medical View on A.A.   Display entire Appendix III
Following are excerpts from the comments of doctors present at the annual meeting (1944) of the Medical Society of the State of New York where a paper on A.A. was read:

542.
... A.A. was still young, lots of eager ...   12&12 p.147, Tradition Four
When A.A. was still young, lots of eager groups were forming.


543.
... A.A. was the ministration of friends -- friends ...   BB xx, Foreword to Second Edition   Display entire Foreword to Second Edition
Another reason for the wide acceptance of A.A. was the ministration of friends -- friends in medicine, religion, and the press, together with innumerable others who became our able and persistent advocates.

544.
... A.A. was to have a divorce rate ...   12&12 p.141, Tradition Three
Was it credible that A.A. was to have a divorce rate far lower than average?

545.
... A.A. way of life.   12&12 p.114, Step Twelve
We have sometimes seen families broken apart by misunderstanding, tensions, or actual infidelity, who are reunited by the A.A. way of life.

546.
... A.A. way of living to practical use, ...   12&12 p.88, Step Ten
But when we approach Step Ten we commence to put our A.A. way of living to practical use, day by day, in fair weather or foul.

547.
... A.A.'s way of stating the best possible ...   12&12 p.65, Step Six
So Step Six -- "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character" -- is A.A.'s way of stating the best possible attitude one can take in order to make a beginning on this lifetime job.

548.
... A.A. we found it imperative to remove ...   12&12 p.157, Tradition Six
Even inside A.A. we found it imperative to remove the A.A. name from clubs and Twelfth Step houses.

549.
... A.A., we had to recognize that this ...   12&12 p.30, Step Two
After we came to A.A., we had to recognize that this trait had been an ego-feeding proposition.

550.
... A.A. we have found that the actual ...   12&12 p.104, Step Eleven
In A.A. we have found that the actual good results of prayer are beyond question.

551.
... A.A., we learned better.   12&12 p.30, Step Two
But finally, driven to A.A., we learned better.

552.
... A.A., we looked and listened.   12&12 p.75, Step Seven
Then, in A.A., we looked and listened.

553.
... A.A. we saw the fruits of this ...   12&12 p.31, Step Two
In A.A. we saw the fruits of this belief: men and women spared from alcohol's final catastrophe.

554.
... A.A. we slowly learned that something had ...   12&12 p.47, Step Four
But in A.A. we slowly learned that something had to be done about our vengeful resentments, self-pity, and unwarranted pride.

555.
... A.A. we soon take quite another view ...   12&12 p.21, Step One
But upon entering A.A. we soon take quite another view of this absolute humiliation.

556.
... A.A. went in for education, hospitals, and ...   12&12 p.153, Tradition Five
Suppose my answer had to be that A.A. needed a lot of money; that A.A. went in for education, hospitals, and rehabilitation?

557.
... A.A.'s were right. ..."   12&12 p.23, Step One
Following every spree, he would say to himself, "Maybe those A.A.'s were right. ..."


558.
... A.A.'s were thirty and under.   BB p.34, More About Alcoholism (Note)   Go to page 34 in the Big Book
But a 2001 U.S./Canada membership survey showed about one-tenth of A.A.'s were thirty and under.

559.
... A.A. where spirituality and money would mix, ...   12&12 p.163, Tradition Seven
There was a place in A.A. where spirituality and money would mix, and that was in the hat!"

560.
... A.A. who has a religious connection which ...   12&12 p.98, Step Eleven
It is to be hoped that every A.A. who has a religious connection which emphasizes meditation will return to the practice of that devotion as never before.

561.
... A.A.'s who have really tried a moral ...   12&12 p.49, Step Four
But the testimony of A.A.'s who have really tried a moral inventory is that pride and fear of this sort turn out to be bogeymen, nothing else.

562.
... A.A.'s who marry "outside" A.A.   12&12 p.119, Step Twelve
The considerations are equally true and important for the A.A.'s who marry "outside" A.A.

563.
... A.A. who once thought as we did.   12&12 p.30, Step Two
We found many in A.A. who once thought as we did.

564.
... A.A.'s who were only too eager to ...   12&12 p.121, Step Twelve
We forgot that most alcoholics in A.A. have an earning power considerably above average; we forgot the immense goodwill of our brother A.A.'s who were only too eager to help us to better jobs when we deserved them; we forgot the actual or potential financial insecurity of every human being in the world.

565.
... A.A.'s who wish to work as individuals ...   12&12 p.171, Tradition Eight
We see that we have no right or need to discourage A.A.'s who wish to work as individuals in these wider fields.

566.
... A.A. will naturally find that many of ...   12&12 p.51, Step Four
Businesswomen in A.A. will naturally find that many of these questions apply to them, too.

567.
... A.A. will tell how his affairs have ...   12&12 p.105, Step Eleven
Almost any experienced A.A. will tell how his affairs have taken remarkable and unexpected turns for the better as he tried to improve his conscious contact with God.

568.
... A.A. with an enthusiasm which the most ...   12&12 p.182, Tradition Eleven
Ever since, these friends have reported A.A. with an enthusiasm which the most ardent members would find hard to match.

569.
... A.A. with the necessary experience.   12&12 p.157, Tradition Six
Soon they'd spotted their man, an A.A. with the necessary experience.

570.
... A.A. won't take advice or suggestions from ...   12&12 p.173, Tradition Nine
This doesn't mean an A.A. won't take advice or suggestions from more experienced members, but he surely won't take orders.

571.
... A.A. work.   12&12 p.112, Step Twelve
We are sober and happy in our A.A. work.


572.
... A.A. World Services, Inc., and our monthly ...   BB p.573(575), Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.   Display entire Appendix VI
The General Service Board of A.A. (the trustees) administers A.A.'s General Service Office, A.A. World Services, Inc., and our monthly magazine, the A.A. Grapevine.


573.
... A.A. world services should always reside in ...   BB p.574, Appendix VII, Twelve Concepts (Short Form)   Display entire Appendix VII
I. Final responsibility and ultimate authority for A.A. world services should always reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.

574.
... A.A. would be able to do with ...   12&12 p.160, Tradition Seven
What great things A.A. would be able to do with it!

575.
... A.A. would be valuable, because the Fellowship ...   12&12 p.157, Tradition Six
His connection with A.A. would be valuable, because the Fellowship stood high in public favor and hadn't an enemy in the world.

576.
... A.A. would cease to beat; our world ...   12&12 p.129, Tradition One
Without unity, the heart of A.A. would cease to beat; our world arteries would no longer carry the life-giving grace of God; His gift to us would be spent aimlessly.

577.
... A.A. would go even further.   12&12 p.56, Step Five
So far as alcoholics are concerned, A.A. would go even further.

578.
A.A. would land exactly in the middle ...   12&12 p.158, Tradition Six
A.A. would land exactly in the middle of the wet-dry controversy.


Passages from the Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions are reprinted with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.  The A.A. Preamble, copyright © The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., is reprinted with permission.  Permission to reprint does not in any way imply affiliation with or endorsement by either Alcoholics Anonymous or The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.

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