BELIEVE in Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous, 12 Steps and 12 Traditions

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

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BELIEVE occurs 74 times (Definition from Merriam-Webster Online)

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... believe. BB p.47, We Agnostics

That was great news to us, for we had assumed we could not make use of spiritual principles unless we accepted many things on faith which seemed difficult to believe.

... believe. BB p.57, We Agnostics

Circumstances made him willing to believe.

... believe a man should be thoroughly probed ... BB p.142, To Employers

We believe a man should be thoroughly probed on these points.

... believe, almost owes this recompense on a ... BB p.123, The Family Afterward

God, they believe, almost owes this recompense on a long overdue account.

... believe and hope it contains all you ... BB p.163, A Vision For You

We believe and hope it contains all you will need to begin.

... believe, and so suggested a few years ... BB xxviii(xxvi), The Doctor's Opinion

We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy; that the phenomenon of craving is limited to this class and never occurs in the average temperate drinker.

... believe anything. 12&12 p.26, Step Two

First, Alcoholics Anonymous does not demand that you believe anything.

... believe anything, or conform to anything? 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?

... believe as he believes. BB p.47, We Agnostics

I'm sure it would work if I could only believe as he believes.

10.

... believe have eventually seen the childishness of ... BB p.130, The Family Afterward

Those of us who have spent much time in the world of spiritual make-believe have eventually seen the childishness of it.

11.

... believe he is a gravely ill person, ... BB p.142, To Employers

Say that you believe he is a gravely ill person, with this qualification -- being perhaps fatally ill, does he want to get well?

12.

... believe He would like us to keep ... BB p.130, The Family Afterward

We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought to be firmly planted on earth.

13.

... believe himself an alcoholic, much less accept ... BB p.39, More About Alcoholism

Fred would not believe himself an alcoholic, much less accept a spiritual remedy for his problem.

14.

... believe in a Higher Power, and most ... 12&12 p.28, Step Two

Relieved of the alcohol obsession, their lives unaccountably transformed, they came to believe in a Higher Power, and most of them began to talk of God."

15.

... believe in a Power greater than himself. BB p.48, We Agnostics

The reader may still ask why he should believe in a Power greater than himself.

16.

... believe in a Power greater than himself ... BB p.93, Working With Others

The main thing is that he be willing to believe in a Power greater than himself and that he live by spiritual principles.

17.

... believe in a Power greater than myself, ... 12&12 p.27, Step Two

I can't say upon what occasion or upon what day I came to believe in a Power greater than myself, but I certainly have that belief now.

18.

... believe in a Power greater than myself. BB p.12, Bill's Story

It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself.

19.

... believe in a Power greater than ourselves, ... BB p.46, We Agnostics

We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power, which is God.

20.

... believe in a Power greater than themselves, ... BB p.50, We Agnostics

They flatly declare that since they have come to believe in a Power greater than themselves, to take a certain attitude toward that Power, and to do certain simple things, there has been a revolutionary change in their way of living and thinking.

21.

... believe in a Spirit of the Universe, ... BB p.10, Bill's Story

I simply had to believe in a Spirit of the Universe, who knew neither time nor limitation.

22.

... believe in God and defy Him, too. 12&12 p.31, Step Two

No man, we saw, could believe in God and defy Him, too.

23.

... believe in God, others can't, and still ... 12&12 p.25, Step Two

Some of us won't believe in God, others can't, and still others who do believe that God exists have no faith whatever He will perform this miracle.

24.

... believe in him. 12&12 p.32, Step Two

He's sure he still believes in God, but suspects that God doesn't believe in him.

25.

... believe in it, or because they feel ... 12&12 p.105, Step Eleven

All this should be very encouraging news for those who recoil from prayer because they don't believe in it, or because they feel themselves cut off from God's help and direction.

26.

... believe in our own reasoning? BB p.54, We Agnostics

For did we not believe in our own reasoning?

27.

... believe in the hopelessness and futility of ... BB p.25, There Is A Solution

But we saw that it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it.

28.

... believe in themselves, and still more in ... BB xxvii(xxv), The Doctor's Opinion

They believe in themselves, and still more in the Power which pulls chronic alcoholics back from the gates of death.

29.

... believe in these things at all. 12&12 p.96, Step Eleven

Or perhaps we don't believe in these things at all.

30.

... believe it an illness -- involves those about ... BB p.18, There Is A Solution

An illness of this sort -- and we have come to believe it an illness -- involves those about us in a way no other human sickness can.

31.

Believe it or not, wealthy townsfolk bought ... 12&12 p.147, Tradition Four

Believe it or not, wealthy townsfolk bought the idea.

32.

... believe it should be made plain that ... BB p.143, To Employers

If you propose such a procedure to him, it may be necessary to advance the cost of treatment, but we believe it should be made plain that any expense will later be deducted from his pay.

33.

... believe it would be possible for me ... BB p.40, More About Alcoholism

Let him tell you about it: "I was much impressed with what you fellows said about alcoholism, and I frankly did not believe it would be possible for me to drink again.

34.

... believe, or am I even willing to ... BB p.47, We Agnostics

"Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself?"

35.

... believe, or is willing to believe, we ... BB p.47, We Agnostics

As soon as a man can say that he does believe, or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way.

36.

... believe than not to believe, why we ... BB p.53, We Agnostics

Hence we are at pains to tell why we think our present faith is reasonable, why we think it more sane and logical to believe than not to believe, why we say our former thinking was soft and mushy when we threw up our hands in doubt and said, "We don't know."

37.

... believe that a man-made millennium lies just ... 12&12 p.70, Step Seven

The immense resources now being harnessed promise such a quantity of material blessings that many have come to believe that a man-made millennium lies just ahead.

38.

... believe that a Power greater than ourselves ... 12&12 p.25, Step Two

"Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."

39.

... believe that a Power greater than ourselves ... 12&12 p.76, Step Seven

It is really saying to us that we now ought to be willing to try humility in seeking the removal of our other shortcomings just as we did when we admitted that we were powerless over alcohol, and came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

40.

... believe that a Power greater than ourselves ... BB p.59, How It Works

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

41.

... believe that alcoholism is entirely a problem ... BB xxix(xxvii), The Doctor's Opinion

I do not hold with those who believe that alcoholism is entirely a problem of mental control.

42.

... believe that each of us takes part ... 12&12 p.187, Tradition Twelve

As we lay aside these very human aspirations, we believe that each of us takes part in the weaving of a protective mantle which covers our whole Society and under which we may grow and work in unity.

43.

... believe that early in our drinking careers ... BB p.32, More About Alcoholism

Though there is no way of proving it, we believe that early in our drinking careers most of us could have stopped drinking.

44.

... believe that God exists have no faith ... 12&12 p.25, Step Two

Some of us won't believe in God, others can't, and still others who do believe that God exists have no faith whatever He will perform this miracle.

45.

... believe that his brother-executive suffered from a ... BB p.138, To Employers

He simply could not believe that his brother-executive suffered from a serious illness.

46.

... believe that if only they'd treat us ... 12&12 p.45, Step Four

We firmly believe that if only they'd treat us better, we'd be all right.

47.

... believe that it is only by fully ... BB p.29, There Is A Solution

Our hope is that many alcoholic men and women, desperately in need, will see these pages, and we believe that it is only by fully disclosing ourselves and our problems that they will be persuaded to say, "Yes, I am one of them too; I must have this thing."

48.

... believe that managers of large enterprises often ... BB p.149, To Employers

We believe that managers of large enterprises often have little idea how prevalent this problem is.

49.

... believe that our adult dreams were often ... 12&12 p.123, Step Twelve

We would not believe that our adult dreams were often truly childish.

50.

... believe that our human intelligence was the ... BB p.49, We Agnostics

Instead of regarding ourselves as intelligent agents, spearheads of God's ever advancing Creation, we agnostics and atheists chose to believe that our human intelligence was the last word, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and end of all.

51.

... believe that our one-time good characters will ... 12&12 p.45, Step Four

We believe that our one-time good characters will be revived the moment we quit alcohol.

52.

... believe -- that the body of the alcoholic ... BB xxvi(xxiv), The Doctor's Opinion

In this statement he confirms what we who have suffered alcoholic torture must believe -- that the body of the alcoholic is quite as abnormal as his mind.

53.

... believe that the principle of anonymity has ... 12&12 p.192, Tradition Twelve (Long)

Twelve -- And finally, we of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that the principle of anonymity has an immense spiritual significance.

54.

... believe that the principle of anonymity has ... BB p.565(567), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition

12. And finally, we of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that the principle of anonymity has an immense spiritual significance.

55.

... believe that the reader will be interested ... BB xxv(xxiii), The Doctor's Opinion

We of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that the reader will be interested in the medical estimate of the plan of recovery described in this book.

56.

... believe, that there is a Power greater ... BB p.47, We Agnostics

"Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself?"

57.

... believe that which he could not do ... 12&12 p.106, Step Twelve

When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone.

58.

... believe -- the belligerent one. 12&12 p.25, Step Two

Let's look first at the case of the one who says he won't believe -- the belligerent one.

59.

... believe, the best answers that our experience ... BB p.561(563), Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition

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?"

60.

... believe, the principle of corporate poverty was ... 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.

61.

... believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution. BB p.25, There Is A Solution

If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution.

62.

... believe there isn't a fellowship on earth ... 12&12 p.129, Tradition One

We believe there isn't a fellowship on earth which lavishes more devoted care upon its individual members; surely there is none which more jealously guards the individual's right to think, talk, and act as he wishes.

63.

... believe they are in that class. BB p.31, More About Alcoholism

Despite all we can say, many who are real alcoholics are not going to believe they are in that class.

64.

... believe they have it. BB p.149, To Employers

But alcoholism -- well, they just don't believe they have it.

65.

... believe this program can work for me ... BB xii, Preface

If you have a drinking problem, we hope that you may pause in reading one of the forty-two personal stories and think: "Yes, that happened to me"; or, more important, "Yes, I've felt like that"; or, most important, "Yes, I believe this program can work for me too."

66.

... believe this universe needs no God to ... BB p.49, We Agnostics

We read wordy books and indulge in windy arguments, thinking we believe this universe needs no God to explain it.

67.

... believe, to all men. BB p.46, We Agnostics

It is open, we believe, to all men.

68.

... believe to be spiritual as well as ... BB p.45, We Agnostics

That means we have written a book which we believe to be spiritual as well as moral.

69.

... believe we can make some definite and ... BB p.86, Into Action

Yet, we believe we can make some definite and valuable suggestions.

70.

... believe, we emphatically assure him that he ... BB p.47, We Agnostics

As soon as a man can say that he does believe, or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way.

71.

... believe we needed this help. BB p.116, To Wives

At first, some of us did not believe we needed this help.

72.

... believe we will be forgiven and will ... BB p.70, How It Works

If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson.

73.

... believe what they say, so that they ... 12&12 p.67, Step Six

But how many men and women speak love with their lips, and believe what they say, so that they can hide lust in a dark corner of their minds?

74.

... believe, why we say our former thinking ... BB p.53, We Agnostics

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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