From the books ... Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (12 & 12)
Click a book cover icon
to view the Big Book or 12&12 chapter, or Grapevine text1.
... drinking.
BB
Foreword to First Edition, p.xiv
2.
... drinking.
BB
The Doctor's Opinion, p.xxx
3.
... drinking.
BB
There Is A Solution, p.20
4.
... drinking.
BB
There Is A Solution, p.21
5.
... drinking.
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.30
6.
... drinking.
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.31
7.
... drinking.
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.32
Though there is no way of proving it, we believe that early in our drinking careers most of us could
have stopped drinking.
8.
... drinking.
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.32
9.
... drinking.
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.35
His family was re-assembled, and he began to work as a salesman for the business he had lost through drinking.
10.
... drinking.
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.36
11.
... drinking.
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.36
12.
... drinking.
BB
Into Action, p.72
13.
... drinking.
BB
Into Action, p.73
14.
... drinking.
BB
Working With Others, p.91
15.
... drinking.
BB
To Wives, p.109
16.
... drinking.
BB
To Wives, p.110
He enjoys drinking.
17.
... drinking.
BB
To Wives, p.111
18.
... drinking.
BB
To Wives, p.115
Unless they actually need protection from their father, it is best not to take sides in any argument he has with them while drinking.
19.
... drinking.
BB
To Wives, p.116
We thought, on the whole, we
were pretty good women, capable of being nicer if our husbands stopped drinking.
20.
... drinking.
BB
The Family Afterward, p.134
21.
... drinking.
BB
To Employers, p.138
22.
... drinking.
BB
To Employers, p.139
23.
... drinking.
BB
To Employers, p.141
24.
... drinking.
BB
To Employers, p.148
25.
... drinking.
BB
A Vision For You, p.151
26.
... drinking.
BB
A Vision For You, p.155
27.
... drinking.
BB
A Vision For You, p.156
28.
... drinking.
BB
A Vision For You, p.156
29.
... drinking.
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.175
30.
... drinking.
BB
Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition, p.562
31.
... drinking."
12&12
Contents (Tradition Three), p.10
32.
... drinking.
12&12
Step Four, p.44
Alcoholics especially should be able to
see that instinct run wild in themselves is the underlying cause of their destructive drinking.
33.
... drinking.
12&12
Step Four, p.45
We shall claim that our serious character defects, if we think we have any at all, have been caused chiefly by excessive drinking.
34.
... drinking.
12&12
Step Eight, p.79
35.
... drinking.
12&12
Step Nine, pp.83-84
After coming from our first meeting, or perhaps after we have finished reading the book "Alcoholics Anonymous," we usually want to sit down with some member of the family and readily admit the damage we have done by our drinking.
36.
... drinking."
12&12
Tradition Three, p.139
37.
... drinking."
12&12
Tradition Three, p.144
38.
... drinking.
Grapevine
Preamble
39.
... drinking abruptly.
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.179
40.
... drinking again.
BB
Foreword to Second Edition, p.xvi
The broker had gone to Akron on a business venture which had collapsed, leaving him greatly in fear that he might start drinking again.
41.
... drinking again,
and all would be lost ...
BB
Into Action, p.80
He saw that he had to place the
outcome in God's hands or he would soon start drinking again, and all would be lost anyhow.
42.
... drinking alone,
never drinking in the morning, ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.31
Here are some of the methods
we have tried: Drinking beer only, limiting the number of drinks, never drinking alone, never drinking in the morning, drinking only at home, never having it in the house, never drinking during business hours, drinking only at parties, switching from scotch to brandy, drinking only natural wines, agreeing to resign if ever drunk on the job, taking a trip, not taking a trip, swearing off forever (with
and without a solemn oath), taking more physical exercise, reading inspirational books, going to health farms and sanitariums, accepting voluntary commitment to asylums --
we could increase the list
ad infinitum.
43.
... drinking altogether.
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.39
44.
... drinking always
caused him.
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.36
Here was the threat of commitment, the loss of family and position, to say nothing of that intense mental and physical suffering which
drinking always caused him.
45.
... drinking and
abuse if he really wants ...
BB
To Wives, p.108
Especially when he has before him a way to stop his drinking and abuse if he really wants to pay the price.
46.
... drinking and
alcoholism.
12&12
Step Two, p.33
They are abetted in this blindness by a world which
does not understand the difference between sane drinking and alcoholism.
47.
... drinking, and
for all kinds of crazy ...
12&12
Step Four, p.46
For most of us, self-justification was the maker of excuses; excuses, of course, for drinking, and for all kinds of crazy and damaging conduct.
48.
... drinking and
his failure at life; that ...
12&12
Step Four, p.50
By now the newcomer has probably arrived at the following conclusions:
that his character defects, representing instincts gone astray, have been the primary
cause of his drinking and his
failure at life; that unless he is now willing to work hard at the elimination of
the worst of these defects,
both sobriety and peace of mind will still elude him; that all the faulty
foundation of his life will have to be torn out and built anew on bedrock.
49.
... drinking, and
I was forty pounds under ...
BB
Bill's Story, p.7
50.
... drinking, and
no human being could seem ...
12&12
Step Six, p.63
51.
... drinking and
padding my expense account -- self ...
BB
How It Works, p.65
My employer -- unreasonable, unjust, overbearing; threatens
to fire me for drinking and padding my expense account -- self esteem (fear); security.
52.
... drinking, and
that it must stop.
BB
To Employers, p.141
53.
... drinking, and
then by an allergy of ...
12&12
Step One, p.22
The tyrant alcohol wielded a double-edged sword over us: first we were smitten by an insane urge that condemned us to go on drinking, and then by an allergy of the body that insured we would ultimately destroy ourselves in the process.
54.
... drinking and
used a great deal more ...
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.174
This had little effect
however for I kept on drinking
and used a great deal more hard liquor than in former years.
55.
... drinking, and
very seldom did I receive ...
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.176
During the subsequent fifteen years I had sense enough never to go to the hospital if I had been drinking, and very seldom did I receive patients.
56.
... drinking and
we certainly do not intend ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.38
57.
... drinking, and
who have been most affected ...
12&12
Step Nine, p.84
We shall at once think of a few people who know all about our
drinking, and who have been most affected by it.
58.
... drinking and
you want to help him, ...
BB
To Employers, p.141
59.
... drinking any
good, for not one drinker ...
BB
Working With Others, p.103
We would not even do the cause
of temperate drinking any good, for not one drinker in a thousand likes to be told anything about alcohol by one who hates it.
60.
... drinking, are
miracles of mental health.
BB
The Family Afterward, p.133
61.
... drinking as
an institution.
BB
Working With Others, p.103
62.
... drinking as
intensive work with other alcoholics.
BB
Working With Others, p.89
Practical experience
shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics.
63.
... drinking assumed
more serious proportions, continuing all ...
BB
Bill's Story, p.3
64.
... drinking at
least a case and a ...
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.177
65.
... drinking, bearing
in mind meanwhile what we ...
12&12
Step One, p.23
Why don't you try some more controlled drinking, bearing in mind meanwhile what we have told you about alcoholism?"
66.
... drinking became
so much worse that the ...
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.174
There my drinking became so much worse that the boys in the fraternity house where I lived felt forced to send for my father, who made a long journey in the vain endeavor to get me straightened around.
67.
... Drinking beer
only, limiting the number of ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.31
Here are some of the methods
we have tried: Drinking beer only, limiting the number of drinks, never drinking alone, never drinking in the morning, drinking only at home, never having it in the house, never drinking during business hours, drinking only at parties, switching from scotch to brandy, drinking only natural wines, agreeing to resign if ever drunk on the job, taking a trip, not taking a trip, swearing off forever (with
and without a solemn oath), taking more physical exercise, reading inspirational books, going to health farms and sanitariums, accepting voluntary commitment to asylums --
we could increase the list
ad infinitum.
68.
... drinking before
your fire.
BB
To Wives, p.110
69.
... drinking behavior
which our friends probably know ...
12&12
Step Five, p.55
Then, for good measure, we add dramatic descriptions of that part
of our drinking behavior
which our friends probably know about anyhow.
70.
... drinking both
gin and sedative.
BB
Bill's Story, p.7
71.
... drinking bout.
BB
Working With Others, p.90
72.
... drinking bout
creates.
BB
There Is A Solution, p.23
Sometimes these excuses
have a certain plausibility, but none of
them really makes sense in the light of the havoc an alcoholic's drinking bout creates.
73.
... drinking bouts
and tells you he wants ...
BB
To Wives, p.109
74.
... drinking can
do the right-about-face and drink ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.31
If anyone who is showing inability to control his
drinking can do the right-about-face and drink like a gentleman, our hats are off to
him.
75.
... drinking can
dream of taking.
12&12
Step One, p.24
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.
76.
... drinking career
he begins to lose all ...
BB
There Is A Solution, p.21
He may start off as a moderate drinker; he may or
may not become a continuous hard drinker; but at some stage of
his drinking career he begins to lose all control of his liquor consumption, once he starts to drink.
77.
... drinking career
of almost every alcoholic has ...
BB
The Family Afterward, p.123
Now and then the family will be plagued by spectres from the past, for the
drinking career of almost every alcoholic has been marked by
escapades, funny, humiliating, shameful or
tragic.
78.
... drinking career
up to the time you ...
BB
Working With Others, p.91
79.
... drinking careers.
12&12
Step Twelve, p.122
80.
... drinking careers
have been characterized by countless ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.30
Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking
careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people.
81.
... drinking careers
most of us could have ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.32
Though there is no way of proving it, we believe that early in our drinking careers most of us could
have stopped drinking.
82.
... drinking caught
up with me again and ...
BB
Bill's Story, p.4
83.
... Drinking cold
small beer. A good soldier ...
BB
Bill's Story, p.1
"Here lies a Hampshire Grenadier Who
caught his death Drinking cold small beer. A good soldier is ne'er forgot Whether he dieth by musket Or by pot."
84.
... drinking days.
12&12
Step Four, p.46
First off, they can be told
that the majority of A.A. members have suffered severely from self-justification during
their drinking days.
85.
... drinking does
complicate sex relations in the ...
BB
Into Action, p.81
86.
... drinking, don't
waste time trying to persuade ...
BB
Working With Others, p.90
87.
... drinking during
business hours, drinking only at ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.31
Here are some of the methods
we have tried: Drinking beer only, limiting the number of drinks, never drinking alone, never drinking in the morning, drinking only at home, never having it in the house, never drinking during business hours, drinking only at parties, switching from scotch to brandy, drinking only natural wines, agreeing to resign if ever drunk on the job, taking a trip, not taking a trip, swearing off forever (with
and without a solemn oath), taking more physical exercise, reading inspirational books, going to health farms and sanitariums, accepting voluntary commitment to asylums --
we could increase the list
ad infinitum.
88.
... drinking even
then was no mere habit, ...
12&12
Step One, p.23
By going back in our own drinking histories, we could show that
years before we realized it we were out of control, that our drinking even then was no mere habit, that it was indeed the beginning of a fatal progression.
89.
... drinking, even
with your own parents.
BB
To Wives, p.114
90.
... drinking every
day and every night.
BB
Bill's Story, p.3
91.
... drinking experience
you can be uniquely useful ...
BB
Working With Others, p.89
Ministers and doctors
are competent and you can learn much from them if you wish, but it happens that because of your own drinking experience you can be
uniquely useful to other alcoholics.
92.
... drinking experiences.
BB
A Vision For You, p.157
93.
... drinking experiences
and recoveries.
12&12
Foreword, p.17
The remainder of the book
was devoted to thirty stories or case histories in which the alcoholics described
their drinking experiences and recoveries.
94.
... drinking exploits.
BB
To Employers, p.145
One instance comes to mind in which a malicious individual was
always making friendly little jokes about an alcoholic's
drinking exploits.
95.
... drinking foolishly
and heavily at the present ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.39
That may be true of certain
nonalcoholic people
who, though drinking foolishly and heavily at
the present time, are able to stop or moderate, because their brains and bodies have not been
damaged as ours were.
96.
... drinking for
a few months, you may ...
BB
To Employers, p.146
After your man has gone along without drinking for a few months, you may be able to make use of his services with other employees who are giving you the alcoholic run-around -- provided, of course, they are
willing to have a third party in the picture.
97.
... drinking for
a while, making several trips ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.32
98.
... drinking for
good.
BB
To Wives, p.112
99.
... drinking, for
he may be angry.
BB
To Wives, p.113
100.
... drinking for
long.
BB
A Vision For You, p.155
When our friend related his
experience, the man agreed that no amount of will power he might muster could stop his drinking for long.
101.
... drinking, for
obviously this is the crux ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.35
So we shall describe some
of the mental states that precede a relapse into drinking, for obviously this is
the crux of the problem.
102.
... drinking forever.
BB
To Wives, p.105
103.
... drinking forever.
BB
To Wives, p.116
104.
... drinking forever?
BB
To Employers, p.142
105.
... drinking fraternity,
but not in the eyes ...
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.172
I was graduated "summa cum laude" in the eyes of the drinking fraternity, but not in the eyes of the Dean.
106.
... drinking game,
commence to describe yourself as ...
BB
Working With Others, p.91
107.
... drinking got
bad and people began to ...
12&12
Step Five, p.57
Even before our drinking got bad
and people began to cut us off, nearly all of us suffered the feeling that we
didn't quite belong.
108.
... drinking habits.
12&12
Tradition Ten, p.178
Maybe the society could have
survived the abolition
controversy, but it didn't have a chance from the moment it determined to reform America's drinking habits.
109.
... drinking habits,
symptoms, and experiences to encourage ...
BB
Working With Others, p.91
Tell him enough about your
drinking habits, symptoms, and experiences to encourage him to speak of himself.
110.
... drinking had
become much worse, money was ...
12&12
Step Twelve, p.120
When our drinking had become
much worse, money was only an urgent requirement which could supply us with the next drink and the temporary comfort of oblivion it brought.
111.
... drinking had
to come before sobriety, and ...
12&12
Step Ten, pp.93-94
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.
112.
... drinking has
aggravated the defects of others.
12&12
Step Eight, p.78
Moreover, it is usually a
fact that our behavior when
drinking has aggravated
the defects of others.
113.
... drinking has
made us slow to pay.
BB
Into Action, p.78
114.
... drinking has
placed him on the wrong ...
BB
The Family Afterward, p.129
Dad may feel that for years his drinking has placed him on the wrong side of every argument, but that now he has become a superior person with God on his side.
115.
... drinking have
been repaired in four.
BB
A Vision For You, p.156
As we shall see, he now means a great deal to his community, and the major liabilities of thirty years of hard drinking have been repaired in four.
116.
... drinking, he
accepted a sum of money ...
BB
Into Action, p.80
While drinking, he accepted a sum of money from a bitterly-hated business rival, giving him no receipt for it.
117.
... drinking, he
had not paid alimony to ...
BB
Into Action, p.79
118.
... drinking, he
had placed his toe on ...
BB
To Employers, p.137
After two weeks of drinking, he had placed his toe on the trigger of a loaded shotgun -- the barrel was in
his mouth.
119.
... drinking; he's
my friend; she's a gossip ...
BB
How It Works, p.65
Mrs. Jones -- she's a nut, she snubbed me; she committed her husband for
drinking; he's my friend;
she's a gossip -- personal
relationship; self esteem (fear).
120.
... drinking histories,
we could show that years ...
12&12
Step One, p.23
By going back in our own drinking histories, we could show that
years before we realized it we were out of control, that our drinking even then was no mere habit, that it was indeed the beginning of a fatal progression.
121.
... drinking, I
made up my mind that ...
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.173
This went from bad to worse until sophomore spring when, after a prolonged period of drinking, I made up my mind that I could not complete
my course, so I packed my grip and went South to spend a month on a large farm owned by a friend of mine.
122.
... drinking, I
think you ought to resign."
BB
To Employers, p.148
123.
... drinking, if
we have a legitimate reason ...
BB
Working With Others, p.101
So our rule is not to avoid a
place where there is drinking,
if we have a legitimate reason for being there.
124.
... drinking in
my kitchen.
BB
Bill's Story, p.8
125.
... drinking in
the morning, drinking only at ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.31
Here are some of the methods
we have tried: Drinking beer only, limiting the number of drinks, never drinking alone, never drinking in the morning, drinking only at home, never having it in the house, never drinking during business hours, drinking only at parties, switching from scotch to brandy, drinking only natural wines, agreeing to resign if ever drunk on the job, taking a trip, not taking a trip, swearing off forever (with
and without a solemn oath), taking more physical exercise, reading inspirational books, going to health farms and sanitariums, accepting voluntary commitment to asylums --
we could increase the list
ad infinitum.
126.
... drinking is
but a beginning.
BB
There Is A Solution, p.19
127.
... drinking is
but the first step away ...
BB
The Family Afterward, p.122
128.
... drinking is
necessary in his business.
BB
To Wives, p.109
He is positive he can handle his liquor, that it does
him no harm, that drinking is necessary in his business.
129.
... drinking is
not going to spoil your ...
BB
To Wives, p.111
Be determined that your husband's drinking is not going to spoil your relations with your children or your friends.
130.
... drinking is
of absolutely no avail.
BB
There Is A Solution, p.24
At a certain point in the
drinking of every alcoholic, he passes into a
state where the most powerful desire to stop drinking is of absolutely no avail.
131.
... drinking is
stopped the man tends to ...
BB
The Family Afterward, p.134
Couples are occasionally dismayed
to find that when drinking is stopped the man tends to be impotent.
132.
... drinking is
the great obsession of every ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.30
The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker.
133.
Drinking isolates
most homes from the outside ...
BB
The Family Afterward, p.131
134.
... drinking). Its
headquarters address is 1600 Corporate ...
12&12
Step Twelve (Note), p.118
(*) In adapted form, the Steps are also used by Al-Anon Family Groups. 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). Its headquarters address is 1600 Corporate Landing Pkwy, Virginia Beach, VA 23454-5617.
135.
... drinking just
because we were maladjusted to ...
BB
The Doctor's Opinion, p.xxvi
It did not satisfy us to be told that we could not control
our drinking just because we were maladjusted to life, that we
were in full flight from reality, or were outright mental defectives.
136.
... drinking liquor
for good and all, and ...
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.181
But if you really and truly
want to quit drinking liquor for good and all, and sincerely feel that you must have some help, we know that we have an answer for you.
137.
... drinking many
times isolates the wife of ...
BB
To Wives, p.119
It is probably true that you
and your husband have been living too much alone, for drinking many times isolates the wife of an alcoholic.
138.
... drinking many
years beyond the point where ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.34
As we look back, we feel we had gone on drinking many years beyond the point where we could quit on our
will power.
139.
... drinking may
be constant or it may ...
BB
To Wives, p.109
140.
... drinking means
conviviality, companionship and colorful imagination.
BB
A Vision For You, p.151
141.
Drinking occasionally,
and understanding your own reactions, ...
BB
To Employers, p.139
Drinking occasionally,
and understanding your own reactions, it is possible for you to become quite sure of many things which, so far as the alcoholic is concerned, are not always
so.
142.
... drinking of
every alcoholic, he passes into ...
BB
There Is A Solution, p.24
At a certain point in the
drinking of every alcoholic, he passes into a
state where the most powerful desire to stop drinking is of absolutely no avail.
143.
... drinking on
the basis of self-knowledge.
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.39
But the actual or potential alcoholic, with
hardly an exception, will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the basis of self-knowledge.
144.
... drinking only
a few years, but they ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.33
Several of our crowd, men of thirty or less, had been drinking only a few years, but they found themselves as helpless as those who had been
drinking twenty years.
145.
... drinking only
at home, never having it ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.31
Here are some of the methods
we have tried: Drinking beer only, limiting the number of drinks, never drinking alone, never drinking in the morning, drinking only at home, never having it in the house, never drinking during business hours, drinking only at parties, switching from scotch to brandy, drinking only natural wines, agreeing to resign if ever drunk on the job, taking a trip, not taking a trip, swearing off forever (with
and without a solemn oath), taking more physical exercise, reading inspirational books, going to health farms and sanitariums, accepting voluntary commitment to asylums --
we could increase the list
ad infinitum.
146.
... drinking only
at parties, switching from scotch ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.31
Here are some of the methods
we have tried: Drinking beer only, limiting the number of drinks, never drinking alone, never drinking in the morning, drinking only at home, never having it in the house, never drinking during business hours, drinking only at parties, switching from scotch to brandy, drinking only natural wines, agreeing to resign if ever drunk on the job, taking a trip, not taking a trip, swearing off forever (with
and without a solemn oath), taking more physical exercise, reading inspirational books, going to health farms and sanitariums, accepting voluntary commitment to asylums --
we could increase the list
ad infinitum.
147.
... drinking only
natural wines, agreeing to resign ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.31
Here are some of the methods
we have tried: Drinking beer only, limiting the number of drinks, never drinking alone, never drinking in the morning, drinking only at home, never having it in the house, never drinking during business hours, drinking only at parties, switching from scotch to brandy, drinking only natural wines, agreeing to resign if ever drunk on the job, taking a trip, not taking a trip, swearing off forever (with
and without a solemn oath), taking more physical exercise, reading inspirational books, going to health farms and sanitariums, accepting voluntary commitment to asylums --
we could increase the list
ad infinitum.
148.
... drinking, or
getting over a bout, an ...
BB
To Employers, p.140
When drinking, or getting over a bout, an alcoholic, sometimes the
model of honesty when normal, will do incredible things.
149.
... drinking or
is recovering in A.A. A ...
BB
To Wives (Note), p.104
(*) 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. 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. A further source of help is noted on page 121.
150.
... drinking, or
lack of it.
BB
To Employers, p.139
151.
... drinking or
not?
BB
To Employers, p.147
152.
... drinking or
not.
BB
A Vision For You, p.158
He proved to be a devil-may-care young fellow whose parents could not make out whether he wanted to stop drinking or not.
153.
... drinking or
not.
12&12
Step Ten, p.88
154.
... drinking, or
who are just getting over ...
BB
To Employers, p.142
For most alcoholics who are drinking, or who are just getting over a spree, a certain amount of physical treatment is desirable,
even imperative.
155.
... drinking ourselves
into forgetfulness or had plunged ...
12&12
Step Twelve, p.123
It mattered little whether we had sat on the shore of life drinking ourselves into forgetfulness or had plunged in recklessly and
willfully beyond our depth and ability.
156.
... drinking placed
him constantly in the wrong.
BB
The Family Afterward, pp.130-131
Even when he wanted to assert himself he could not,
for his drinking placed him constantly in the wrong.
157.
... drinking problem.
BB
There Is A Solution, p.19
158.
... drinking problem,
we hope that you may ...
BB
Preface, p.xii
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."
159.
... drinking problem,
what character defects contributed to ...
12&12
Step Four, p.51
Surveying his business
or employment record, almost any alcoholic can ask questions like these: In addition to my drinking problem, what character defects contributed to my
financial instability?
160.
... drinking resembles
his normal nature but little.
BB
There Is A Solution, p.21
161.
... drinking scenes;
we must not go into ...
BB
Working With Others, pp.100-101
People have said we must not go where liquor is served; we must not have it in our homes; we
must shun friends who drink; we must avoid moving pictures which show drinking scenes; we must not go into bars; our friends must hide their bottles if we go to their houses; we mustn't think or be reminded about alcohol at
all.
162.
... drinking seemed
to be a major extra-curricular ...
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.172
After high school came four years in one of the best colleges in the country
where drinking seemed to be a
major extra-curricular activity.
163.
... drinking, sighing
about the good old days.
BB
Working With Others, p.102
164.
... drinking six
weeks before.
BB
To Employers, p.137
165.
... drinking so
long as we place dependence ...
BB
Working With Others, p.98
Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job --
wife or no wife -- we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God.
166.
... drinking societies,
and soon became one of ...
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.173
On account of my enormous
capacity for beer, I was elected to membership in
one of the drinking societies, and soon became one of the leading spirits.
167.
... drinking, tell
him that possibly he can ...
BB
Working With Others, p.92
If he sticks to the idea that
he can still control his
drinking, tell him that possibly he can -- if he is not too alcoholic.
168.
... drinking that
only an act of Providence ...
12&12
Step One, p.21
It is truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have warped our minds into such an obsession for destructive drinking that
only an act of Providence
can remove it from us.
169.
... drinking their
morning coffee.
12&12
Tradition Three, p.144
170.
... drinking, there
must be no reservation of ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.33
If we are planning to stop
drinking, there must be no reservation of any kind, nor
any lurking notion that someday we will be immune to alcohol.
171.
... drinking; they
usually know it anyway, whether ...
BB
Into Action, p.78
Telling them what we are trying to do, we make no bones about our drinking; they usually know it anyway, whether we think so or not.
172.
... drinking, they
were strangers.
BB
To Wives, p.107
When drinking, they were strangers.
173.
... drinking, though
he was brilliant, alert, and ...
BB
To Employers, p.137
I had been obliged to discharge him for drinking, though he was brilliant, alert, and one of the best organizers I have ever known.
174.
... drinking time,
we acted as if the ...
12&12
Step Twelve, p.120
In our drinking time, we acted as if the money supply was inexhaustible, though between binges we'd sometimes go to the other extreme and become almost miserly.
175.
... drinking to
escape; they were drinking to ...
BB
The Doctor's Opinion, p.xxx
These men were not drinking to escape; they were drinking to overcome a craving beyond their mental control.
176.
... drinking to
overcome a craving beyond their ...
BB
The Doctor's Opinion, p.xxx
These men were not drinking to escape; they were drinking to overcome a craving beyond their mental control.
177.
... drinking twenty
years.
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.33
Several of our crowd, men of thirty or less, had been drinking only a few years, but they found themselves as helpless as those who had been
drinking twenty years.
178.
... drinking until
he was thirty-five.
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.35
179.
... drinking until
we have done our utmost ...
BB
Into Action, p.77
Simply we tell him that we will never get over drinking until we have done our utmost to straighten out the past.
180.
... drinking was
not yet continuous, it disturbed ...
BB
Bill's Story, p.2
181.
... drinking we
never hurt anybody but ourselves.
12&12
Step Eight, p.79
182.
... drinking we
occasionally remained sober for a ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.34
In the early days of our drinking we occasionally remained sober for a year or more, becoming serious drinkers again later.
183.
... drinking we
were sometimes bad actors.
12&12
Step Five, p.55
We search for an easier way -- which usually consists of the general and
fairly painless admission that when drinking
we were sometimes bad actors.
184.
... drinking went
out of hand and we ...
12&12
Step Four, p.47
We thought "conditions"
drove us to drink, and when we
tried to correct these conditions and found that we
couldn't to our entire satisfaction, our drinking
went out of hand and we became alcoholics.
185.
... drinking were
easily pushed aside in favor ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.36
Yet all reasons for not drinking were easily pushed aside in favor of the foolish idea that he could take whiskey if only he mixed it
with milk!
186.
... drinking, what
need is there for a ...
12&12
Step Four, p.45
If we were pretty nice people all along, except for our drinking, what need is there for a moral inventory now that we are sober?
187.
... drinking, who
exhibited splendid judgment and determination ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.40
The story he told is most instructive, for here was a
chap absolutely convinced he had to stop drinking, who had no excuse for drinking, who exhibited splendid judgment and determination in all his other concerns, yet was flat on his back nevertheless.
188.
... drinking, who
had had most all the ...
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.180
But this was a man who had experienced many years of frightful drinking, who had had most all the drunkard's experiences
known to man, but who had been
cured by the very means I had been trying to employ, that is to say the spiritual approach.
189.
... drinking, who
had no excuse for drinking, ...
BB
More About Alcoholism, p.40
The story he told is most instructive, for here was a
chap absolutely convinced he had to stop drinking, who had no excuse for drinking, who exhibited splendid judgment and determination in all his other concerns, yet was flat on his back nevertheless.
190.
... drinking will
be used politically.
BB
To Employers, p.145
191.
... drinking will
require a transformation of thought ...
BB
To Employers, p.143
192.
... drinking with
him yourself when he doesn't ...
BB
To Wives, p.110
193.
... drinking with
much greater earnestness than I ...
BB
Doctor Bob's Nightmare, p.173
194.
... drinking without
developing the phenomenon of craving.
BB
The Doctor's Opinion, p.xxx
All these, and many others,
have one symptom in common: they cannot start drinking without developing the phenomenon of craving.
195.
... drinking wrought
all kinds of damage that ...
BB
The Family Afterward, p.127
196.
... drinking, you
have little control over the ...
BB
We Agnostics, p.44
If, when you honestly want
to, you find you cannot quit entirely, or if when drinking,
you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably alcoholic.
197.
... drinking, you
need not be alarmed.
BB
To Wives, p.120
198.
... drinking, you
were withdrawing from life little ...
BB
Working With Others, p.102
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