From the books ... Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (12 & 12)
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... friends.
12&12 p.43,
Step Four
Going to the extreme, he
can become a miser, or even a recluse who denies himself both family and friends.
2.
... friends.
12&12 p.63,
Step Six
3.
... friends.
12&12 p.133,
Tradition Two
4.
... friends.
12&12 p.135,
Tradition Two
5.
... friends.
12&12 p.138,
Tradition Two
6.
... friends?
12&12 p.141,
Tradition Three
How could we know that thousands of these sometimes frightening
people were to make astonishing recoveries and become our
greatest workers and intimate friends?
7.
... friends.
12&12 p.181,
Tradition Eleven
On almost every newsfront, the men and women of the press have attached themselves to
us as friends.
8.
... friends.
12&12 p.184,
Tradition Twelve
9.
... friends.
12&12 p.186,
Tradition Twelve
He also wanted to tell others who had tried to help him -- his doctor, his minister, and
close friends.
10.
... friends.
BB p.3,
Bill's Story
11.
... friends.
BB p.4,
Bill's Story
12.
... friends.
BB p.80,
Into Action
13.
... friends.
BB p.95,
Working With Others
14.
... friends.
BB p.109,
To Wives
15.
... friends.
BB p.109,
To Wives
16.
... friends.
BB p.111,
To Wives
Be determined that your husband's drinking is not
going to spoil your relations with your children or your friends.
17.
... friends.
BB p.114,
To Wives
If your husband is a drinker, you probably worry over what other people are thinking and you hate to meet your friends.
18.
... friends.
BB p.119,
To Wives
19.
... friends.
BB p.147,
To Employers
20.
... friends.
BB p.152,
A Vision For You
21.
... friends.
BB p.156,
A Vision For You
22.
... friends.
BB p.162,
A Vision For You
There are the same fast friendships, there is the same helpfulness to one another as you find among our western friends.
23.
... friends.
BB p.177,
Doctor Bob's Nightmare
24.
... friends and
a feeling that life is ...
BB p.151,
A Vision For You
25.
... friends and
a fellowship has grown up ...
BB p.15,
Bill's Story
We commenced to make many fast friends and a fellowship has
grown up among us of which it is a wonderful thing to feel a part.
26.
... friends, and
about whom a whole chapter ...
BB xxx(xxviii),
The Doctor's Opinion
There is the manic-depressive type, who is, perhaps, the least understood by his friends,
and about whom a whole chapter could be written.
27.
... friends and
business associates, we find that ...
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.
28.
... friends and
employers, warped lives of blameless ...
BB p.18,
There Is A Solution
It brings misunderstanding, fierce resentment, financial insecurity,
disgusted friends and employers, warped lives of blameless children, sad wives and parents -- anyone can increase the list.
29.
... friends, and
families, the alcoholic who means ...
12&12 p.32,
Step Two
To clergymen, doctors,
friends, and families, the
alcoholic who means well and tries hard is a heartbreaking
riddle.
30.
... friends and
is sure to find new ...
BB p.132,
The Family Afterward
If he does not argue about religion, he will make new friends and is sure to find new avenues of usefulness
and pleasure.
31.
... friends, and
my children that I would ...
BB p.177,
Doctor Bob's Nightmare
I used to promise my wife, my friends, and my children that I would drink
no more -- promises which seldom kept me sober even through the day, though I was very sincere when I made them.
32.
... friends and
others close to alcoholics.
BB p.121,
To Wives (Note)
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.
33.
... friends, and
society at large that many ...
12&12 p.53,
Step Four
But it is from our twisted relations with family,
friends, and society at large that many of us have suffered the most.
34.
... friends and
the public, so that the ...
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.
35.
... friends are
hurt and depressed.
12&12 p.134,
Tradition Two
36.
... friends are
sometimes wiser and more humble ...
12&12 p.133,
Tradition Two
37.
... friends as
one of those insanely trivial ...
BB p.120,
To Wives
In a weak moment he may take your dislike of his high-stepping friends as one of those insanely trivial excuses to drink.
38.
... friends at
our homes, never knowing how ...
BB p.105,
To Wives
39.
... friends began
to speak.
12&12 p.137,
Tradition Two
40.
... friends, business,
or community we attract widespread ...
12&12 p.124,
Step Twelve
When by devoted service
to family, friends, business, or community
we attract widespread
affection and are sometimes singled out for posts of greater responsibility and trust, we try to be humbly grateful and exert ourselves the more in a spirit of love and service.
41.
... friends channel
spirituality to newcomers, hire halls, ...
12&12 p.133,
Tradition Two
The founder and his friends
channel spirituality to newcomers, hire halls, make hospital arrangements, and entreat their wives to brew gallons of coffee.
42.
... friends do
this for us.
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.
43.
... friends, doctors,
and clergymen got no place ...
12&12 p.63,
Step Six
Change of scene, the best efforts of family, friends, doctors, and clergymen got no place
with my alcoholism.
44.
... friends, Dr.
Harry Emerson Fosdick remarked:
BB p.572(574),
Appendix V, The Religious View on A.A.
Speaking at a dinner given by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to introduce Alcoholics
Anonymous to some of his friends, Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick remarked:
45.
... friends drink
and knew I could not, ...
BB p.181,
Doctor Bob's Nightmare
I used to get terribly upset when I saw my friends drink and knew I could not, but
I schooled myself to believe that though I once had the same privilege, I had abused it
so frightfully that it was withdrawn.
46.
... friends drink
liquor.
BB p.102,
Working With Others
47.
... friends encourage
us by saying that this ...
BB xv,
Foreword to Second Edition
Many of our friends encourage us by saying
that this is but a beginning, only the augury of a much larger future ahead.
48.
... friends feel
closer over a highball.
BB p.110,
To Wives
49.
... friends --
friends in medicine, religion, and the ...
BB xx,
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.
50.
... friends galore.
BB p.163,
A Vision For You
51.
... friends gasp
and exclaim, "This simply can't ...
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."
52.
... friends had
dropped several million since ten ...
BB p.4,
Bill's Story
53.
... friends had
told me, how they prophesied ...
BB p.41,
More About Alcoholism
I now remembered what my
alcoholic friends had told me, how they prophesied that if I had an alcoholic mind, the time and place would come -- I would drink again.
54.
... friends have
counseled chucking the men and ...
BB p.105,
To Wives
Our friends have counseled chucking the
men and we have done so with finality, only to be back in
a little while hoping, always hoping.
55.
... friends have
reported A.A. with an enthusiasm ...
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.
56.
... friends have
served well, they may -- to ...
12&12 p.134,
Tradition Two
If the founder and his friends have served well, they may -- to their surprise -- be reinstated for a time.
57.
... friends have
slipped away, his home is ...
BB p.110,
To Wives
58.
... friends in
medicine, religion, and the press, ...
BB xx,
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.
59.
... friends in
your own community.
BB p.152,
A Vision For You
60.
... friends is
a heavy smoker and coffee ...
BB p.135,
The Family Afterward
61.
... friends; it
seemed they had known these ...
BB p.161,
A Vision For You
62.
... friends know
the nature of his illness.
BB p.115,
To Wives
While you need not discuss your husband at length, you can quietly let your friends know the nature of his illness.
63.
... friends know
they are not to change ...
BB p.102,
Working With Others
64.
... friends looked
at me as their spokesman ...
12&12 p.138,
Tradition Two
65.
... friends may
bask a little in glory.
12&12 p.133,
Tradition Two
66.
... friends must
hide their bottles if we ...
BB p.101,
Working With Others
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.
67.
... friends mutter
that this looks vague, nebulous, ...
12&12 p.132,
Tradition Two
68.
... friends of
A.A. members.
BB p.573(575),
Appendix VI, How to Get in Touch With A.A.
This is a world clearing
house for the Al-Anon Family Groups, composed largely of the wives, husbands and friends of A.A. members.
69.
... friends of
alcoholics (in A.A. or still ...
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).
70.
... friends of
the newcomer are aware of ...
BB p.567(569),
Appendix II, Spiritual Experience
71.
... friends of
the very character defects they ...
12&12 p.56,
Step Five
They will tell how they tried to carry the load alone; how much they suffered of irritability, anxiety,
remorse, and depression; and how, unconsciously seeking
relief, they would sometimes accuse even their best friends of the very character defects they themselves were trying to
conceal.
72.
... friends of
the writing profession disagreed with ...
12&12 p.182,
Tradition Eleven
These were plausible arguments, but happily
our friends of the writing
profession disagreed with them.
73.
... friends often
do?
12&12 p.113,
Step Twelve
Can we now, with the help of God as we understand Him, handle them as well and as bravely as our nonalcoholic friends often do?
74.
... friends or
spiritual advisers the guidance they ...
12&12 p.60,
Step Five
It is worth noting that people of very high spiritual development almost always insist on checking with friends or spiritual advisers the
guidance they feel they
have received from God.
75.
... friends our
Fellowship will ever know.
BB p.171,
Doctor Bob's Nightmare
In this prodigy of service, he was well assisted by Sister Ignatia at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio, one of the greatest friends our Fellowship will ever know.
76.
... friends probably
know about anyhow.
12&12 p.55,
Step Five
Then, for good measure, we
add dramatic descriptions of that part
of our drinking behavior which our friends probably know about anyhow.
77.
... friends provided
they are not alcoholic.
BB p.102,
Working With Others
78.
... friends recommend
us.
12&12 p.192,
Tradition Eleven (Long)
79.
... friends recommend
us.
BB p.565(567),
Appendix I, The A.A. Tradition
80.
... friends said,
"Put him in a private ...
BB p.157,
A Vision For You
81.
... friends sense
that these drinkers are abnormal, ...
BB p.23,
There Is A Solution
In a vague way their families and friends sense that these drinkers
are abnormal, but everybody hopefully awaits the day when the sufferer will rouse himself from his lethargy and assert his power of will.
82.
... friends spoke
of their spiritual experience and ...
BB p.157,
A Vision For You
The two friends spoke of their spiritual experience and told him
about the course of action
they carried out.
83.
... friends terminated
in a row and I ...
BB p.3,
Bill's Story
84.
... friends that
he is inconsiderately away from ...
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.
85.
... friends that
he was sick, when as ...
BB p.115,
To Wives
Frequently, you have felt obliged to tell your husband's employer and his friends that
he was sick, when as a matter of fact he was tight.
86.
... friends that
these pieces might arouse interest ...
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.
87.
... friends, these
so-called loners tell us they ...
12&12 p.120,
Step Twelve
88.
... friends --
this is an experience you must ...
BB p.89,
Working With Others
To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of
friends -- this is an experience you must not miss.
89.
... friends, this
is but the beginning of ...
12&12 p.18,
Foreword
90.
... friends thought
a lunacy commission should be ...
BB p.3,
Bill's Story
91.
... friends to
a snapping point, and have ...
12&12 p.78,
Step Eight
We've repeatedly strained the patience of
our best friends to a snapping point, and have brought out the very worst in those who didn't think much of us to begin with.
92.
... friends, to
be a worker among workers, ...
12&12 p.53,
Step Four
We have not once sought to
be one in a family, to be a
friend among friends, to be a worker among workers, to be a useful member of society.
93.
... friends to
join us in morning meditation.
BB p.87,
Into Action
94.
... friends to
send me out looking over ...
BB p.2,
Bill's Story
I failed to persuade my
broker friends to send me out looking over factories and managements, but my wife
and I decided to go anyway.
95.
... friends to
smuggle me a quart, or ...
BB p.175,
Doctor Bob's Nightmare
After three years of this, I wound up in the local hospital where they attempted to help me, but I
would get my friends to smuggle me a quart, or I
would steal the alcohol
about the building, so that I got rapidly worse.
96.
... friends to
which he invited A.A. members ...
BB xviii,
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.
97.
... friends told
him about their drinking experiences.
BB p.157,
A Vision For You
98.
... friends usually
find us even more unapproachable ...
BB p.18,
There Is A Solution
Strangely enough, wives, parents and intimate friends usually find us even more unapproachable than do the psychiatrist and the doctor.
99.
... friends usually
found me and I would ...
BB p.176,
Doctor Bob's Nightmare
100.
... friends we
have hurt, we may feel ...
BB p.76,
Into Action
As we look over the list of business acquaintances and friends we have hurt, we may feel diffident about going to some of them on a spiritual basis.
101.
... friends, we,
too, are aware that there ...
12&12 p.38,
Step Three
102.
... friends who
drink; we must avoid moving ...
BB p.101,
Working With Others
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.
103.
Friends who
have reasoned with him after ...
BB p.35,
More About Alcoholism
Friends who have reasoned
with him after a spree which
has brought him to the point of divorce or bankruptcy are mystified when he walks directly into a saloon.
104.
... friends, who
were making as much money ...
12&12 p.136,
Tradition Two
105.
... friends whose
problem has been solved, as ...
BB p.104,
To Wives
Among us are wives, relatives and friends whose problem has been solved, as well as some who
have not yet found a happy solution.
106.
... friends why
alcohol disagrees with you.
BB p.102,
Working With Others
107.
... friends will
be found further on in ...
BB xx,
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.
108.
... friends will
disappear with the growth of ...
BB p.115,
To Wives
Barriers which have sprung up between you and your friends
will disappear with the
growth of sympathetic
understanding.
109.
... friends will
need to cross-examine themselves ruthlessly ...
12&12 p.52,
Step Four
But all alcoholics who have drunk themselves out of jobs, family, and friends will need to cross-examine themselves ruthlessly
to determine how their own
personality defects
have thus demolished
their security.
110.
... friends with
everyone.
BB p.39,
More About Alcoholism
111.
... friends, wives,
husbands, even the world itself ...
12&12 p.115,
Step Twelve
We had failed to see that though adult in years we were still behaving childishly, trying to turn everybody -- friends, wives, husbands, even the world itself -- into protective
parents.
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.
Copyright © 2005-2012, Recovery Press LLC; All Rights Reserved.