Fellowship and the Program – Big Book Study – Bronx Big Book Study – Part 2 of 2 – Anthony A.

so much Kevin and thanks Alice and my name is Anthony and I'm a real alcoholic and I am really happy to be here tonight. It's been a while, I think the last time you guys are still just kicking it man, I did the last time I was on I think there were about 280 people but I know a bunch of people went back in person or whatever it be. So my sobriety date is May 7th 1996 this is the only time I've ever been in here. I'll probably refer to the fact that the first 18 years of my 25, I knew nothing about this big book. I was doing the Fellowship of AA and not the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. There's a huge difference. And so before we get to that, since we're so close to the beginning of the book, I don't know if anybody's not seen the cover page, the title page of our book. It says Alcoholics Anonymous, the story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism. And then if we just mosey on along to the forward to the first edition, it says we of AlcoholicsAnonymous are more than 100 men and women who have recovered From a Seemingly Hopeless State of Mind and Body to Show Other alcohol it's precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book right so that's three recovers that would be three times more than i heard it in my first 18 years i'm going to probably refer back and forth to that a lot right that's what our program says that we've recovered so forward to the second edition um this was 1955 and i know i'm a paragraph fan but The Wholesale Miracle has started since 1939. I'm on 16 years is where I was told to start. Sixteen years have elapsed between our first printing of this book and the presentation in 1955 of our second edition. In that brief space, Alcoholics Anonymous has mushroomed into nearly 6,000 groups whose membership is far above 150 recovered alcoholics. so think about that right i get so much grief you guys probably do too i was going into the rooms the last handful of years of you know people that they had meetings at groups that i couldn't say recovered my home group i had to switch home groups the next home group yelled at me too we'll always be recovering i mean we're we're three pages in and we got four recovered already right it's uh we're not always recovering right our our our program tells me that i'll get recovered and the obsession will leave and i won't have to keep talking about how much i feel like drinking groups are to be found in each of the united states and all the provinces of canada so frank that's good news buddy a has flourished in communities the british isles of Scandinavian countries, South Africa, South America, Mexico, Alaska, Australia and Hawaii, all told promising beginnings have been made in some 50 foreign countries and U.S. possessions. Some are just now taking shape in Asia. Many of our friends encourage us by saying that this is but a beginning only the augury of a much larger future ahead. And little did we know what would come and how much we'd grow. But I do want to point to something which I think is really important. We've stopped growing. If you look at the fourth edition, it says that we're approximately 2 million people. And then if you look At some of the footnotes in the books from the last couple years, it still says we are approximately 2 billion people. So for two decades, we've not grown. And I think a lot of it will come down to, you know, the difference between what this book says and what's being taught and learned and and again guilty me because i did it for almost two decades myself right i think that's what's happening right less people are getting recovered less people aren't happy unless people are spreading this word around and less people are being attractive right that's why we did this here this was all attraction by what it said in this book. So it says the spark that was to flare into the first AA group was struck in Akron, Ohio in June of 1935. During the talk between a New York stockbroker, that's Bill, and an Akron physician, which is Bob. Six months earlier, the broker had been relieved of his drink obsession. right the obsession when we do this program the obsession leaves us it might take some a little bit longer dr bob took a couple of years he still had it but the goal of this program this program is to be relieved of the obsession not to be celebrating 30 years and talking about how you're struggling with a drink still it's every day is a struggle that's not the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, that might be the fellowship of AA, and again guilty, I'm not pointing fingers I was guilty for a very long time by a sudden spiritual experience, following a meeting with an alcoholic friend that was Ebby, who had been in contact with the Oxford groups of that day. He had also been greatly helped by the late Dr. William D. Silkworth, who wrote Our Doctor's Opinion A New York specialist in alcoholism He says that twice in the beginning of it, specializing in the treatment on a specialist, right? Who is now counted lost in a medical saint by AA members and whose story of the early days of our society, capitalized, right, appears in the next pages. From this doctor, the broker had learned, here we go, the grave nature of alcoholism. It's a death threat. if anyone's ever listened to scott lee and if you get a chance to listen to scotty go hear him you see any any meetings with him on it he's fantastic and he's not very well he might be a little bit ill so if you give him a chance he's wonderful but he says the book is filled with death threats it's all it talks about poison and death and dying and and all that and then we're so surprised when people die in the program of aa right and so we have a grave nature of alcoholism that's what we learned from from the doctor right the doctor's opinion though he could not accept all the tenants of the oxford groups so bill didn't go for all the religious stuff he was convinced of the need for a moral inventory confession of personality defects restitution of those who are harmed, healthfulness to others and the necessity of belief and dependence upon God. Those are steps guys they're a program right there moral inventory confession of defects, restitution of those who are harm, healthfullness to others and the necessities that means it's mandatory of belief in the dependence on God Now, again, I'm going to go back to my, you know, don't talk about God in the meetings. You might upset somebody. You know, guys will yell at you. Women will yell with you. Nice ladies with scarves on at meetings will come and yell at your end of the meetings, your scaring beginners talking about God. That's all this book talks about is a relationship with God. Prior to his journey to Akron, the broker had worked hard with many alcoholics on the theory that only an alcoholic could help another alcoholic. But he had succeeded only in keeping himself sober. The broker had gone to Akron on a business trip, which had collapsed, leaving him greatly in fear that he might start drinking again. Well, he's obviously not recovered yet, right? Fear of not drinking. He's learned about these things, but he still has that fear. He suddenly, right, and it said at the bottom of the page here, had a sudden spiritual experience. Suddenly realized that in order to save himself, he must carry his message to another alcoholic. Guys, this is the key they talk about. I heard it's mentioned 112 times in the book, in the first 164, about working with others. and it's probably the thing that was most absent to me and the people I was around, right? And what's going on in the majority of the rooms of AA. People don't know how to do the steps. They don't have a sponsor, right again. I'm pointing at me. I'm not talking about you or your friends or whatever. I'm just saying that it wasn't pushed on us. It's not really talked about that you got to go find somebody to help anymore. Whereas this book says it's the key to the whole deal. That and a relationship with God is the key. And those two things are somewhat shunned. And I shun. Right? I didn't want to hear about God. Right? You found the place where we go, talk about our day, talk about our job. I want a job. I need a job, I hate a job I don't like my job anymore. I lost my job. I need some time off. Anybody go to those meetings? They don't mention talking about your job in here. It says right here, the alcoholic turned out to be the Akron physician, which is Dr. Bob. This physician had repeatedly tried spiritual means to resolve his alcoholic dilemma, but failed. Dr. Bob was a very, very studded man in religion. He was a religious man and he tried everything that they had and it didn't work. Anybody identify with that? Anybody try a diet or not gamble or not shop or not do any of that stuff and it doesn't work, no matter how much we pray? But when the broker, when Bill gave him Dr. Silkworth's description of alcoholism and its hopelessness, the physician began to pursue the spiritual remedy for his malady with a willingness he had never been able to muster. so we just did a meeting a little while ago and a guy came out of rehab and I said let's get this work done to find out if you're a real alcoholic and the guy said well I'm definitely I was in rehab and I'm like nah we might want to go and check it out anyway right because they told me when I first came in in 1996 say you're an alcoholic so I said I was an alcoholic now I had no idea what one was you know i might have drank too much but they said say you're an alcoholic i'm guessing most of the people in a don't know what a real alcoholic is right and that's why it's so important that we read the beginning of this book and get people through these steps especially step one which is the majority of our first 164 pages it's definitely the majority uh of our 103 pages right it's like 50 pages which might not be a majority i'm sorry but it's a lot um and then listen to this he sobered never to drink again up to the moment of death in 1950 so let's think about that for a second never to drinking again this book mentions permanent sobriety right for good right for good it says to stop drinking here not the message in the rooms either guys not the message oh it's okay to go out if your ass falls off put it in a bag and breathe to a meeting right anybody hear that stuff meaning makers man it says right here but so many of those people drink again right that's what look I'm gonna go back to what I said it's why we're not growing people aren't staying people aren t staying and getting recovered they're not showing how everybody how happy you can be here in sobriety and the joy that you get from working with other people this seemed to prove that one alcoholic could affect another alcoholic as no non-alcoholic could it also indicated that strenuous work strenuously work will probably to talk about because they've changed that strenuous work into service commitments right it also indicated that sthenous worth one alcoholic to another with another was vital right the strenous work is the important thing it's it's necessary for permanent recovery so to stay sober long enough and forever like they're saying i need to work with what does page 89 say Right? Page 89, the beginning of step 12, which I had no idea was in the book, you know, for almost 20 years, says that practical experience shows that nothing will so much ensure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other methods fail, right? It works with other things fail. again not talked about so much in the meetings i was going to maybe it's different where you guys go to meetings but i don't think so i think that's most of the world is like that it says hence the two men set out to work almost frantically upon alcoholics arriving in the ward of the akron city hospital their very first case a desperate one recovered immediately Recovered means the obsession leaves us. When I get recovered, it doesn't mean I'm not crazy. Kevin's hung out with me a little bit on Zoom. I'm crazy still. But I don't think about alcohol. It doesn't come in my mind for 25 years. It's unbelievable. But I'm Crazy Dudes. I got some issues, right? the very second when we come immediately became AA number three he never had another drink do you see this story here are we talking about those people we told the guy tonight come do the steps the way they're laid out in the book and you never have to drink ever again that's what the promise is in this book you never have to drink again the work at Ackman continued through the summer of 1935 There were many failures, but there was an occasional heartening success. When the broker returned to New York in the fall of 1935, the first AA group had actually been formed, though no one realized it at the time. A second small group promptly took shape in New York to be followed in 1937 by the start of a third in Cleveland. Beside these, look how long it took them to do it, right? You've got three minutes and a computer, you get your own group on Zoom. It took them three years to get three groups. besides these there were scattered alcoholics who had picked up the basic ideas from the book i'm sorry not from the booklet because it wasn't written yet uh in akron and new york who were trying to form groups in other cities by late 1937 the number of members having substantial sobriety time behind them was sufficient to convince the membership that a new light had entered the dark world of the alcoholic. Let's remember something, guys. 2,000 years, right? 1935. You had the Washingtonians in the mid-1800s that came up with something similar but they really ruined it because they tried to be everything to everybody but really for 2,500, there was no the alcoholic guys was an outcast. Locked himself up. They gave them water treatments, they took them to asylums they were outcasts in society and now there's a new life for the dark world of the alcoholic it was now time the certain groups thought to place their message and unique experience before the world their determination bore fruit in the spring of 1939 by the publication of this volume of this book Alcoholics Anonymous a book which we don't read so much in AA the membership has then reached a hundred men and women again the first 100 who wrote this book so again every time it says we in this book right practical experience they're talking about the first one hundred they're not talking about with my comb groups back into the larger group on Brian the marionette group all those group tell group they're not talking about what those members say right the message is what these first 100 people said in this book the fledgling society which had been nameless now began to be called alcohol synonymous from the title of its own book the flying blind period ended and entered a new phase of its pioneering time with the appearance of the new book a great deal begin to happen dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick the noted clergyman reviewed it with approval. In the fall of 1939, Fulton Oswald, the editor of Liberty, printed a piece in his magazine called Alcoholics and God. How would that article do in AA today? Alcoholics and God? And listen to what happened after they printed it. This brought a rush of 800 frantic inquiries into the little New York office, which meanwhile had been established. Guys, alcohol of God, the whole God thing, you know, the book says at the beginning that we're not a religious organization and we are not a religion. We're not religious organization, I promise you. But our book speaks so highly of religion and religious people, right? It urges us to join on page 28 and 131 to join religious bodies because that's what the first 100 did so i'm going to say that as loud as i possibly can right and it tells me to be relieved of that prejudice if i'm prejudiced about that each inquiry was painstakingly and painstakenly answered pamphlets and books were set out businessmen traveling out of the existing group were referred to those prospective newcomers new groups started up and it was found to the astonishment of everyone that aa's message could be transmitted in the mail as well as by word of mouth because the only thing when this program was crushing it 50 75 85 however you want to read the pages that we'll be doing next week here or the week after when they were kicking it for 50 75-85 they were doing it through the book sometimes through the mouth the people were often by themselves again I'm just pointing out the differences and on how we've changed especially since the 1970s when the rehabs came into we've gone away from the message that's in this book and this message in this book is is given to us from God it's special and And again, I'm going to point back. It may be the reason we're still approximately 2 million people 20 years later. By the end of 1939, it was estimated that 800 alcoholics were on their way to recovery. So they went from 100 to 800. So look at the difference. Look how much we're growing. Hopefully I get a little bit further. I got, what, six minutes left? In the spring, here we go. This is really important. In the Spring of 1940, John D. Rockefeller gave a dinner for many of his friends to which he invited AA members to tell their stories. News of this got on the world wires. Inquiries poured in again and again, and many people went to the bookstores to get the book Alcoholics Anonymous. By March of 1941, the membership had shot up to 2,000, So it went from 800 to 2,000 in a little over a year. And again, I'm telling you, we're still around 2 million people 20 years later. Then Jack Alexander wrote a feature article in the Saturday Evening Post and placed such a compelling picture of AA before the general public that alcoholics in need of help really deluged us. By the close of 1941, AA numbered 8,000 members. 100, 800, 2,000, 8,000. So it was 2,008,000 by word of mouth, by happy people getting this message, guys. The mushrooming process was in full swing. AA had become a national institution. It says our society then entered a fearsome and exciting ass-life here. The test it was faced was this. could these large numbers of erstwhile erratic alcoholics successfully meet and work together? Would there be quarrels over membership, leadership, and money? Would there been strivings for power and prestige? Would there have been schisms which would split AA parts? Soon AA was beset by these very problems on every side of every group. But out of this frightening and first disruptive experience, the conviction grew that AAs had to hang together or die separately, right, death threat. We had to unify our fellowship or pass the scene. As we discovered the principles by which the individual alcoholics lived, so we had to evolve the principles of AA groups and AA as a whole could survive and function effectively. It was thought that no alcoholic man or woman could be excluded from our society, capitalized S, that our leaders might serve but not govern, that each was to be autonomous and there was no professional class therapy. There were to be no fees or dues or expenses were met by own voluntary contributions. there was to be the least possible organization even in our service centers our public relations were to be based upon attraction rather than promotion again guys probably one of the biggest misnomers in aa they talk about our public is about to be uh attraction rather than promotion inside of aaa we should be doing dances pep rallies right it was decided that all members ought to be anonymous not in your groups not in your town but at the level of press radio and television and films and in no circumstances should we give endorsements make alliance or enter public controversies there's a lot of people here i'm going to stop them really appreciate you guys triple b thank you guys there we go Thank you. Thank you, thank you.