... Alcoholics Anonymous - Back To The Forties Class #1 Class #1 -In class 1 we discuss Step 1 - "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable." Topics include - What is an alcoholic? Who is an alcoholic? Am I an alcoholic? Welcome to Back To the 40's - How Alcoholics Anonymous worked in the 1940's. During the first decade after the publication of the Big Book... The recovery rate from alcoholism within the fellowship of AA was 75%. AA's program, as practiced then, was quite different from the program that is practiced today. To produce such an astounding recovery rate, what was done in the early days of AA? These five classes will provide an in depth look how this was done. Discover this in depth look at: Taking the 12 steps right out of the the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous! "To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered in the main purpose of this book." (Alcoholics Anonymous, pg xiii) That's how it was done back in the early days and it worked. "Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery." (Alcoholics Anonymous, pg 59) http://www.spiritualsteps.com/pdf_2012 4th step inventory worksheet available for download here http://www.spiritualsteps.com/pdf_2012/Back_To_The_Forties_Step4Sheet.pdf http://www.spiritualsteps.com/pdf_2012/Back_to_the_1940s_Leader_Script.pdf +++ "Alcoholics Anonymous: An interpretation of our Twelve Steps" http://www.spiritualsteps.com/pdf_2012/Alcoholics_Anonymous_An_interpretation_of_our_Twelve_Steps.pdf http://www.eskimo.com/~burked/history/tablemat.html http://www.hindsfoot.org/detr0.html ... So what happened? In the 1950's , with the publishing of the 12x12, groups started to change from "here are the steps we took" to here are the steps we'll just study. There was no such thing as "step Study" prior to 1952. A carefull reading of the Big Book shows a certain timeline for working the steps, its in the stories, Bill worked the steps with Ebby in Towns, 9 days sober. Dr Bob met Bill several times over a course of a few weeks, got drunk in Atlanta, and then did his amends in one day. Ernie T ( I think on page 291) describes going through the steps with Dr Bob in an afternoon. Clarence Snyder (home brewmeister) often said "give me a willing drunk on Friday and I'll show you a recovered alcoholic on Monday" None of which agrees with what I hear in the rooms today. 1940's style meetings in Cleveland, saw newcomers being taken through the steps in seminar fashion , in groups of 20-30 drunks all working the steps, recovery rates were twice as good as in NY. They actually worked the steps in the meeting, inventory was written between meetings and step 5 was done with a sponsor aft ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWGObXSthD4

Alcoholics Anonymous, The Doctor's Opinion ---------------------------------------------------------------- The first and second edition book "Alcoholics Anonymous" is in public domain in the United States. The Big Book has served as a lifeline to millions worldwide. First published in 1939. "The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks" A letter from Dr. Silkworth to Alcoholics Anonymous in 1939 Dr. Silkworth defines alcoholism - "Of course an alcoholic ought to be freed from his physical craving for liquor" - Big book XXVII "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." - Big book XXVIII (NEVER means not one time!) ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87MS7Z_0vwA