kobe-ja/AsBillSeesIt · Datasets at Hugging Face

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That is their business, and this is a very natural reaction.
"However, most people find that anonymity to this degree is
not necessary, or even desirable. Once one is fairly sober,
and sure of this, there seems no reason for failing to talk
about A.A. membership in the right places. This has a
tendency to bring inother people. Word of mouth is one of
our most important communications.
"So we should criticize neither the people who wish to
remain silent, nor even the people who wish to talk too much
about belonging to A.A., provided they do not so at the
public level and thus compromise our whole Society."
We are Not Fighting
We have ceased fighting anything or anyone -- even alcohol.
For by this time sanity has returned. We can now react
sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened
automatically. We see that this new attitude toward liquor is
really a gift of God.
That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we
avoiding temptation. We have not even sworn off. Instead,
the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We
are neither cocky nor are we afraid.
That how we react -- so long as we keep in fit spiritual
condition.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, PP. 84-85
Defects and Repairs
No matter how much one wishes to try, exactly how can he
turn his will and his own life over to the care of whatever God
he thinks there is?
A beginning, even the smallest, is all that is needed. Once we
have placed the key of willingness in the lock and have
placed the key of willingness in the lock and have the door
ever so slightly open, we find we can always open it some
more.
Though self-will may slam it shut again, as it frequently does,
it will always respond the moment we again pick up the key
of willingness.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 35
The New A.A. and His Family
When alcoholism strikes, very unnatural situations may
develop which work against marriage partnership and
compatible union. If the man is affected, the wife must
become the head of the house, often the breadwinner. As
matters get worse, the husband becomes a sick and
irresponsible child who needs to be looked after and
extricated from endless scrapes and impasses. Very
gradually, usually without any realization of the fact, the wife
is forced to become the mother of an erring boy, and the
alcoholic alternately loves and hates her maternal care.
Under the influence of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, these situations
are often set right.
Whether the family goes on a spiritual basis or not, the
alcoholic member has to if he would recover. The others
must be convinced of his new status beyond the shadow of a
doubt. Seeing is believing to most families who have lived
with a drinker.
Freedom to Choose
Looking back, we see that our freedom to choose badly was
not, after all, a very real freedom.
When we chose because we "must", this was not a free
choice, either. But it got us started in the right direction.
When we chose because we "ought to", we were really doing
better. This time we were earning some freedom, making
ourselves ready for more.
But when, now and then, we could gladly make right choices
without rebellion, hold-out, or conflict, then we had our first
view of what perfect freedom under God's will could be like.
GRAPEVINE, MAY 1960
Look Beyond the Horizon
My workshop stands on a hill back of our home. Looking
over the valley, I see the village community house where our
local group meets. Beyond the circle of my horizon lies the
whole world of A.A.
The unity of A.A. is the most cherished quality our Society
has. Our lives, the lives of all to come, depend squarely upon
it. Without unity, the heart of A.A. would cease to beat; our
world arteries would no longer carry the life-giving grace of
God.
"Admitted to God . . ."
Provided you hold back nothing in taking the Fifth Step, your
sense of relief will mount from minute to minute. The
dammed-up emotions of years break out of their
confinement, and miraculously vanish as soon as they are
exposed. As the pain sunsides, a healing tranquillity takes its
place. And when humility and serenity are so combined,
something else of great moment is apt to occur.
Many an A.A., once agnostic or atheist, tells us that it was
during this stage of Step Five that he first actually felt the
presence of God. And even those who already had faith often
become conscious of God as they never were before.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 62
Persistence in Prayer
We often tend to slight serious meditation and prayer as
something not really necessary. To be sure, we feel it is
something that might help us to meet an occasional
emergency, but at first many of us are apt to regard it as a
somewhat mysteriousskill of clergymen, from which we may
hope to get a secondhand benefit.
In A.A. we have found that the actual good results of prayer
are beyond question. They are matters of knowledge and
experience. All those who have persisted have found

That is their business, and this is a very natural reaction.

"However, most people find that anonymity to this degree is

not necessary, or even desirable. Once one is fairly sober,

and sure of this, there seems no reason for failing to talk

about A.A. membership in the right places. This has a

tendency to bring inother people. Word of mouth is one of

our most important communications.

"So we should criticize neither the people who wish to

remain silent, nor even the people who wish to talk too much

about belonging to A.A., provided they do not so at the

public level and thus compromise our whole Society."

We are Not Fighting

We have ceased fighting anything or anyone -- even alcohol.

For by this time sanity has returned. We can now react

sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened

automatically. We see that this new attitude toward liquor is

really a gift of God.

That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we

avoiding temptation. We have not even sworn off. Instead,

the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We

are neither cocky nor are we afraid.

That how we react -- so long as we keep in fit spiritual

condition.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, PP. 84-85

Defects and Repairs

No matter how much one wishes to try, exactly how can he

turn his will and his own life over to the care of whatever God

he thinks there is?

A beginning, even the smallest, is all that is needed. Once we

have placed the key of willingness in the lock and have

placed the key of willingness in the lock and have the door

ever so slightly open, we find we can always open it some

more.

Though self-will may slam it shut again, as it frequently does,

it will always respond the moment we again pick up the key

of willingness.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 35

The New A.A. and His Family

When alcoholism strikes, very unnatural situations may

develop which work against marriage partnership and

compatible union. If the man is affected, the wife must

become the head of the house, often the breadwinner. As

matters get worse, the husband becomes a sick and

irresponsible child who needs to be looked after and

extricated from endless scrapes and impasses. Very

gradually, usually without any realization of the fact, the wife

is forced to become the mother of an erring boy, and the

alcoholic alternately loves and hates her maternal care.

Under the influence of A.A.'s Twelve Steps, these situations

are often set right.

Whether the family goes on a spiritual basis or not, the

alcoholic member has to if he would recover. The others

must be convinced of his new status beyond the shadow of a

doubt. Seeing is believing to most families who have lived

with a drinker.

Freedom to Choose

Looking back, we see that our freedom to choose badly was

not, after all, a very real freedom.

When we chose because we "must", this was not a free

choice, either. But it got us started in the right direction.

When we chose because we "ought to", we were really doing

better. This time we were earning some freedom, making

ourselves ready for more.

But when, now and then, we could gladly make right choices

without rebellion, hold-out, or conflict, then we had our first

view of what perfect freedom under God's will could be like.

GRAPEVINE, MAY 1960

Look Beyond the Horizon

My workshop stands on a hill back of our home. Looking

over the valley, I see the village community house where our

local group meets. Beyond the circle of my horizon lies the

whole world of A.A.

The unity of A.A. is the most cherished quality our Society

has. Our lives, the lives of all to come, depend squarely upon

it. Without unity, the heart of A.A. would cease to beat; our

world arteries would no longer carry the life-giving grace of

God.

"Admitted to God . . ."

Provided you hold back nothing in taking the Fifth Step, your

sense of relief will mount from minute to minute. The

dammed-up emotions of years break out of their

confinement, and miraculously vanish as soon as they are

exposed. As the pain sunsides, a healing tranquillity takes its

place. And when humility and serenity are so combined,

something else of great moment is apt to occur.

Many an A.A., once agnostic or atheist, tells us that it was

during this stage of Step Five that he first actually felt the

presence of God. And even those who already had faith often

become conscious of God as they never were before.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 62

Persistence in Prayer

We often tend to slight serious meditation and prayer as

something not really necessary. To be sure, we feel it is

something that might help us to meet an occasional

emergency, but at first many of us are apt to regard it as a

somewhat mysteriousskill of clergymen, from which we may

hope to get a secondhand benefit.

In A.A. we have found that the actual good results of prayer

are beyond question. They are matters of knowledge and

experience. All those who have persisted have found