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The A.A. emphasis on personal inventory is heavy because a
great many of us have never really acquired the habit of
accurate self-appraisal.
Once this healthy practice has become a habit, it will prove
so interesting and profitable that the time it takes won't be
missed. For these minutes and often hours spent in selfexamination are bound to make all the other hours of our day
better and happier. At length, our inventories become a
necessity of everyday living, rather than something unusual
or set apart.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 89-90
Freed Prisoners
"Every A.A. has been, in a sense, a prisoner. Each of us has
walled himself out of society; each has known social stigma.
The lot of you folks has been even more difficult: In your
case, society has also built a wall around you.But there isn't
any really essential difference, a fact that practically all A.A.'s
now know.
"Therefore, when you members come into the world of A.A.
on the outside, you can be sure that no one will care a fig
that you have done time. What you are trying to be -- not
what you were -- is all that counts with us."
"Mental and emotional difficulties are sometimes very hard
to take while we are trying to maintain sobriety. Yet we do
see, in the long run, that transcendence over such problems
is the real test of the A.A. way of living. Adversity gives us
more opportunity to grow than does comfort or success."
Looking for Lost Faith
Any number of A.A.'s can say, "We were diverted from our
childhood faith. As material success began to come, we felt
we were winning at the game of life. This was exhilarating,
and it made us happy.
"Why should we be bothered with theological abstractions
and religious duties, or with the state of our souls, here or
hereafter? The will to win should carry us through.
"But then alcohol began have its way with us. Finally, when
all our score cards read `zero,' and we saw that one more
strike would put us out of the game forever, we had to look
for our lost faith. It was in A.A. that we rediscovered it."
TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 28-29
Perfection -- Only the Objective
There can be no absolute humility for us humans. At best, we
can merely glimpse the meaning and splendor of such a
perfect ideal. Only God himself canmanifest in the absolute;
we human beings must needs live and grow in the domain of
the relative.
So we seek progress in humility for today.
Few of us can quickly or easily become ready even to look at
spiritual and moral perfection; we want to settle for only as
much development as may get us by in life, according, of
course, to our various and sundry ideas of what will get us
by. Mistakenly, we strive for a self-determined objective,
rather than for the perfect objective which is of God.
No Orders Issued
Neither the A.A. General Service Conference, its Board of
Trustees, nor the humblest group committee can issue a
single directive to an A.A. member and make it stick, let
alone mete out any punishment. We've tried this lots of
times, but utter failure isalways the result.
Groups have sometimes tried to expel members, but the
banished have come back to sit in the meeting place, saying,
"This is life for us; you can't keep us out." Committees have
instructed many an A.A. to stop working a chronic
backslider, only to be told: "How I do my Twelfth Step work
is my business. Who are you to judge?"
This doesn't mean that an A.A. won't take good advice or
suggestions from more experienced members. He simply
objects to taking orders.
TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 173
Maudlin Martyrdom
"Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects
that we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut
off all effective communication with our fellows because of
its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a
maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford.
"The remedy? Well, let's have a hard look at ourselves, and a
still harder one at A.A.'s Twelve Steps to recovery. When we
see how many of our fellow A.A.'s have used the Steps to
transcend great pain and adversity, we shall be inspired to
try these life-giving principles for ourselves."
When and How to Give
Men who cry for money and shelter as a condition of their
sobriety, are on the wrong track. Yet we sometimes do
provide a new prospect with these very things -- when it
becomes clear that he is willing to place his recovery first.
It is not whether we shall give that is the question, but when
and how we give. Whenever we put our work on a material
plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon alms rather
than upon a Higher Power and the A.A. group. He continues
to insist that he cannot master alcohol until his material
needs are cared for.
Nonsense. Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn
this truth: that, 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.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 98
Hard on Ourselves, Considerate of Others
We cannot disclose anything to our wives or our parents
which will hurt them and make them unhappy. We have no
right to save our own skin at their expense.
Such damaging parts of our story we tell to someone

The A.A. emphasis on personal inventory is heavy because a

great many of us have never really acquired the habit of

accurate self-appraisal.

Once this healthy practice has become a habit, it will prove

so interesting and profitable that the time it takes won't be

missed. For these minutes and often hours spent in selfexamination are bound to make all the other hours of our day

better and happier. At length, our inventories become a

necessity of everyday living, rather than something unusual

or set apart.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 89-90

Freed Prisoners

"Every A.A. has been, in a sense, a prisoner. Each of us has

walled himself out of society; each has known social stigma.

The lot of you folks has been even more difficult: In your

case, society has also built a wall around you.But there isn't

any really essential difference, a fact that practically all A.A.'s

now know.

"Therefore, when you members come into the world of A.A.

on the outside, you can be sure that no one will care a fig

that you have done time. What you are trying to be -- not

what you were -- is all that counts with us."

"Mental and emotional difficulties are sometimes very hard

to take while we are trying to maintain sobriety. Yet we do

see, in the long run, that transcendence over such problems

is the real test of the A.A. way of living. Adversity gives us

more opportunity to grow than does comfort or success."

Looking for Lost Faith

Any number of A.A.'s can say, "We were diverted from our

childhood faith. As material success began to come, we felt

we were winning at the game of life. This was exhilarating,

and it made us happy.

"Why should we be bothered with theological abstractions

and religious duties, or with the state of our souls, here or

hereafter? The will to win should carry us through.

"But then alcohol began have its way with us. Finally, when

all our score cards read `zero,' and we saw that one more

strike would put us out of the game forever, we had to look

for our lost faith. It was in A.A. that we rediscovered it."

TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 28-29

Perfection -- Only the Objective

There can be no absolute humility for us humans. At best, we

can merely glimpse the meaning and splendor of such a

perfect ideal. Only God himself canmanifest in the absolute;

we human beings must needs live and grow in the domain of

the relative.

So we seek progress in humility for today.

Few of us can quickly or easily become ready even to look at

spiritual and moral perfection; we want to settle for only as

much development as may get us by in life, according, of

course, to our various and sundry ideas of what will get us

by. Mistakenly, we strive for a self-determined objective,

rather than for the perfect objective which is of God.

No Orders Issued

Neither the A.A. General Service Conference, its Board of

Trustees, nor the humblest group committee can issue a

single directive to an A.A. member and make it stick, let

alone mete out any punishment. We've tried this lots of

times, but utter failure isalways the result.

Groups have sometimes tried to expel members, but the

banished have come back to sit in the meeting place, saying,

"This is life for us; you can't keep us out." Committees have

instructed many an A.A. to stop working a chronic

backslider, only to be told: "How I do my Twelfth Step work

is my business. Who are you to judge?"

This doesn't mean that an A.A. won't take good advice or

suggestions from more experienced members. He simply

objects to taking orders.

TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 173

Maudlin Martyrdom

"Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects

that we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut

off all effective communication with our fellows because of

its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a

maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford.

"The remedy? Well, let's have a hard look at ourselves, and a

still harder one at A.A.'s Twelve Steps to recovery. When we

see how many of our fellow A.A.'s have used the Steps to

transcend great pain and adversity, we shall be inspired to

try these life-giving principles for ourselves."

When and How to Give

Men who cry for money and shelter as a condition of their

sobriety, are on the wrong track. Yet we sometimes do

provide a new prospect with these very things -- when it

becomes clear that he is willing to place his recovery first.

It is not whether we shall give that is the question, but when

and how we give. Whenever we put our work on a material

plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon alms rather

than upon a Higher Power and the A.A. group. He continues

to insist that he cannot master alcohol until his material

needs are cared for.

Nonsense. Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn

this truth: that, 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.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, P. 98

Hard on Ourselves, Considerate of Others

We cannot disclose anything to our wives or our parents

which will hurt them and make them unhappy. We have no

right to save our own skin at their expense.

Such damaging parts of our story we tell to someone