Big Book Reflection
Big Book Reflection
History of AA The history of Alcoholics Anonymous is one that is sacred and has led to thousands of members finding their “spirituality” and strength to heal from their disease. Co-founder, Bill Wilson, was an alcoholic who lost a promising job on Wall Street by his drinking habits. The drinking led him to have problems academically and with his marriage, oftentimes sending him to the hospital between 1933 and 1934 under the care of Doctor William Silkworth. Dr. Silkworth’s theory that alcoholism is an illness rather than a failure of willpower and that it is an “allergy” that made compulsive drinking inevitable allowed Wilson to understand the disease and remain abstinent for a month before he relapsed. Ebby Thacher, Bill’s longtime friend, visited him and explained a group he was a part of, called the Oxford Group, helped him find a higher power and be alcohol free. Seeing that Wilson did not like the idea of religion, Thacher suggested that Bill, “choose your own conception of God” and Bill began to explore the idea. This group started the early tenants of Alcoholics Anonymous. Wilson wrote …show more content…
Personal stories was updated in the second and third editions in order to expand the “wider age range and different life experiences of alcoholics over the years since 1935.” Sixteen stories were brought from the third edition to the fourth edition, including “Pioneers of A.A,” allowing readers a glimpse into Alcoholics Anonymous history. The fourth edition made further changes, adding twenty-four new stories fitting the mold of a contemporary lifestyle. These stories seek to help those in the 21st century understand others struggling or who have struggled with their disease. The changes, past and present, have been purposeful in that the organization wanted to reach alcoholics anywhere with an accurate depiction of the current membership for the specific
History of AA The history of Alcoholics Anonymous is one that is sacred and has led to thousands of members finding their “spirituality” and strength to heal from their disease. Co-founder, Bill Wilson, was an alcoholic who lost a promising job on Wall Street by his drinking habits. The drinking led him to have problems academically and with his marriage, oftentimes sending him to the hospital between 1933 and 1934 under the care of Doctor William Silkworth. Dr. Silkworth’s theory that alcoholism is an illness rather than a failure of willpower and that it is an “allergy” that made compulsive drinking inevitable allowed Wilson to understand the disease and remain abstinent for a month before he relapsed. Ebby Thacher, Bill’s longtime friend, visited him and explained a group he was a part of, called the Oxford Group, helped him find a higher power and be alcohol free. Seeing that Wilson did not like the idea of religion, Thacher suggested that Bill, “choose your own conception of God” and Bill began to explore the idea. This group started the early tenants of Alcoholics Anonymous. Wilson wrote …show more content…
Personal stories was updated in the second and third editions in order to expand the “wider age range and different life experiences of alcoholics over the years since 1935.” Sixteen stories were brought from the third edition to the fourth edition, including “Pioneers of A.A,” allowing readers a glimpse into Alcoholics Anonymous history. The fourth edition made further changes, adding twenty-four new stories fitting the mold of a contemporary lifestyle. These stories seek to help those in the 21st century understand others struggling or who have struggled with their disease. The changes, past and present, have been purposeful in that the organization wanted to reach alcoholics anywhere with an accurate depiction of the current membership for the specific