been necessary. And it has become derstood Him, we still had increasingly clear that the degree sneaking ideas of personal justificaof harmonious living which we’ tion and excuse. We had to discard achieve is in direct ratio to our them but the ego of the alcoholic earnest attempt to follow them liter- dies a hard death. Many of us beally under Divine guidance to the cause of activity have received praise best of our ability. not only from our fellow A d a but from the world at large. We would ET, withal, there are no “shib- be ungrateful indeed to be boor& Y boleths” in A.A. We are not when that happens yet it is so easy The Fundamentals – – bound by the thongs of theological for us to become, privately perhaps, doctrine. None of us may be ex- just a little vain about it all. Yet, communicated and cast into outer fitting and wearing halos is not for In Retrospect darkness. For we are many minds us. in our organization and an A.A. decalogue in the language of “Thou shalt not” would gall us indeed. W””” a11 seen the new member who stays sober for a time, BY largely through sponsor-worship. Look at our 12 Points of A.A. Then maybe the sponsor gets drunk Dr. Bob Tradition. No random expressions and you know what usually happens. these, based on just casual observa- Left without a humali prop,i the From Akron, Ohio in some retrospect regarding certain tion. On the contrary,’ they represent new member gets drunk too. He has fundamentals. Much has been writ- the sum of our experience as in- been glorifying an individual in- HE feeling that one belongs to T and has a definite personal part in the work of a growing and spiritually prospering organization ten, much has been said about the 12 Steps of A.A. These tenets of our faith and practice were not worked out overnight and then presented to dividuals, as groups within A.A. and stead of following the Program. similarly with our fellows and other Certainly we need leaders but we organizations in the great fellow- must regard them as the human ship of humanity under God through- agents of the Higher Power and not for the release of the alcoholics of our members as an opportunist creed. out the world. They are entirely sug- with undue adulation as individuals. . mankind from a deadly enslavement Born of our early trials and many gestive, yet the spirit in which they The 4th and 10th Steps can not be is always gratifying. For me, there tribulations, they were and are the have been conceived merits their seri- too strongly emphasized hereis double gratification in the realiza. result of humble and sincere desire, ous, prayerful consideration as the “Make a searching a d fearless tion that more than 13 years ago, an All-wise Providence, whose ways sought in personal prayer for Divine guidepost of A.A. policy for the in- moral inventory of ourselves … dividual, the group and our various continue to make p e r s o d inventory guidance. must always be mysterious to our As finally expressed and offered, committees, local and national. . .. promptly admit it when we are limited understandings, brought me they are simple in language, plain We have found it wise policy, too, wrong.” There is your perfect antito “see my duty clear” and to con- in meaning. They are also work- to hold to no glorification of the dote for halo-poisoning. tribute in a decent humility, as have able by any person having a sincere individual. Obviously, that is sound. So with the question of Anonso many others, my part in guiding desire to obtain and keep sobriety. Most of’ us will concede that when ymity. If we -have a banner, that the first trembling steps of the The results are the proof. Their it came to the personal showdown word, speaking of the surrender of then infant organization, Alooholics eimplicity and workability are such of admitting our failures and decid- the individual-the ego-is em- Aponymous. that no special interpretation% and ing to surrender our will and our blazoned on it. Let us dwell thought- It is fitting at this time to indulge certainly no reservations, have ever lives to Almighty God, as we un- fully on its full meaning and learn .

thereby to remain humble, modest, dividuals, the rcl)uilding of broken ever-conscious that we are eternally I~on~cs.And always, it has been the under Divine direction. constructive personal 12111Step work boscd on an evcr upward-looking faith which has done the job. A LCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS wos n u r t ~ ~ r c din its early days around a kitchen table. Many of our pioneer g r o u p , sonlc of our most I N as Itlrgc an organization as ours, we naturally have had our share resultful meetings oncl h t programs of tl~osewho fail to rncilsure 1111 to have 11ad their origin around that certuiu obvious stonclords of conduct. with the l’l~ey have i~~cludedsc11c111ersfor modest piece of f u r r ~ i ~ u r e coIT& pot Ilandy on the stove. personal gain, petty swindlers and True, we have progressed mate- confitle~~cc~ncn, crooks of various rially to better furnilure and more kinds a11t1 other human fallibles. comfortable surroundings, yet the I{elntively their number has been kitchen table must evcr be uppro- small, much smaller than in many priate for us. It is the perfect sym- religious and social uplift organibol of simplicity. In A.A. we hove zations. Ye\ they hove been a proljao V.I.P.’s nor have we need of any. l e n ~and not on easy one. They have Our organization needs no title-hold- caused many on A.A. to stop thinkers nor grandiose buildings. That ing and working constructively for a is by design. Experience has taught time. us that simplicity is Lasic in preser- We cannot condone their actions, vation of our ~~ersonal sobriety and yet we must concede that when we Idping tlmse in need. have used normal caution and pre- Far better it is for us to fully c n u h r ~in dealing with such cases, ~rnderstand the meaning and prac- we m y safely leave the111 to that tice of “Thou good and faithful I1igher Power. 1,et me reiterate that servant” than to listen to “With 60,- we A.A.’s are many nlen and women, 000 membcrs you should have a 60 that we are of many minds. It will stories high odrninistration head- be well for us LO concentrate on the, quarters in New York with an as- goal of person01 sobriety and active sortment of trained ‘ists’ to direct work. We 1111rnonsand alcoholics on your olloirs.” We need nothing of strict moral stock-taking must conthe sort. God gront that A.A. may fess to at least a slight degree of ever stay simple. larcenous instinct. We can l~ardly Over the years we have tested and nrrogate the roles of judges and exdeveloped suitable tccl~niques for ecutioners. our purpose. They are entire1y flex- Thirteen grand years! To have ible. We have all known and seen been a part of it all from the bemiracles-the healing of broken in- ginning has been reward indeed.