The A.A. Grapevine
Articles On
Slips and Their Prevention

Slips and Slipping
Table of Contents
Page
-February 1945,Letters
1
- June 1945,A Prescription for Sobriety
2
- July 1945,No Repeaters
4
-September1945,Two Classes WhoFade-A Third Finds theWay
5
-September 1945,After Three Months
6
- September 1945, Two Strikes to Start
7
-October1945,Foretelling“Slips”
8
- January 1946, A Slip is Hell
6
-February 1946,A Search in Personal Data for Key to “Slips”
10
-March 1946,“SLIPS"
13
-April 1946,Four More Explanations in“Slip” Clinic
15
-May 1946, Slips Laid to Lack of Faith
17
- June 1946,“Slip Clinic"
18
-June1946,Better tobeDrunk thanMerelySober
19
-September 1946, Looking at Myself After Six Months in A.A.
20
-September1946,Climbing Back
23
-September 1946,Pardon MeYour Slip Is Showing
24
-September 1946,Playing at A.A.
25
-November1946,SobrietyMakes thePrice of a DrinkTooHigh
26
-January 1947,Doctor Calls “Slips”More Normal than Alcoholic
28
-April 1947, Arrogance Doesn't Pay
30

TABLE OF CONTENTSCONT.
- June 1947,Golden Opportunity
31
- July 1947, Guides Only
32
- August 1947, A Tip to “Slippers,” and Newcomers To0
33
-January 1948,How toTellthe Bad News
-January 1948,14 Pointers To A.A.Success
35
-January1948,Some of theAnswers
36
-February1948,The Cliche Expert onAlcoholism
37
-February 1948, Does a Pill Jag Count as a Slip?
39
-March 1948,Nobody is Hopeless
41
-May1948,SomePeopleAreMuchSickerThan Others
43
-May 1948,HowStuffy CanWe Get?
45
-May 1948, Even the Best Have Slipped
47
-June 1948,Wants Letters
48
- June 1948, Careful - Slippery Road
49
- July 1948,“Easy Does It”
50
-July 1948,An Oldtimer Answers the $64“Slippee”Question
51
-August 1948, What's the Answer?
52
-August 1948,NosediveWas Both Ruin and Rejuvenation
53
-August 1948, What Causes a Man to Slip?
54
-September1948,WeForgot toDuck!
55
-November 1948,Is Your Honesty Shopworn?
56
- December 1948, Group Meetings and Discussion Pages
57

TABLE OF CONTENTS CONT.
- January 1949, The 12 Steps to a Slip
58
- January 1949, Who Says There Is No Such Thing
59
-February 1949,Letter
60
- April 1949, Two-Stepping His Way to a Slip
19
-Apri 1949,The Periods of SobrietyWere Short
62
- April 1949, Letters
63
-May 1949, I Have Had a Slip-
65
-May 1949, Letter
66
- June 1949,Quiet! Imagination At Work
67
- June 1949, Learn How to Turn on the Power
68
-June 1949,Mail Call
70
-July 1949,It's Harder for Some!
71
- August 1949, “It's a Cinch?" Before a Slip
72
-August 1949,The Tough Nut -He Won't Give In
73
-August 1949, Twenty Ways to a Slip
74
- September 1949, Missteps on the Tweifth Step
75
-November 1949, What's a Good Reason?
76
-December 1949,Heed The Warning!
77
-December 1949,Slipper's Guide and Check List
78
-January 1950, SixWays to Refuse a Drink
79
-March 1950,A Letter toHarry
80
-March 1950, You May Try to Play God
81

TABLEOFCONTENTSCONT.
82
-August 1950,StillSeeking the HardWay
83
-September1950,RELAPSES -their causes and prevention
84
- June 1951, Your Slip's Showing
86
-July 1951,Rebound Group
87
- July 1951, The FIRST Drink
88
-August 1951,A Long Way Back
89
- August 1951, What Price Slips
91
-October1951,1 Believe I HaveDiscovered Prayer
92
-March 1952,Alcohol In Bond
93
-March 1952,Lifter versus Leaner
94
-April 1952,Horror Story
95
- July 1952, WHO done it?
96
-August 1952,Conversation Piece
97
-November 1952,A Split-Second Decision Means Chaos!
99
-December1952,BROTHER-ThatWas It!
101
- January 1953, What If I Should Slip
102
-February 1953,Happy Landing
01
-February 1953,Newcomer ConfusedAbout Slips
105
-April 1953,Knowledge Is Not Enough
106
-May 1953,“Ijust walked into a bar and started to drink"
107
-June 1953,The Great Experiment
801

TABLEOFCONTENTSCONT.
July1953,NinetyDays Will Do It
110
-August 1953, Where a slip means time
112
- September 1953, The Golden Slipper
113
-October 1953,Too Many Saints and Experts
114
- October 1953, S.O.S.(Same old story)
116
-November 1953,Enough About Slips!
117
-December1953,Three-Time Gainer
118
- January 1954,A.A.Roulette
119
-January 1954,Doctor Calls “Slip”More Normal Than Alcoholic
120
-January1954,TwoWhoSlippedTell About It
121
-May 1954, Do we need a password?
123
-May 1954,Correspondence Course
124
-September1954,Don'tTakeThatFirst Drink!
125
-October 1954,Decision In 8 Rounds
126
-November 1954,It's Like Rabbits
127
-February 1955,Beware Rumors
128
-March 1955,Letter From An Uncle
129
-March 1955,You Don't Have To Slip
131
-March 1955,“Everything is fine.."
133
-May1955,MakeFriends WithYourself
135
- July 1955, To Graybeards - with Love
136
-September1955,PilI-Trap
138

TABLEOFCONTENTSCONT.
-October1955,Wick-ed People
140
-November1955,TheDay ThatWillie Slipped
141
- January 1956,A Simple Acrostic
143
-March 1956,Thanks -for slipping
144
- May 1956, Slips vs Slides
145
- June 1956, A “Slippee” stands up to be counted
146
- July 1956,The Time of Dreaming
147
- September 1956, missed:- One Meeting
148
-January1957,Some Reminders for Old Timers
149
- July 1957, The Warning on the Wings
150
-October1957,Why We Slip
151
-December 1957,Pamphlet For“Slippee”?
153
-February 1958,Facts Have a Life of Their Own
154
-March 1958, No Blackballs In A.A,
155
- April 1958, Doing It On Your Own
156
- June 1958, Pills and Sobriety
157
- July 1958, Sobriety's Foe
158
-August 1958, A Finger In The Dike
159
- July 1959, When to M.Y.O.B.
160
- October 1959, THIS IS WAR
161
-November 1959,The Invitation
162
-December1959,The DayThatWillie Slipped
163

TABLEOFCONTENTSCONT.
-January 1960,Sincerely In AA
165
-March 1960,The Terrible Decision
167
-March 1960,Running Scared
169
- July 1960,Old-Timer Problem
170
- September 1960, We Never Have It Made
171
-March 1961,Don’t Skip Meetings
172
- April 1961, SLIPS
173
-May 1961,Heard At Open Meetings
175
-February 1962,Please bekind to DRUNKEN DRUNKS
176
-March1962,SlowLearner
178
 0 1 
179
-May 1962, One We Lost
181
- June 1962,AA's “"comfortable” sobriety
182
-August 1962,Death of an Alcoholic
183
-September1962,Slip Count
185
-January 1963,“KeepYour Guard Up,Old-Timer!”
186
- January 1963, Slipping Into The Program
188
-March 1963,The SlipThat Turned Out Sober
189
- July1963,TROUBLE?
191
-August 1963, AA Spoken Here
192
-October 1963,Unpretty Past
161
-October 1963,“Good To Be Alive"
196

TABLE OF CONTENTSCONT.
-November1963,Miracle on39Street
197
- November 1963, Hoping
198
-December 1963,The Philosophy of AA
199
- February 1964, The Long Road Back
200
- July 1964, I Slipped Back To Prison
202
- October 1964,In The Grip Of The Grog
204
- April 1965, Report From a Chronic Slippee
205
- April 1965, How a Slippee Made The Program
206
-October 1965,TheyThought He Was Drunk
208
- January 1966, Gift Bottle
210
-February 1966,The Return of King Kong
211
- June 1966, Retread to Retread
213
- June 1966,Dance Hall Angel
215
-May 1967,Yarn On My Toothbrush
216
-October 1967,The Path on the Cliff's Edge
217
-December1967,A Portable Sanctuary
218
-December1967,Sanctuary Regained
219
-February 1968,FourDays Sober..Again
222
- February 1968, Five Years in AA -Slip-Comeback
225
-February1968,TwoFortune Cookie HaveHappy Message
226
-April 1968,Mr.HydeDoesn't Die
227
- July 1968, Slip (letter)
229

TABLEOFCONTENTSCONT.
-May 1969,Three Slips,Three Reasons
230
- June 1969,No Skipping, No Slipping
231
-November 1970,Anatomy of a Slip
232
-June 1971,Principles and Personalities
234
- July 1971,“Justifiable”Anger
235
- July 1971, The Cage
237
- July 1971, And They Waited
239
September1971,Slips
240
- October 1971,The Day theMovers Came
241
- October 1971, 1 Cannot Afford to Forget
244
-November 1971, Inspired Thought
245
-December 1971,Christmas Joy Comes Home Again
246
-March 1972,Nobody Could HaveKeptMe From My Slip
248
- March 1972, Home Again
250
- April 1972, “What is bugging me?"
251
- May 1972, Keep Trying
252
- July 1972, The Slip That Didn't Happen
253
-September 1972,SecondTime Around
255
- October 1972, The Accidents That Don't Just Happen
256
-Oetober 1972,“Nothing But Beer"”
257
-March 1973,"Welcome Back"
258
-August 1973, Light on the Road
259

TABLE OF CONTENTSCONT.
-August 1973, “Not Even a Single Slip.”
260
-September1973,SLIPS
261
- October 1973,That “First Drink" Trip
266
-December1973,One-to-One
268
-February 1974, The Tidy House
269
-April 1974, Amnesia
270
-November 1974,Does a Pill Jag Count as a Slip?
273
-April 1975,Three Times I've Come Here
275
- April 1975, What's a Slip
277
-May 1975, Call Me Early
278
-March 1976,ThePink Cloud Didn't Come Back
279
-March1976,Reentry after relapse
284
- April 1976, Cartoon
285
- May 1976, Birth of a “reentry group”
286
-June 1976,Grateful readers
287
- July 1976,It Was Only a Four Day Slip
288
-July 1976,ChangeYour Habits
289
- October 1976,Is there always another chance?
290
-December 1976, Gimmicks
291
-February 1977, Design for Disaster
292
-September 1977, Just a Slip?
293
-May 1978,My Three First Drinks
294

TABLEOFCONTENTSCONT.
-June 1978,One Sunday Afternoon
295
- July 1978, I Came Back to AA
296
- July 1978,“But I'm Only Human
297
- August 1978,The Road Back
298
October1978,When an Old-Timer Needs Help
299
- January 1979, How responsible are we?
301
-February 1978,Anatomy of a Slip
302
- July 1978,“IJust Took One!"
303
- August 1979, "Now...I Had a Reason for Drinking""
304
- August 1979, Welcome Baakd
305
-September 1979,Home Alone
306
- February 1980, A By-Product of Right Thinking
307
-March1980,Fresh Start
309
- June 1980,Among the Lucky Ones
311
-September 1980,Getting Back to Basics
312
-February 1981, Three A.A.'s Share
314
-March 1981,“The Only Failure”
317
-October 1981, Completely Myself
318
- October 1981,Like the Old Days
319
-November 1981,Surprise ending
320
- January 1982,Who Are the Winners?
321
-March 1982,Bus Stop
322

TABLEOFCONTENTSCONT.
-March 1982,"Yes,But.."
323
-March 1982, Who is a “loser"?
324
-September 1982,Close Call
325
-February 1983,“With Time onMy Side”
326
-February 1983, Reach Out..
327
-September1983,“No OneWould EverKnow""
-October1983,..Some tips on turning down that drink
329
-March 1984,Coffee, Tea, or...?
330
-April 1984,Them Against Me
332
-September1984,UNDRUNK
333
-March 1985,The Meeting That Almost Didn't Happen
-March 1985,Retreat from Sanity
336
-December 1985, Just One Drink Away
888
- January1986,Back Again
339
- January 1986,Forgetting the Basics
340
-January 1986,“The Choice is Ours”
341
- January 1986, Control Drinking?
342
-February 1986,Poor Me,Pour Me
-April 1986,Who's Under theHood?
-April 1986, Twenty Years in Twenty Seconds
346
-May 1986,Yeah, but...
347
-June1986,JustAnother Grape on theVine
348

TABLEOFCONTENTSCONT
August 1986,The Second First Year
350
- August 1986, A tougher path
351
-October 1986,“Are You Alright?"
352
-December 1986,A Case of Confusion
353
-February 1987, Ph.Drunk
354
-March 1987, A Wind of Spirit
356
- April 1987, The breaks
855
- June 1987, The People Principle
359
- July 1987, (busted in the Bushes)
360
- October 1987, A Drink in Disguise
361
-October 1987,"ThePeople of Principle”
9
- December 1987, Alcohol-wasm
364
- February 1988, If Only...
365
- April 1988, Locked Out
368
- August 1988, Responses to C.C.
370
- January 1989, That First Drink
371
-February 1989,I Want to Drink so Bad My Hair Hurts
372
- April 1989,“A Token of Returning"
374
- May 1989, The Bingo Card of Life
376
-September1989,WeThree
377
- January 1990, Attitude Adjustment
378
-February 1990,Here's How
379

TABLEOF CONTENTSCONT.
- July 1990, What Happened
380
-September1990,Second Chance on Skid Row
382
- December 1990, A Deadly Disguise
-January 1991, He Could Handle It..
385
- April 1991, The Day I Quit AA
386
- July 1991, Self-Will Run Riot
888
- February 1992, A Hole in the bucket
389
- April 1992, Young Kevin
391
- August 1992, The Perfect Slip
-August 1992, A matter of choice
394
-January 1993,WeWho Cannot Help Ourselves
395
-February 1993,AA Ruins Your Drinking
396
-May 1993, Starting Over and Over
397
-May 1993,Responses to “a chronic relapser"
86
- July 1993, Two Ounces a Day
399
- October 1993, Drinking Again
400
-October 1993,The Damage a Drink Can Do
401
- April 1994, If the book fits....
402
-May 1994,It Works, If You Work It
403
-May 1994,"Nearly” Sober
404
- July 1994, Life Happens
405
-October1994,LockMeUp,Please
407

TABLEOFCONTENTSCONT.
- January 1995,The Great Reality Within
409
- January 1995,My Sobriety Was Up In The Air
411
-January1995,Knock,Knock
413
-February 1995,In formed not Re formed
414
-February1995,“ITurnedMyBack"
415
August 1997,StillRunning the Show
-April 1995, Three Strikes -and You're In!
416
- April 1995,“I could taste it”
417
-April 1995, "Think of Me and Don't Drink"
418
-October 1995,It Takes What It Takes
419
-March 1996, How Not to Drink on Airplanes
421
-August 1996,Starting Over with Step One
423
- August 1996, Please Come Back - If You Can
424
-August 1996, No Excuse To Drink
426
-November 1996,MyNameIs John and l'm an Alcoholic
427
-January1997,WhenTheScorecardRead Zero
432
-February 1997,Troubles of Our Own Making
434
-February 1997,Relocating Recovery
435
-April 1997, Close Calls
437
- April 1997, Siren Song
439
- June 1997,A Headache and a Mouth Full of Cotton
440
-August 1997, Still Running the Show
442
-August 1997,The Persistent Illusion
443

TABLEOFCONTENTSCONT.
-August 1997,Backing Out of AA
444
-September1997,Thinking about Drinking
445
-September1997,The MostDangerousSmall Areain theWorld
446
-September1997,The OneThatAlmostGot Ed
448
-September 1997,The Old Heave-Ho
449
-September1997,ReintroducedToMyself
450
-September1997,ALifeWithout Hope
451
-November1997,NeverTooLatefor aMiracle
452