Listen to Audio Recording

[00:00:02.280 – 00:00:03.000] Good evening, everyone. [00:00:03.000 – 00:00:11.100] My name is David, I'm alcoholic, and I'd like to welcome you to this open AA recovery workshop with Q&A, and along with Stuart H., everybody. [00:00:11.100 – 00:00:12.800] I'm Stuart, I'm alcoholic. [00:00:12.800 – 00:00:14.540] I'll see you later for the Q&A. [00:00:14.540 – 00:00:15.680] You're all very welcome. [00:00:15.680 – 00:00:16.840] Thank you, Stuart. [00:00:16.840 – 00:00:25.220] So this is one of a series of workshops which has been, been inspired by recoveryspeakers.com and it's hosted by the Saturday night AA group in Camberwell, London, SE5.

[00:00:25.220 – 00:00:31.300] And in our physical format tomorrow we have a, a gentleman by the name we call Jogger, uh, Bill. [00:00:31.300 – 00:00:32.480] He's gonna be 50 years… [00:00:32.480 – 00:00:35.870] He's 50 years sobriety, and he's sharing for us tomorrow in, uh, in Camberwell. [00:00:35.870 – 00:00:38.030] If you're in, if you're in London, come over and join us. [00:00:38.030 – 00:00:46.940] Uh, so in keeping with AA's traditions, in particular tradition five, each AA group has got one primary purpose: to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers. [00:00:46.940 – 00:00:56.480] The main purpose of these workshops is to introduce and/or develop ideas and concepts, and hopefully to encourage participants to do some further investigation of their own. [00:00:56.480 – 00:00:58.860] We've had a common thread throughout.

[00:00:58.860 – 00:01:08.920] There has been a quote from step 10 in our basic text which says, "We have entered the world of the spirit, and that our next function is to grow in understanding [00:01:08.920 – 00:01:15.140] and effectiveness." Okay, um, we do record these audio, uh, talks and we… [00:01:15.140 – 00:01:16.460] then we pass them over to Mike. [00:01:16.460 – 00:01:22.420] G- gotta go to Mike, and we're gonna pass them over to recoverytapers.com, and we have Debbie here from Threads of Recovery. [00:01:22.420 – 00:01:24.380] Debbie, would you like just to mention something about that, please? [00:01:24.380 – 00:01:24.840] Thank you. [00:01:24.840 – 00:01:29.340] Debbie?

[00:01:29.340 – 00:01:29.980] Thank you. [00:01:29.980 – 00:01:32.820] For some reason Debbie is muted. [00:01:32.820 – 00:01:35.000] Who could possibly mute the lovely Debbie? [00:01:35.000 – 00:01:37.440] My husband. [00:01:37.440 – 00:01:38.840] I'm Debbie, I'm an alcoholic. [00:01:38.840 – 00:01:39.440] Hello, Debbie. [00:01:39.440 – 00:01:41.400] Um, thank you so much.

[00:01:41.400 – 00:01:44.080] And recovery taper's site is down right now. [00:01:44.080 – 00:01:47.840] We haven't lost all the recordings, but we are restoring it, the power. [00:01:47.840 – 00:01:56.480] Um, Mike did pass away last week, and we had his service, and several of us are working on getting that tape, the site restored. [00:01:56.480 – 00:02:06.140] And so we're continuing to make the recordings and gather the recordings from all the groups, and, um, and we'll have those available again so that everybody can continue to listen. [00:02:06.140 – 00:02:16.380] And, um, David's got a flyer up there for final expenses fund for Mike, and this isn't to cover the funeral, it's for, uh, to help [00:02:16.380 – 00:02:18.840] Eva, his wife, with the final expenses, so. [00:02:18.840 – 00:02:23.310] And I did upload the service today to, um- I want to show- …

[00:02:23.310 – 00:02:27.179] Facebook, and if you would like a link to it, Ven- Ven- Venmo? [00:02:27.179 – 00:02:34.360] Not V., whatever that site is, I'll send you a link if you send an email to threads1058@gmail.com. [00:02:34.360 – 00:02:34.740] Thank you. [00:02:34.740 – 00:02:35.940] Thank you, Debbie. [00:02:35.940 – 00:02:43.740] And you can get more information on that final expense fund on, if you go to H-I-L-L-S-B-O-R-O-U-M-C. [00:02:43.740 – 00:02:45.520] Is that right? [00:02:45.520 – 00:02:51.420] So it's www.hilltran.org/online-giving.

[00:02:51.420 – 00:02:53.780] Thank you, Debbie, for that. [00:02:53.780 – 00:02:54.760] Great to have you here. [00:02:54.760 – 00:03:04.160] Okay, we just wanna point out what's shared at these workshop meetings represents the experience, strength, and hope of AA members and not, not to be taken to represent AA as a whole. [00:03:04.160 – 00:03:11.920] The 12 step proven program of recovery can be found in our basic textbook titled Alcoholics Anonymous, which we fondly call the Big Book. [00:03:11.920 – 00:03:21.980] Now if you'd like to unmute, I'm sure many of us are already in the language of the heart, uh, but if we'd like to unmute we're going to say this, uh, short version of the set aside [00:03:21.980 – 00:03:26.180] prayer, and we use God of course if you're new as you understand it. [00:03:26.180 – 00:03:30.690] So using God, God- God- God- God- …

[00:03:30.690 – 00:03:33.000] please help me to set aside- Please help me to set aside- To set aside- … [00:03:33.000 – 00:03:35.000] everything I know- … [00:03:35.000 – 00:03:35.010] everything I know- … [00:03:35.010 – 00:03:35.350] everything I know- … [00:03:35.350 – 00:03:37.500] and open my mind to new experience. [00:03:37.500 – 00:03:37.570] Amen … [00:03:37.570 – 00:03:38.940] and open my mind to new experience.

[00:03:38.940 – 00:03:39.350] Amen To new experience. [00:03:39.350 – 00:03:39.880] Amen A.. [00:03:39.880 – 00:03:40.890] Thank you, everyone. [00:03:40.890 – 00:03:50.900] We just have a few moments silence to gather our thoughts, reflect on why we're here, to think of the alcoholics who have yet or are still suffering of course, who've yet to find a solution, and [00:03:50.900 – 00:03:51.980] of course the family members. [00:03:51.980 – 00:03:52.940] Thank you. [00:03:52.940 – 00:03:53.860] Hey, Mikey.

[00:03:53.860 – 00:03:54.640] Oh, Mikey. [00:03:54.640 – 00:04:00.940] Thank you, everyone. [00:04:00.940 – 00:04:03.840] So tonight we have a presentation with Beth D. [00:04:03.840 – 00:04:04.540] and Penny P. [00:04:04.540 – 00:04:05.720] on the Big Book. [00:04:05.720 – 00:04:10.740] They start at the very beginning, and they're looking at the prefaces, forewords, dust jackets. [00:04:10.740 – 00:04:13.390] And just quickly followed by we're gonna have a…

[00:04:13.390 – 00:04:22.520] after the Q&A tonight we're gonna have a look at the historical website resources with M and D, and tonight we're gonna be looking at barefootsworld.org AA history. [00:04:22.520 – 00:04:27.130] So with that, it's over to the two lovely ladies, if I'm allowed to say that still, Beth D. [00:04:27.130 – 00:04:28.080] and Penny P. [00:04:28.080 – 00:04:32.080] Thank you, David. [00:04:32.080 – 00:04:34.480] Hi, I'm Penny P., I'm an alcoholic. [00:04:34.480 – 00:04:44.700] Hi, I'm Beth and I'm an alcoholic, and I'm a member of the permanently virtual Into A. group, which meets on Tuesday night at 7:00 PM Eastern [00:04:44.700 – 00:04:46.860] Time, and I live in South F..

[00:04:46.860 – 00:04:51.120] And my o- online home group is the Global S. group. [00:04:51.120 – 00:04:55.580] We meet on WebEx, not Zoom, and we are out of Beijing, China. [00:04:55.580 – 00:05:04.580] We have three meetings a week, a speaker discussion on Sundays, a women's meeting on Mondays, and a literature discussion on Tuesdays. [00:05:04.580 – 00:05:11.160] So, um, this little presentation came about a few months ago. [00:05:11.160 – 00:05:18.730] Uh, Mike M. had reached out to me sometime last year about he was putting together yet- [00:05:18.924 – 00:05:23.524] At another workshop for Threads, and, uh, the one where David is speaking. [00:05:23.524 – 00:05:30.284] And, um, he ha- he wanted people to speak on different parts of the Big Book.

[00:05:30.284 – 00:05:36.614] And, um, he had actually reached out to me fairly early in the process and said, you know, "What do you want? [00:05:36.614 – 00:05:46.884] Pick what you want." And, um, I have been involved in online AA for, uh, since the mid-1980s, and so I have this passion [00:05:46.884 – 00:05:49.844] for the foreword to the fourth edition. [00:05:49.844 – 00:05:59.884] And, um, and Beth was a delegate, um, when the fourth edition was published, so I asked him if I could ask, ask Beth to help me out [00:05:59.884 – 00:06:02.304] and, um, participate in it. [00:06:02.304 – 00:06:05.104] And as usual, Mike said, "It's yours. [00:06:05.104 – 00:06:10.604] Do whatever you want with it." So, uh, I reached out to Beth, and we put this little thing together.

[00:06:10.604 – 00:06:14.024] And, um, and we… [00:06:14.024 – 00:06:21.844] And actually part of my reasoning was also it's the forewords to the, to the book. [00:06:21.844 – 00:06:23.504] It's like, how hard can it be? [00:06:23.504 – 00:06:25.844] And, uh, the preface and the forewords. [00:06:25.844 – 00:06:27.634] And then Beth and I started talking. [00:06:27.634 – 00:06:34.504] We started talking about the dust jackets, and we started talking about the title page and the table of contents. [00:06:34.504 – 00:06:41.284] And as usual, when, you know, some of us get together, the concept just grows.

[00:06:41.284 – 00:06:44.984] So we're gonna start out, uh, talking about that. [00:06:44.984 – 00:06:49.604] Um, so I'm, I'm gonna cover… [00:06:49.604 – 00:06:53.624] I think we're gonna do this kind of the way that we did the one for Mike. [00:06:53.624 – 00:06:58.704] And, uh, so I'm going to, um, share starting with the covers. [00:06:58.704 – 00:07:04.524] And, uh, most of us are familiar with, um, the circus cover. [00:07:04.524 – 00:07:08.264] And, uh, it was designed by Ray C.. [00:07:08.264 – 00:07:18.324] Jim W., if you're on, um, AA History L., either on the webpage or, um, on the Facebook bre- group, Jim W. has done a wonderful,

[00:07:18.324 – 00:07:24.024] um, presenta- wonderful little synopsis of, um, about this. [00:07:24.024 – 00:07:31.704] But, uh, the, this cover was designed by Ray C., whose Big Book story is An A.'s Concept. [00:07:31.704 – 00:07:35.844] And, um, this is an art deco design. [00:07:35.844 – 00:07:39.084] It's, you know, it's typical colors for the period. [00:07:39.084 – 00:07:48.504] The red dot on the front does not mean anything significant, although, um, somebody said we can say the point is. [00:07:48.504 – 00:07:58.544] Um, the other cover that, uh, that he designed was, um, an art deco cover that was not used, [00:07:58.544 – 00:08:00.944] and that was this one.

[00:08:00.944 – 00:08:06.144] And, uh, Alcoholics Anonymous: Their P. to a Cure. [00:08:06.144 – 00:08:15.104] So, um, this cover obviously was not used, and most of us are familiar with the, um, with the circus cover. [00:08:15.104 – 00:08:20.864] And, um, that was, uh, for the first edition. [00:08:20.864 – 00:08:29.384] The second edition, uh, I do not have information on the designs for the second, third, and fourth, um, editions. [00:08:29.384 – 00:08:34.504] Um, I was going to look for that and then got sidetracked. [00:08:34.504 – 00:08:37.744] Um, but in the, uh… [00:08:37.744 – 00:08:45.544] Before, before I go further, I'm going to pass it to Beth, 'cause Beth's gonna take over from the very first page of the book.

[00:08:45.544 – 00:08:47.624] Thank you, Penny. [00:08:47.624 – 00:08:57.684] And, um, uh, I wanted to just, uh, shed a little bit of information on that, on the design for the covers [00:08:57.684 – 00:08:59.664] for some of the other editions. [00:08:59.664 – 00:09:10.444] I'm not sure about the second and third edition, but I do know that the cover for the fourth edition was designed by the publishing department at, um, at [00:09:10.444 – 00:09:11.604] AAWS. [00:09:11.604 – 00:09:18.764] And, um, they were actually responsible for, uh, the forewords to the fourth edition. [00:09:18.764 – 00:09:26.804] Now, Bill was alive when, um, the foreword to the second edition and the foreword to the third edition…

[00:09:26.804 – 00:09:32.644] Uh, the foreword to the second edition, excuse me, w- when Bill was alive when the foreword to the second edition was written. [00:09:32.644 – 00:09:36.784] And so I'm quite sure that he either wrote it or had a lot of input. [00:09:36.784 – 00:09:46.784] I don't know about the foreword to the third edition, but it was probably, uh, written by the, um, publishing department as well, and the covers were probably designed [00:09:46.784 – 00:09:48.184] by the publishing department. [00:09:48.184 – 00:09:56.224] So, um, I, I wanna preface all of this by saying something that happened tonight to me that I thought was really interesting. [00:09:56.224 – 00:10:01.984] I was sharing with, uh, a group of, uh, people that I, um, attend meetings with. [00:10:01.984 – 00:10:10.104] We have three meetings a week, and we've been meeting for two years, just as David's meeting has been meeting for two years since the pandemic started virtually.

[00:10:10.104 – 00:10:17.604] And, uh, I said something about the fact that I was going to be speaking about all the material in the beginning of the book. [00:10:17.604 – 00:10:27.704] And I said, "Those of you who have done the steps with me, you've heard all this," because it, this is exactly what I say to all of the women when we start studying [00:10:27.704 – 00:10:29.964] the Big Book and working the 12 steps. [00:10:29.964 – 00:10:37.194] And one of the women on the meeting, uh, today said, "Well, I have to tell you because, Beth, you said that you probably, uh-" [00:10:37.646 – 00:10:42.276] done this, said, uh, told this, shared this information 100 times. [00:10:42.276 – 00:10:52.476] And the truth is, it's probably been shared 5,000 times, because I s- just started sponsoring a woman who's been sober for quite a while, and she said this [00:10:52.476 – 00:11:02.496] woman was sponsored by a woman I sponsored, who then sponsored somebody else, who then sponsored somebody else, who then sponsored

[00:11:02.496 – 00:11:05.056] somebody else, who then sponsored this woman. [00:11:05.056 – 00:11:15.336] And she said when she and this woman sat down to start talking about the Big Book and the steps, this woman, who I've never met, had all the notes [00:11:15.336 – 00:11:18.076] in her book that I shared with my sponsee. [00:11:18.076 – 00:11:20.236] So that's how it gets passed on. [00:11:20.236 – 00:11:28.296] And, and that's not just a tribute to, um, what I've shared, it's a tribute to what all of you share with all of the people that you sponsor. [00:11:28.296 – 00:11:36.876] So everything that you say is important, and, um, I just wanted to point that out because I think it's just so absolutely wonderful. [00:11:36.876 – 00:11:46.876] And, um, so the first thing that I wanted to mention is, um, that the title, the very, very first page, when you

[00:11:46.876 – 00:11:57.156] open the cover of the book it says Alcoholics Anonymous, and there is a lot of, um, n- there are a lot of myths about the, how the title [00:11:57.156 – 00:11:59.836] Alcoholics Anonymous came to be. [00:11:59.836 – 00:12:09.856] And, um, I had heard a wonderful myth, which I loved sharing with my sponsees, until Bill S., who wrote Writing the Big Book, uh, shattered that [00:12:09.856 – 00:12:10.136] myth. [00:12:10.136 – 00:12:14.976] And so I'm gonna try and give you only facts and not share myths with you. [00:12:14.976 – 00:12:22.296] But I am very grateful to, uh, all of the research that built it, because pretty m- miraculous. [00:12:22.296 – 00:12:32.356] So I'm gonna, uh, begin by sharing the, my screen, and we're looking at the title page to the book Alcoholics Anonymous,

[00:12:32.356 – 00:12:42.616] and it says, "It's the story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism." And this of course is, uh, the title page for the fourth edition. [00:12:42.616 – 00:12:52.636] And in the first edition, which is this beautiful red and yellow book which we all have come to love, and by the way, if you do not have [00:12:52.636 – 00:13:03.196] a copy of this, facsimile copies are available from the general service office, and it's not terribly expensive, and it is an incredible [00:13:03.196 – 00:13:04.136] book to own. [00:13:04.136 – 00:13:14.196] So if you don't own one, run, do not walk, do not pass go, run directly to the aa, uh, .org website and order [00:13:14.196 – 00:13:16.696] a copy for yourself, because it's wonderful. [00:13:16.696 – 00:13:20.616] It's a direct facsimile of the first edition of the Big Book.

[00:13:20.616 – 00:13:26.556] And in the first edition, on that title page, it said how more than… [00:13:26.556 – 00:13:36.836] "The story of how more than 100 men have recovered from alcoholism." Now, we know that by the time this book was published, there were some, [00:13:36.836 – 00:13:47.136] uh, women in Alcoholics Anonymous, but I guess the, uh, they didn't make it to the title page of the book , and so the title page said 100 men. [00:13:47.136 – 00:13:52.516] And, um, to me, this is the very first promise in the book. [00:13:52.516 – 00:14:02.536] And you know how we talk about the promises on page, uh, 85 and 86, or 84, whatever page they're on, I, I'm not a good page number person. [00:14:02.536 – 00:14:12.656] Um, we talk about those promises all the time as though they are the promises in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, and the truth is that there are [00:14:12.656 – 00:14:15.176] so many promises throughout this book.

[00:14:15.176 – 00:14:18.516] There are promises in every one of the steps in this book. [00:14:18.516 – 00:14:21.196] But this to me is the very first promise. [00:14:21.196 – 00:14:27.256] This is a story of how people have recovered from a disease that I am suffering from. [00:14:27.256 – 00:14:37.496] And if I am a helpless and hopeless alcoholic, and I am at the jumping off place, and I am ready to end my own life, and I see this statement that people [00:14:37.496 – 00:14:44.736] have recovered from the problem that is plaguing me, that gives me an incredible amount of hope. [00:14:44.736 – 00:14:46.956] And I think it's really, really important. [00:14:46.956 – 00:14:57.495] And I believe that the ultimate promise in this program is expressed in the 12 step, because the 12 step, step says, "Having had a spiritual awakening

[00:14:57.495 – 00:15:07.796] as the result of these steps, we're then in a position to be able to carry this message to other alcoholics and to practice [00:15:07.796 – 00:15:14.336] the principles of this program." And the principles are the steps, and to practice those steps in all of our affairs. [00:15:14.336 – 00:15:24.336] And so, um, I think that that forward to the first edition is, of, of the, uh, title page and, um, that promise is [00:15:24.336 – 00:15:26.556] really important on the title page. [00:15:26.556 – 00:15:36.836] So we are now going to jump to the table of contents, and, um, Penny, do you wanna address this before I go? [00:15:36.836 – 00:15:42.276] No, you go ahead and go, and if I have anything to add in… [00:15:42.276 – 00:15:50.676] Well, actually, before you get to that, um, just before the table of contents page, we have the copyright page.

[00:15:50.676 – 00:15:51.086] Right. [00:15:51.086 – 00:15:56.076] Which gives us, tells us, um, how many printings there were of each edition. [00:15:56.528 – 00:16:06.588] That the first printing we had 16 edition, 16 printings, and that, um, as we'll learn [00:16:06.588 – 00:16:16.488] later in, um, in the forewords, there were three thou- 300,000 books printed in, um, those 16 printings. [00:16:16.488 – 00:16:24.268] And there was 16 years between 1939 and the second edition that was published in 1955. [00:16:24.268 – 00:16:31.248] Um, and then again, 16 printings of the second edition. [00:16:31.248 – 00:16:42.268] Um, and there were 1,150,500 books printed in the second printing between 1955 and 1974.

[00:16:42.268 – 00:16:45.748] The third edition had 74 printings. [00:16:45.748 – 00:16:55.557] Now, look at that difference between 16 printings, 16 printings, 74 printings between 1976 to 2001. [00:16:55.557 – 00:17:05.808] The timed the, uh, uh, the ex- uh, the time was 25 years, um, between those two printings, and there were [00:17:05.808 – 00:17:13.848] 11,698,000 hardcover books printed of the third printing of the Big Book. [00:17:13.848 – 00:17:24.028] So we went from 16 years between printings, 1,150,000 in that second, to 11 million in that third, which was [00:17:24.028 – 00:17:31.228] when the, uh, p- um, participation, the membership of Alcoholics Anonymous really exploded. [00:17:31.228 – 00:17:38.208] And then, um, in the fourth printing, we'll come to that information.

[00:17:38.208 – 00:17:43.048] I c- I don't know that I have what printing we're on at this time. [00:17:43.048 – 00:17:50.768] But also up at the top where the copyright is, some of you may have heard that at some point we lost the rights to it. [00:17:50.768 – 00:17:51.708] We didn't… [00:17:51.708 – 00:17:53.808] The copyright renewal wasn't filed. [00:17:53.808 – 00:18:03.508] The copyright law changed at some point, and, um, but these new copyrights were taken because there were changes to the book. [00:18:03.508 – 00:18:08.508] There was another foreword added, there were stories added, the table of contents changed. [00:18:08.508 – 00:18:11.888] So they came under the copyright law at a different point.

[00:18:11.888 – 00:18:20.508] So, um, so those are just s- that's just some minutia that may not be interesting to anybody else, but it's how my brain works. [00:18:20.508 – 00:18:21.188] So there we go. [00:18:21.188 – 00:18:22.488] On to you, Beth. [00:18:22.488 – 00:18:32.528] And i- in addition, the general service conference la- this past year, uh, approved the, uh, preparation of [00:18:32.528 – 00:18:38.888] the fifth edition of the Big Book, and it will be several years before that book comes to fruition. [00:18:38.888 – 00:18:43.268] Uh, the first thing that they will be doing is sending out a request for stories. [00:18:43.268 – 00:18:49.428] I haven't seen that request yet, but I imagine it will be coming very soon if it's not out already.

[00:18:49.428 – 00:18:59.308] And so if you, uh, would like to write your story and send it in, your story may end up in the fifth edition of the book Alcoholics Anonymous. [00:18:59.308 – 00:19:02.868] What a thrill that would be to see your story in print in this book. [00:19:02.868 – 00:19:12.348] So I like to talk about the table of contents because I think it's really, uh, uh, the, it's got a lot of interesting information. [00:19:12.348 – 00:19:22.708] Of course, we know that it has the preface and all of the forewords, but what I wanna talk about are, um, the chapters starting with the doctor's opinion [00:19:22.708 – 00:19:28.288] and ending with, uh, the, um, chapter working with others. [00:19:28.288 – 00:19:38.328] The doctor's opinion originally appeared on page one of the book, and in [00:19:38.328 – 00:19:46.848] this, I believe it was in the second edition that it was changed to a, a Roman numeral page, although it may have been changed earlier than that.

[00:19:46.848 – 00:19:48.258] I don't have all those facts. [00:19:48.258 – 00:19:58.688] The, the important point is that the doctor's opinion is crucial to understanding the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. [00:19:58.688 – 00:20:09.428] And so I think it's, I always like to point out to my sponsees that the doctor's opinion and Bill's story really [00:20:09.428 – 00:20:13.468] cover the first step of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. [00:20:13.468 – 00:20:23.468] They describe the physical allergy and the mental obsession, and Bill's story is actually put in the book as a 12-step call in print because [00:20:23.468 – 00:20:31.108] this book was intended to be used by people who did not have access to other members of Alcoholics Anonymous. [00:20:31.108 – 00:20:41.208] And it seems incredible to me, but people actually got a copy of this book, read it, and got sober without any contact with any

[00:20:41.208 – 00:20:43.028] other sober alcoholics. [00:20:43.028 – 00:20:46.988] That, to me, is nothing short of miraculous, and yet it did happen. [00:20:46.988 – 00:20:51.968] So the, uh, doctor's opinion and Bill's story basically cover step one. [00:20:51.968 – 00:21:02.048] Of course, Bill's story goes through all of the steps very briefly at the end, but primarily it's a story about his powerlessness over alcohol and his unma- the unmanageability of his [00:21:02.048 – 00:21:02.888] life. [00:21:02.888 – 00:21:12.768] And then chapter two, three, and four, that's three chapters, cover step two. [00:21:12.768 – 00:21:14.488] There is a solution

[00:21:15.120 – 00:21:19.960] More about alcoholism and we agnostics all cover step two. [00:21:19.960 – 00:21:30.250] So we don't get to step three until chapter five, and then when we get to chapter five, once we get through the first two steps, [00:21:30.250 – 00:21:39.600] we absolutely make a mad dash through the rest of the steps because How it Works covers steps three and four. [00:21:39.600 – 00:21:49.940] Into A. covers steps five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, and 11, and Working with Others covers [00:21:49.940 – 00:21:51.200] steps 12. [00:21:51.200 – 00:22:01.220] Now, that's really significant because it talks about how it, it, uh, alludes to the fact that the first two steps are critical, [00:22:01.220 – 00:22:11.320] and as we find out when we read the first two steps, uh, in the book, when we read, um, about Bill's story, uh, The Doctor's Opinion, Bill's Story,

[00:22:11.320 – 00:22:21.440] There is a Solution, More about Alcoholism, and We Agnostics, we find out that those first two steps do not require any [00:22:21.440 – 00:22:21.920] action. [00:22:21.920 – 00:22:28.580] They are conclusions that we're asked to reach once we have studied this material. [00:22:28.580 – 00:22:38.660] So what, what the book is saying is that when you read The Doctor's Opinion, Bill's Story, There is a Solution, More about Alcoholism, and We Agnostics, [00:22:38.660 – 00:22:49.100] by the time you get to How it Works, if you haven't digested this material and you haven't accepted the fact that, [00:22:49.100 – 00:22:59.140] A, we're alcoholic and can't manage our own lives, B, no human power can relieve our alcoholism, and C, God can and would if we, uh, seek God, [00:22:59.140 – 00:23:09.300] if you haven't ac- accepted those three vital points, then in the original manuscript, Bill said you ought to reread the book to this point or else

[00:23:09.300 – 00:23:10.000] throw it away. [00:23:10.000 – 00:23:20.080] Of course, those words were taken out of the book before it was published in its, uh, final form, but that's really significant because when, when newcomers [00:23:20.080 – 00:23:30.309] come to the rooms, very first meeting, never been to Alcoholics Anonymous before, don't know anything about Alcoholics Anonymous, [00:23:30.309 – 00:23:40.340] their very first meeting and somebody says, "Oh, you've got to have a book," and they either purchase the book or they're handed a book, and they go home and they think, "Whoa, I, [00:23:40.340 – 00:23:41.260] I gotta do this. [00:23:41.260 – 00:23:42.240] I wanna get sober. [00:23:42.240 – 00:23:43.560] I wanna do what these people did.

[00:23:43.560 – 00:23:45.540] I wanna have, get what they got. [00:23:45.540 – 00:23:46.340] How do I do it? [00:23:46.340 – 00:23:48.280] Well, I guess I gotta find the steps. [00:23:48.280 – 00:23:50.980] Well, where are the steps?" Well, the steps are in chapter five. [00:23:50.980 – 00:23:55.100] You know, they thumb through the book, and they find that list of the steps in chapter five. [00:23:55.100 – 00:23:57.960] Well, the steps are in chapter five. [00:23:57.960 – 00:24:02.140] However, they've missed steps one, two.

[00:24:02.140 – 00:24:03.880] Th- they've missed steps one and two. [00:24:03.880 – 00:24:13.880] They've skipped all that material, and how is step five gonna make any sense to them when they haven't digested the material in [00:24:13.880 – 00:24:15.760] all those previous chapters? [00:24:15.760 – 00:24:24.440] And sometimes I think we actually make a mistake by putting those steps up on the wall because we encourage newcomers to go right to chapter… [00:24:24.440 – 00:24:27.420] and read it, w- and then we read chapter five out loud. [00:24:27.420 – 00:24:32.220] That's the only thing normally that we read at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. [00:24:32.220 – 00:24:39.260] And, and so the newcomer is led to believe that chapter five is where it's at, and I don't need the rest of the book.

[00:24:39.260 – 00:24:42.860] And of course, we know that that's, that's not valid. [00:24:42.860 – 00:24:44.220] It's not critical. [00:24:44.220 – 00:24:54.460] Um, Working with Others is devoted entirely to step 12, but it's only invi- uh, it's only, um, really, it only covers one portion of step [00:24:54.460 – 00:24:54.760] 12. [00:24:54.760 – 00:24:59.400] It c- covers the portion about carrying the message to the alcoholic that still suffers. [00:24:59.400 – 00:25:09.420] And fortunately, Bill went on to write the book the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions, which, uh, in some parts of the country they value more than the [00:25:09.420 – 00:25:09.800] Big Book.

[00:25:09.800 – 00:25:17.600] There are some parts of the country where they don't even read the Big Book, that they o- where they only read the 12 and 12, and they call it the 12 by 12. [00:25:17.600 – 00:25:21.740] I'm not exactly sure why, but I've heard that many times. [00:25:21.740 – 00:25:26.340] Um, but it's, it's wonderful that Bill wrote the, the 12 and 12. [00:25:26.340 – 00:25:30.880] However, the 12 and 12 I don't believe is meant to be a standalone text. [00:25:30.880 – 00:25:32.920] I believe it's supplementary material. [00:25:32.920 – 00:25:41.460] Just the way if you took a college course, the professor would say, "Now, this is the textbook that we're gonna be using for this course." This is it, folks. [00:25:41.460 – 00:25:42.600] This is the textbook.

[00:25:42.600 – 00:25:47.380] Mine happens to have a, a leather cover on it, but it's the same as yours underneath the cover. [00:25:47.380 – 00:25:53.800] And this book is the textbook that you've gotta get for this course, folks, and this is the one you've gotta read. [00:25:53.800 – 00:25:59.340] However, there's some other material I want you to read for this course, and I put it on hold at the library. [00:25:59.340 – 00:26:09.150] So if you go to the library, you can check out these books and these magazine articles, and, and it will further explain what's in the basic textbook. [00:26:09.150 – 00:26:13.130] And I believe that the, um, 12 and 12 is just that. [00:26:13.130 – 00:26:19.780] It's supplementary material in- tended to enhance and enlarge upon the material that's in the Big Book. [00:26:19.780 – 00:26:26.340] The chapter, um, To W., The Family Afterwards, and Employers deal with relationships.

[00:26:26.340 – 00:26:33.700] Some of, uh, us have been fairly critical of those chapters, although I think there are some really good things in those chapters [00:26:33.872 – 00:26:34.672] As well. [00:26:34.672 – 00:26:40.981] And then "A Vision F. You" is an absolutely beautiful, beautiful history of Alcoholics Anonymous. [00:26:40.981 – 00:26:48.252] And, um, I always urge my sponsees, um, to, um, to read that history. [00:26:48.252 – 00:26:58.432] And also, we always end our step study when I'm working the steps with a, a, a, an individual or a group of women to, um, [00:26:58.432 – 00:27:03.392] I, I always, uh, end my step study with, by reading that chapter, because I just love it. [00:27:03.392 – 00:27:10.692] So, and then of course, the, the personal stories follow, and the personal stories are the things that change.

[00:27:10.692 – 00:27:20.112] Uh, some of the stories have remained in the book since it was per- first printed in 1935, and other stories have been removed and added. [00:27:20.112 – 00:27:29.632] Some stories from the first edition were removed because the, uh, writers unfortunately didn't stay sober, and, um, that, that's unfortunate. [00:27:29.632 – 00:27:39.352] But you know, uh, alcoholism is cunning, baffling and powerful, and, uh, we just, uh, we're all, we're each of us living on borrowed time. [00:27:39.352 – 00:27:49.372] So that's my take on the table of contents and Peggy, uh, I mean, Peggy, Penny, are you, do you wanna comment on that or you wanna [00:27:49.372 – 00:27:50.432] go on to the preface? [00:27:50.432 – 00:27:52.492] We can go on to… [00:27:52.492 – 00:27:56.332] Actually, let's touch just briefly on the stories.

[00:27:56.332 – 00:28:06.292] Um, in, um, in AA History L., actually today, Tom R. [00:28:06.292 – 00:28:16.292] posted, um, posted a document that, um, has references to the names of the [00:28:16.292 – 00:28:17.672] writers for the stories. [00:28:17.672 – 00:28:27.812] That's also a publication that, um, is available from, uh, by Fiona D., that, um, I think is now [00:28:27.812 – 00:28:30.932] available, um, through Amazon. [00:28:30.932 – 00:28:41.132] But it also, if you, um, do, if you Google or whatever search engine you use, DuckDuckDuBo, [00:28:41.132 – 00:28:49.872] um, you can, you can search on the authors of the stories in the Big Book, and that information will pop up.

[00:28:49.872 – 00:28:56.352] The information in, uh, Fiona D.'s book is quite similar, with minor changes. [00:28:56.352 – 00:29:03.692] Um, a little information has been added to the latest, um, the latest printing of that book. [00:29:03.692 – 00:29:09.312] Um, and one of the things that, um… [00:29:09.312 – 00:29:13.072] Well, we can get to that when we get to the forewords. [00:29:13.072 – 00:29:18.452] Um, let's go on to, uh, the preface, Beth. [00:29:18.452 – 00:29:23.952] Go ahead, Penny. [00:29:23.952 – 00:29:25.312] Okay.

[00:29:25.312 – 00:29:31.172] Uh, this is the fourth edition of the Big Book, uh, that we're reading from right now. [00:29:31.172 – 00:29:35.812] Um, I don't believe there was a preface in the first edition. [00:29:35.812 – 00:29:37.852] There was only a foreword. [00:29:37.852 – 00:29:45.612] And, um, and the preface is just kind of a recap of, um, some of the changes that have been made. [00:29:45.612 – 00:29:53.312] Some of the statistics that I gave earlier when we were, when I was, um, talking came from here. [00:29:53.312 – 00:30:03.352] Um, the, um, what I found kind of interesting in the preface to the fourth edition is that it says that [00:30:03.352 – 00:30:07.432] 16 stories were carried, well, in the first three printings.

[00:30:07.432 – 00:30:10.112] I don't know if it's changed in later printings. [00:30:10.112 – 00:30:13.552] Don't know if I have a later printing than that on my bookshelf. [00:30:13.552 – 00:30:23.592] Um, the, uh, there, it turns out that n- um, 17 stories were carried over from the third edition rather than 16, as [00:30:23.592 – 00:30:25.652] it edit- originally said in here. [00:30:25.652 – 00:30:35.712] Uh, part of that was because the publications department wanted the fourth edition to be, um, close to the same number of [00:30:35.712 – 00:30:38.992] pages as the third printing, the third edition. [00:30:38.992 – 00:30:49.052] And so even though only 16 new stories had been submitted, they put in another one, and I think

[00:30:49.052 – 00:30:52.292] I have the title for that. [00:30:52.292 – 00:30:58.432] S- I thought I had the title for that right here. [00:30:58.432 – 00:31:06.192] Um, the f- I don't. [00:31:06.192 – 00:31:06.772] I don't. [00:31:06.772 – 00:31:16.892] Um, but, uh, for those of you that are really interested in information about the fourth edition and, um, what was happening [00:31:16.892 – 00:31:21.492] in two thous- Oh, I'll do that when we get to the foreword to the fourth edition. [00:31:21.492 – 00:31:26.692] Uh, this just gives information about circulation, about, um…

[00:31:26.692 – 00:31:33.112] I'm looking for my, for any notes that I have of anything that I wanted to bring up here. [00:31:33.112 – 00:31:34.832] Uh, Beth, do you have anything? [00:31:34.832 – 00:31:44.932] Uh, yeah, I just wanted to mention that, um, this, uh, this book talks about the, uh, Doctor's Opinion, written by the late [00:31:44.932 – 00:31:45.172] Dr. [00:31:45.172 – 00:31:45.872] William D. [00:31:45.872 – 00:31:48.632] S., and I thought it was, uh, interesting. [00:31:48.632 – 00:31:52.492] I just, uh, learned recently from, uh, Bill S.'s

[00:31:52.684 – 00:32:02.764] book that, uh, Bill originally wanted Henry F. to write that introduction to the book, and, uh, I never did find out [00:32:02.764 – 00:32:07.084] why Henry F. turned him down, but, um, fortunately Dr. [00:32:07.084 – 00:32:17.304] S. made his appearance there, and it's really critical because he describes in such beautiful language the physical allergy and the mental obsession. [00:32:17.304 – 00:32:21.304] Um, and of course, I talked about the fact that this is a basic textbook. [00:32:21.304 – 00:32:25.724] It says, "This book has become our basic text," and we talked about that already. [00:32:25.724 – 00:32:36.044] Um, and, um, I also just wanted to, uh, mention the very la- I love the last paragraph of all these, the preface [00:32:36.044 – 00:32:46.544] and all these forewords, that all the changes made over the years have had one purpose, to represent the current membership of Alcoholics Anonymous.

[00:32:46.544 – 00:32:56.604] And I love this statement: "If you have a drinking problem, we hope you may pause in reading one of the 42 personal stories and think, 'Yes, [00:32:56.604 – 00:33:06.744] that happened to me.' Or more important, 'Yes, I felt like that.' Or most important, 'Yes, I believe that this program [00:33:06.744 – 00:33:17.044] can work for me, too.'" So now we go on to the foreword to the first edition, and, um, this is the foreword as it appeared in 1939, [00:33:17.044 – 00:33:27.424] and, um, I, I just love the statement that it says, "To show alcoholics precisely how we've re- have recovered is the main purpose [00:33:27.424 – 00:33:37.684] of this book." And I wanna s- uh, emphasize that word "precisely," and I love [00:33:37.684 – 00:33:44.624] the description that I heard about what "precisely" really means. [00:33:44.624 – 00:33:46.844] And I like the analogy.

[00:33:46.844 – 00:33:48.024] I love analogies. [00:33:48.024 – 00:33:55.344] I love pic- uh, things that I can visualize, and I love the analogy of, uh, making a cake. [00:33:55.344 – 00:34:05.384] And if I went to a party that you c- were at, and you brought a chocolate mousse cake, that is my favorite kind of cake in the entire world, and if I [00:34:05.384 – 00:34:08.824] tasted that cake and I said, "Wow, this is, this is heavenly. [00:34:08.824 – 00:34:18.864] Could I have the recipe?" And you said, "Sure," and you gave me the recipe, and I took it home, and I said, "I'm gonna make that chocolate mousse cake." And I take a look at that recipe and I see that [00:34:18.864 – 00:34:21.244] this chocolate mousse cake has four cups of sugar. [00:34:21.244 – 00:34:31.283] Well, I am, in addition to being an alcoholic, I'm a sugar addict, and four cups of sugar is way too much, so I'm gonna take out half of the sugar, and I'm gonna substitute a

[00:34:31.284 – 00:34:32.964] sug- put a sugar substitute in. [00:34:32.964 – 00:34:37.324] You know, they make really good sug- sugar substitutes today, and that should be okay. [00:34:37.324 – 00:34:40.084] The book also has six eggs. [00:34:40.084 – 00:34:43.404] You know, eggs might ca- possibly cause high cholesterol. [00:34:43.404 – 00:34:45.884] I'm not really sure, but I don't think I want six eggs. [00:34:45.884 – 00:34:55.903] So I'm gonna only use three eggs, and I'm gonna replace the, the other eggs with some, uh, additional liquid to make up for the liquid that the eggs would have, um, provided. [00:34:55.903 – 00:34:58.164] And so then I'm gonna make my cake.

[00:34:58.164 – 00:35:06.104] Well, my cake might come out, and it might come out good, but it's not gonna be precisely like your cake. [00:35:06.104 – 00:35:16.264] And if I want exactly what you have, if I want the recovery program and the sobriety that I see in you, then [00:35:16.264 – 00:35:26.284] I have to be willing to follow the things that you did precisely, specifically, and exactly, and I think that's really [00:35:26.284 – 00:35:27.124] important. [00:35:27.124 – 00:35:37.424] Um, they talk a lot about, a, a little bit here about, um, be- being anonymous [00:35:37.424 – 00:35:47.904] and, and, uh, omitting our personal names and designating ourselves as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, and they, they said that they were afraid that they were gonna be overwhelmed [00:35:47.904 – 00:35:49.424] with, uh, inquiries.

[00:35:49.424 – 00:35:54.904] I, I think more than anything, they were afraid of identifying themselves as, as alcoholics. [00:35:54.904 – 00:36:05.044] And, uh, you know, it's the, the age-old story of, um, people who will drive 40 miles away from their home to go to a meeting because they don't wanna run into anyone, [00:36:05.044 – 00:36:12.123] one they knew, uh, they know, and yet they p- their neighbors saw them puking on the lawn just the day before. [00:36:12.123 – 00:36:14.264] So you know, it's a little crazy. [00:36:14.264 – 00:36:20.424] It's okay for people to know we're alcoholics, but God forbid they should find out that we're going to Alcoholics Anonymous. [00:36:20.424 – 00:36:29.764] And then we get to this wonderful, wonderful paragraph, which I believe is the forerunner to the four- to the traditions, the 12 traditions. [00:36:29.764 – 00:36:39.804] And I was always told that the traditions came about as the result of shared experience in the groups of Alcoholics Anonymous, but it's

[00:36:39.804 – 00:36:49.964] really clear from this forward to the first edition of the big book that Bill had the, a lot of the ideas for the traditions in mind when he wrote this [00:36:49.964 – 00:36:54.184] because he said, "We're not an organization in the conventional sense of the word. [00:36:54.184 – 00:36:57.584] There are no dues or fees whatsoever. [00:36:57.584 – 00:37:01.744] The only requirement for membership is an honest desire to stop drinking. [00:37:01.744 – 00:37:07.464] We're not allied with any particular faith, sect, or denomination, nor do we wish to oppose anyone. [00:37:07.464 – 00:37:11.254] We simply wish to be helpful to those o- who are afflicted." You could- [00:37:11.376 – 00:37:19.016] See a lot of the traditions there, and I wanted to comment very briefly on this word honest desire.

[00:37:19.016 – 00:37:28.576] A lot of people think that that word honest desire actually occurred in the third tradition, the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop, to stop drinking. [00:37:28.576 – 00:37:31.916] And actually, it never occurred in the step. [00:37:31.916 – 00:37:37.616] It only occurred here, and it was re- ultimately, it was removed. [00:37:37.616 – 00:37:47.736] It also occurred in the Preamble, and ultimatel- ultimately, it was removed from the Preamble by the General S. Conference because, um, the, [00:37:47.736 – 00:37:57.416] uh, fellowship that felt that we better not require newly sober people to be honest because they really don't know how to be honest. [00:37:57.416 – 00:37:59.396] Penny, back to you. [00:37:59.396 – 00:38:00.396] Okay.

[00:38:00.396 – 00:38:10.516] Um, so a couple of things just to add to, uh, what Beth just shared is that, um, in addition to seeing a forerunner [00:38:10.516 – 00:38:18.756] to the traditions, we also see where some of the language came from for the Preamble that was, um, developed. [00:38:18.756 – 00:38:20.996] Bill did not write the, the Preamble. [00:38:20.996 – 00:38:25.096] It was written by the, um, editor of The Grapevine at the time. [00:38:25.096 – 00:38:35.135] If you're interested in the history of the Preamble, especially given the changes that were made in the last General S. Conference, um, that is available at [00:38:35.136 – 00:38:36.276] aa.org. [00:38:36.276 – 00:38:42.736] You can just go there, click on the little magnifying glass, and input history of AA Preamble.

[00:38:42.736 – 00:38:53.336] And it's, I think it's a one-page PDF that you can print out, and you can learn about the changes, where it came from, the, the history of the Preamble and, um, [00:38:53.336 – 00:38:57.056] and the changes that have been made since it was originally published. [00:38:57.056 – 00:39:03.356] Keep in mind that the Preamble was not designed to be used as the, in the format for groups. [00:39:03.356 – 00:39:10.196] It was designed for public information, for us to use when we did public information and public speaking. [00:39:10.196 – 00:39:16.196] But this, it gives a nice overview of what AA is and what AA isn't. [00:39:16.196 – 00:39:19.636] And, um, back to you, Beth. [00:39:19.636 – 00:39:20.495] All right.

[00:39:20.495 – 00:39:23.716] We'll go to the forward to the s- second edition. [00:39:23.716 – 00:39:24.996] Do you wanna begin, Penny? [00:39:24.996 – 00:39:26.576] Okay. [00:39:26.576 – 00:39:29.095] Um, the forward to the second edition. [00:39:29.095 – 00:39:39.556] Um, the, when the second edition was published, one of the things that they added in the second edition was the appendices in the back of the book, [00:39:39.556 – 00:39:49.716] and one of the ones that I specifically want to speak about because I already mentioned Roy C., who designed, um, the two covers for the Big, for the first [00:39:49.716 – 00:39:50.756] edition of The Big Book.

[00:39:50.756 – 00:39:57.736] Um, in his story, Roy C.'s story was only in the first edition, um, An A.'s Concept. [00:39:57.736 – 00:40:03.256] It was not in the s- it was removed from the second edition, has not been added back. [00:40:03.256 – 00:40:09.956] It is now in the book Experience, Strength, and Hope that I hope Beth will speak to a little bit at the very end of our talk. [00:40:09.956 – 00:40:20.356] Um, but Roy C. was the one that quoted Herbert S. in that appe- the quote that appears [00:40:20.356 – 00:40:22.876] about contempt prior to investigation. [00:40:22.876 – 00:40:24.656] That was misquoted. [00:40:24.656 – 00:40:32.526] Um, and um, the actual, actually, Jim W., are you still here?

[00:40:32.526 – 00:40:36.656] Jim W.'s got a great explanation about that. [00:40:36.656 – 00:40:46.476] Um, the, the actual, um, citation comes from Charl- not from Charles D.. [00:40:46.476 – 00:40:47.916] Is it from Charles D.? [00:40:47.916 – 00:40:48.756] No. [00:40:48.756 – 00:40:49.356] No. [00:40:49.356 – 00:40:50.896] It's, um, I've got it right here. [00:40:50.896 – 00:40:54.226] No, from, um, from, um, Will- isn't it from William P.?

[00:40:54.226 – 00:40:55.056] William P.. [00:40:55.056 – 00:40:56.696] It's William P.. [00:40:56.696 – 00:40:57.356] William P.. [00:40:57.356 – 00:41:08.416] He was an English clergyman, and it was, he, it actually referred, it, it originally came from, um, the early, [00:41:08.416 – 00:41:12.436] the early Romans who were scoffing at Christianity. [00:41:12.436 – 00:41:19.256] That's really the, uh, original source of the, of the, um, quote. [00:41:19.256 – 00:41:21.976] But- And listen …

[00:41:21.976 – 00:41:32.875] Herbert S., he, he gets credit and, you know, we're gonna let Herbert S. have the mistaken credit . [00:41:32.875 – 00:41:42.876] I have a feeling a l- And- I have a feeling as many people who balked at the change to the Preamble, twice as many would balk if we changed the name [00:41:42.876 – 00:41:50.176] of the person who was responsible for that quote in the, uh, appendix, spiritual- Even if it's corrected … [00:41:50.176 – 00:41:50.426] areas. [00:41:50.426 – 00:41:50.856] Yes. [00:41:50.856 – 00:42:00.856] One other thing about, um, about the, uh, forward to the first is that, uh, when Beth was speaking about, [00:42:00.856 – 00:42:04.096] you know, we are too few, and she mentioned that we were afraid.

[00:42:04.096 – 00:42:06.986] You know, Bill was a wonderful storyteller. [00:42:06.986 – 00:42:14.676] Those of us that have been reading, um, the book, uh, the writing of The Big Book have, have learned some wonderful myths. [00:42:14.676 – 00:42:16.426] Uh, Bill W- Bill S. [00:42:16.426 – 00:42:19.656] will be speaking about that later today at the AA symposium. [00:42:19.656 – 00:42:29.696] But, you know, keep in mind that in Tradition T. in the 12 and 12, which Beth has alluded to earlier, it, it, Bill talks about how [00:42:29.696 – 00:42:29.916] he s- [00:42:30.128 – 00:42:32.908] Says, "Maybe this sounds comical now.

[00:42:32.908 – 00:42:40.198] Maybe you think we old-timers were pretty intolerant, but I can tell you there was non- nothing funny about the situation then. [00:42:40.198 – 00:42:46.188] We were grim because we felt our lives and homes were threatened, and that was no laughing matter. [00:42:46.188 – 00:42:47.488] Intolerant, you say? [00:42:47.488 – 00:42:48.618] Well, we were frightened. [00:42:48.618 – 00:42:58.708] Naturally, we began to act like most everybody does when afraid." So keep in mind that some of the things that are in our history are based on, [00:42:58.708 – 00:43:08.748] you know, we can do the Steps, we can take 6 and 7, we can try and b- you know, we can try and put patience and tolerance into, into practice, but keep in mind that we still [00:43:08.748 – 00:43:11.548] have those human, those human challenges, so.

[00:43:11.548 – 00:43:12.418] Beth, back to you. [00:43:12.418 – 00:43:22.137] And I love the fact that the second edition, i- uh, the forward to the second edition includes an incredible history of- Yes … [00:43:22.137 – 00:43:22.968] Alcoholics Anonymous. [00:43:22.968 – 00:43:33.108] Starting at the bottom of the page, "The spark that was to flare," there it is, "into the first AA group was struck in Akron, Ohio," [00:43:33.108 – 00:43:42.148] to the very end of the forward is an incredible, very brief, one, two, three, that's eight pages, uh, history. [00:43:42.148 – 00:43:49.358] And, and I absolutely insist that all my sponsees read it because I think the history of Alcoholics Anonymous is critical. [00:43:49.358 – 00:43:56.968] And obviously all of you feel the same way or you wouldn't be here tonight at this wonderful meeting that, uh, David facilitates.

[00:43:56.968 – 00:44:00.628] So let's go on to the forward to the third edition. [00:44:00.628 – 00:44:05.488] And the forward to the third edition is really pretty brief. [00:44:05.488 – 00:44:15.488] It's only one page, and it, it, it really just talks about, um, the, uh, printing of the book in, in foreign languages and, um, [00:44:15.488 – 00:44:24.948] the fact that, um, the book is reading, reaching a wider and wider audience, that women make up a much larger percentage than they did… [00:44:24.948 – 00:44:33.548] When the second edition was printed, only 15% of the fellowship were women, and by this time, of course, a lot more, one, uh, are. [00:44:33.548 – 00:44:43.768] And, and there's this wonderful, uh, statement at the very end of the forward to the third edition, "In spite of the great increase in the size and span of the fellowship, [00:44:43.768 – 00:44:49.418] at its core it remains simple and personal." This gives me God bumps.

[00:44:49.418 – 00:44:49.838] Mm-hmm. [00:44:49.838 – 00:45:02.408] "Each day somewhere in the world, recovery begins when one alcoholic talks with another alcoholic, sharing experience, strength and hope." The [00:45:02.408 – 00:45:12.388] other thing to keep in mind as we're, as we're reading the forwards to each of these editions is the historical context for the book. [00:45:12.388 – 00:45:16.908] You know, keep in mind that the first edition was published in 1939. [00:45:16.908 – 00:45:20.668] We weren't yet pulled into World W. II. [00:45:20.668 – 00:45:26.388] We had seen World W. I, which was believed to be the war to end all wars. [00:45:26.388 – 00:45:36.528] When B. tells his story, you know, he talks about the Great W., and many of us that are Boomers assume that that would've been the Second W. War.

[00:45:36.528 – 00:45:40.428] But that war hadn't, hadn't been, hadn't been played out yet. [00:45:40.428 – 00:45:47.368] So the f- the first edition came out just before World W. II, after World W. I. [00:45:47.368 – 00:45:49.588] Um, the world was… [00:45:49.588 – 00:45:57.628] There were some challenging things going on, but we here in the United States had not really been personally touched by it yet. [00:45:57.628 – 00:46:02.148] The second edition, 1955, so we're after World W. II. [00:46:02.148 – 00:46:04.748] The Baby Boomers are starting to be born. [00:46:04.748 – 00:46:09.288] We've, we're experiencing the war in Korea, the action in Korea.

[00:46:09.288 – 00:46:19.308] And so, and but still, and we haven't yet, 1955, we haven't yet had the upheaval that's coming in [00:46:19.308 – 00:46:20.548] the 1960s. [00:46:20.548 – 00:46:29.868] And then we get to the, that third edition and, and 1977, 19 s- uh, '76. [00:46:29.868 – 00:46:31.408] I got sober in '77. [00:46:31.408 – 00:46:34.038] I got sober with, um, the third edition. [00:46:34.038 – 00:46:38.908] But, you know, we've had flower power, we've had hippies. [00:46:38.908 – 00:46:42.288] We've had all kinds of stuff going on.

[00:46:42.288 – 00:46:44.488] Um, you know, think about all, keep all of… [00:46:44.488 – 00:46:47.768] And Vietnam and demonstrations. [00:46:47.768 – 00:46:58.448] And there's this huge change in what's going on in society, and yet through all of that, AA continues. [00:46:58.448 – 00:47:01.668] AA has these traditions. [00:47:01.668 – 00:47:03.708] We have this fellowship. [00:47:03.708 – 00:47:11.488] We have our long-timers that are carrying the message, and we get to now the forward to the fourth edition. [00:47:11.488 – 00:47:22.208] Oh, and Bill had also passed away between the printing of the second edition and the f- and the third edition, because he died,

[00:47:22.208 – 00:47:25.468] as we know, in January 24th of 1971. [00:47:25.468 – 00:47:30.248] Okay, Beth. [00:47:30.248 – 00:47:40.268] So the forward to the fourth edition is, uh, mostly it talks about the growth, of course, in Alcoholics Anonymous, the fact that the [00:47:40.268 – 00:47:45.068] book is translated by this time into 43 languages. [00:47:45.068 – 00:47:48.718] Um, but the, the, the claim to fame- [00:47:49.112 – 00:47:55.132] of the foreword to the fourth edition is the sentence that was removed from the foreword. [00:47:55.132 – 00:48:05.211] And, you know, Penny, um, unfortunately I didn't copy that, that sentence, but I'm gonna read the paragraph in which the,

[00:48:05.211 – 00:48:11.792] uh, sentence appeared, and then I'll read the sentence and, and explain about what happened. [00:48:11.792 – 00:48:16.132] Um- I have the paragraph right here if you want me to read it, and then you can explain. [00:48:16.132 – 00:48:17.111] Oh, good. [00:48:17.111 – 00:48:17.751] That's great. [00:48:17.751 – 00:48:20.612] Do you want me to stop sharing and you'll share your screen? [00:48:20.612 – 00:48:23.592] No, you can leave it up so that they can see where it comes in. [00:48:23.592 – 00:48:33.952] So if you do not have one of the first three printings of the fourth edition, as I read this paragraph, I'm going to read a sentence that does not appear in your printing

[00:48:33.952 – 00:48:36.292] but does appear in mine. [00:48:36.292 – 00:48:37.972] Yeah, it's, it's, it was in… [00:48:37.972 – 00:48:43.212] I have a first printing, uh, of the book, 'cause of course I had to buy it the second it came out. [00:48:43.212 – 00:48:46.412] So go ahead, Penny- While our lit- … [00:48:46.412 – 00:48:55.812] and, uh, read the paragraph and include that sentence that's missing, and I'll follow along with my cursor so people can see where we are. [00:48:55.812 – 00:48:58.832] While our literature has preserved the integrity of the A.A. [00:48:58.832 – 00:49:05.612] message, sweeping changes in society as a whole are reflected in new customs and practices within the fellowship.

[00:49:05.612 – 00:49:10.052] Taking advantage of technological advances, for example, A.A. [00:49:10.052 – 00:49:17.212] members with computers can participate in meetings online, sharing with fellow alcoholics across the country or around the world. [00:49:17.212 – 00:49:18.371] Imagine that. [00:49:18.371 – 00:49:21.372] And here's the sentence that's missing. [00:49:21.372 – 00:49:30.512] Fundamentally, though, the difference between an electronic meeting and the home group around the corner is only one of format. [00:49:30.512 – 00:49:33.032] In any meeting anywhere, A.A. [00:49:33.032 – 00:49:38.252] share experience, strength, and hope with each other in order to stay sober and help other alcoholics.

[00:49:38.252 – 00:49:41.632] Modem to modem or face to face, A.A. [00:49:41.632 – 00:49:45.132] speaks the language of the heart in all its power and simplicity. [00:49:45.132 – 00:49:50.632] So I was a member of the, uh, general service conference. [00:49:50.632 – 00:49:56.871] I served the, uh, South F. area at the conference in 2002, '3, and '4. [00:49:56.871 – 00:50:07.212] Now, the fourth edition to the Big Book was approved in 2001, and so the delegate [00:50:07.212 – 00:50:15.152] who preceded me was at that conference, and she was on the literature committee, and they approved the book. [00:50:15.152 – 00:50:20.792] Now, they did not approve the foreword because they didn't see the foreword.

[00:50:20.792 – 00:50:26.172] As I said before, the foreword was written by the publications department. [00:50:26.172 – 00:50:36.312] Whether they would have balked at that statement that says, "Fundamentally, now, the difference between an electronic meeting and the home [00:50:36.312 – 00:50:42.832] group around the corner is only one of format," whether they have, would have balked at that, I have no idea. [00:50:42.832 – 00:50:52.932] But when the book was published and the fellowship read that statement, they went ballistic. [00:50:52.932 – 00:50:56.932] How can you compare my home group to an electronic meeting? [00:50:56.932 – 00:50:58.212] There's a big difference. [00:50:58.212 – 00:50:59.562] It's not the same thing.

[00:50:59.562 – 00:51:01.192] On and on and on. [00:51:01.192 – 00:51:02.412] It was crazy. [00:51:02.412 – 00:51:04.292] People were nuts. [00:51:04.292 – 00:51:14.572] And so at the next general service conference, there was an agenda item to remove that statement, and I will tell you, I was at that conference, [00:51:14.572 – 00:51:19.292] and there was a huge amount of heated debate. [00:51:19.292 – 00:51:25.872] But it wasn't the delegates who were concerned about the statement. [00:51:25.872 – 00:51:29.752] It was the fellowship that the delegates were representing.

[00:51:29.752 – 00:51:38.312] The delegates kept coming to the microphone over and over and over again and saying, "The people in my area want it taken out. [00:51:38.312 – 00:51:39.152] They don't like it. [00:51:39.152 – 00:51:43.772] They don't like you comparing, uh, their home group to an electronic meeting. [00:51:43.772 – 00:51:49.752] They're not the same thing." And so the conference voted to remove the statement. [00:51:49.752 – 00:51:59.832] So unless you own a copy of the first, second, or third printing of this book, you do not have that statement in [00:51:59.832 – 00:52:02.412] your, in the foreword to the first edition. [00:52:02.412 – 00:52:12.492] And I kind of think it's very interesting, not just because of, um, of where we've come, where we've come since then and, you know, of course the

[00:52:12.492 – 00:52:18.372] pandemic has just changed everything in Alcoholics Anonymous in so many ways. [00:52:18.372 – 00:52:28.432] But I think it's interesting that they balked at that statement, but they didn't balk at the statement "modem to modem," because modem to modem is such [00:52:28.432 – 00:52:38.582] an outdated phrase, and I don't know, I guess modems were, were still being used, uh, pretty extensively, uh, when this book was [00:52:38.582 – 00:52:40.012] published in 2001. [00:52:40.012 – 00:52:46.312] Otherwise, they probably would have removed that, because I would expect that people today would say, "Get rid of that language. [00:52:46.312 – 00:52:55.232] We don't use modems anymore." So I kind of think it's, it's kind of comical that, um, that we went so crazy. [00:52:55.232 – 00:53:05.492] I mean, they were really nuts about that statement, much more so than the people have been about the change to the preamble,

[00:53:05.492 – 00:53:07.542] which we're going to learn- [00:53:07.804 – 00:53:11.064] more and more about as we get to the next couple of conferences. [00:53:11.064 – 00:53:20.124] There is an agenda item on the, um, conference this year to look at it, but, but not to consider, uh, removing it. [00:53:20.124 – 00:53:30.184] However, you never know what's gonna happen at a general service conference because it's, there's always the possibility of a floor action, and a floor action is a motion that's brought [00:53:30.184 – 00:53:37.084] to the floor of the general service conference that did not appear in the, uh, print, pre-printed agenda. [00:53:37.084 – 00:53:41.244] So, um, it was a very interesting experience. [00:53:41.244 – 00:53:47.844] It was quite interesting to have been present at that conference and to observe that happening.

[00:53:47.844 – 00:53:55.103] It was the fift- it was the, uh, 52nd General S. conference in, uh, 2002 when it was removed. [00:53:55.103 – 00:53:56.344] Penny? [00:53:56.344 – 00:53:57.764] Okey-doke. [00:53:57.764 – 00:53:59.664] Um, I am unmuted. [00:53:59.664 – 00:54:00.124] Okay. [00:54:00.124 – 00:54:10.364] So, um, the, um, the action of removing that, you know, when, [00:54:10.364 – 00:54:20.404] uh, for those of us that were sober then and, um, and that were active already in online AA, we were hearing people say online AA is

[00:54:20.404 – 00:54:21.464] not real AA. [00:54:21.464 – 00:54:31.304] Um, online AA started in the mid-1980s, so it had already been around for 15 years when this, um, when the fourth edition was published. [00:54:31.304 – 00:54:41.384] There is, um, if you're really interested in information about the fourth edition, um, you can go to aa.org and download, [00:54:41.384 – 00:54:42.884] uh, the November… [00:54:42.884 – 00:54:45.764] October-November B. 459. [00:54:45.764 – 00:54:56.024] And, um, it has, um, the entire issue of Box 459 for October-November is about the fourth edition, [00:54:56.024 – 00:54:59.744] about the, um, the, um, the Big Book.

[00:54:59.744 – 00:55:01.384] It's an interesting… [00:55:01.384 – 00:55:05.703] It's actually quite an interesting issue to download and to read. [00:55:05.703 – 00:55:16.044] Um, going back to the third edition of the Big Book, there was an article, the cover page of Box 459 for August-September [00:55:16.044 – 00:55:22.484] of 1976 is about the third edition of the Big Book that added present day stories. [00:55:22.484 – 00:55:31.024] And, and there's some interesting information in there that just minutia kind of stuff if you're interested in those sorts of things. [00:55:31.024 – 00:55:38.224] But if you're not, you know, this is that's kind of what we're covering in, in this little, uh, presentation today. [00:55:38.224 – 00:55:48.724] Um, I was one of those people that was very grateful when I saw this in the last, in the paragraph to the forward to the fourth,

[00:55:48.724 – 00:55:54.264] um, because I was taking a lot of flak in meetings for being a participant in online AA. [00:55:54.264 – 00:55:57.644] And, um, and I was… [00:55:57.644 – 00:56:07.644] The, the one thing I would like to touch on, um, is, uh, that as most of us know, if, if we're sober for any length of time, [00:56:07.644 – 00:56:12.804] we've had any involvement in general service, things move very slowly in AA. [00:56:12.804 – 00:56:22.804] When the preamble was, was, um, was changed last year, that's not the first time tho- those, some of those changes came up [00:56:22.804 – 00:56:26.404] for discussion at the general service conference to the preamble. [00:56:26.404 – 00:56:36.884] You know, we move so slowly, and yet the fourth edition of the Big Book was published November 2001.

[00:56:36.884 – 00:56:44.024] We have a general service conference the end of April of 2002, and they get, and they get a sentence removed. [00:56:44.024 – 00:56:47.584] That's just almost unheard of in Alcoholics Anonymous. [00:56:47.584 – 00:56:57.724] So it's just, you know, it's interesting, and again, gets back to that quote from Tradition T. in the 12 and 12, "We were afraid." We, it, [00:56:57.724 – 00:56:58.404] that's… [00:56:58.404 – 00:57:08.444] The intolerance that was shown really was because we were afraid, and yet, you know, I, I had talked with Beth earlier, earlier in, [00:57:08.444 – 00:57:10.884] in, um, what year are we in? [00:57:10.884 – 00:57:11.954] 2022.

[00:57:11.954 – 00:57:13.004] I don't even remember. [00:57:13.004 – 00:57:14.884] I'm still in ni- 2019. [00:57:14.884 – 00:57:25.064] Um, but I had talked with Beth a year ago about, you know, well, if they can, if they can change the preamble, maybe we can get that sentence put back into the fourth [00:57:25.064 – 00:57:25.684] edition. [00:57:25.684 – 00:57:29.744] And she said, "Oh, the general service conference has enough on their plate. [00:57:29.744 – 00:57:33.344] Let's not give them more to worry about." So back to you, Beth. [00:57:33.344 – 00:57:34.264] Yeah.

[00:57:34.264 – 00:57:44.404] Um, well, you know, that's really all I have to share about all this material, but I did wanna i- uh, read a quote that I just saw, it was either yesterday or today, [00:57:44.404 – 00:57:48.564] uh, the, uh, q- quote that the Grapevine sends out every day. [00:57:48.564 – 00:57:50.104] I love those quotes. [00:57:50.104 – 00:58:00.184] And, uh, this one was from Bill in 1971, um, in an article called, again, at the crossroads, called Language of the Heart. [00:58:00.184 – 00:58:07.724] So this is 1971, and here we are in 2022, and again, we're at a crossroads. [00:58:07.724 – 00:58:15.224] And Bill said, "Up to now, AA seems to have taken the right turning at each new crossroad. [00:58:15.224 – 00:58:18.834] This could scarcely have been our doing alone.

[00:58:18.834 – 00:58:26.264] Our fellowship has afforded a convincing proof of that wise old adage that declares that man" [00:58:26.416 – 00:58:36.056] "Man's extremity is God's opportunity." And I just love that statement because it speaks to where we are today and where we're going. [00:58:36.056 – 00:58:46.136] And I've said, uh, at this meeting and I've said many times at many meetings that I believe that, um, that Alcoholics Anonymous is on the precipice [00:58:46.136 – 00:58:54.676] of another explosion similar to what we saw when Jack A.'s, uh, article in The Saturday Evening P. appeared. [00:58:54.676 – 00:59:04.556] And, um, uh, I can see it in all of the online meetings that I attend, and I only attend a fraction, a teeny fraction of the meetings. [00:59:04.556 – 00:59:11.576] Uh, my group has joined online intergroup, and I'm going to my first online intergroup meeting tomorrow. [00:59:11.576 – 00:59:19.416] So it will be interesting to see what happens at that online intergroup meeting with representatives from so many other online groups.

[00:59:19.416 – 00:59:23.616] And I thank you for allowing me to participate. [00:59:23.616 – 00:59:31.586] Penny, thank you so much for your loving invitation to share this spotlight with you, this podium with you today. [00:59:31.586 – 00:59:40.676] Um, you can tell that I love the Big Book, and I know that Penny loves the Big Book, and I'm sure that all of those who are here feel the same way that we do. [00:59:40.676 – 00:59:46.696] I just wanna add a few other things, um, that we didn't touch on. [00:59:46.696 – 00:59:55.316] In 2011, Time magazine placed the Big Book on its list of its 100 best and most influential books of all time. [00:59:55.316 – 01:00:05.556] Um, in 2012, the US Library of Congress designated the Big Book as one of 88 books that influenced and shaped America. [01:00:05.556 – 01:00:12.426] Uh, the one millionth copy of the Big Book was presented to President N. in 1973.

[01:00:12.426 – 01:00:22.436] The, uh, six years later, the two millionth copy was presented to US Health, Education, and Welfare S. Califano, the five millionth copy [01:00:22.436 – 01:00:32.576] to Ruth H., the 10 millionth copy to Nell W., the 15 millionth copy to Ellie N., widow of former Class A trustee John N., [01:00:32.576 – 01:00:42.696] the 20 millionth copy to the Al-Anon F. Groups, the 25 millionth copy to Jill B., who was the warden of San Q. Prison where the first [01:00:42.696 – 01:00:44.156] prison meeting was held. [01:00:44.156 – 01:00:45.036] That's… [01:00:45.036 – 01:00:51.796] If you are looking to get into AA history, there's a, there's a really good place to get into AA history. [01:00:51.796 – 01:00:52.496] Get into…

[01:00:52.496 – 01:01:02.496] Do some research, or if you know anybody that's been incarcerated, got sober in a penitentiary, this is a great research because there's some debate about where the first prison [01:01:02.496 – 01:01:03.936] meeting was held. [01:01:03.936 – 01:01:14.156] The 25, uh, the t- 30 millionth copy was given to Rebecca P., past chair of the American M. Association, and the 35 millionth copy was [01:01:14.156 – 01:01:23.656] given to Sister J. Ann of the Sisters of Charity, which is where Sister I. was, um, w- her religious order. [01:01:23.656 – 01:01:33.776] So just some information about where we've gone, where we came from, and, uh- And Sister Judith now sits on the general service board as a [01:01:33.776 – 01:01:35.256] non-alcoholic trustee. [01:01:35.256 – 01:01:36.556] That's right.

[01:01:36.556 – 01:01:39.456] So thank you, everybody. [01:01:39.456 – 01:01:41.156] Thank you, David- Thank you … [01:01:41.156 – 01:01:43.976] for giving us a platform to share our love of the Big Book. [01:01:43.976 – 01:01:44.526] Awesome. [01:01:44.526 – 01:01:45.896] Absolute pleasure, privilege. [01:01:45.896 – 01:01:50.276] Uh, please, uh, unmute if you'd like to acknowledge the wonderful Penny P. [01:01:50.276 – 01:01:50.956] and Beth D.

[01:01:50.956 – 01:01:52.116] Thank you, g- girls. [01:01:52.116 – 01:01:52.456] Thank you. [01:01:52.456 – 01:01:53.036] Wonderful. [01:01:53.036 – 01:01:53.385] Thank you so much, David. [01:01:53.385 – 01:01:54.116] Very much, please. [01:01:54.116 – 01:01:55.316] Thank you. [01:01:55.316 – 01:01:55.996] Thank you.

[01:01:55.996 – 01:01:56.006] Thank you. [01:01:56.006 – 01:01:56.836] Cheers. [01:01:56.836 – 01:01:57.296] Thank you so much. [01:01:57.296 – 01:01:58.176] Thank you, Penny. [01:01:58.176 – 01:01:58.426] Good job. [01:01:58.426 – 01:01:59.476] Thank you so much. [01:01:59.476 – 01:02:00.756] Great job.

[01:02:00.756 – 01:02:01.656] What's the point? [01:02:01.656 – 01:02:02.636] Thank you very much. [01:02:02.636 – 01:02:04.636] It's there. [01:02:04.636 – 01:02:05.396] Thank you very much. [01:02:05.396 – 01:02:06.116] Thank you. [01:02:06.116 – 01:02:08.616] Thank you, Beth. [01:02:08.616 – 01:02:11.016] Now we're gonna have a Q&A section coming up.

[01:02:11.016 – 01:02:16.916] Uh, and I just wanna point out that this is, uh, not a discussion meeting, and if it's okay with Penny and Beth, I'll put your emails in the chat. [01:02:16.916 – 01:02:17.846] Is that okay for- Absolutely … [01:02:17.846 – 01:02:19.576] if people wanna ask you more questions? [01:02:19.576 – 01:02:20.936] We'll put that in the chat. [01:02:20.936 – 01:02:21.105] Yeah. [01:02:21.105 – 01:02:26.416] And while you're getting your questions, and before we go over to Stuart, I just wanna put up some flyers quickly. [01:02:26.416 – 01:02:27.556] I'll try and do this very quickly.

[01:02:27.556 – 01:02:28.656] Next week we have Dr. [01:02:28.656 – 01:02:34.596] Bob, uh, Early Y., and we have Drew H. from Atlanta coming back to us next week for that one. [01:02:34.596 – 01:02:36.786] So we're looking forward to Drew coming back. [01:02:36.786 – 01:02:40.396] And just, uh, for, to finish off February then, we're gonna have, uh, Tom R. [01:02:40.396 – 01:02:45.776] from a history lo- AA History L., going to do a t- a presentation on A Vision F. Us, he's calling it. [01:02:45.776 – 01:02:51.916] And then on the 18th, we're bringing back Jen D., and she's gonna do a presentation on Roland H.. [01:02:51.916 – 01:02:58.716] And to finish off the month, we have Jim W. coming back, and Jim is gonna do the first talk on Bill W.

[01:02:58.716 – 01:03:05.126] And quickly, 'cause we all know what's coming up, there was reference to Writing the Big Book, uh, the creation of AA. [01:03:05.126 – 01:03:08.256] We're on chapter eight at the moment, There is a Solution. [01:03:08.256 – 01:03:10.156] Uh, we're on the second part of that. [01:03:10.156 – 01:03:16.176] We have Jay S. gonna read that for us, and the author, Bill S., is going to read the footnotes for us. [01:03:16.176 – 01:03:16.836] And I… [01:03:16.836 – 01:03:18.676] Just, just to read this, if I may. [01:03:18.676 – 01:03:29.076] Just, "By defining the solution as primarily religious, while pointedly insistent it must not be affiliated with any particular dogma or church, Bill W.

[01:03:29.076 – 01:03:35.416] has resolutely staked out the basic grounds upon which the future fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous would be built. [01:03:35.416 – 01:03:41.296] His solution is progressive, pragmatic, democratic, and expansive. [01:03:41.296 – 01:03:44.856] It is a vision conceived in an open-ended, inclusive spirit." [01:03:45.348 – 01:03:45.568] Wow. [01:03:45.568 – 01:03:46.968] I mean, see that gets me going. [01:03:46.968 – 01:03:47.628] That's wonderful. [01:03:47.628 – 01:03:53.448] And the following week w- gonna have, uh, Bill C. is coming to do Hank's Ideas.

[01:03:53.448 – 01:03:53.778] Oh, good. [01:03:53.778 – 01:03:56.388] And he's gonna have his buddy Matthew M. with him. [01:03:56.388 – 01:03:57.438] That was yesterday. [01:03:57.438 – 01:03:58.518] And Bob, Dr. [01:03:58.518 – 01:04:03.498] Bob's Spiritual J., the Untold S., with Jay S. on, uh, Recovery Speakers. [01:04:03.498 – 01:04:04.848] That's on February 1st. [01:04:04.848 – 01:04:10.688] And of course, we have this AA History S., which I believe is kicking off very, very shortly.

[01:04:10.688 – 01:04:12.588] 12, I believe it's 12 o'clock our time. [01:04:12.588 – 01:04:20.778] And Penny made reference to, uh, Bill S.'s one, and he's doing that at our time, 1:30 AM in the morning. [01:04:20.778 – 01:04:24.428] And it's titled, uh, Writing the Big Book: Myths and Misconceptions. [01:04:24.428 – 01:04:28.168] But there's also other speakers there, as you can see on that. [01:04:28.168 – 01:04:34.208] But please go to, and I finish with this, please go to, uh, aahistorysymposium.org. [01:04:34.208 – 01:04:36.428] And with that, Stuart, over to you. [01:04:36.428 – 01:04:38.108] Thank you, David.

[01:04:38.108 – 01:04:39.608] Stuart A.. [01:04:39.608 – 01:04:41.848] Um, hello again, everybody. [01:04:41.848 – 01:04:50.368] If you'd like to come in and ask a question, be part of the meeting, then please raise your hand in the participants section and I'll call on you. [01:04:50.368 – 01:05:00.518] We answered all their questions, [01:05:00.518 – 01:05:01.048] Beth. [01:05:01.048 – 01:05:03.308] They've g- they're speechless. [01:05:03.308 – 01:05:04.968] Well, except for- Oh, here we go …

[01:05:04.968 – 01:05:05.868] Roseanne. [01:05:05.868 – 01:05:10.138] We're going to, we're going to, going to mail- Oh, well. [01:05:10.138 – 01:05:13.628] Now, ladies, you should know that Roseanne is never speechless. [01:05:13.628 – 01:05:15.008] Oh. [01:05:15.008 – 01:05:19.178] Wow, ladies, Roseanne A., I am just- Hi, Roseanne … [01:05:19.178 – 01:05:23.948] blown away by, by the information that you girls shared tonight. [01:05:23.948 – 01:05:35.168] Um, I have two questions, if I may be so bold, and the first one, Beth, you mentioned, and I do have two copies, 'cause I'm very, very

[01:05:35.168 – 01:05:35.848] alcoholic. [01:05:35.848 – 01:05:38.768] Um, when you mentioned in the forward… [01:05:38.768 – 01:05:39.828] Sorry. [01:05:39.828 – 01:05:49.868] When you mo- when you open the book and it says the story of how many more than 100 men have recovered from alcoholism, I seem to believe, or I seem to [01:05:49.868 – 01:05:55.308] remember something about why the woman was put in there, but do you have any information on that? [01:05:55.308 – 01:05:56.797] I, I… [01:05:56.797 – 01:05:58.238] Why what?

[01:05:58.238 – 01:06:08.628] Where in the second the forward to the, the next printing of the first edition where it says, um, the story of how many, how more than 100 [01:06:08.628 – 01:06:18.688] men was in the first printing in the forward, but when they put the story of how many more than 100 men and [01:06:18.688 – 01:06:19.328] women. [01:06:19.328 – 01:06:20.958] When that was added. [01:06:20.958 – 01:06:21.888] You know, i- that… [01:06:21.888 – 01:06:24.648] You may be right, and I'm not aware of that. [01:06:24.648 – 01:06:28.328] Uh, Bill, uh, Bill S.

[01:06:28.328 – 01:06:35.718] talks about that actually in the writing of the Big Book, and I will see if I can find it while we're still here today. [01:06:35.718 – 01:06:37.188] I have that book as well, Penny. [01:06:37.188 – 01:06:38.528] I, I, I will look it up. [01:06:38.528 – 01:06:39.077] Yes. [01:06:39.077 – 01:06:40.348] So that was question number one. [01:06:40.348 – 01:06:40.848] Thank you. [01:06:40.848 – 01:06:49.268] And Penny, you mentioned Box 459, October/November, where it talks about one of the changes.

[01:06:49.268 – 01:06:50.447] What year was that? [01:06:50.447 – 01:06:52.438] Oh, let me see. [01:06:52.438 – 01:06:53.188] Box 459. [01:06:53.188 – 01:06:54.168] Sorry now. [01:06:54.168 – 01:06:56.468] Okay. [01:06:56.468 – 01:07:00.628] So A., September… [01:07:00.628 – 01:07:08.098] The October/November on the B- bi- on the fourth edition to the Big Book was 2001.

[01:07:08.098 – 01:07:08.468] That's it? [01:07:08.468 – 01:07:16.588] And the whole, the whole, um, issue of Box 459 has to do with the Big Book and the fourth edition. [01:07:16.588 – 01:07:22.028] And then the other one that I mentioned was for the third edition of the Big Book. [01:07:22.028 – 01:07:22.408] Yeah. [01:07:22.408 – 01:07:26.188] August, 19- And that was August/September of 1976. [01:07:26.188 – 01:07:27.478] 1976. [01:07:27.478 – 01:07:28.888] Thank you so much, ladies.

[01:07:28.888 – 01:07:30.048] Absolutely brilliant. [01:07:30.048 – 01:07:32.188] Thank you very much. [01:07:32.188 – 01:07:34.008] We're gonna go to Hugh H. [01:07:34.008 – 01:07:34.388] now. [01:07:34.388 – 01:07:35.508] Good evening, Hugh. [01:07:35.508 – 01:07:37.128] Good evening. [01:07:37.128 – 01:07:39.348] Thank you ladies so much for…

[01:07:39.348 – 01:07:42.208] That was very informative and interesting. [01:07:42.208 – 01:07:52.208] Um, I think it was Beth said that nobody would ever go for changing that quote at the [01:07:52.208 – 01:07:55.088] back of Appendix 2 to William P.. [01:07:55.088 – 01:08:00.188] Do you think they would go for a footnote at least correcting that? [01:08:00.188 – 01:08:04.068] Well, I don't know. [01:08:04.068 – 01:08:04.968] It's possible. [01:08:04.968 – 01:08:12.138] Listen, you know, anybody can send in a potential agenda item, so Hugh?

[01:08:12.138 – 01:08:14.028] Yeah, I'm a past delegate, but yes. [01:08:14.028 – 01:08:14.548] Go for it. [01:08:14.548 – 01:08:15.348] Yes. [01:08:15.348 – 01:08:15.858] Go for it, Hugh. [01:08:15.858 – 01:08:16.668] Go for it. [01:08:16.668 – 01:08:18.248] And Hugh, you wanted to share about the modem. [01:08:18.248 – 01:08:20.768] Oh, yes.

[01:08:20.768 – 01:08:22.488] We still do use modems. [01:08:22.488 – 01:08:29.048] We don't really talk about them much, but we use them to connect to the internet, to your internet provider. [01:08:29.048 – 01:08:39.708] Stands for mo- modulator/demodulator, and that process has to happen to convert it to digital and [01:08:39.708 – 01:08:41.388] whatever your provider provides. [01:08:41.388 – 01:08:42.128] That's it. [01:08:42.128 – 01:08:44.858] Hugh, we would love it if you would- Thank you for that information … [01:08:44.858 – 01:08:52.898] we would love it if you would submit that suggestion for a footnote to your GSR to, and as an agenda topic.

[01:08:52.898 – 01:08:54.188] That would be fabulous. [01:08:54.188 – 01:09:01.568] Yeah, I, I've been, I've been frying big, bigger fish than that lately. [01:09:01.568 – 01:09:03.808] Yeah, see Bill- [01:09:03.920 – 01:09:06.060] Yeah, Beth suggested the same thing to me. [01:09:06.060 – 01:09:07.480] They've got a lot on their plate. [01:09:07.480 – 01:09:08.940] Yeah. [01:09:08.940 – 01:09:13.560] I just hate seeing a little untrue fact, you know?

[01:09:13.560 – 01:09:13.960] Yeah. [01:09:13.960 – 01:09:24.000] And I know Bill was not a historian, so I don't really treat his history as accurate [01:09:24.000 – 01:09:26.740] in the sense that a historian would want it to be. [01:09:26.740 – 01:09:27.420] Right. [01:09:27.420 – 01:09:31.540] But that kind of thing really bothers me where it's attributed to the wrong person. [01:09:31.540 – 01:09:32.440] Thank you. [01:09:32.440 – 01:09:34.460] One more thing I wanna mention.

[01:09:34.460 – 01:09:44.540] I- I put the information that Penny shared about where the different big books, uh, went, who, who, who received them, but I left that Ellie N., [01:09:44.540 – 01:09:47.420] so I, that has to get added in there someplace. [01:09:47.420 – 01:09:49.420] Just wanted to mention that. [01:09:49.420 – 01:09:50.170] Dr. [01:09:50.170 – 01:09:51.160] Jack's wife. [01:09:51.160 – 01:09:54.280] Thank you very much. [01:09:54.280 – 01:09:56.040] We're gonna go to Bill L. now.

[01:09:56.040 – 01:09:57.060] Good evening, Bill. [01:09:57.060 – 01:09:59.900] Yes, good evening. [01:09:59.900 – 01:10:00.640] Uh, thank you. [01:10:00.640 – 01:10:03.060] You know, wonderful presentation. [01:10:03.060 – 01:10:06.820] Um, my question is to Penny. [01:10:06.820 – 01:10:08.920] Uh, Penny, I've heard you before. [01:10:08.920 – 01:10:19.020] You, uh, you know, did a presentation about online meetings and, uh, I guess you go way back, uh, you know, kind of a pioneer in that.

[01:10:19.020 – 01:10:29.940] Uh, I was wondering, uh, uh, you know, historically wise, when did it start, like, [01:10:29.940 – 01:10:30.490] typing? [01:10:30.490 – 01:10:33.440] When could you use voice? [01:10:33.440 – 01:10:38.760] Uh, you know, like, what years did voice come in, like, uh, Skype or whatever? [01:10:38.760 – 01:10:44.760] When did voice and, and picture, you know, what years… [01:10:44.760 – 01:10:46.320] What was that progression? [01:10:46.320 – 01:10:56.680] Uh, that would probably be for a different workshop, but, um, I got involved in online AA before we had access to the internet when we were on private

[01:10:56.680 – 01:10:57.260] networks. [01:10:57.260 – 01:11:05.400] I was on a BBS through FidoNet, and I got involved in 1984 when I was living in Washington, DC. [01:11:05.400 – 01:11:07.180] A guy named Richard W. [01:11:07.180 – 01:11:12.740] started the 12 steps of, of DC, which was a BBS. [01:11:12.740 – 01:11:21.180] There were, uh, four or five other BBSs that were also running on FidoNet up and down the Eastern S.. [01:11:21.180 – 01:11:25.940] Um, and then in- And they, and they were just typing? [01:11:25.940 – 01:11:29.400] We were just typing and we were posting.

[01:11:29.400 – 01:11:32.180] It wasn't even, it wasn't a chat room yet. [01:11:32.180 – 01:11:32.530] Mm-hmm. [01:11:32.530 – 01:11:40.580] Chat rooms came about when we had access to the internet more, when we had AOL, EarthLink, those kinds of things. [01:11:40.580 – 01:11:44.180] And we had a presentation. [01:11:44.180 – 01:11:54.280] Uh, we had two, uh, panels at the 1990 in Seattle on online AA, um, both of which [01:11:54.280 – 01:11:58.960] the fire marshal had to come in and take extra people out of the room. [01:11:58.960 – 01:12:04.220] In 1995 in, in San D., we actually had a hospitality suite.

[01:12:04.220 – 01:12:08.860] So that is, that would probably be for a different workshop than what we're talking about here. [01:12:08.860 – 01:12:19.020] But, um, my email is in the chat, and you're welcome to reach out to me, Bill, and, um, I'd be happy to provide any information, or you can listen to any of the recordings [01:12:19.020 – 01:12:20.340] of the talks that we've given. [01:12:20.340 – 01:12:25.260] Michael and I will be talking at the AA symposium on Sunday. [01:12:25.260 – 01:12:25.600] Okay. [01:12:25.600 – 01:12:26.600] Thank you. [01:12:26.600 – 01:12:28.240] Thank you very much.

[01:12:28.240 – 01:12:29.920] We're gonna go to Lynn B. [01:12:29.920 – 01:12:31.680] in San Francisco now. [01:12:31.680 – 01:12:32.460] Hello, Lynn. [01:12:32.460 – 01:12:33.060] Good evening. [01:12:33.060 – 01:12:34.820] Hey. [01:12:34.820 – 01:12:36.160] Lynn, alcoholic. [01:12:36.160 – 01:12:38.360] Um, oh, this was so good.

[01:12:38.360 – 01:12:40.200] Thank you, Beth and Penny. [01:12:40.200 – 01:12:41.420] I, I just love listening. [01:12:41.420 – 01:12:43.420] I could listen to you guys for hours, honestly. [01:12:43.420 – 01:12:44.360] This was good stuff. [01:12:44.360 – 01:12:47.600] And I'll be at the, the history thing later, so that's great. [01:12:47.600 – 01:12:54.580] Um, actually, Hugh kind of asked my main question and, um, and we were just chatting. [01:12:54.580 – 01:12:54.980] I, I…

[01:12:54.980 – 01:13:01.240] If he's not int- you know, if he's got other irons in the fire, I may bring that up 'cause that's always bothered me. [01:13:01.240 – 01:13:06.840] It's like, "Oh my God, that's not true." But, um, why do we keep having this there? [01:13:06.840 – 01:13:07.920] But, uh, so yeah. [01:13:07.920 – 01:13:09.280] Maybe I'll bring that to my group. [01:13:09.280 – 01:13:12.500] Um, I- I was telling him the modem thing, though. [01:13:12.500 – 01:13:13.710] That's an interesting footnote. [01:13:13.710 – 01:13:16.560] That would be cool to have in there, and I, he knows more about that.

[01:13:16.560 – 01:13:17.960] But let's see. [01:13:17.960 – 01:13:19.520] There were a couple other questions. [01:13:19.520 – 01:13:22.010] My memory really sucks these days, so I forgot one. [01:13:22.010 – 01:13:28.360] I was curious about, I know that, I believe that there used to be a circle and triangle in the front. [01:13:28.360 – 01:13:29.880] Is that right? [01:13:29.880 – 01:13:29.890] Mm-hmm. [01:13:29.890 – 01:13:30.980] And that was taken away.

[01:13:30.980 – 01:13:32.860] Do you have something you can share about that? [01:13:32.860 – 01:13:36.840] Um, I don't have that information handy. [01:13:36.840 – 01:13:40.860] I don't know if any of our historians do about the circle and the triangle. [01:13:40.860 – 01:13:42.340] Um, we… [01:13:42.340 – 01:13:45.240] It was never copyrighted or trademarked. [01:13:45.240 – 01:13:45.640] Yeah. [01:13:45.640 – 01:13:54.220] And, um, we lost it, um, in, I, I believe, my unders- uh, you know what?

[01:13:54.220 – 01:13:59.440] I'm not gonna give my understanding because I don't know that that information, my information is accurate. [01:13:59.440 – 01:14:07.430] Um, but I, I believe that, uh, who is, is it that's doing Barefoot W. right after this? [01:14:07.430 – 01:14:13.440] I believe that the circle and the triangle discussion is either on Barefoot W. or on S.. [01:14:13.440 – 01:14:13.870] Mm. [01:14:13.870 – 01:14:19.830] And the information is on the web about how we lost the, h- why we no longer use the circle and the triangle. [01:14:19.830 – 01:14:20.080] Yeah. [01:14:20.080 – 01:14:22.550] I, I can, I can shed some information

[01:14:22.732 – 01:14:24.442] on that, um, for you, Lynn. [01:14:24.442 – 01:14:28.892] Uh, the circle and triangle is trademarked, and we actually still own that trademark. [01:14:28.892 – 01:14:32.622] It's buried in some vault someplace, uh- Oh, dear … [01:14:32.622 – 01:14:33.372] in our archives. [01:14:33.372 – 01:14:43.832] But what happened was, um, we got to a, uh, got into a situation where, um, many people were using the circle and triangle on bumper stickers and jewelry [01:14:43.832 – 01:14:46.552] and medallions and things like that. [01:14:46.552 – 01:14:56.832] And, um, we were informed by our legal, uh, advisors that we needed to protect our trademark by taking legal action against

[01:14:56.832 – 01:14:58.092] the people who were using it. [01:14:58.092 – 01:15:06.832] And of course, the board of trustees had no interest in taking legal action against all of these people who were using the circle and triangle. [01:15:06.832 – 01:15:17.092] So the, the, uh, board made a decision to, uh, discontinue, uh, protecting our trademark and, and a- announce that it was now available, [01:15:17.092 – 01:15:21.691] and it is no longer used on our conference-approved literature. [01:15:21.691 – 01:15:22.142] Okay, yeah. [01:15:22.142 – 01:15:29.322] Because it was originally the symbol that designated conference-approved literature, and now it says C- uh, A… [01:15:29.322 – 01:15:29.632] I'll call…

[01:15:29.632 – 01:15:33.292] I think it says AA conference-approved literature or something like that. [01:15:33.292 – 01:15:34.092] Luke, you- Okay. [01:15:34.092 – 01:15:37.052] And I was just wondering when approximately was that as well? [01:15:37.052 – 01:15:39.232] Um, I think it was in the '70s. [01:15:39.232 – 01:15:42.552] I have the date in my notes someplace, but I'd have to look for them. [01:15:42.552 – 01:15:42.712] This way. [01:15:42.712 – 01:15:43.972] I'll, I'll send it to you, Lynn.

[01:15:43.972 – 01:15:45.612] I've got your contact information. [01:15:45.612 – 01:15:48.592] Thank you very much. [01:15:48.592 – 01:15:50.232] We're gonna go to Burt L. [01:15:50.232 – 01:15:51.552] in New York City now. [01:15:51.552 – 01:15:52.432] Good evening, Burt. [01:15:52.432 – 01:15:53.572] Good evening, fam. [01:15:53.572 – 01:15:54.112] My name is Burt.

[01:15:54.112 – 01:15:55.522] I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic. [01:15:55.522 – 01:15:59.312] First things first, I'd like to thank my higher power for giving me strength to be one of us this day. [01:15:59.312 – 01:16:01.852] Thank you very much for your presentation. [01:16:01.852 – 01:16:07.652] Could we go over the part on, uh, the f- uh, first edition? [01:16:07.652 – 01:16:11.372] The only requirement for membership is an honest desire to stop drinking. [01:16:11.372 – 01:16:12.072] Okay. [01:16:12.072 – 01:16:13.692] What did you say about that?

[01:16:13.692 – 01:16:15.392] Where was that, in the traditions? [01:16:15.392 – 01:16:25.512] Uh, what I said was it first appeared in the Big Book, and then it was used when the Preamble was written by [01:16:25.512 – 01:16:29.212] the editor of the Grapevine who wrote the Preamble. [01:16:29.212 – 01:16:30.122] Oh, it was… [01:16:30.122 – 01:16:30.641] Oh, okay. [01:16:30.641 – 01:16:34.012] So- But it never appeared in the traditions. [01:16:34.012 – 01:16:35.972] Oh, it never appeared in the traditions.

[01:16:35.972 – 01:16:36.092] Correct. [01:16:36.092 – 01:16:36.352] Okay. [01:16:36.352 – 01:16:38.032] Never appeared in the traditions. [01:16:38.032 – 01:16:38.852] Okay. [01:16:38.852 – 01:16:39.432] Okay. [01:16:39.432 – 01:16:40.292] That sounds cool. [01:16:40.292 – 01:16:41.332] Thank you.

[01:16:41.332 – 01:16:44.012] Okay. [01:16:44.012 – 01:16:44.932] Thank you. [01:16:44.932 – 01:16:46.112] We're gonna go to Eddie G. [01:16:46.112 – 01:16:48.292] in, uh, Toronto. [01:16:48.292 – 01:16:49.272] Good evening, Eddie. [01:16:49.272 – 01:16:50.612] Yeah. [01:16:50.612 – 01:16:50.772] Hi.

[01:16:50.772 – 01:16:51.052] Thank you. [01:16:51.052 – 01:16:58.012] Yeah, Beth and, uh, Penny, thank you very much, uh, for sharing, uh, your, uh, experience and knowledge in that. [01:16:58.012 – 01:17:02.912] Anyways, I just wanted to give you a little, um, Canadian, uh, flavor here. [01:17:02.912 – 01:17:08.492] Uh, we, we had a delegate, Tommy H., in '83, '84. [01:17:08.492 – 01:17:17.212] Then in '86, he became a trustee, and he served on the archives committee, and he was very much involved in archives here in Toronto. [01:17:17.212 – 01:17:25.171] And, uh, he, he, uh, he had timelines, and, uh, I, I treasured them, so I'm gonna share something that, that he put down. [01:17:25.171 – 01:17:35.382] In, uh, 1981, the three millionth copy of the Big Book was offered to Pierre T., our,

[01:17:35.382 – 01:17:39.512] our, our Canadian, uh, Prime M., and he refused it. [01:17:39.512 – 01:17:41.912] He refused to accept it. [01:17:41.912 – 01:17:43.732] So there's something for you. [01:17:43.732 – 01:17:54.052] Anyways, but, um, also, uh, a myth, a myth that I've heard about the, the cover was when, when, um, they were ready to publish it, [01:17:54.052 – 01:18:01.392] they didn't have a name, and the publisher asked Bill, "What do you wanna call this?" And, and Bill said, "Alcoholics Anonymous," period. [01:18:01.392 – 01:18:03.112] So there, there's a myth there. [01:18:03.112 – 01:18:05.292] Anyway, thanks very much.

[01:18:05.292 – 01:18:07.752] That, that's a great myth, Eddie. [01:18:07.752 – 01:18:09.892] I don't think it's true, but it's a great myth. [01:18:09.892 – 01:18:11.592] I love those myths. [01:18:11.592 – 01:18:12.861] I love those stories. [01:18:12.861 – 01:18:22.942] And by the way, Bill is doing a talk at, um, let's see, uh, th- tonight, um, 8:30 PM Eastern T., Writing the Big Book: Myths and [01:18:22.942 – 01:18:29.012] Misconceptions, at the AA History S., if you're registered for that. [01:18:29.012 – 01:18:31.752] And you can still register, but it's…

[01:18:31.752 – 01:18:33.852] There is a $30 registration fee. [01:18:33.852 – 01:18:36.512] Thank you very much. [01:18:36.512 – 01:18:39.152] Does anybody else have any other questions? [01:18:39.152 – 01:18:45.811] Do we know why, uh, who decided to put ch- sorry, Jim, I'll just go ahead of you quick if you don't mind. [01:18:45.811 – 01:18:51.872] Do we, do we know why chapter two, who moved chapter two to chapter, to the first cha- um, to doctor's opinion? [01:18:51.872 – 01:18:54.132] Who put the doctor's opinion before Bill's story? [01:18:54.132 – 01:18:54.342] Okay.

[01:18:54.342 – 01:19:00.292] That's a great question, and nobody really knows why it was moved. [01:19:00.292 – 01:19:04.772] But we, the, w- it was discussed, actually, at one of the conferences I attended. [01:19:04.772 – 01:19:11.312] They talked about changing the page numbers, and they've had that agenda item on the agenda several times at the conference. [01:19:11.312 – 01:19:17.472] And at the conference that I attended, the, uh, delegates felt that, well, this was the reasoning. [01:19:17.472 – 01:19:22.112] Bill was alive when it was changed, and Bill must have known what he was doing. [01:19:22.112 – 01:19:24.532] That was the argument. [01:19:24.532 – 01:19:27.032] Thank you, Beth.

[01:19:27.032 – 01:19:30.632] Okay. [01:19:30.632 – 01:19:33.452] For our last question, I think tonight we have Jim D. [01:19:33.452 – 01:19:34.572] Good evening, Jim. [01:19:34.572 – 01:19:38.612] Junior. [01:19:38.612 – 01:19:39.452] Yeah, Jim there. [01:19:39.452 – 01:19:39.972] Jim. [01:19:39.972 – 01:19:41.182] I'm an alcoholic here.

[01:19:41.784 – 01:19:52.684] And I was paying attention, and one of the things that always baffled me when we got to the back of the book and we read the spiritual experience is it had mentions that the first printing [01:19:52.684 – 01:19:58.944] gave the impression that these had to be sudden and spectacular, uh, uh, experiences. [01:19:58.944 – 01:19:59.664] Then it meant… [01:19:59.664 – 01:20:09.944] Then, then it goes on, and I finally found out in the, in the preface, and I think this was the 14th, or it was, anyway, it was a pr- [01:20:09.944 – 01:20:18.664] the 2014 printing of the fourth edition, finally they put that in the preface. [01:20:18.664 – 01:20:28.804] It says, "The second printing of the first edition added the appendix spiritual experience." So I, I kinda thought you guys were gonna mention [01:20:28.804 – 01:20:32.844] that when you're, especially when you're talking about, about the Herbert S. quote.

[01:20:32.844 – 01:20:39.424] See- So, so that, that footnote was, um, not added until 2014? [01:20:39.424 – 01:20:40.544] That's what… [01:20:40.544 – 01:20:41.064] That's nice. [01:20:41.064 – 01:20:42.724] That's what I finally found, yeah. [01:20:42.724 – 01:20:43.734] Thank you. [01:20:43.734 – 01:20:43.933] Thank you very much. [01:20:43.933 – 01:20:52.224] I did some extensive research on it because I th- I thought for years that it was the second edition when they put that in there, and that didn't make any sense.

[01:20:52.224 – 01:20:53.284] But it would… [01:20:53.284 – 01:20:55.274] It, it mentions the first printing- Oh, the second printing … [01:20:55.274 – 01:20:57.884] giving the- It was the second printing of the first edition. [01:20:57.884 – 01:20:58.824] Yeah. [01:20:58.824 – 01:20:59.764] It's the second. [01:20:59.764 – 01:21:09.784] In the preface, in the preface to the fourth edition, it says, "The second printing of the first edition added the appendix spiritual experience." Hmm. [01:21:09.784 – 01:21:12.944] Just thought I'd add that.

[01:21:12.944 – 01:21:15.244] Thank you so much. [01:21:15.244 – 01:21:15.834] Thank you. [01:21:15.834 – 01:21:17.904] I'm gonna hand the meeting back to David now. [01:21:17.904 – 01:21:19.424] Oh, fantastic, Stuart. [01:21:19.424 – 01:21:19.784] Thank you. [01:21:19.784 – 01:21:22.524] Thank you, um, once more again for Beth D. [01:21:22.524 – 01:21:23.724] and Penny P.

[01:21:23.724 – 01:21:25.744] Thank you, everyone. [01:21:25.744 – 01:21:27.824] If you wanna unmute yourself, we get it on the recording. [01:21:27.824 – 01:21:30.963] Everyone is cl- everyone is- Thank you for asking us. [01:21:30.963 – 01:21:30.994] Yeah. [01:21:30.994 – 01:21:33.584] Thank you, David, for inviting us to do this. [01:21:33.584 – 01:21:34.134] Yeah. [01:21:34.134 – 01:21:44.264] Your service to the fellowship during this pandemic has been amazing, and we're so grateful that you give us this platform to be able to share

[01:21:44.264 – 01:21:47.504] the information that we have and to hear the other speakers. [01:21:47.504 – 01:21:48.884] Thank you for your service. [01:21:48.884 – 01:21:49.994] Oh, thank you, Penny. [01:21:49.994 – 01:21:50.823] Thank you. [01:21:50.823 – 01:21:51.664] Ladies. [01:21:51.664 – 01:21:52.383] Thank you. [01:21:52.383 – 01:21:52.944] Thank you, everyone.

[01:21:52.944 – 01:21:53.444] Thank you. [01:21:53.444 – 01:21:54.204] Thank you. [01:21:54.204 – 01:21:54.893] Thank you. [01:21:54.893 – 01:21:56.354] Great to meet some people, so. [01:21:56.354 – 01:21:57.404] Thank you, everyone. [01:21:57.404 – 01:21:58.984] Thank you. [01:21:58.984 – 01:22:08.484] I just wanna tell you, we're gonna do, after this we're gonna have a little, um, well, I won't say little, but a short, a short kind of introduction to historical website resources, and A.M.

[01:22:08.484 – 01:22:08.784] and D. [01:22:08.784 – 01:22:12.084] is gonna do that, and we're gonna close this meeting for us, and then we'll just open up again. [01:22:12.084 – 01:22:20.744] And this week we're looking at www.barefootsworld.org/aahistory.html. [01:22:20.744 – 01:22:21.844] So we're looking for that. [01:22:21.844 – 01:22:32.744] And Beth made reference to what's coming up, the History S. is coming up here, and there, there is scholarships available if you wanna get along to that, aahistorysymposium.org. [01:22:32.744 – 01:22:38.444] And, um, Writing the Big Book: Myths and Misconceptions is at h- half-past 1:00 our time in the UK. [01:22:38.444 – 01:22:39.704] Okay.

[01:22:39.704 – 01:22:40.814] And Tim, Tim F. [01:22:40.814 – 01:22:44.644] is gonna be, uh, starting out with recoveryspeakers.com virtual tour. [01:22:44.644 – 01:22:45.704] Hmm. [01:22:45.704 – 01:22:49.264] And then there's gonna be tributes to Arthur S., who we've learned about since Zoom's come up. [01:22:49.264 – 01:22:49.924] I've learned so much. [01:22:49.924 – 01:22:53.164] Arthur S., heard Jim W. speak about this man, Arthur S. [01:22:53.164 – 01:22:54.844] Uh, that's gonna be by John M.

[01:22:54.844 – 01:22:56.244] from El P., Texas. [01:22:56.244 – 01:23:06.284] And there's also gonna be a tribute to another man I've heard since I've gone onto Zoom, is Glen C., Glen C., by Jackie B., who is the organizer of this, uh, symposium in San [01:23:06.284 – 01:23:06.844] Francisco. [01:23:06.844 – 01:23:12.704] Jackie's other sim- And Jackie's gonna be coming here in a month's or two's time to do some workshops for us as well. [01:23:12.704 – 01:23:14.624] Uh, so we're gonna close. [01:23:14.624 – 01:23:16.224] Should I go back to Penny or Beth? [01:23:16.224 – 01:23:17.324] We're gonna close with, um…

[01:23:17.324 – 01:23:19.203] Oh, sure, someone want me to mention about Mike. [01:23:19.203 – 01:23:27.164] There's in the chat, if you'd like to contribute to, um, the wonderful, um, Mike M., who I also met, uh, on Zoom since Zoom come up. [01:23:27.164 – 01:23:30.324] Uh, Paula, you put something in the chat for us, didn't you? [01:23:30.324 – 01:23:31.274] Thank you very much for that. [01:23:31.274 – 01:23:34.004] If people wanna, uh, help contribute towards… [01:23:34.004 – 01:23:34.274] There it is. [01:23:34.274 – 01:23:34.744] I have it here.

[01:23:34.744 – 01:23:42.384] Mike Mc- Mike fundraiser, uh, paypal hilltrant.org/onlinegiving. [01:23:42.384 – 01:23:43.884] Uh, that's a lot of… [01:23:43.884 – 01:23:44.744] But there it is there. [01:23:44.744 – 01:23:46.384] If you just scroll up through your chat. [01:23:46.384 – 01:23:47.484] There, look, I'll put it in again. [01:23:47.484 – 01:23:48.704] Thank you, Paula, for that. [01:23:48.704 – 01:23:50.364] And we have Debbie D.

[01:23:50.364 – 01:23:50.884] here with us. [01:23:50.884 – 01:23:52.604] Thank you, Debbie, from Threads of Recovery. [01:23:52.604 – 01:23:57.044] So B. or Penny, do you wanna do a collective prayer of your choices, or would you like… [01:23:57.044 – 01:23:58.524] Lovely to have you here. [01:23:58.524 – 01:23:59.504] I love seeing both of you. [01:23:59.504 – 01:24:02.303] So would you like to just close with a prayer of your choice? [01:24:02.303 – 01:24:05.954] Go ahead, Penny.

[01:24:05.954 – 01:24:07.004] I did it last week. [01:24:07.004 – 01:24:09.884] I- Well done, Beth. [01:24:09.884 – 01:24:13.954] I would like us to close with the responsibility statement. [01:24:13.954 – 01:24:14.364] I would… [01:24:14.364 – 01:24:16.204] Get that up on the screen for one sec. [01:24:16.204 – 01:24:18.404] Give me one sec, and I'll put it… [01:24:18.404 – 01:24:20.563] Uh, here we go.

[01:24:20.563 – 01:24:21.264] There you go. [01:24:21.264 – 01:24:25.614] I am responsible- Responsible … [01:24:25.614 – 01:24:26.844] when- When anyone Anyone … [01:24:26.844 – 01:24:29.024] anywhere- Anywhere A. … [01:24:29.024 – 01:24:33.124] reaches out for help Reaches out for help I want the hand to be- I want the hand to be there … [01:24:33.124 – 01:24:33.454] always extended. [01:24:33.454 – 01:24:34.704] Always to be there.

[01:24:34.704 – 01:24:37.104] For that is what I am responsible. [01:24:37.104 – 01:24:38.044] That I am responsible. [01:24:38.044 – 01:24:38.054] Responsible. [01:24:38.054 – 01:24:38.144] Responsible. [01:24:38.144 – 01:24:39.324] Thank you, all. [01:24:39.324 – 01:24:40.204] Thank you, everyone. [01:24:40.204 – 01:24:40.944] Thank you.

[01:24:40.944 – 01:24:43.244] Thank you, David. [01:24:43.244 – 01:24:44.584] Thanks, Penny. [01:24:44.584 – 01:24:45.503] Thank you, David. [01:24:45.503 – 01:24:47.804] And you're talking on the symposium as well, Penny. [01:24:47.804 – 01:24:48.164] Well done. [01:24:48.164 – 01:24:48.784] Thank you. [01:24:48.784 – 01:24:53.484] Um, on Sunday, Michael and I will be talking about the history of online AA.

[01:24:53.484 – 01:24:54.324] Brilliant. [01:24:54.324 – 01:24:55.084] Thank you, Penny. [01:24:55.084 – 01:24:56.234] Yeah. [01:24:56.234 – 01:24:56.443] Right. [01:24:56.443 – 01:24:59.044] I'm gonna stop this recording now.