Raffles at various events and gifts to individuals brought the book into circulation. People even asked where they could buy a copy. Amanda Berkey, M.Ed., is a freelance writer who specializes in substance use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and addiction treatment options. Our advisory council brings together leaders in behavioral health, technology, and business. Their diverse expertise ensures our resources and product are innovative, evidence-based, and effective.
Kindle Edition

This pamphlet describes who A.A.s are and what we have learned about alcoholism. A.A.’s Twelve Steps are a set of spiritual principles. When practiced as a way of life, they can expel Halfway house the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to recover from alcoholism. A.A.’s primary purpose is to help alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Alcoholics Anonymous Second Edition 9th Printing with ODJ
You can also use the AA meeting finder to locate both local and online meetings. We list any treatment center that meets our rehab criteria, giving you the best list of options possible when looking for treatment.
Explore the program
- This pamphlet describes who A.A.s are and what we have learned about alcoholism.
- Please review all photographs carefully to assess the exact condition.
- For all who participate, the Big Book is viewed as a critical component in AA, as it provides the framework for how to get sober and stay sober.
- In our materials, you can find out more about Alcoholics Anonymous, its history, and how it works.
These changes added more than 110,000 words of new material, offering readers a clearer picture of A.A.’s evolving membership and message. The Second Edition, first released in 1955, marked a major milestone in A.A. Please review all photographs carefully to assess the exact condition. IWS is an AA group whose stated purpose is to carry the message through the distribution and study of the Big Book. The group operates on a non-profit basis, with proceeds used to donate literature to hospitals, detox units, shelters, and other places where cost is a barrier. This edition reflects a deep respect for AA’s Traditions, particularly the Fifth and Sixth Traditions, and emphasizes service to the still-suffering alcoholic.

Proceeds from the sale of their publications are used to help provide Big Book materials—often https://www.luccideasrl.it/is-hard-liquor-worse-than-beer-understanding-the/ free of charge—to hospitals, shelters, detox units, and other places where cost is a hardship. No donations are accepted, in keeping with A.A.’s Traditions. The response was so encouraging that printing was commissioned and this web site was developed. I hope you find the book and the web site helpful in your study of the A.A.
A Brief History of the Big Book
Read on to learn how to complete step 7 of AA. If you need support, you don’t have to do this alone. Explore specialized alcohol addiction treatment programs to find the right environment for healing. For all who participate, the Big Book is viewed as a critical component in AA, as it provides the framework for how to get sober and stay sober. Additionally, and arguably most importantly, the Big Book is also home to the 12 Steps and the 12 Traditions. The steps serve as the “principles of personal recovery”, while the traditions are designed to “ensure the unity of the fellowship”.
A.A. and the Armed Services

If you repeatedly drink more than you intend or want to, you may be an alcoholic. We do not impose our experience with problem drinking on others, aa definition but we do share it when we are asked to do so. We know our own sobriety depends on connecting with other alcoholics.
- It also contains stories written by the co-founders and stories from a wide range of members who have found recovery in A.A.
- Using the links to the left, you can read the full “Using this Book” chapter or examine a sample from the book.
- I hope you find the book and the web site helpful in your study of the A.A.
- If you need support, you don’t have to do this alone.
Statement of Purpose (IWS Group)
There are no age or education requirements to participate. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about their drinking problem. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable. This edition was formally authorized by the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous, reflecting A.A.’s transition from a small fellowship into a global movement. The IWS Study Edition was created by an AA group dedicated to making the first 164 pages of the Big Book easier to study, understand, and access, while preserving the original, unaltered text.
