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DISCLAIMER: This page will explore some of the literature that has been found useful to enable and enhance personal recovery. Be advised that not everything found on this page is A.A. Conference approved. Many useful books and articles have been written and published by A.A. and non-A.A. persons over nearly a century of recovery. All reference publications listed here will contain origin notice. An attempt has been made to group the content of this page as follows: Conference approved references first, followed by non-Conference references, and then a list of personal references to include web pages, books and other publications, and relevant social references.
This first group lists A.A. conference approved liyterature:
Alcoholics Anonymous, a.k.a. The Big Book. Originally published in 1939, this book was printed with existing large stock and red jacket – this to save money on the publication. Written primarily by Bill Wilson, and edited by some of the original members of A.A., who at the time numbered about 100 people over a span of 3 individual groups.
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. This book began as a series of essays written by Bill Wilson, which originally appeared in the Grapevine magazine in 1946 and was titled “Twelve Points To Assure Our Future”. The book expands upon each of the steps and traditions. The traditions were formally adopted at the first International A.A. convention in 1950, in Cleveland Ohio. This book followed with publication in April 1953.
As Bill Sees It is a compilation of writings by Bill Wilson, including items from the Big Book, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Grapevine articles and personal letters to A.A. members. The book provides insight into how one can live in freedom from alcohol. Originally published in 1967 with the title “The A.A. Way of Life”, it was renamed to “As Bill Sees it” in 1971 and it kept the original title as a sub-title.
Daily Reflections was published in 1990. The book contains a writing for each day of the year, written by A.A. members. Each page begins with a quote from A.A. literature, followed by insights of the respective author.
Twenty-Four Hours a Day is printed by Hazeldon Publishing and for many A.A. members it serves as a useful guide to day to day living in sobriety. Each page begins with an “AA Thought for the Day”, followed by a “Meditation for the Day”, and is finished with a “Prayer for the Day”.
24 Hours A Day Book
Another AA forefather who originally found guidance in the Oxford Group
was Richmond Walker, He stayed sober with the help of the Oxford Group
in Boston, Massachusetts. Richmond, who later came to AA would write the
most famous and often used daily meditation book for the twelve step
recovery, Twenty-four Hours a Day.
Some of the ideas about spiritual experience and spiritual awakening came
from the American psychologist William James, in his book “The Varieties of
Religious Experience” published in 1902 and used extensively by the Oxford
Group.
Bill Wilson wrote: William James also heavily emphasized the need for
hitting bottom. Thus reinforcing AA’s Step One and so he supplied us with
the spiritual essence of Step Twelve.
Having now accounted for AA’s Step One and Step Twelve, where did the
early AA’s ind the material for the remaining ten steps? The spiritual
substance of our remaining ten steps came straight from Bil Wilson and Dr.
Bob and their earlier association with the Oxford Groups.
Why the split with the Oxford Group? During the same period that Bill
Wilson was writing AA’s Big Book, the early AA’s were slowly ending their
association with the Oxford Group, first in New York and then in Akron,
Ohio. The primary reason that they left the Oxford Group were:
- (1) They wanted to concentrate on only helping alcoholics;
(2) The Oxford Group leader, Frank Buchman made favorable comments in
public about Nazi Germany;
(3) The Catholic Church discouraged members from joining any other
religious groups; and
(4) The Oxford Group frowned upon tobacco use.
The co-founders of AA, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, were both associated
with the Oxford Group prior to their meeting in 1935. Bill Wilson attended
meetings for five months and Dr. Bob for two and a half years.