Forward to the 1st Edition [ Page xi - xiv]
This is the third edition of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous". The first
edition appeared in April 1939, and in the following sixteen years, more
than 300,000 copies went into circulation. The second edition, published
in 1955, reached a total of more than 1,150,000 copies.
Because this book has become the basic text for our Society and has
helped such large numbers of alcoholic men and women to recovery, there
exists a sentiment against any radical changes being made in it.
Therefore, the first portion of this volume, describing the A.A. recovery
program, has been left untouched in the course of revisions made for both
the second and the third editions. The section called "The Doctor's
Opinion" has been kept intact, just as it was originally written in 1939
by the late Dr. William D. Silkworth, our Society's great medical
benefactor.
The second edition added the appendices, the Twelve Traditions, and the
directions for getting in touch with A.A. But the chief change was in the
section of personal stories, which was expanded to reflect the
Fellowship's growth. "Bill's Story," "Doctor Bob's Nightmare," and six
other personal histories from the first edition were retained; thirty new
stories were added; and the story [Page xi] section was divided into
three parts, under the same headings that are used now.
In this third edition, Part I (Pioneers of A.A.") stands unchanged. Nine
of the stories in Part II (They Stopped in Time") are carried over from
the second edition; eight new stories have been added. In Part III (They
Lost Nearly All"), eight stories have been retained; five are new.
All changes made over the years in the Big Book (A.A. members' fond
nickname for this volume) have had the same purpose; to represent the
current membership of Alcoholics Anonymous more accurately, and thereby
to reach more alcoholics. If you have a drinking problem, we hope that
you may pause in reading one of the forty-four personal stories and
think: "Yes, that happened to me"; or, more important, "Yes, I've felt
like that"; or, most important, "Yes, I believe this program can work for
me, too." [Page xii]
Preface
This is the Forward as it appeared in the first
printing of the first edition in 1939
We, of Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who
have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show
other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of
this book. For them, we hope these pages will prove so convincing that no
further authentication will be necessary. We think this account of our
experiences will help everyone to better understand the alcoholic. Many
do not comprehend that the alcoholic is a very sick person. And besides,
we are sure that our way of living had its advantages for all.
It is important that we remain anonymous because we are too few, at
present to handle the overwhelming number of personal appeals which may
result from this publication. Being mostly business or professional folk,
we could not well carry on our occupations in such an event. We would
like it understood that our alcoholic work is an avocation.
When writing or speaking publicly about alcoholism, we urge each of our
Fellowship to omit his personal name, designating himself instead as "a
member of Alcoholics Anonymous."
Very earnestly we ask the press also, to observe this request, for
otherwise we shall be greatly handicapped.
We are not an organization in the conventional [Page xiii] sense of the
word. There are no fees or dues whatsoever. The only requirement for
membership is an honest desire to stop drinking. We are not allied with
any particular faith, sect or denomination, nor do we oppose anyone. We
simply wish to be helpful to those who are afflicted.
We shall be interested to hear from those who are getting results from
this book, particularly from those who have commenced work with other
alcoholics. We should like to be helpful to such cases.
Inquiry by scientific, medical, and religious societies will be welcomed.
[Page xiv]
Contact:
The Legacy Group of Alcoholics Anonymous © 2005