ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS the big book of ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS THE STORY OF HOW MILLIONS OF ALCOHOLICS HAVE FOUND RECOVERY FROM ALCOHOLISM an alternative edition * san francisco, california . 2015 * This edition has not been approved by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. CONTENTS FORWARD TO THIS EDITION . . . . . . . . . . . I THE DOCTOR’S OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . III chapter 1 : BILL’S STORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 chapter 2 : THERE IS A SOLUTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 chapter 3 : MORE ABOUT ALCOHOLISM . . . . . . . . . 30 chapter 4 : WE AGNOSTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 chapter 5 : HOW IT WORKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 chapter 6 : INTO ACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 chapter 7 : WORKING WITH OTHERS . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 chapter 8 : TO PARTNERS OF ALCOHOLICS . . . . 104 chapter 9 : THE FAMILY AFTERWARD . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 chapter 10 : TO EMPLOYERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 chapter 11 : A VISION FOR YOU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 APPENDIX I Excised Language of Exclusion . . . . . . . 167 FORWARD TO THIS EDITION In this version of the Alcoholics Anonymous text, I have made revi- sions only insofar as they exclude demographic groups from the commons that is A.A.. The original text was written by white, Chris- tian men in a society that held antiquated beliefs about gender, race, economic status, and professional roles. I have not made any edits to this text for the purpose of improving the writing; I was solely con- cerned with inclusivity as a primary tenet of Alcoholics Anonymous. I admire the democracy A.A. exercises when making changes to its literature, however such processes can sometimes impede timely change. I do not believe I know best when it comes to A.A. matters. My attempt here was to change as little of the original message as possible while removing language specific to Judeo-Christian tradi- tions or outdated gender mores. This book has saved my life. It is truly a sacred document, and I hope I have maintained a level of respect for its origins in this gesture. A.A. has resisted radical alterations because the methods specifically outlined in the language of this book work. While I agree that we risk losing members by changing the Big Book, I fear we may lose more by retaining a narrative that is inherently exclusive. I hope to be of service to A.A. with this contribution. With unending gratitude, Kelly Steben i ii