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ОглавлениеThe Best of Bill
AA Grapevine, Inc.
Copyright ©1955; 1958, 1961, 1962, 1986, 1989, 1990, 2003, 2008
AA Grapevine, Inc., 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115; all rights reserved. May not be reprinted in full or in part, except short passages for purposes of review or comment, without written permission of the publishers. Alcoholics Anonymous is a registered trademark of A.A.W.S, Inc.
ISBN 978-0-933685-41-3 Mobi ISBN - 978-0-933685-95-6, ePub ISBN - 978-0-933685-96-3
Printed in the United States of America
AA Preamble
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship
of men and women who share their
experience, strength and hope with
each other that they may solve their
common problem and help others to
recover from alcoholism.
The only requirement for membership
is a desire to stop drinking.
There are no dues or fees for AA
membership; we are self-supporting through
our own contributions.
AA is not allied with any sect,
denomination, politics, organization or
institution; does not wish to engage in
any controversy, neither endorses nor
opposes any causes.
Our primary purpose is to stay sober
and help other alcoholics to achieve
sobriety.
Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,
courage to change
the things I can,
and wisdom to know
the difference.
Table of Contents
Honesty
Love
Why Alcoholics Anonymous is Anonymous
About Bill W.
The Twelve Steps
The Twelve Traditions
Prayer of St. Francis
Foreword
In 1935, a nondrinking alcoholic stockbroker from New York convinced a hungover alcoholic surgeon in Akron, Ohio, that he didn’t have to drink anymore. From that historic meeting, a program of recovery for more than two million once hopeless alcoholics in more than 150 countries was to grow and flourish.
To encourage, inspire, and stay in touch with this growing and far-flung fellowship, which called itself Alcoholics Anonymous, co-founder Bill W. turned to the Grapevine, a magazine created in New York in 1944 by “six ink-stained wretches” as Bill once good-humoredly referred to the sober women who started it. Born to immediate and widespread acceptance, the new publication became “The International Monthly Journal of Alcoholics Anonymous.”
An energetic and prolific writer, Bill W. authored nearly 150 articles in the Grapevine. In its pages, he chronicled the events of AA’s pioneer years, and out of that early, arduous process of trial and error, he derived the principles that would unite and sustain this extraordinary fellowship. Ranging over a wide variety of topics, from the basic principles of AA’s Steps and Traditions to the personal search for “emotional sobriety,” Bill’s words hold meaning not only for AA members but for anyone on a spiritual quest.
In 1988, as a result of the many requests over the years for reprints of five of these articles — “Faith,” “Fear,” “Honesty,” “Humility,” and “Love” — a collection entitled The Best of Bill was compiled. The enduring popularity of this little booklet has prompted the current editors of the Grapevine to issue this handsome new gift edition. As a fitting complement to these inspiring reflections on the spiritual life, we have included Bill’s classic essay Why Alcoholics Anonymous Is Anonymous.
