| View Larger Image | Alcoholics Anonymous - Big Book 4th Edition | Paperbackby AA Services AA Services (Author)
| List Price: | $14.95 | | Price: | $10.17 | | You Save: | $4.78 (32%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. | | Edition: | 4th Edition | | Page Count: | 575 Pages | | Publication Date: | February 10, 2002 | | Sales Rank: | 4,107th |
|
FEATURES | - ISBN13: 9781893007178
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
|
EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
It's more than a book. It's a way of life. Alcoholics Anonymous-The Big Book-has served as a lifeline to millions worldwide. First published in 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous sets forth cornerstone concepts of recovery from alcoholism and tells the stories of men and women who have overcome the disease. With publication of the second edition in 1955, the third edition in 1976, and now the fourth edition in 2001, the essential recovery text has remained unchanged while personal stories have been added to reflect the growing and diverse fellowship. The long-awaited fourth edition features 24 new personal stories of recovery. Key features and benefits·the most widely used resource for millions of individuals in recovery·contains full, original text describing A.A. the program·updated with 24 new personal stories |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 84 reviews)
|
Alcoholics Anonymous-Big Book 4th Edition by Charles P. Hines (Salt Lake City)  5 Stars
November 15, 2009
This book is a classic. In my opinion,it helps one understand addiction.And it records a powerful way of resisting addiction and its harmful effects.
| |
More than meets the eye by Mindy Kreml (Elgin, Il United States)  4 Stars
November 01, 2009
I am in a 12-Step Recovery Program. This is an "approved" book, although it does not deal directly with the addiction I am coping with. In spite of that, I have found great insight into addiction and recovery in it. I recommend this book for anyone seeking recovery from a progressive illness.
| |
Not the first edition? by Linda (Aiken, SC)  1 Stars
October 25, 2009
While World Services may have lost the copyright to this, this is not the first edition. In reviewing it with sponsorship, the first edition is vastly different. I found it disturbing to realize that the first 164 pages are not from the first edition. When I read the first edition on line years ago, it appeared to be more direct and included more "musts" rather than suggestions. I think that the first editions out there my be watered down from the the second or third edition. Not only that, but in trying to redistribute this book, it's difficult to use because the first 164 pages are in less than 160 pages. A newcomer would not be able to follow this in a Big Book Study. Would someone please clarify?
| |
One of the most influential books in history. by James R. Finley (Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA) 5 Stars
September 05, 2009
This book has had a powerful impact on millions of lives for seventy years now, since it was written by the first hundred or so members of A.A. less than five years after the program was founded. The simple (not easy) method it offers for people in the grip of alcoholism to quit drinking and stay sober, and to bring order out of the chaos in other domains of life that usually goes with a drinking problem, has saved millions of lives and has inspired many other programs focused on other compulsive behavior patterns (abuse of other drugs, addictive gambling, eating disorders, and so on.)
The book is divided into two sections; the first part, which explains the underlying principles of A.A. and how to put them to practical use, is essentially unchanged since that first edition was published in 1939. It is somewhat dated in its language and cultural references, but still useful. The second part consists of narratives by dozens of recovering alcoholics telling their stories, describing their lives before, during, and since their own process of getting sober. This section has been updated with each new edition. Each time, the editors have dropped the stories they thought were the most dated and replaced them with more current ones in the interests of keeping the book relevant to the readers of the day. For anyone wanting to read the stories that were deleted each time a new edition came out, those dropped stories from the first three editions have been collected in a separate book titled "Experience, Strength and Hope."
Many readers have criticized this book for three main reasons. First, the language in the first part of this book sounds somewhat stilted to a modern ear; the parallel section of the Narcotics Anonymous book, for example, flows better. This is a valid point, although the highfalutin language is still clear in its meaning - it's just that the way people speak and write has changed in the seven decades between the first edition's publishing and today. It can be useful to work with some of the complementary writings that are widely available as well as with this book.
The second complaint often heard is that although the 12 Steps specify that each person needs to work out his or her own understanding of a Higher Power, and there is a very helpful chapter for agnostic readers, the literature and the readings common to nearly all meetings are heavily slanted toward a conventional Christian version of faith. For example, many meetings close with a reading of the Lord's Prayer, and many members make it clear that their own beliefs are Christian. However, millions of non-Christians have successfully used this program over the years; the key is to focus on the underlying principles. Another book that can come in handy in this area is "A Skeptic's Guide to the Twelve Steps" by Phillip Z., a decidedly non-religious person who worked out an adaptation that he was able to use without betraying his own principles or beliefs.
Finally, and I think most valid, there's the issue of sexism in the writing. This is where it's clearest that the first section was written in another era, one with different assumptions, and the chapter addressed to the spouses of alcoholics - which pretty much assumes that the drunks are male and the spouses are wives, not husbands - is irritatingly condescending. I have to agree with this one - it sets my teeth on edge.
Despite these flaws, however, I believe that this book may have helped save more lives, and more marriages, families, and careers, than any other. It's a bit unnerving to think that the program of A.A. which so many take for granted today - the meetings, the literature, the mutual support and socializing with people who understand each other's problems, the process of working through the Steps - this program didn't exist until three or four generations ago, and as A.A. has proven to be the most effective way yet found for alcoholics to achieve long-term sobriety. Until 1935, A.A. didn't exist and most people with drinking problems just drank themselves into early graves, more often than not wrecking relationships and scarring the lives of others along the way.
There are a couple of other common gripes about A.A. that are unfounded, as a reading of this book and other A.A. literature shows. The first is that people feel beaten over the head with the message that A.A. is the only way to get sober. In fact, although some individuals do say things like that, the official position is that A.A. is just one of many tools available, and members are actively encouraged to seek other help if they need to do so.
The final issue, and possibly the one most often cited, is the repeated self-identification as an alcoholic. Many people, both professionals working in addiction treatment and their clients, feel that this is shaming and defeatist. The fact is, however, that it is neither - it is made very clear in this book, other literature, and the meetings, that saying "I'm an alcoholic" is not a judgment, it's a simple acknowledgment of one's situation. It is also made clear that this does not mean that sobriety and happiness are out of reach - the word "alcoholic" is value-neutral in this context, just as it would be for people to identify themselves as diabetic. Also, if a person is not so sure that he/she really is alcoholic, that is respected in the meetings - this book says explicitly that it is up to each person to decide for himself or herself whether the word fits. If anyone says to another person, "You're an alcoholic," the speaker has departed from the program's guidance at that point. In a typical "12-Step call" - a visit and conversation with someone who thinks he/she may be alcoholic and has called the local A.A. Central Office, after which a couple of volunteers normally meet the caller at home, at a coffee shop, or someplace similar, those volunteers simply and briefly tell their own stories in terms of what their lives were like when they were drinking, how they got sober, and what their lives are like now. The person with whom they're talking is free to decide whether or not he/she identifies with the experiences being described.
This is a valuable book for people who think they may have drinking problems, or for their families and friends who want to help.
James R. Finley, MA
Author, "Integrating the 12 Steps into Addiction Therapy: A Resource Collection and Guide for Promoting Recovery"
| |
AA by T. Murray (NH) 5 Stars
August 25, 2009
The paperback version of the Big Book is easy to transport and ideal for highlighting and taking notes in the margins. A great option when the hardcover version is not available or affordable.
| |
SIMILAR PRODUCTS |
|
|
