1938 Original Manuscript for 1939 1st Edition BigBook Searchable 1976 3rd Edition BigBook On-Line
The Prescription
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Never ..... Rarely???

We hear it remarked on occasion in AA meetings that the wording of the Chapter 5, How It Works, sentence  "Rarely have we seen a person fail ..." was changed from "Never have we seen a person fail ..."  

This is simply not so. It was never changed or even considered ... Bill and The Pioneers of Alcoholics Anonymous, 1934 - 1939  were not all that sure they themselves would or could maintain sobriety for a lifetime, they were not that audacious ... and it is the same today ... We have just ODAAT, and it is conditional ... [See BB Page 85 for the conditions.]

A friend with 43 years just went back out and barely made it back to detox-rehab and AA ... the cause, complacency, and he quit going to meetings ... he quit working with others ...  

I also know of another man who got sober in the Oxford groups the day after Bill W. on 12/12/34 and died in July 2006 at age 104 ... and was spiritually active the entire 71+ years ... The 12 Steps can and do work for a lifetime if practiced daily in all our affairs.  

On my pages click the Red BB for a copy of the original 1938 manuscript...  and you can see the original wording... "Rarely have we seen a person fail . . ."

We also hear people questioning the meaning of the word "suggested", like "take what you like and leave the rest..."

It is the Whole Program of the 12 Steps that is suggested if a person wants to get sober and stay sober, it is not the steps individually... there are NO shortcuts.

Read the portion of Chapter 5 in the original manuscript down to "or else throw it away."

Love and Peace, Barefoot  


Index of AA History Pages on Barefoot's World

As in so many things, especially with we alcoholics, our History is our Greatest Asset!.. We each arrived at the doors of AA with an intensive and lengthy "History of Things That Do Not Work" .. Today, In AA and In Recovery, Our History has added an intensive and lengthy "History of Things That DO Work!!" and We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it!!

ABC Page 60 -- Barefoot's Recovery Pages

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On the Web October 6, 2006 in the Spirit of Cooperation

Three mighty important things, Pardn'r, LOVE And PEACE and SOBRIETY