I totally understand that, I’m struggling myself at the moment to get through the entire chapter in a week and reflect on it. It happens to the best of us! 
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Thank you Smitty, this is a great idea!!
I really love this idea of doing smaller chunks instead of entire chapters because there is SO much in each chapter.
For everyone to benefit from this, would you all prefer that I start over or has everyone read through chapter 5? I have NO problem starting over if that’s better for everyone!
We will move through it much slower this way but I think it’ll be far more beneficial and more like a weekly meeting with the readings.
Thank you for the idea @Smitty97!
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Goooood morning everyone!
The more I think about this, the more I think I should go back to the beginning where we are doing it a different way.
I’m thinking about posting up around 5 pages at a time for the week.
My idea is to post screen shots of those pages, so no one has to go to outside links or even have a book.
I was thinking reviewing a few pages will give a little more context for a discussion than just posting a few sentences would, and this is about what we read during an actual literature meeting in AA. We can also always scroll back if we need to refer to previously covered material.
How does this sound to everyone?
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The literature study meetings that I attend, not just the “bang through the whole chapter in 45 minutes with 10 minutes for sharing” ones, typically are set up to read until you want to pass or share. Your idea is very close to that, and something like 4 or 5 pages and then a sharing round sounds much more doable.
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I share at step meetings regular when i get there the program chairman will tell me what step they are sharing on and i have 45 min to share my experience on it ,the big book meetings i attend are similar the chapter means to you how you identify with the reading and what it has brought to your recovery pin pointing only bits that you can id with ,
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And boy didn’t I hate that at first! Lol. Now it’s honestly my favorite! I’ve seen too much now to ever want to go back to my old ways.
Hi everyone!
I have decided I’m going to post up the readings on Monday evenings now instead of mid-week on a Wednesday when New Years Day fell. This will give us some extra time on the weekends if necessary for comment.
Today I’m beginning with the first 4 pages of The Doctor’s Opinion, we can comment on these and next week we will finish that chapter.
Here we go!
I’d love to hear everyones comments. Does it resonate? No? What do these pages bring up within you in this reading.
Thanks for being of service and here my friends!
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Thank you so much for sharing! Its been a looong minute since I have opened the BB and I was really interested in joining this thread.
After reading the 1st 4 pages of the Doctors Opinion, it speaks of Dr William Dunken Silkworth who met a patient - Bill Wilson (the patient on page 1) who he considers hopeless in both mind and body. Bill Wilson later on during his third treatment, begins to share his beliefs with other alcoholics. I like how the BB uses the word “must” on page 1 when Bill Wilson “impressed upon them that they MUST do likewise with still others”. This tells me that fellowship and sharing our experiences with one another is crucial for my recovery. I can only keep what i have, by giving it away.
On page 2 the BB also uses the word “must” in that we “MUST believe that the body of the alcoholic is quite as abnormal as his mind”. Its important for me to understand that I am bodily and mentally different than other men/women. That i have 2 fold illness… the obsession of the mind and an allergy of the body. Therefore there is a 2 part solution… the steps and the fellowship.
I like on page 3 when it speaks about “that some form of moral psychology was of urgent importance to alcoholics”. This makes me think that a complete change in thinking is necessary in order to recover. And i think for me personally, this was a big struggle for me during my many attempts at recovery. I needed to jump into recovery with both feet instead of having 1 foot in the problem and 1 foot in the solution.
Page 4 i feel is also important bcuz again it talks about another “must”. That “their ideals MUST be grounded in a power greater than themselves if they are to re-create their lives”. This is such a powerful statement and really pushes me to seek guidance from a power greater than myself (which was done by going thru the steps).
Thats what i got from the first 4 pages. I really enjoyed reading them again 
Im curious to read what others have gotten from these pages.
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These first pages always remind me of my moral compass and how skewed it was before coming into the fellowship. When Dr. Silkworth writes that Bill W requested the privilege to come and share his story, and the steps I suspect, proved to me that the desire to do more for others than ourselves is central to being free of our obsession. Something of greater importance has to take the place of drinking or it will gnaw at us till the end. However fast or slow that may be.
Thanks for listening to me.
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Dr Silkworth great man .
Allergy can trigger even with small amounts of drink
Physical and mental aspect .the physical side set up a compulsion , i believe the obsession is caused by the allergy and we cant do anything to combat this without outside help . Lots of people said to me on my travels that it was down to a character defect or past problems they dont seem to accept its a Disease , ive been taking guys through the steps and big book study for decades now and it gets more informative every time i read it . off to Spain tomorrow will be speaking at a meeting there only one have to give time for my wee break and my wife lol , Bulgaria in may love meeting new like minded people south America in Nov to look forward to aswell thanks for letting me share
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These pages are my step 1. The phenomenon of craving exists only in alcoholics, and it exists in all alcoholics. And for me, it goes deeper than starting with the first drink. It leads to the first drink, when I am drinking against my will.
After reading these pages, I became convinced that no matter what differences there were between me and any other member of AA, living or dead, that I was an alcoholic of the sort to benefit from the program in the book.
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Some things that really stood out to me this week reading this are:
“The unselfishness of these men as we have come to know them, the entire absence of profit motive, and their community spirit, is indeed inspiring to one who has labored long and wearily in this alcoholic field. They believe in themselves, and still more in the Power which pulls chronic alcoholics back from the gates of death.”
As well as, “The allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all”.
People who show up in this program light the way for those of us who come after them. They didn’t want anything of me, except for me to succeed and help other alcholics find what I have over time. That’s it. It wasn’t someone trying to sell me something and make money off my addiction. And it worked for people in the rooms for DECADES-I didn’t know any one else that was not only sober that long but also HAPPY! Just having them present was them being of service and I am gratefor for everyone that has been of service all the way back to when this program was written. That is why it is still here and continues to help people, almost 100 years later.
This reading also introduced me to the allergy-which I honestly knew I had already. But. What I didn’t really know is that I literally can’t drink, ever, and have ir be ok. I’m not made that way, I will never be a “normal” drinker so I must do whatever it takes to abstain one day at a time.
My last drink was 7 years ago this evening, so tomorrow I’ll be waking up 7 years sober. Today is the only day that counts and I must continue each day to do what it takes to end this day sober. It’s a blessing I get to help others do the same. This program has helped me to be far less selfish and my heart is full of gratitude for this today.
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In this week’s reading, we will finish the doctors opinion.
I love this slower way of doing it. I also LOVED all of your insight, thank you all for being of service and sharing!!
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On the subject of “restless, irritable and discontented”
I thought I was justifiably grumpy. That people sucked and people were stupid and people did not adequately appreciate my remarkable talents. What I failed to notice is that my grumpiness vanished when I took “a few drinks - drinks which (I) see others taking with impunity.” Alcohol almost always made me feel better, sometimes physically, often emotionally. But it also occasionally inflamed my simmering anger into rage. Booze was a slippery thing for me to try to control.
Having stopped drinking, I pretty quickly developed and have maintained an optimistic outlook on life. It takes a lot to knock me off my serenity (and I usually am a willing participant in that upset) these days. Being in active addiction, I was in a constant state of dissatisfaction. In sobriety, I am able to cultivate gratitude daily.
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There’s so much good in this but that first section stood out to me the most today.
“Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the true from false.”
My heart hurts this morning. I watched a cousin who I’d been very close to in my old drinking days have a meltdown yeaterday, verbally attacking everyone-including her mother who has taken care of her and her kids for most of her life.
The thing is, she can’t see reality. She can not differentiate true from false. Her medical team has given her less than 2 years to live because of her alcholism. Yet, she thinks she’s in better shape than her sister as her drug of choice is “less harmful”…it’s all a lie. She was throwing resentments and anger out about the smallest things from 30 years ago, the way she remembers things aren’t even fully true. And absolutely no one can reason with her.
I recognize ALL of this within her, because I once was her.
I know we CAN recover, but we also must want it. And currently, she wants nothing to do with it.
All I can do is tell her there are avenues available to her if she wants to change and save her life. I also do the sick friend prayer for her often. I don’t come at her, pointing out her own wrongs or try to reason with her-I know this is useless. This only brings in more defensiveness and shuts conversations down. All I can do is offer to share what changed and saved my own life, and leave that door open for her if she wants to open it.
It’s never too late. If we are still breathing, it’s not too late. And I am grateful that this book exists. I was ALL OVER these pages. It showed me without a shadow of a doubt that I truly am an alcoholic and that there is a better way to live. This program has brought me to that different life. It is a design of living that I’ve had never had before. It’s a program of action. And this action is what changed everything for me. I needed this program far more than my alcoholic mind had me believe at first.
I am sure this is a little off-topic from the reading, but this is what came up for me today.
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This week is the start of Bill’s story, where it all began. I love reading this chapter personally, this story shows me the power in recovery and what can come from it if we work together.
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That poem in the very beginning always hits me right in the gut.
My sponsor taught me to identify, not compare. I can’t 100% relate to Bill’s story, but I can relate to that. I also find it neat to read about how life was in the 20’s when my grandmother was born.
“I’d prove to the world I’m important” stood out to me too.
I always wanted to prove to others I was worthy. Worthy of love, friendship, promotions, etc. I’d go way out of my way to try to make life easier for others so they would like me and see my value. I had terrible relationships, friendships and jobs because I was inauthentic and chasing happiness in external sources. And, those sources I wanted it so badly from were avtually terrible for me.
I always thought that this outside thing would prove my worth to me. I craved validation and to be told I was doing a good job. That never came, people just took what they could take. This program and working with my sponsor has really shown me a new way to live. As I cleared out my clutter working the steps, I found my own worth and those who just used me for what I offered, fell away as I learned how to set boundaries. Don’t get me wrong, I still help people all the time-but I listen to my soul and my higher power instead of feeding my worth and my ego by it.
Another book that really helped me with this is The 4 Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. I don’t take what people think of me personally often anymore. Whether they think I’m doing great or horrific isn’t my business. My sponsor also reminds me that I have to be ok with me just being me-even when I’m not perfect. We do the work as things come up and it keeps working.
That’s what stands out to me this week. Does anything stand out to you?
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