Aa history Lovers 2006 moderators Nancy Olson and Glenn F. Chesnut page
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> teachings... > -- Hugh H.
Bryn Athyn, PA USA
I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. -- Ronald Reagan
From: LES COLE . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/23/2006 5:51:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Hi Gene: You raise an interesting point since I cannot recall any remarks in anything I've read about Bill regarding his thoughts about the BUrnham's relgious background as Swendengorgians. Since he and Lois lived so many years in
Dr. Burnhams' home I can only assume that they talked about Dr. Burnhams ideas
and beliefs. Les IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3393. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: 95% First Year Dropout Myth From: Mel Barger . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/25/2006 11:06:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I wish I could see the article Bill White refers to. Is it possible that it might be on the Internet for easy downloading?
don't paint a very good picture of AA's success rate. I do know that we get lots of people who just drop in and then drop out right away, but I think the recovery rate becomes far better among those who stick around for at least a year and give it a real college try.
Falls, New York) are currently putting together the most complete study I have seen on AA success statistics, both early and modern. From the draft version of that study, we can see that the AA Triennial Survey figures show that 53% of the newcomers drop out before they get to their fourth month. But 56% of those who get into their fourth month, make it to the end of the year. That totally backs up your observations, which are based, of course, on 56 years of experience in AA, and seeing what actually happens.
26% success rate measured over the first year. How well do people do after their first year? Pretty good, it turns out, and it seems to be getting better and better. We're doing twice as well now as we were back in 1977. At this point, 50% of the people who attend AA meetings in the US and Canada have anywhere from 5 to 60 years of sobriety.
were in their first year, 38% had between 1 and 5 years in the program, and 25% had 5 to 60 years in the program. In 2004: 26% of the people attending AA meetings were in their first year, 24% had between 1 and 5 years in the program, and 50% had 5 to 60 years in the program. More and more AA members are achieving long term sobriety. As a result, in 1977 the average AA member had 4 years sobriety, whereas in 2004 the average had risen to over 8 years sobriety. To interject my own opinion on one aspect of these figures, I believe that many of the changes that have been made in AA between 1935 and the present, have been made in order to improve long term sobriety. AA teaching is based, not on airy theological or psychological theories, but on concrete experiential evidence and pragmatic observation. In 1939, nobody really knew how the program had to be structured to achieve 5 years of sobriety, because nobody had that much. By 1955, there were some people who had achieved up to 20 years of sobriety, and these people had learned valuable things from their experience. They weren't stupid. They understood the program a whole lot better at 20 years of sobriety than they had at 3 and a half years of sobriety.
in 1937 or 38, had been proven to be not really good ideas if you wanted people to obtain 20 or more years of sobriety. Even though I have always believed that AA needs to keep in contact with its Historic Heritage (back during its first 30 years) in order to maintain its vitality, in fact, a serious argument can be made that modern AA does a better job in some ways than early AA. I never thought I would write these words (gasp!), but look at those statistics above.
our ability to keep people sober for longer and longer times, comes from the fact that we of today have a whole shelf of useful books about early AA history to help us, written by people like Mel Barger (with a grateful tip of my hat to you), Mary Darrah, Sally Brown, Ernie Kurtz, Bill Pittman, Robert Fitzgerald, William Borchert, and so on.
(South Bend, Indiana) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3395. . . . . . . . . . . . "A House Full of Miracles" From: Fritz689 . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/25/2006 8:55:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII If anyone is interested in obtaining a copy of "A House Full of Miracles" send me your pertinent information and I can make arrangements for your copy to be sent to you. All proceeds from copies of this film go to the Dr. Bob's House Foundation. I live a short distance from Dr. Bob's in Akron and visit there often, enjoying the opportunity to help others enjoy what I have found there.
(rstonebraker212 at insightbb.com) wrote: Our Big Book Step Study Group in Richmond, IN, spends the first two Tuesdays studying AA history - we show a short movie, "DAWN OF HOPE" and sometimes "A HOUSE FULL OF MIRACLES" from Dr. Bob's Home. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3396. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Are there AA literature reviews? aa bibliography site From: diazeztone . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/25/2006 1:29:00 PM
is just exactly this type of site look for the beginners book list page you can print it in pdf http://www.aabibliography.com/beginnersbooks.htm LD Pierce aa history nut dallas tx IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3397. . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Ps Exit Letter... From: erb2b . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/25/2006 3:41:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII HI.. Im in an interesting club here in Minnesota these days. I"d like to post a copy of Bob Pearsons our former (General Manager at GSO) letter about "Rigidity" in AA in it. Since i have retired from Archives International i have put my archives away but need a copy of Bobs letter. Would some please email that to me? Thanks!!
(erb2b at yahoo.com) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3398. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Hazelden Foundation and book publishing From: Danny S . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/25/2006 4:35:00 PM
Writers Market, a service for authors and writers: About HAZELDEN PUBLISHING AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES: Hazelden is a trade, educational and professional publisher specializing is psychology, self-help, and spiritual books that help enhance the quality of people's lives. Products include gift books, curriculum, workbooks, audio and video, computer-based products, and wellness products. "We specialize in books on addiction/recovery, spirituality/personal growth, and prevention topics related to chemical and mental health." Freelance Facts: Established: 1954 Publishes trade paperback originals and educational materials (videos, workbooks, pamphlets, etc.) for treatment centers, schools, hospitals, and correctional institutions. Publishes 100 titles/year. Receives 2,500 queries/year. Receives 2,000 manuscripts/year. 30% of books from first time authors. 50% of books from unagented writers.
Offers variable advance. Peace, Danny S IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3399. . . . . . . . . . . . How did Ebby know that Bill W. was in such trouble? From: trixiebellaa . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/26/2006 8:22:00 AM
Bill Wilson was in trouble with his drinking? Thanks IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3400. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Was Bill a Swedenborgian? From: Trysh Travis . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/26/2006 5:47:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII This thread prompts me to ask a question that has been on my mind for some time, which is about Bill's mother, Emily Wilson, and her studies in osteopathic medicine. I have not been able to learn much about the specific course of her study in Boston, or about how she might have communicated her ideas to Bill later in life. But there are overlaps between osteopathy and not only Swedenborgianism but also (and perhaps more directly) the mind-cure and New Thought religions that flourished in Boston in the late 19th century. Dick B. has written some about early AA's connections to New Thought, but I wonder if there is much informaton available about Emily Wilson's training in osteopathy, her exposure to New Thought and other Swedenborgian-derived philosophies in Boston, and any communications she might've had with Bill on these topics? Trysh Travis
Stones in Bedford Hills, N.Y. From: John Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/26/2006 9:09:00 PM
literature indicates that Bill and Lois lived in Bedford Hills. If you drive around Bedford Hills, you'll see some nice houses and trees, but you won't find Stepping Stones. Katonah is the next town. john lee
Here from the Stepping Stones web site is a link for "mapquest" directions to Bill and Lois' house... http://www.steppingstones.org/map.ivnu Near Katonah, N.Y. Rt 684 is the big highway close by...easy to get to...
Gene in Westchester IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3402. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: How did Ebby know that Bill W. was in such trouble? From: Mel Barger . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/26/2006 8:32:00 PM
___________________________________ FROM: "Mel Barger" (melb at accesstoledo.com) Hi Trixie, The information I had was that Ebby, while staying at Calvary Mission, had visited friends in Wall Street offices and was told about Bill's situation. We can assume that these were friends both Ebby and Bill had known in better days. Ebby, though sober only two or three months, then called Lois and was invited to come over, though she might not have told Bill about the call. That resulted in Ebby's dropping in on Bill and finding him in a very drunken condition, as related in Bill's Story in the Big Book. Ebby stayed sober for 2-1/2 years and then drank again in 1937. He had frequent troubles for a number of years, though he was also employed at times and did well for short stretches. In 1953, an AA friend bought him an airline ticket for Dallas, where he was treated at Searcey W.'s clinic. He stayed in Texas until 1961 and reportedly had his longest period of sobriety there.
As the author of "Ebby: The Man Who Sponsored Bill W.," I felt considerable gratitude for Ebby's action in helping Bill, which benefited all of us. He had many personal demons to battle, but he did succeed at various times. He was sober the last 2-1/2 years of his life and received excellent care from Mickey and Margaret McPike, who treated alcoholics in a comfortable old farmhouse near Galway, New York. He died in 1966. Mel Barger
(elsietwo at msn.com) Hello trixiebella.... I'm sure that many in the group will answer you in depth, but the simple answer is that they were lifelong drinking buddies. Each knew the other's problems. There are details in PASS IT ON and other books.
From: Jim . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/27/2006 12:40:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII For the benefit of group members who maintain AA history web sites and web sites which provide AA reference sources:
of MYSQL, which I have none, though I have attempted in the past to no avail.I'd like to give the visitor to silkworth.net the ability to add, update, edit files to specific files/categories, such as general AA history (pre, past, present andamp; possible future), local/regional/etc..aa histories, AA legalities and the
like, to name just a few.I just don't know how to do the initial setup with MYSQL. The software is considered freeware/GNU, and I have already downloaded it to my machine - not yet uploaded to the server. I would like to set it up similar to this site with same functions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Francis_of_Assisialong with the search feature. I have no idea how much is involved in such a venture.Is there anyone
in the group who has knowledge of MYSQL and would be willing to help me out with
this? Or possibly fill me in on the positives/negatives - why I should or should not pursue this? Ever Grateful,Jim M,Winston-Salem, North Carolinahttp://silkworth.net/ IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3404. . . . . . . . . . . . RE: Bob Ps Exit Letter... From: Joe Nugent . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/26/2006 7:31:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Hi Cory, would this be what your looking for? Joe N. 1986 GENERAL SERVICE CONFERENCE CLOSING TALK by Bob Pearson At the closing brunch on Saturday morning, Bob Pearson (G.S.O. senior adviser), who is retiring early next year, gave a powerful and inspiring closing talk (excerpted below) to the 36th Conference. (This talk was rescheduled from Friday afternoon.) Our greatest danger: rigidity This is my 18th General Service Conference - the first two as a director of the Grapevine and A.A.W.S., followed by four as a general service trustee. In 1972, I rotated out completely, only to be called back two years later as general manager of G.S.O., the service job I held until late 1984. Since the 1985 International Convention, of course, I have been senior adviser. This is also my last Conference, so this is an emotionally charged experience. I wish I had time to express my thanks to everyone to whom I am indebted for my sobriety and for the joyous life with which I have been blessed for the past nearly 25 years. But since this is obviously impossible, I will fall back on the Arab saying that Bill quoted in his last message, "I thank you for your lives." For without your lives, I most certainly would have no life at all, much less the incredibly rich life I have enjoyed. Let me offer my thoughts about A.A.'s future. I have no truck with those bleeding deacons who decry every change and view the state of the Fellowship with pessimism and alarm. On the contrary, from my nearly quarter-century's perspective, I see A.A. as larger, healthier, more dynamic, faster growing, more global, more service-minded, more back-to-basics, and more spiritual - by far - than when I came through the doors of my first meeting in Greenwich, Connecticut, just one year after the famous Long Beach Convention. A.A. has flourished beyond the wildest dreams of founding members, though perhaps not of Bill himself, for he was truly visionary.
not be because of any outside cause. No, it will not be because of treatment centers or professionals in the field, or non- Conference-approved literature, or young people, or the dually-addicted, or even the "druggies" trying to come to our closed meetings. If we stick close to our Traditions, Concepts, and Warranties, and if we keep an open mind and an open heart, we can deal with these and any other problems that we have or ever will have. If we ever falter and fail, it will be simply because of us. It will be because we can't control our own egos or get along well enough with each other. It will be because we have too much fear and rigidity and not enough trust and common sense. If you were to ask me what is the greatest danger facing A.A. today, I would have to answer: the growing rigidity the increasing demand for absolute answers to nit-picking questions; pressure for G.S.O. to "enforce" our Traditions; screening alcoholics at closed meetings; prohibiting non- Conference-approved literature, i.e., "banning books"; laying more and more rules on groups and members. And in this trend toward rigidity, we are drifting farther and farther away from our co- founders. Bill, in particular, must be spinning in his grave, for he was perhaps the most permissive person I ever met. Bob Pearson (senior adviser) _____ From: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of erb2b Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 3:42 PM To: AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com Subject: [AAHistoryLovers] Bob Ps Exit Letter...
to post a copy of Bob Pearsons our former (General Manager at GSO) letter about "Rigidity" in AA in it. Since i have retired from Archives International i have put my archives away but need a copy of Bobs letter. Would some please email that to me? Thanks!!
(erb2b at yahoo.com) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 3405. . . . . . . . . . . . RE: Was Bill a Swedenborgian? From: ArtSheehan . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/27/2006 8:21:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Hello Hugh From what I can glean from readings, I'd conjecture that Bill was a "closet
Christian." I don't mean to sound flippant but I don't know how else to describe him in this area. Dr Bob was an Episcopalian. In 1947 Bill W took instructions in the Catholic faith from Monsignor (later Bishop) Fulton J Sheen. Bill was introduced to Bishop Sheen by Fulton and Grace Oursler. Oursler, who wrote "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and Bill
became very close friends and likely shared the same respect for Christianity in general. Bill's instructions by Sheen lasted for about a year after which Bill lost interest.
relations considerations to not directly associate with a specific denomination. There are aspects of the AA program that really encompass the common and altruistic threads of all religious denominations - except AA folks insist on using the term "spiritual" instead of "religious" as if "religious" was a pejorative.
fruitful candidate for investigation than Bill given her grandfather's influence.
Arthur
++++Message 3407. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: link for directions to Stepping Stones in Bedford Hills, N.Y. From: Tom Hickcox . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/27/2006 7:30:00 PM
different town than where one lives. My family's summer camp is in the Town of Derby but the mailing address is Newport.
and Katonah are all in the Town of Bedford. What town are Stepping Stones taxes paid to? Tommy H in Baton Rouge At 20:09 4/26/2006 , John Lee wrote: >Please note that the correct address is Katonah, not Bedford Hills. The AA >literature > indicates that Bill and Lois lived in Bedford Hills. If you drive > around Bedford Hills, you'll see some nice houses and trees, but you > won't find Stepping Stones. Katonah is the next town. > john lee > >Gene > Here from the Stepping Stones web site is a link for "mapquest" >directions to Bill and Lois' house... > >http://www.steppingstones.org/map.ivnu > >Near Katonah, N.Y. Rt 684 is the big highway close by...easy to get Download 13.83 Mb. Share with your friends:
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