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Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a non-denominational program. However, the group does have its equivalent of a sacred text. It’s called The Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book.
The volume is well-known among members of the program, and for good reason: it’s one of the most important aspects in all of AA. In fact, the Big Book is where the central tenets of the program can be found, and where its different steps toward recovery are explained.
What Is the Big Book?
The book’s official title is Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism. Its official nickname comes more from its general size, clocking in at more than 400 pages, and the importance of the volume.
The concept for the Big Book started in the 1930s, when a man named Bill W. lost his job due to drinking. Bill first turned to a spiritual movement called the Oxford Group for solace, and that’s where he met Dr. Bob. The two would go on to become co-founders of AA.
Bill and Bob soon realized how therapeutic it could be to share their experiences and struggles with alcohol. Together, they began to organically design the famous 12-Step process that would form the basis of AA. The steps were pieced together from some of their personal beliefs and experiences.
They began to tell others in the Oxford Group about their methods for sobriety, and it seemed to help them out as well. Eventually, the pair turned their teachings into a book. The first edition was published in 1939.
The AA Big Book may have started as more of a personal self-help project, but it’s grown over the years, becoming a pillar of recovery for many people. Today, the 12 Steps only make up a small part of what’s found inside the helpful volume.
Where to Find It
You can find the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book online, and download it in PDF or audio form. The book is also available for sale online and at many AA meetings.
While using the online version of the tool is helpful, having a personal physical copy comes with the ability to mark up, dog-ear, highlight, Post-It, or any other method that may make the reading experience more meaningful or memorable.
What’s In the AA Big Book?
The Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book certainly lays out lots of powerful advice and information for alcoholics.
The volume includes the 12 Steps (Chapter 5) along with key definitions and considerations that help readers meditate on what those steps mean. For instance, there’s an entire chapter devoted to explaining Step 10: where we devote ourselves to continue “taking moral inventory” to remain sober and vigilant even after completing the program.
There’s also a chapter about what alcoholism entails, as well as a few hopeful chapters encouraging readers to keep going and reminding them that recovery is possible. The AA Big Book also offers several personal stories of those who struggled and overcame their addictions to alcohol.
The AA Big Book isn’t just for people who struggle with alcoholism.
The text also sets aside chapters for other specific audiences, including anyone coming to Alcoholics Anonymous as an atheist or agnostic. The book explains that up to half of the original AA members also did not believe in god and clarifies how it’s possible to believe in something “bigger than yourself” without it being a specific deity.
There are also chapters dedicated to the spouses and employers of people with alcoholism, and one addressing the family unit , with advice on how to reintegrate into that dynamic throughout the recovery process.
In addition to the AA 12 Steps, the Big Book also contains the AA 12 Traditions. These are the very rules that govern Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. As a whole, the rules are generally designed to protect the anonymity of its members and promote a genuine and supportive atmosphere at the gatherings.
There are plenty of personal lessons to be gained from reading the Big Book, and anyone joining AA should dedicate the time to doing so. However, the volume is used a bit differently in group settings.
How Is the AA Big Book Used?
While the Big Book is very frequently referred to at meetings, especially as a reminder of the 12 Traditions, moderators often follow the road of discussion laid out by attendees.
At AA Meetings
Every AA meeting is different. Sometimes the path of conversation can veer away from the Big Book. Sometimes, the Big Book’s teachings are the central point of the entire meeting, with a specific step or personal story chosen to focus on and passages from the book read out loud.
Still, a familiarity with the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book can be helpful at all types of meetings. Many who have been in the program a long time may even speak in short-hand or slang words used in the volume. Personal access to the book helps you absorb the program’s teachings and approach it at your own pace.
Personal Study and Reflection
Reading the book by yourself can help reveal some personal insights as you strive for a life of sobriety. Re-reading and then discussing passages with others can solidify those thoughts. The volume can also be understood differently at different times throughout the recovery process, so re-reading sections privately could also prove to be helpful.
There have also been a number of accompanying texts published by Alcoholics Anonymous to help flesh out the bigger topics in the Big Book. They offer advice and guidelines on how to incorporate the principles of the Big Book into our everyday lives, and may make for good concurrent reading.
What Other Tools Are Used At AA Meetings?
The AA Big Book is a central part of the Alcoholics Anonymous experience, but it isn’t the only tool frequently employed by the program.
Again, every AA meeting is different, though many follow a similar general format. They all begin with the Alcoholics Anonymous Preamble: A declaration that attendees are there to share their strength, experience, and hope and that the only requirement for attendance is a desire to stop drinking.
The Preamble is almost always followed by the AA Serenity Prayer, an incantation encouraging members to seek out and strike a balance between personal accountability and acceptance of the actions of a higher power. Nearly all meetings will also include a reading of the 12 Traditions, directly from the Big Book, as a general reminder of the rules of engagement to anyone in attendance.
Together, these texts, prayers, and reminders have a recurring theme in common: Hope. As we read them, we’re reminded that change is possible and a better future awaits.
To learn more about the Big Book, what it teaches, and how it could help you, find your local AA meeting or call
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