It's a 'How To' Book

Page: 58

Step we are on: Three

Chapter: 5 - "How It Works"

Subject: Chapter 5 Synopsis
Read Time: 2.5 mins

 Good morning. Have you ever heard someone say, "I don't know how this works. All I know is that it does?

Well, that's a sure sign that the person isn't familiar with the very book that might provide that answer.   

After all, back on page 45, the co-authors have claimed that this Big Book, "Alcoholics Anonymous" is a HOW TO book --  probably the greatest How To volume of the twentieth century. It conveys just what this book is about: 

How to find God (and where to find Him).

Today let's begin HOW IT WORKS, to find out exactly, how it works.

 Pages 58 through 71

          By the time we get to Chapter 5, “HOW IT WORKS,” we have a clear understanding of what the Problem is -- Alcoholism-- and what the Solution is -- God, as we understand Him.  Now all we need to know is what we must do to recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body and precisely how do we do it.  We will receive our first set of clear-cut directions is this Chapter.  These directions will be for Steps Three and Four.

 

            The Chapter begins by telling how well this Program works for those of us who put it to work in our lives.  We are told who, of those coming to Alcoholics Anonymous for help, fails and why.  We have been told that this is a spiritual program and here we will find the first of a number of prayers just before we are told what we must do to recover.  We are then told what to do and in what order we are to do them. 

 This Chapter quickly moves on to present a Step outline (The numerical bullet,  wall-shade" version, pp58-60) moving onto Step Three and ending with Step Four. As you might expect Step Four comprises the lion's share of the chapter (10 pages) while Step three can easily be covered in 3 pages. 

 *NOTE the wall shade version of the steps found on page 59/60 are an easy reference to help summarize what each step is - to actually do them requires 164 pages.

When Bill W. began laying out this Chapter, he realized he was without some vital information.  He had the six precepts that the “Alcoholic Squad of the Oxford Group” had developed from their experience.  These can be found on page xvi and, again, in the Fourth Edition, on page 263, and are:

                                    1.  Complete deflation.

                                    2.  Dependence and guidance from a Higher Power.

                                    3.  Moral inventory.

                                    4.  Confession.

                                    5.  Restitution.

                                    6.  Continued work with other alcoholics.

            He believed these were not sufficiently complete for a person alone in this world of ours, so he prayed.  Bill said that he laid his pad and pencil on the nightstand by his bed. He then asked for guidance through prayer and meditation for about 30 minutes.  He said he then picked up the pad and pencil and started writing.  His hand seemed to flow on its own, he said.  After writing for about 40 minutes, he stopped and read what he had written. 

He placed numbers by the “Steps” and was both surprised and very pleased to see that the six had become twelve.  Bill believed this significant because of the Twelve Apostles. 

            While there are slight differences between what Bill wrote and what is now in the Big Book, he wrote one sentence that was voted out by that part of the Fellowship that participated in the authorship of this Book.  What he wrote followed immediately after the A, B, C’s and was as follows:

                       

“If you are not convinced of these vital issues (A, B, C’s), you ought to reread the book to this point or else throw it away!”

            In any event, this Chapter gives us the information necessary to begin to see what the truth is regarding the source of the insanity that leads the chronic alcoholic back to drink.  It makes some predictions as to what will happen when we take the Steps. (It happened to them - so it experiential.)

            Being the Basic Text for our Fellowship, it will tell us WHEN to take a Step, HOW to take the Step and WHAT the results will be.  It also reminds us WHY we must take the Steps. 

            We may hear, “There are no ‘musts’ in Alcoholics Anonymous." If they are referring to the FELLOWSHIP that is almost true. There is only one “must” to be a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and that is a desire, a longing, a yearning to stop drinking for good and all.  That is a “must.”  But each person coming to Alcoholics Anonymous seeking help has the freedom to adopt our PROGRAM as a way of life and thereby come to comprehend the word serenity and know peace or to ignore the PROGRAM and return to drinking and die or go permanently insane. 

            The Program of Alcoholics Anonymous, however, contains many “musts,” “have to,” “had to,” etc..  Certainly, the program is a suggested program.  If you have tried everything else and kept on drinking, we “suggest” you try ours.  Why?  “RARELY HAVE WE SEEN A PERSON FAIL WHO HAS THOROUGHLY FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS IN THIS BOOK.”

            Now let’s find out how we begin to recover by taking Steps Three & Four following the directions in this Chapter.

We recover by the Steps we take, not the meetings we make.

Tomorrow (Can EVERYONE do this?)

• To be successful in this Program, what must we do?
• Who will not recover?
• What is usually their natural problem?
• Are there such people?
• Why are they that way?