*
(Austin Recovery is a treatment center with various facilities
in Austin Texas US. Link to their site, quite a lot of info on Ebby T found
there also: *http://www.austinrecovery.org/AboutUs.aspx )
*
*"William Duncan Silkworth will always be remembered as the physician who
treated Bill Wilson. As Medical Director for Town's Hospital in New York,
Silkworth detoxed Wilson on three separate occasions before he had his famed
spiritual awakening in December 1934. *
*It should be noted that (Silkworth) believed in "telling it like it is"
both to his patients and their families. Following his third treatment,
Silkworth sat down with Bill and Lois and conveyed the apparent
"hopelessness" of Bill's alcoholism. But perhaps more important, was the
contribution Silkworth made immediately following Wilson's "white
light" or "hot
flash” experience that occurred around day three of his detox. Shortly
after
(Bill's) trip to the mountaintop, he rushed to his physician and asked, "Am
I going insane?" Silkworth could have cautioned his patient that the
belladonna treatment he was receiving" ... was apt to cause vibrant images
and the mental capacity to focus on only one or two hallucinations at a
time," according to his biographer Dale Mitchell. That's probably what most
doctors would have done. But as a physician, as a humble man and a medical
practitioner who believed that things happen for a reason and that the
reasons for their happening are often obscured to us, Silkworth chose
another path - a path for which we might all be forever grateful. He said to
Bill that he wasn't going crazy and that, "whatever he had found, he'd
better hold on to it." Wilson later said that had Silkworth discouraged his
newfound relationship with "the world of spirit," he doubted if he would
have recovered." *
* *
* *
On Sun, May 30, 2010 at 4:32 PM, Glenn Chesnut
wrote:
>
>
> What exactly was the belladonna treatment used on Bill W. at Towns
> Hospital, when he came in for initial detoxing?
>
> Pass It On (p. 101) makes no mention of xanthoxylum (prickly ash) or
> hyoscyamus (henbane) being included in the mixture.
>
> It says instead that alcoholics were given belladonna and castor oil (a
> powerful laxative).
>
> Someone who remembered Towns Hospital <
> where alcoholics were "purged and puked." The purging was most probably
the
> effect of the liberal does of castor oil that the patients were given,
> together with belladonna. The belladonna treatment at Towns had been
> developed by Dr. Sam Lambert, a reputable New York physician, but it was
the
> chief of staff, Dr. Silkworth, who would in time to come have the most
> impact on the treatment of alcoholism.>>
>
> - - - -
>
> http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AAHistoryLovers/message/6565
> noted that some internet references claimed that Bill W. was given a
> mixture of belladonna (deadly nightshade), xanthoxylum (prickly ash), and
> hyoscyamus (henbane).
>
> But it has not been verified that Dr. Silkworth was using anything other
> than belladonna by itself.
>
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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++++Message 6591. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Belladonna treatment
From: Jerry Trowbridge . . . . . . . . . . . . 5/30/2010 10:05:00 PM
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/health/20drunk.html
An Alcoholic’s Savior: God, Belladonna or Both?
By HOWARD MARKEL, M.D.
A version of this article appeared in print on April 20, 2010, on page D5 of
the
New York edition of the New York Times
In October 1909, Dr. Alexander Lambert boldly announced to a New York Times
reporter that he had found a surefire cure for alcoholism and drug
addiction.
Even more astounding, he stated that the treatment required “less than
five
days.” The therapy consisted of an odd mixture of belladonna (deadly
nightshade), along with the fluid extracts of xanthoxylum (prickly ash) and
hyoscyamus (henbane). “The result is often so dramatic,” Lambert said,
“that one
hesitates to believe it possible.”
Dr. Lambert was hardly a quack looking for headlines. He was widely known as
Theodore Roosevelt’s personal physician, a professor of medicine at
Cornell
Medical College and an expert on alcoholism. Dr. Lambert had years of
experience
taking care of thousands of alcoholics at Bellevue Hospital’s infamous
“drunk
ward.” In fact, it was on this storied hospital ward where he experimented
with
the belladonna cure.
He had obtained the recipe from a layman named Charles B. Towns, who, in
turn,
claimed to have learned about it from a country doctor. In 1901, Mr. Towns
opened a substance abuse hospital in New York City at 293 Central Park West,
between 89th and 90th Streets. He needed Dr. Lambert because he lacked a
medical
degree and, hence, professional credibility; Dr. Lambert needed Mr. Towns,
because for all his medical knowledge, he had relatively little to offer his
patients in terms of an effective treatment.
The Towns Hospital attracted only the wealthiest alcoholics and addicts, who
gladly paid exorbitant fees for a treatment that “successfully and
completely
removes the poison from the system and obliterates all craving for drugs and
alcohol.” Because of Prohibition and the paradoxical rise in alcoholism in
1920,
the Towns Hospital restricted its practice to drying-out well-to-do
alcoholics.
Perhaps the most famous patient was William Griffith Wilson, better known as
Bill W., the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. In the early 1930s, Mr.
Wilson
was consuming more than two quarts of rotgut whiskey daily, a definite
health
risk according to Alexander Lambert, who found in his copious research that
consumers of cheap or bootlegged alcohol were far more prone to seizures,
delirium tremens and brain damage than those who drank the expensive stuff.
Between 1933 and 1934, at his wife’s urging and on his wealthy
brother-in-law’s
dime, Mr. Wilson was admitted to Towns four times. The cost upon admission
was
steep: up to $350 (roughly $5,610 today) for a four- to five-day stay.
Although Mr. Wilson made some progress in temporarily abstaining, he
relapsed
after each of the first three hospitalizations. It was around this time that
he
reunited with a drinking buddy named Ebby Thacher. Unlike previous times,
when
they went out on wild binges, Mr. Thacher told him that he quit booze and
was a
member of the Oxford Group, a church-based association devoted to living on
a
higher spiritual plane guided by Christianity. As a demonstration, on Dec.
7,
1934, Mr. Thacher took Mr. Wilson to the Calvary Mission on East 23rd Street
and
Second Avenue, where the most drunken of New York’s Depression-era
down-and-outers went to be fed and, it was hoped, “saved.”
A few days later, a drunken Wilson staggered back into the Towns Hospital.
There, his physician, William D. Silkworth, sedated him with chloral hydrate
and
paraldehyde, two agents guaranteed to help an agitated drunk to sleep,
albeit
lightly. This was especially important because the medical staff members had
to
wake patients every hour for at least two days to take the various pills,
cathartics and tinctures of the belladonna regime.
On the second or third day of his treatment, Mr. Wilson had his now famous
spiritual awakening. Earlier that evening, Mr. Thacher had visited and tried
to
persuade Mr. Wilson to turn himself over to the care of a Christian deity
who
would liberate him from the ravages of alcohol. Hours later, depressed and
delirious, Mr. Wilson cried out: “I’ll do anything! Anything at all! If
there be
a God, let him show himself!” He then witnessed a blinding light and felt
an
ecstatic sense of freedom and peace. When Mr. Wilson told Dr. Silkworth
about
the event, the physician responded: “Something has happened to you I
don’t
understand. But you had better hang on to it.”
Hang on to it he did. Indeed, this experience ultimately led Mr. Wilson to
abstain from alcohol for the remaining 36 years of his life and to co-create
the
novel program whereby one alcoholic helps another through a commitment to
absolute honesty and a belief that a higher power can help one achieve
sobriety.
Long before Mr. Towns touted his cure for alcoholism, belladonna (as well as
henbane) was known to cause hallucinations. The hallucinations brought on by
alcoholic delirium tremens tend to be a transmogrification of things the
alcoholic is actually seeing or experiencing into a realm of sheer terror. A
stray coil of rope may appear to be a poisonous cobra; a pattern on the
wallpaper seems to transform into a poisonous spider. But they can also be
tactile, like the sensation of insects crawling on the skin. Other
hallucinations associated with alcohol withdrawal, or alcoholic
hallucinosis,
tend to be brief and involve hearing accusatory or threatening voices.
Belladonna hallucinations, on the other hand, are typically based on recent
discussions the person had but become far more fantastic. Many times, these
visions appear to fulfill the wishes one might have had during the inspiring
experience.
Several decades after his 1909 announcement, Alexander Lambert took great
pains
to distance himself from belladonna. Although Dr. Lambert found the
detoxification process to be useful in the short run, he became discouraged
by
its toxicity, its propensity to induce hallucinations and the fact that many
of
those he treated at Bellevue relapsed and returned for subsequent treatment.
Something more was needed, he declared, and that task fell to Bill Wilson
and an
alcoholic physician from Ohio named Bob Smith, who created Alcoholics
Anonymous
in 1935.
Were Bill Wilson’s spiritual awakening and influential sobriety the
products of
a belladonna hallucination shortly after his discussions with his friend
Ebby
Thacher? Could they have been incited by his alcohol withdrawal symptoms? Or
did
something else happen to him that science cannot explain? In the end,
millions
of people who have benefited from Alcoholics Anonymous and similar 12-step
programs around the world would say that such pharmacological, physical or
spiritual parsing hardly matters.
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++++Message 6592. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Belladonna treatment
From: John Barton . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/5/2010 9:18:00 AM
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The exact treatment given to Bill and the specifics of the "Belladonna
Treatment" can be found in "AA The Way it all Began" pp. 164-169
Regards,
John Barton
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++++Message 6593. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Belladonna treatment
From: jax760 . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/5/2010 9:27:00 AM
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See message # 1493 by Barefoot Bill
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AAHistoryLovers/message/1493
"detox 1930's style"
Great question dude! I love it when people get me into research that I
wouldn't
think of on my own.
In "Pass It On" it says that:
"When Bill described Towns as 'a nationally known hospital for the mental &
physical rehabilitation of alcoholics,' he was not exaggerating, but someone
else who remembered the hospital described it simply as a place where
alcoholics
were 'purged & puked.' The purging was most probably the effect of the
liberal
doses of castor oil that the patients were given, together with belladonna.
The
belladonna treatment at Towns had been developed by Dr. Sam Lambert, a
reputable
N.Y. physician...."
Bill was admitted to Towns Hospital on 12/11/34 at 2:30PM & underwent
belladonna
treatment, hydrotherapy & mild exercise. Dr. Lambert described the
belladonna
treatment as follows (this is from "AA - The Way It Began" by Bill Pittman,
pages 164-166, 168):
"Briefly stated, it consists in the hourly dosage of a mixture of
belladonna,
hyoscyamus & xanthoxylum. The mixture is given every hour, day & night, for
about 50 hours. There is also given about every 12 hours a vigorous
catharsis
of C.C. pills & blue mass. At the end of the treatment, when it is evident
that
there are abundant bilious stools, castor oil is given to clean out
thoroughly
the intestinal tract. If you leave any of the ingredients out, the reaction
of
the cessation of desire is not as clear cut as when the 3 are mixed
together.
The amount necessary to give is judged by the physiologic action of the
belladonna it contains. When the face becomes flush, the throat dry, & the
pupils of the eyes dilated, you must cut down your mixture or cease giving
it
altogether, until these symptoms pass. You must, however, push this mixture
until these symptoms appear, or you will not obtain a clear cut cessation of
the
desire for the narcotic.
The exact contents of each ingredient is below:
Belladonna Specific:
Tincture belladonnae (62. gm.)
Fluidextracti xanthoryli.
Fluidextracti hyoscyami (.31 gm.)
Belladona - Atropa belladonna
Deadly nightshade; a perennial herb with dark purple flowers & black
berries.
Leaves & root contain atropine & related alkaloids which are
anticholinergic.
It is a powerful excitant of the brain with side effects of delirium (wild &
talkative), decreased secretion, & diplopia.
Xanthoxylum - Xanthoxylum Americanum
The dried bark or berries of prickly ash. Alkaloid of Hydrasts. Helps with
chronic gastro-intestinal disturbances. Carminative & diaphoretic.
Hyoscyamus - Hyoskyamos
Henbane, hog's bean, insane root from the leaves & flowers of Hyoscyamus
Niger.
Contains 2 alkaloids, hyoscyamine & hyoscine. Nervous system sedative,
anticholinergic, & antispasmodic.
Close observation is necessary in treating the alcoholic in regard to the
syptoms of the intoxication of belladonna, as alcoholics are sensitive to
the
effects of belladonna delirium. According to Lanbert, it is a less furious &
less pugnacious delirium than that of alcohol. The patients are more
persistent
& more insistent in their ideas & more incisive in their speech concerning
hallucinations. The hallucinations of alcohol are usually those of an
occupation delirium; those of belladonna are not. The various hallucinations
of
alcohol follow each other so quickly that a man is busily occupied in
observing
them one after another. The belladonna delirium is apt to be confined to one
or
two ideas on which the patient is very insistent. If these symptoms of
belladonna intoxication occur, of course, the specific must be discontinued;
then beginning again with the original smaller dose. Towns believed the
attending physician would find it most difficult to differentiate between
alcoholic delirium & belladonna delirium. After this treatment, with its
vigorous elimination, the patient would feel languid & relaxed, but the
craving
for alcohol would have ceased."
My comments:
Bill W. had been detoxed 3 or 4 times that year (or more) so his detoxing
was
from smaller periods of alcohol use, so it's possible that the doctors did
not
have to give him the full treatment (mentioned above) as they would have if
he
had come in after years of uninterrupted alcohol abuse. In Bill's Story (Big
Book pages 13 & 14), it says that Ebby told him again about the Oxford Group
spiritual solution. After doing most of the work (what later became the 12
Steps) & fully accepting the Oxford Group solution, he THEN had what has
been
affectionately referred to as "Bill W.'s Hot Flash" - a white light, life
changing spiritual experience. He shared the experience with Dr. Silkworth
on
12/14/34 so this happened 3 to 4 days AFTER he was admitted to the hospital
& 1
to 2 days AFTER the belladonna treatment would have been over with IF used
for
the FULL 2 days, which it might not have been.
Was the spiritual experience Bill W. had influenced by belladonna or inner
surrender? Those against AA sometimes say it was drug induced & those with
AA
say it wasn't, depending upon the answer they are looking for. Either way,
the
experience changed his life, as well as millions of people now living the 12
Steps ever since.
I DO KNOW THIS. I was more than 3 & 1/2 years clean & sober of any drugs
(including belladonna) & alcohol when I had my spiritual experience AS THE
RESULT of the EXACT same course of action that Bill W. followed, &
COINCIDENTALLY I got the EXACT SAME results he did - a life changing
spiritual
experience. These are facts from MY experience & NOT speculation, so you
know
which way I lean on this
issue.
Thanks for the question, the research was interesting for me. I always
thought
that the belladonna side effects I heard about were extreme but now I see
that
they were less extreme than the D.T.'s.
Just Love,
Barefoot Bill
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++++Message 6594. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: San Antonio International
From: charlie brooke . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/5/2010 11:19:00 PM
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If anyone is still needing a room I booked one double non smoking at the
Holiday
Inn Express at the airport and would be glad to let it go or else I am going
to
cancel it. I have a room at the Hyatt Regency where I will be assisting at
the
Friends of Oz hospitality suite and members of this group should please stop
by
and say G'day.
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++++Message 6595. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: New Jersey Archives at the San
Antonio International
From: John Barton . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/5/2010 9:21:00 AM
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You can contact me at for the NJ Archives
John Barton
archives@nnjaa.org
- - - -
Message #6576 from Charles Grotts
(chuckg052284 at yahoo.com)
Re: AAHL in San Antonio
There's a mixup with the contact person for the
NJ Archives. I have nothing to do with that.
I will be on the panel "AA in Cyberspace: Carrying
the Message," Friday at 3:30.
Best wishes, Charles L. Grotts, Los Angeles
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++++Message 6596. . . . . . . . . . . . Article by Gerald Heard
From: James Blair . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/4/2010 11:46:00 PM
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I could not find a copy of Fortnight, December 1954 which published an
article
by Gerald Heard on Ad Hoc Churches. This magazine was published in CA and is
not
to be confused with the Irish magazine also titled Fortnight.
The AA Grapevine published an article by Gerald Heard titled The Search For
Ecstasy in the May 1958 issue. In this article Heard explores what he terms
"ad
hoc churches."
Hope this helps.
Jim
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++++Message 6597. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: AAHL get together in S.A TX. Per
post 5598
From: Cherie'' H. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/5/2010 10:33:00 AM
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Re: AAHL get together in S.A TX. Per post 5598
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AAHistoryLovers/message/5598
Thanks Shakey Mike, I appreciate all the hard work you did to make this
happen
for members of AAHL. I am going to do my very best to be in the GSO Archives
room during the time you have secured. I think a good reason for this
reunion to happen there instead of one of the AA Online rooms is probably
best for people who are with us that have no interest in online AA (OMG
there are people like that) Someone coming with me does not even like
email. But she would enjoy the GSO archives.
We can also have a second meet in the AAOnline
suite. Or a third meet, or fourth even. I do not think we are limited on our
meets. If a couple of particular people wish to be SURE to meet up, they can
plan their meet in any of the locations.
It is getting so close, final preparations have begun. I am sure the host
committee in San Antonio are going crazy right about now, and loving every
minute of it.
Let's keep it simple, shall we? Not complicate things.
AA Love and Hugs
Cherie'
Warren, MI
DOS 04/26/01
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++++Message 6598. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Re: Dr. Strecker
From: Shakey1aa@aol.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/4/2010 10:38:00 PM
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Francis T Chambers is the co Author with Dr Strecker of Alcohol-One Mans
Meat. Chambers was a success from the Peabody Method which drew from the
Emmanuel Movement begun by Elwood Worcester. Chambers retired after being a
therapist for many years and resettled I believe in Ireland. There are many
similarities between the Peabody method, the Emmanuael movement and
Streckers' therapy. Has anyone done a review of these three methods to stop
drinking? The Emmanuel Movement was highly spiritual and the other two were
not.
Yours,
Shakey Mike Gwirtz
Philadelphia, PA
C U n SA TX
- - - -
In a message dated 6/4/2010 7:09:24 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
cm53@earthlink.net writes:
In 1913, Dr. Edward A. Strecker joined the hospital as an assistant
physician. Over his 46 years of service, he became a preeminent author
and teacher of psychiatry. In 1920, Dr. Strecker established one of
the first psychiatric outpatient community clinics in the world at
Pennsylvania Hospital's 8th and Spruce Street campus.
A pioneer in the treatment of alcoholism, Dr. Strecker was one of the
first to insist that alcoholism be treated as a disease, not a moral
failing. In 1935, Pennsylvania Hospital's West Philadelphia department
was the first psychiatric institution to hire a recovering person as
an addiction counselor. Dr. Strecker and his former alcoholic patient,
Francis Chambers, Jr., developed the "dual therapy" approach for
alcoholics, combining abstinence and psychological counseling. The
Institute's substance abuse unit was named "The Strecker Program" in
his honor; in 1989 it was named "Treatment Center of the Year" by the
American Council on Alcoholism.
In Service,
Cindy Miller
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++++Message 6599. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Why was Fitz''s alcoholic
problem so complex?
From: Dov . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/6/2010 9:34:00 AM
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Hi Martin,
Assuming that the case Dr Silkworth was referring to was Fitz Mayo it seems
to
me that the following sentences from "We Agnostics", first paragraph on p.56
in
the Big Book describing him, explain the complexity of his case,
"Our friend was a minister's son. He attended church school, where he became
rebellious at what he thought an overdose of religious education. For years
thereafter he was dogged by trouble and frustration. Business failure,
insanity,
fatal illness, suicide -- these calamities in his immediate family
embittered
and depressed him. Post-war disillusionment, ever more serious alcoholism,
impending mental and physical collapse, brought him to the point to
self-destruction."
- - - -
--- In AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com,
"martinholmes76@..." wrote:
>
> In the Big Book, in the Doctor's Opinion (p. xxxi) it says "this man's
alcoholic problem was so complex". Why was his problem so complex?
>
>
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++++Message 6600. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Re: How was the Daily
Reflections book written and put together?
From: Tom Hickcox . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/4/2010 11:13:00 PM
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From Tommy Hickcox, Patricia
,
Chuck Parkhurst, and Lynn Sawyer
- - - -
From: Tom Hickcox
(cometkazie1 at cox.net)
Patricia,
What would be the time frame here? 1986-87 for the initial call for
contributions?
Tommy
- - - -
Referring to Message #6589 from Patricia
(pdixonrae at
yahoo.com)
I was my home group's GSR at the beginning of the project which created
Daily
Reflections. Each group was notified by their GSR that you could submit
comments
or stories and they would be considered by the panel to be used in the
publication.
- - - -
From: "Chuck Parkhurst"
(ineedpage63 at cox.net)
Members
After what I have experienced as a home group member, a GSR, a DCM and other
areas of service, I find the statement below dubious, at best:
"Each group was notified by their GSR"
Does anyone have more detailed information about the writing and content of
Daily Reflections?
In Service with Gratitude,
Chuck Parkhurst
- - - -
From: Lynn Sawyer
(sawyer7952 at yahoo.com)
Hello,
Just an idea: Has anyone spoken to or written to, the GSO in N.Y. abt. this?
Seems to me that I heard that there was solicitation for sharings, and they
may
have been connected............
Lynn S.
Sacramento, California
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++++Message 6601. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: How was the Daily Reflections
book written and put together?
From: pvttimt@aol.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/5/2010 4:57:00 PM
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From pvttimt@aol.com and Marion Redstone
- - - -
From
(pvttimt at aol.com)
It was put together by GSO in approximately 1987. A solicitation was sent
out
at that time asking for AA members to submit quotes chosen from AA
literature.
With each quote was sent a comment by the member choosing the quote
concerning
the subject matter in the quote. All the submissions were reviewed and the
book
was assembled. Each person who submitted a piece that was accepted got a
free
copy of the Daily Reflections. As it happens, I was one of those persons
lucky
enough to have one accepted, and my piece was put in the book for February
2.
- - - -
From (MarionORedstone at aol.com)
My recollection is that in the late 80's there came out a request for
members to
write up to 125 words on a step, tradition or another A.A. topic and send it
back to AAWS. I believe the project was begun at the initiation of the
delegates
and I think they formed part of the reviewing/editing committee. At the time
we
had "As Bill Sees It," The 24 Hour book, and a variety of non A.A. daily
spiritual readers available like the Upper Room. As Bill Sees It has less
than
365 pages ( but more than enough separate thoughts), yet it was the desire
of the delegates to have a daily reader that was by and for A.A. members. As
a
member I liked the idea and have used it routinely since then in my home
group
as the way to start the discussion and at my home as well. Of course Al Anon
Family group has their own and there are a number of good daily meditation
books
now available. But back then it was slim pickin's for members. So it met a
true
need of A.A. members to have their own daily reader. I have great respect
for
the history and value of the 24 Hour Book, but prefer the style of
Reflections.
Marion O. R.
DOS 9/17/85
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++++Message 6602. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Stepper, two hatter, two
stepper, 13 stepping
From: James R . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/4/2010 11:52:00 PM
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Stepper and Two-Hatter I don't recognize.
In my part of the world (South Texas), a Two-Stepper is someone very new to
the
fellowship (did Step 1) who immediately plunges into outreach work (Step 12)
without having done any of the steps in between. A variant on this I've
heard is
"the AA waltz" - someone who does the first 3 Steps over and over but is
afraid
to proceed to Steps 4 and 5. Hence the waltz - "one two three, one two
three,
one two three"
"13th Stepping" is using the fellowship as a dating service, a place to find
a
new girl- or boyfriend.
James
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++++Message 6603. . . . . . . . . . . . Prayer -- fools who came to scoff
From: Jenny or Laurie Andrews . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/5/2010 11:56:00 AM
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Twelve and Twelve, Step Eleven: 'It has been well said that 'almost the only
scoffers at prayer are those who never tried enough'." Well said by whom?
The
nearest reference I can find is this line in the poem The Deserted Village
by
18th century Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith: "Fools who came to scoff
remained to
pray."
- - - -
From the moderator GC:
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 96-97:
"We well remember how something deep inside us kept rebelling
against the idea of bowing before any God. Many of us had strong logic, too,
which 'proved' there was no God whatever. What about all the accidents,
sickness, cruelty, and injustice in the world? What about all those unhappy
lives which were the direct result of unfortunate birth and uncontrollable
circumstances? Surely there could be no justice in this scheme of things,
and
therefore no God at all ....
We liked A.A. all right, and were quick to say that it had done miracles.
But we
recoiled from meditation and prayer as obstinately as the scientist who
refused
to perform a certain experiment lest it prove his pet theory wrong. Of
course
we finally did experiment, and when unexpected results followed, we felt
different; in fact we knew different; and so we were sold on meditation
and prayer. And that, we have found, can happen to anybody who tries. It has
been well said that 'almost the only scoffers at prayer are those who never
tried it enough.'"
Compare the line in the Big Book, at the end of "The Doctor's Opinion,"
where
Dr. Silkworth says:
"I earnestly advise every alcoholic to read this book
through, and though perhaps he came to scoff, he may
remain to pray."
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++++Message 6604. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Split from the Oxford Group: New
York, Cleveland, Akron
From: PHILIP DIXON . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/5/2010 2:45:00 PM
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Did New York split from the Oxford Group, or were they "thrown out"?
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++++Message 6605. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Stepper, two hatter, two
stepper, 13 stepping
From: Dougbert . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/6/2010 6:51:00 PM
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Thank you James,
I am searching for the origins of these terms. They had to start somewhere.
Who,
What, When, Where, and Why is my goal.
Somebody at the convention should have the answer???
Dougbert
- - - -
Message #6602 from James R
Stepper and Two-Hatter I don't recognize.
In my part of the world (South Texas), a Two-Stepper is someone very new to
the
fellowship (did Step 1) who immediately plunges into outreach work (Step 12)
without having done any of the steps in between. A variant on this I've
heard is
"the AA waltz" - someone who does the first 3 Steps over and over but is
afraid
to proceed to Steps 4 and 5. Hence the waltz - "one two three, one two
three,
one two three"
"13th Stepping" is using the fellowship as a dating service, a place to find
a
new girl- or boyfriend.
James
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++++Message 6606. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: 14th National Archives Workshop:
Macon, Georgia, Sept. 23-26
From: Your . . . . . . . . . . . . 5/31/2010 10:13:00 AM
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Hi Delores,
Almost always there is a group that does record each workshop and sell the
CD's
as they are recorded. I say almost always because the only thing that is
always
is God.
Yours in Love and service,
David in Daytona
- - - -
From GC the moderator:
The Workshop flyer at http://aanationalarchivesworkshop.com/
gives as the Workshop's contact person:
Chair Ross McC:
(wrmcc at winstream.net)
P.O. Box 170, Cornelia, Georgia 39531
If you contact him, he will be able to give you
the information on how to contact the outfit that
will be recording all the talks. You will be
able to obtain CD's of any of the talks which
you want, directly from them.
Glenn C.
P.S. Why don't you send your history of US
servicemen on the European continent to post
on the AAHistoryLovers, if it's not too long?
There are a lot of us who would be interested
in reading it.
- - - -
--- In AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com, "Dolores" wrote:
>
> Hi, thanks for the info on the Archives workshop.
>
> As I live in Europe, I won't have a chance to get to the workshop and was
wondering if there will be any written material or tape or such on the
subject
that I could receive. I am willing to send the money to pay for the cost
incurred in doing this.
>
> I have written up the history of US servicemen on the European continent.
I
would like to learn if I did it ok and how i could add to it or wharever.
>
> Yours in AA, Dolores
>
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++++Message 6607. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: How was the Daily Reflections
book written and put together?
From: tomper87 . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/6/2010 9:27:00 PM
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Regarding the development of Daily Reflections
Excerpts from the Advisory Actions of the GSC
of Alcoholics Anonymous Literature Committee
It was recommended that:
1986
"In order to determine the need for a daily reflections book, the
Conference members ask A.A. members in their areas and report the
findings to the G.S.O. literature coordinator by January 1, 1987, for
consideration by the 1987 Conference."
1987
"The trustees' Literature Committee undertake development of a daily
reflections book based on individual A. A.'s (including Bill W.'s)
sharing based on the Traditions and Steps, and that a progress report be
submitted to the 1988 Conference Literature Committee."
1988
"Work continue on the Daily Reflections Book and that a request by made for
additional manuscripts to be submitted from the Fellowship on any Step,
Tradition, or writings by Bill W. coordinated through each delegate with a
progress report to by presented at the 1989 Conference."
1989
"A complete manuscript of Daily Reflections be prepared for review by
the 1990 Conference Literature Committee because of the good response to the
appeals for additional material from the Fellowship."
1990
"The manuscript of the daily reflections book be approved with the
following specific changes:
a. All references to "we" be changed to "I".
b. The page for June 17 delete the words "(Psalm 130)" from line 1 of
the reflection.
c. There be an addition of a page for February 29; that page to be the
"alternate" for March entitled "True Tolerance".
d. That these words by imprinted on the cover of the book: "This is a
book of reflections by A.A. members for A.A. members."
1991
"The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions by added to Daily Reflections at the
time of the next printing."
"The text of the proposed reflection titled "One A.A. Miracle" be
substituted for the present February 29th entry in Daily Reflections at the
next
printing, because of the duplication of entries in the current printing."
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++++Message 6608. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Stepper, two hatter, two
stepper, 13 stepping
From: John Moore . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/6/2010 10:49:00 PM
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You might also add "Six Pack" to the list.
Working a Six Pack means working steps 1,2,3 and 10,11,12
while skipping the ones in between.
John M
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++++Message 6609. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: San Antonio International
From: John Moore . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/6/2010 10:45:00 PM
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*I also have a room reservation which I need to cancel...
If anyone can use it, please let me know in next week or so
Is out toward the airport and maybe 15-20 mins from convention
I have other accommodations in San Antonio
Thanks
John M
(contact.johnmoore at gmail.com)
Courtyard San Antonio Medical Center
8585 Marriott Drive
San Antonio, Texas 78229
Reservation Details
*
* Check-in: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 (04:00 PM)
Check-out: Monday, July 5, 2010 (12:00 PM)
Room type: Guest room, 2 Double
Number of rooms: 1
Guests per room: 2
Special request(s):
Extra Towels, Request Noted
High Floor Room, Request Noted
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - Monday, July 5, 2010
5 nights
Cost per night per room (USD) 179.00
Total for stay (for all rooms) - 1,044.91
*
*
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++++Message 6610. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Stepper, two hatter, two
stepper, 13 stepping
From: Cindy Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/6/2010 10:51:00 PM
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From the illustrated Traditions pamphlet,
p. 14 (speaking about Tradition 6):
"...A.A. members employed by
outside agencies 'wear two hats'—
but Tradition Six cautions any such
members against wearing both
at once! On the job, they may be
alcoholism counselors; they are
not 'A.A. counselors.' At meetings
they're just A.A.'s, not alcoholism
experts."
Best,
-cindy miller
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++++Message 6611. . . . . . . . . . . . Long Term Timers
From: Maria Orozco . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/7/2010 9:20:00 AM
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We have a Long Term Timer that will be 61 years sobriety here in Ontario,
Southern California. Are there any more Long Term Timers of over 60 years,
Please let me know. Thank you.
Maria
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++++Message 6612. . . . . . . . . . . . Re: Stepper, two hatter, two
stepper, 13 stepping
From: Lynn Sawyer . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/7/2010 3:07:00 AM
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Dear grp.,
A coupla details, James forgot to mention:
13th-stepping is usually 'tolerated' when male members do this, and often
the
unsuspecting female experiences relapse when this happens.
But longtime-sober females are not exempt from this practice either; 'been
there, done that.' Thank my God that my amends were accepted, and the party
remained sober. Thanks for letting me share.
Lynn S.
alcoholic
grateful to be sober TODAY
DOS=10/22/79
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++++Message 6613. . . . . . . . . . . . Smithsonian Institution exhibit on
Sister Ignatia
From: Fiona Dodd . . . . . . . . . . . . 6/9/2010 2:09:00 AM
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Nun exhibit focuses on spirit of women
Stories of area sisters included in display at Maltz Museum
[Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, at 2929 Richmond
Road in Cleveland, Ohio's Beachwood suburb]
By Colette M. Jenkins,
religion writer for the
Akron Beacon Journal
Published on Saturday, May 08, 2010
An exhibit that tells the stories of pioneering women who established
schools, hospitals and other institutions in their quest to work for peace
and social justice opens Sunday at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, 2929
Richmond Road in Beachwood, [Ohio 44122].
The exhibit, Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America, includes rare
artifacts, photographs, video and first-person accounts. It is a project of
the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an association of the leaders
of congregations of Catholic women in the United States. Its local display
will be supplemented with material that tells the story of religious women
in Northeast Ohio.
The national exhibit, which comes to Cleveland from the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, D.C., includes stories of two area nuns: Sister
Ignatia Gavin, who worked with Alcoholics Anonymous cofounder Dr. Bob Smith
to admit the first alcoholic patient to St. Thomas Hospital in 1935 in Akron
(making the hospital the first in the world to treat alcoholism as a medical
condition) and Sister Dorothy Kazel, a Cleveland native, who was murdered in
1980 in El Salvador along with two other nuns and a laywoman (all of whom
were part of a Catholic Diocese of Cleveland mission team).
The museum is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday;
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. It is closed on
Monday. Admission is $12, $10 for seniors 60 and older, and $5 for children
5 to 11. Children younger than 5 are admitted free. Free parking is
available adjacent to the museum.
The exhibit, which runs through Aug. 28, will be accompanied by a series of
lectures, films and conversations about equality, faith and American
history. For more information, call 216-593-0575 or go to
http://www.maltzmuseum.org
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