How Many Promises Are There?

[Boleo]

1st Step Promise (Page 42)
* My alcoholic condition was relieved, as in fact it proved to be.

2nd Step Promises (Page 50)
* they found that a new power,
* peace,
* happiness, and
* sense of direction flowed into them.

4th Step Promises (Page 70)
* We have begun to learn tolerance,
* patience and
* good will toward all men, even our enemies, for
* we look on them as sick people.
* We have listed the people we have hurt by our conduct, and are willing to straighten out the past if we can.

5th Step Promises (Page 75)
* We are delighted.
* We can look the world in the eye.
* We can be alone at perfect peace and ease.
* Our fears fall from us.
* We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now
* we begin to have a spiritual experience.
* The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly.
* We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.

9th Step Promises (Page83),
* We will be amazed before we are halfway through.
* We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
* We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
* We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone,
* we will see how our experience can benefit others.
* That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
* We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
* Self-seeking will slip away.
* Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
* Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
* We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
* We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

10th Step Promises (Page 84)
* We have ceased fighting anything or anyone -even alcohol.
* For by this time sanity will have returned.
* We will seldom be interested in liquor.
* If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame.
* We react sanely and normally, and
* We will find that this has happened automatically.
* We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it.
* We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation.
* We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality-safe and protected.
* We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed.
* It does not exist for us.
* We are neither cocky nor are we afraid.
* That is our experience.
* That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.


11th Step Promises (Page 86)
* We can employ our mental faculties with assurance
* God gave us brains to use.
* Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane
* Our thinking is cleared of wrong motives.
* We relax and take it easy.
* We don't struggle.
* We are often surprised how the right answers come


12th Step Promises (Page 132)
* We aren't a glum lot.
* We absolutely insist on enjoying life.
* nor do we carry the world's troubles on our shoulders.
* we think cheerfulness and laughter make for usefulness.
* we bust into merriment
* We have recovered, and
* have been given the power to help others.

[Tommyh]

We had a new Employer.(I`ll never be unemployed again)
Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if
we kept close to Him and performed His work well.
Established on such a footing we became less and less
interested in ourselves, our own little plans and designs.
More and more we became interested in seeing what
we could contribute to life. As we felt new power
flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered
we could face life successfully, as we became con-
scious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of
today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn.
(ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, 1st Ed,page 63)

[Tazman53]

Jeesh, I wish I had my BB with me!!!!! LOL

There are a ton of promises throughout the BB.

[Ago]

The promises of Recovery are not just those found after Step 9. The promises of Recovery are found all through the Big Book. Here are some of them... each of us will find many more that are special to us if we take the time to read the Big Book with an open heart and mind.

Each step has "conditions, promises, and a prayer" (If you do "this like this", you get "this")

I seem to remember there are 144 of them all told, but it's been almost 14 years since I did that exercise, here's some of them

[PROMISES OF STEP TWO

Big Book page #25

• There is a solution.
• We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed.
• The great fact is just this, and nothing less: That we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences which have revolutionized our whole attitude toward life, toward our fellows and toward God's universe.
• The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous.
• He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves.

Big Book page #28:

• A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, "a design for living" that really works.
• Big Book page #46:
• We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him.
• To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men.

Big Book page #47:

• As soon as a man can say that he does believe, or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way.
• It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built.

Big Book page #50:

• In the face of collapse and despair, in the face of the total failure of their human resources, they found that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction flowed into them.

Big Book page #55:

• Sometimes we had to search fearlessly, but He was there. He was as much a fact as we were. We found the Great Reality deep down within us.

Big Book page #57:

• Even so has God restored us all to our right minds.
• But He has come to all who have honestly sought Him.
• When we drew near to Him He disclosed Himself to us!

[PROMISES OF STEP THREE]

Big Book page #63.

• More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life.
• As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter.
• We were reborn.
• an effect, sometimes a very great one, was felt at once.

Big Book page #68.

• At once, we commence to outgrow fear.

Big Book page #70.

• We have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our enemies, for we look on the them as sick people.

[PROMISES OF STEP FIVE]

Big Book page #75:

• Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted.
• We can look the world in the eye.
• We can be alone at perfect peace and ease.
• Our fears fall from us.
• We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator.
• We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience.
• The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly.
• We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.

[PROMISES OF STEP EIGHT]

Big Book page #78:

• If our manner is calm, frank, and open, we will be gratified with the result.
• Rarely do we fail to make satisfactory progress..

[ PROMISES OF STEP NINE] (The famous ones)

Big Book page #83-84:

• If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through.
• We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
• We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
• We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
• No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
• That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
• We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
• Self-seeking will slip away.
• Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
• Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
• We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
• We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
• Are these extravagant promises? We think not.
• They are being fulfilled among us-sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.
• They will always materialize if we work for them.

[PROMISES OF STEP TEN]

Big Book page #84

• And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone -even alcohol.
• For by this time sanity will have returned.
• We will seldom be interested in liquor.
• If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame.

Big Book page #84-85

• We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically.

Big Book page #85

• We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it.
• We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation.
• We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us.
• We are neither cocky nor are we afraid.

[PROMISES OF STEP ELEVEN]

Big Book page #86:

• we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use.
• Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives.

Big Book page #87 :

• What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind.
• Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it.

Big Book page #87-88 :

• We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day "Thy will be done." We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions.
• We become much more efficient.
• We do not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves.

[PROMISES OF STEP TWELVE]

Big Book page #89 :

• You can help when no one else can.
• You can secure their confidence when others fail.
• Life will take on new meaning.

Big Book page #100 :

• When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God's hands were better than anything we could have planned.
• Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!
• Assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things alcoholics are not supposed to do.

Big Book page #102 :

• God will keep you unharmed.

BB 1st edition

[BP44]

The very first sentence of the of the foreward is the very first promise that the newcomer can hook onto. We of Alcoholic's Anonymous are more that 100 men and women who have RECOVERED from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show you PRECISELY how we recovered is the purpose of this book.

[Pinkcuda]

The word "will" is always followed by a promise. Therefore we should not forget the promises on pg 152
He will presently try the old game again for he isn't happy about his sobriety.
Someday he will be unable to imagine life either with alcohol or without it.
He will know loneliness such as few do
He will be at a jumping off place.
He will wish for the end.
Those are promises!!!

Then still on pg 152
There you will find release from care boredom and worry.
Your imagination will be fired.
Life will mean something at last.
You will make lifelong friends.
You will be bound to them with your new and wonderful ties, for you will escape disaster together and you will commence shoulder to shoulder in your common journey.
Then you will know know what it means to give of yourselves that others may survive and rediscover life.
You will know the meaning of; "Love thy neighbor as thyself"

To me that is the difference between dry and sober. (In my opinion)

All quotes from AA big book first edition.

[fraankie]

how many promises are there?
when i clicked, i was going to do this
there are so many promises
and so many that have come true]
but
promises are free

how many promises aren't there?
is now the question
if you want it to be binding
get it in writing

[IO Storm]

Thanks for printing this Boleo..

When we read The Promises at the end of meetings we are "blinded" to the others.

I recall, as a relapser..years ago..sitting in meetings wishing I could "get it."

Two years, 8 months ago..the obsession was lifted.

* We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it.

It was a miracle. I had no "thought" of drinking..it was gone.

Since then..there have been 3 times of severe stress..the big D's..discouragement,

where I have had the fleeting thought and desire to return. But I worked harder and

surrendered deeper. And the other promises..many you listed..just seemed to

pop up. Multiples at times.

I love this program.

Thanks.

BB Quotes-1st Edotopm
,

[IO Storm]

I apologize I cannot thank any posts..my buttons are not working..

[fraankie]

let me get something straight
"boleo
1st Step Promise (Page 42)
* My alcoholic condition was relieved, as in fact it proved to be................................................ "

i agree
i know i am not focusing on myself
but
the promises are just that promises

promises of what"
by who?
when?

some came thru for me

"You will make lifelong friends."
163 phone numbers at last count
yeah, charles who conned me out of $1694.96, new camcorder, personal possessions
jeff who always hangs on to me when the going gets rough now is giving me other programs to go to
you do not want to know of claire
rosa did it now denies it
suzanne moved to jersey, seeya


pardonmeforasking,
what about the guy drawing on his bud right now because AA promised but didn't deliver


frankie

BB Quotes...1st. Edition

[Tazman53]

I can not pull up my BB online, but there is one that says something like:

"It works, it really works!"

[IO Storm]

• We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day "Thy will be done." We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions.
• We become much more efficient.
• We do not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves.


Being brutally honest here..

I'm not there yet.

BB Quotes...1st Edition

[IO Storm]

I apologize also for the inability to thank posts..my buttons are not working yet.

[Boleo]

Originally Posted by fraankie

promises of what"
by who?
when?

pardonmeforasking,
what about the guy drawing on his bud right now because AA promised but didn't deliver
frankie

"Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them."

BB Quotes...1st. Edition

[navysteve]

The first part of the 12th step is also a promise:

Having had a spiritual awakening as a result...

You mean if I do the steps I can have a spiritual awakening????

[DaveBB164]

Originally Posted by navysteve

The first part of the 12th step is also a promise:


You mean if I do the steps I can have a spiritual awakening????

I found that hard to believe too Steve lol