little history fer ya
Hi Marius,
Copyright 1939, The Big Book is actually titled, "Alcoholics Anonymous." The term "Big Book" came into use because of the original stock used to print them in the 40s. The pages were thick and the books quite large as a result. Program and book are pretty much "based off" each other, since they are inseparable.
"When going to AA is reading and following the guidelines off this book the basis of the program?"
Absolutely. There are different types of meetings--such as Open Discussion--in which the BB is seldom used during; however it still forms the backbone of the program.
"Are there AA groups that do not use this book?"
There are no Alcoholics Anonymous groups which do not use its founding text, Alcoholics Anonymous as a core guide, as GlassP said.
Hope this helps!
Ten