Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental defense against the first drink. Except in a few cases, neither he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power.
Chapter 3.
Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!
Chapter 7
The term
Higher Power is only used 2 times in the first 164 pages.
In Chapter 4 it explains:
When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God. This applies, too, to other spiritual expressions which you find in this book. Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you. At the start, this was all we needed to commence spiritual growth, to effect our first conscious relation with God as we understood Him. Afterward, we found ourselves accepting many things which then seemed entirely out of reach. That was growth, but if we wished to grow we had to begin somewhere. So we used our own conception, however limited it was.
The above clarifies what is meant in the BB when the word
God is used, it is our concept of a Power Greater then ourselfs, we each develop or own concept that we understand of a
Higher Power, most of us, myself included do call him/her/it God out of an ease of others understanding. I can assure you that your concept does not need to align with mine, having a concept is all it takes to begin the journey.