DesertEyes

Hello nbunderstanding, and welcome to SoberRecovery

No worries. Honest, respectful questions do _not_ stir the pot. This is what SR is all about.

You were researching the _wrong_ person. Bill W is only one of many alcoholics who managed to quit drinking and improve his life as a result of working the AA program. He happened to be a very good writer, and 70 some years ago when AA first got started he was unemployed and therefore dedicated himself to writing about AA.

If you have the time and continue to research AA you will find many of his publications where he states that he is _not_ the founder of AA. He credits Carl Jung, the psychologist, William James, the philospher, and the Oxford Groups.

Something else you will find during your research is that AA, like all other self-help programs, goes to a great deal of trouble to _not_ have "leaders", "figure-heads" or "founders". Self-help groups are about a group of _equals_ sharing their personal experience in overcoming a common problem. Which is why self-help groups continue to flourish decade after decade.

They don't. The programs of recovery stress _balance_ in one's life. Not too much selfishness, not too much caring for others. Care enough of yourself that you are _able_ to help others. The classic example is the oxygen mask in an airplane. You have to put yours on first before you can help others put on theirs.

The 12 step programs are not that different from any other program of self-improvement. The core of _all_ those programs is for the individual to spend a _balanced_ amount of time improving themselves. Each person, naturally, has a different understanding of what they need to improve. Alcoholics have to start by quiting the booze, and then move on to other character defects. Ultimately, all the programs recognize that humans are ..... well ..... human, and therefore imperfect. If each of us does our best every day to be the best we can be at that moment, then all of us together can make the world a better place, little by little.

That's just _one_ person who lived 70 years ago. If you look in the back of the AA book you'll find a few dozen stories from other alkies who lived more recently.

If you want a more "balanced" view of the whole recovery concept you might want to look into some newer books. 70 years is a _long_ time ago and the field of mental health has made a lot of improvement since then. The al-anon books are much more modern, and directed at us family members. You may find them a lot more useful.

As I said earlier, that's the wrong guy to be researching. Try the al-anon books, not only are they more up to date, you won't have to read them with a dictionary of Ye Olde English at hand

Mike