Big Book Podcast

Howard L reads Chapter One, Bill's Story, from the Big Book of “Alcoholics Anonymous” first published in 1939. Please share it with anyone you know who has the desire to stop drinking. It may be the only version of the Big Book they ever hear! If you’ve enjoyed the Big Book Podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholi...

This is the 85th and final episode of the Big Book Podcast. It features the six Appendices and list of AA Publications found at the end of the Second Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous published in 1955. If you’ve enjoyed the Big Book Podcast, have a listen to Lost Stories of the Big Book, 30 Original Stories Missing from the 3rd and 4th Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s an engaging audiobook I...

This is the final story in the Second Edition entitled “Freedom From Bondage” and was printed in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Editions of the Big Book. It was written by Wynn L. who joined AA in 1947 at the age of 33. Married and divorced four times before she got sober in AA, Wynn married her fifth husband, George L., shortly after her story appeared in the Big Book. George was a fellow member of AA at...

This story, printed in the 2nd and 3rd Editions, was penned by Bob R. who sobered up in New York City AA in 1947. The story’s literary flair reflects Bob’s earlier ambitions of becoming a playwright and the depths to which he had descended prior to sobriety. Though not much is known about Bob, he did write a follow-up to his story for a 1967 issue of the Grapevine entitled, “Come On Be Happy, Too”...

Published only in the Second Edition, this is the story of Nancy F., who got sober in New York City in 1945 when she was 39 years old. It is said that Nancy and another young woman, perhaps AA pioneer Marty Mann, were often asked to go to hospitals and drying-out places frequented by the wealthy, because they were younger and "presentable." According to reports at the time, they carried the AA mes...

This story's author is Sackville M., who got sober in Dublin, Ireland in 1947. Sackville helped reorganize the original Dublin AA meeting in which the secretary and a dozen members got drunk shortly after he joined. Of the three alcoholics from the group who stayed sober, Sackville became secretary and was instrumental in working with the Roman Catholic church to help them better understand alcoho...

Annie C. first joined AA in 1947 at the age of 67. One interesting item that shows up in Annie’s story is the reference to a farm in Connecticut where she went for a few days after she had relapsed. This same farm, mentioned in other early stories in the Second Edition of the Big Book, was owned by Sister Francis, who took in addicts and alcoholics, helping those in need of hope. In 1939, AA co-fo...

This is a relatively short story printed in the Second and Third Editions. The author is Pat M., who joined AA and got sober around 1952. Those are the only two additional details uncovered by a deep Google search. The anonymity of the story’s author which provides only the initial of his last name, is obviously not very helpful to a comprehensive search. Nonetheless, the story is quite interestin...

Written by Bill G., who got sober in 1945, this story runs the gamut from being a successful business man to literally being a bum on the street, pawning his shoes, living under a bridge, and drinking Sterno. As bottoms go, it's hard to imagine one going much lower. As graphic and engaging as this story is, it was printed only in the Second Edition of the Big Book, so it has remained largely unsee...

“The Prisoner Freed” was printed only in the Second and Third Editions,  so it will be heard for the first time by those who’ve otherwise been raised on the Fourth Editions alone. As with some stories in the Second Edition, the author of this story is unknown. A deep dive on Google did not reveal the author, though the search terms “prisoner” and “AA” yielded a trove of links to AA’s rich history...

Printed only in the 2nd and 3rd Editions of the Big Book, “Promoted to Chronic” was written by Helen B., who got sober in 1945. After working for the Boston Central Services Office of A.A., Helen became a senior staff member at the New York office in 1949, where she personally helped Bill W. promote the Traditions and the General Service Conference to the Fellowship. She helped organize the first...

“Jim’s Story” was written by Dr. Jim S., a physician in Washington D.C., who is credited with founding the first black AA group. While the struggles of starting that group are well-noted in the story, its importance as an AA milestone was recognized by AA co-founder Bill W. in the book “Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age”. Dr. Jim gave an address on the final morning of the first AA convention held...

This is one of only 5 stories to show up in all 4 Editions. The author is John Henry Fitzhugh Mayo, known to his contemporaries as “Fitz” M. Unlike some of the previous Personal Stories, quite a lot is known about Fitz and his contribution to early AA and the Big Book. Fitz got sober in October 1935, after a visit from Bill W. in Townes Hospital in New York City, and is reputedly the third person...

This 73rd episode begins Part 3, the last part of the Personal Stories section of the Second Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous published in 1955. Part 3 is entitled “They Lost Nearly All” and contains the final 12 stories in the Second Edition. Story number 1 in Part 3 is called “Joe’s Woes” and like the last story, was published only in the 2nd Edition. “Joe’s Woes” was authored by Joe M. who got s...

This is a relatively rare story, as it is one of only five stories that was published exclusively in the 2nd Edition. There's also nothing known about the author except what can be gleaned from the story itself: It was written by Fred, who got sober in 1947. Nonetheless, it is a fascinating testimonial of one of the early members who found sobriety in the fellowship during Alcoholics Anonymous' fo...

This story is familiar to many, as it was printed in the Second, Third, and Fourth Editions of "Alcoholics Anonymous". Unfortunately, the author of this story is unknown. What little we know about him is from the story itself. He got sober in November 1947 and was still sober past November 1954 when this story was submitted for the Second Edition.  But as you listen to it, I think you’ll find its...

This story was penned by Felicia G. who first came to AA in 1943, but didn’t get sober until 1944. When she first met Bill W. at the AA Foundation office in New York, he turned her over to Marty M., who became her sponsor, and, together with Pricilla P., helped her become known as the 6th woman to get sober in New York AA. As a gifted writer, it was Felicia who collaborated with Marty and Pricilla...

Written by Dr. Earle M. from San Francisco, who got sober in June of 1953, this story was printed in the Second, Third, and Fourth Editions. Earle was a very active member of AA throughout his life, spreading its message of hope to those he touched in his medical practice, as well as countless alcoholics he met during his many world-wide travels. In his first year of sobriety, Earle met Bill W. in...

Printed in the Second, Third, and Fourth Editions, the author of this story is said to have been Chet R. from Santa Barbara, California, though just when he wrote it or first came into AA is not known. The only clue uncovered during a Google search points to a recording of Chet made in October 1953 that is part of The Tom Laperriere Collection of Ernest Kurtz and Clarence Snyder recordings held at...

In this 67th episode, story number 7 in Part 2 of the Personal Stories section of the Second Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous published in 1955. It’s entitled “The Housewife Who Drank at Home”” and it was printed in the Second, Third, and Fourth Editions. Just who wrote this story is not known, though its enduring message has remained an important  part of the Big Book since 1955. Howard L, sober s...

This story was printed only in the Second Editions,  so it has remained largely unseen by those AAs who’ve otherwise been raised on the Third and Fourth Editions. As with the last story, the author of this story is unknown. A deep dive into AA history indicates little about this author, except the fact that he was a Canadian man who got sober in the middle to late 1940’s. But like many other anony...

Unlike many stories in the First and Second Editions of the Big Book, the author of this story is unknown. We know from the story that he got sober in 1950 and was still sober four years later when he wrote the story for the Second Edition. Whether his ultimate obscurity was intentional or not, the story itself still resonates in the annals of AA history with familiar strains for all who hear it....

This story's author, Esther E., got sober in Texas in 1941 and was inspired to seek help from AA’s relatively new General Service Office in New York after reading Jack Alexander’s seminal article about Alcoholics Anonymous published in the Saturday Evening Post. A week after she wrote to the GSO, she received literature and a referral to a local sober member of AA who could help her. But, as she r...

This short, but powerful, story was written by John P. and appeared only in the Second Edition, which is why most AA’s have never seen it. John enumerated four paradoxes of the AA program and why they are so important: 1) We surrender to win; 2) We give away to keep; 3) We suffer to get well; and 4) We die to live. He also wrote a poignant update to his Big Book story for the July 1967 issue of th...

This relatively short story was authored by Ceil M., who got sober in New York City in 1949. As with other authors of Personal Stories in the Big Book who achieved long-term sobriety in AA, Ceil M. provided an update to her story some 18 years after she and her husband, George, first came into the Program. In an article published in the September 1968 issue of the Grapevine, Ceil spoke of the happ...