The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

by Alcoholics Anonymous

gayest;

pleasure, and found the returns diminishing to the vanishing point.

Frightening

Unrelieved bare empty plan

creeping insidiousness,

Subtle gradual proceedings

It no longer gave me pleasure — it merely dulled the pain

sanitarium

prolonged

inte...

Vigourios thorough concentration

Mental illness

Deals with

mental bre...

Mind phenomena

mental bre...

Failure

temperament

Nature behavior

I had been hypersensitive, shy, idealistic.

disillu...

c...

a...

Protective covering

w...

Divider

f...

Unpleasant emotion

determi...

Purposse

s...

Hurt annoy

prop,

Support

live

idea

Thought or suggestion as a possible course of action

n...

Conforming to a standard

teeto...

Never drinks alcohol

protected

Safe

sanitarium

Treatment chronic illness

Greatly surprised

Anonymous

revelation

Surprising and previously unknown fact in a dramatic known way

I wasn’t mad or vicious — I was a sick person. I was suffering from an actual disease that had a name and sympto...

st...

Mark of Disgrace

I was an intellectual and I needed an intellectual answer, not an emotional one.

Not able to be relied on

change

Become different

intangible

du...

grudg...

offe...

miracle

crisis

Resentment? The word resentment comes from the Latin word "sentire" which means, "to feel", and when you put "re" in front of any word, it means "again", so the word resent means "to feel again". It includes people, institutions or principles with whom we were angry, with whom we were hurt or threatened or interfered with, with whom we felt had wronged us, with whom we stayed sore at, with whom we felt "burned up" toward, and with whom we held a grudge. I would like to add the following as well: People, institutions or principles which we are annoyed with, agitated by, or let down by; and I also like to suggest that this includes our regrets [from "gratan", to weep, i.e., to weep again] because regret is resentment toward our self. But, if we want to recover, the AA BigBook says, "We saw that these resentments must be mastered," and here's why: 1. Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more alcoholics (codependents) than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease. (Page 64) 2. It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility. (Page 66) 3. It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to unhappiness (Page 66) 4. To the precise extent that we permit these [deep resentment], do we squander the hours that might have been worth while. (Page 66) 5. But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely grave. (Page 66) 6.We found that it [this business of resentment] is fatal. (Page 66) 7. For when harboring such feelings [resentment] we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit. (Page 66) [There is a native word of greeting, Ky'hoo'ya, which means "Walk In The Sunlight of the Spirit", and is also a fitting acronym for "Keep Your Head Out Of Your Ass."] 8. [When we harbor resentment] the insanity of ____________returns. (Page 66) 9. [When we harbor resentment] we drink again. (Page 66) 10. For alcoholics these things [including resentment] are poison. (Page 66) 11. We began to see that the world and its people really dominated us. In that state, the wrong-doing of others [resentment], fancied or real, had power to actually kill. (Page 66) 12. We have listed and analyzed our resentments. We have begun to comprehend their futility. (Page 70) 13. We have listed and analyzed our resentments. We have begun to comprehend their fatality. (Page 70) 14. We have commenced to see their [resentment's] terrible destructiveness. (Page 70) 15. Never forget that resentment is a deadly hazard to an alcoholic. (Page 117) The greatest enemies of us alcoholics (codependents) are resentment, jealousy, frustration, and fear. (Page 145) I can't afford resentments against anyone, because they are the build-up of another drunk. (dry drunk for codependents) (Page 325) After all this, it can't be denied that the Big Book paints a really definite picture of the result of holding resentments. Is it possible that the more we have them, the more we are moving toward our next drink (codependent relapse), since we have used alcohol (codependent behavior and thought processed) before to help us deal with them? We must honestly ask ourself if we are earnestly seeking to get rid of resentments in our life, or do we hold on to some, considering them unavoidable. It's something to think about. Taken from: http://www.barefootsworld.net/aaresentments.html

raging and righteous anger.

“We cannot live with anger.

walls

I wasn’t trapped. I wasn’...

I was free, and I didn’t have to drink to “show them.” This wasn’t “religion” — this was freedom! Freedom from anger and fear,...

f...

bums