Customer Reviews

Back To Basics - The Alcoholics Anonymous Beginners Meetings "Here are the steps we took..." in Four One Hour Sessions

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Our home group began sponsoring a weekly Back to Basics meeting about a year ago. In that time we have seen many new people complete the "simplified version" of the steps that Dr. Bob and other old timers in Akron advocated, going on to become stable members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Additionally, we have seen many members who could not stay sober finally stay sober, having finally worked the steps in addition to just going to meetings. The power of the program is unleashed through the 12 Steps, and the Back to Basics is an excellent way to introduce the newcomer to this wonderful, sober, spiritual way of life that AA has to offer.

The Back to Basics sessions have also provided an excellent opportunity for the older members to spend more time with newcomers, and at the same time, given the newcomers "temporary" sponsors to help them with the steps, for at least the duration of the sessions. Having had a "temporary" sponsor, they are not so afraid to ask another member to be a permanent sponsor.

The meetings are very structured and stay on-track, giving the newcomer the idea from the very beginning that the key to sobriety is in the Big Book and in working the steps in order to establish and strengthen contact with a loving God.

This book can save your life if you apply it to your daily way of life. Best tool I've found to use when sponsoring people.

Good book, and helpful guide to work the 12 steps, especially if done with a more experienced and sober "sharing partner". I couldn't do this by myself. Great history into A.A. a bit opinionated, but well worth the reading, and trying. Enjoy life... Look at the alternative.

After having had the Back To Basics Beginners Meeting shared with me after several years of contented sobriety, I was excited to have found a perfect guide to help people in sharing the message of AA.This is a perfect tool to guide the sponsor/sponsee relationship in the direction needed to not only introduce the 12 steps but also to re-inforce the principles of AA in all our affairs.
The response from not only new members but also those with various degrees of continuous sobriety has been beyond my wildest expectations and show a definite hunger in the members of AA for a duplicateable program of recovery commited to the foundations of our program of "taking the steps" not just talking about them.

One afternoon over at my sponsor's house he began reading out loud from this book. It almost immediately perked my interest! I don't know how many times I've read the first 164 pages from the BB but it is a LOT. This was different in that for the most part "Back to Basics", and it's constant referring back to the Big Book, seemed to make the steps "flow" (to me) like never before. Right away I experienced a feeling of hope and serenity that I hadn't experienced since the 80's and early 90's.

A VERY quick history. I'm 60 now and am an addict and alcoholic. I was clean from 1980 to sometime in 1985, started using for a couple of months, and got clean again later in 1985 and went back "out" in 1994. Both periods of sobriety were a result of going to AA and NA meetings, working with sponsors, and working up through Step 5 (actually only Step 3 the first 5 years). And yes....I KNOW it is a 12-step program. So from '94 until last year it has been in and out---in and out---as good as dead many, many times. Countless hospitals, nut wards, trashing my life as well as the lives of others around me---ad infinitum. Since I found this book and used it as a 'tool', the big book being #1, I have worked ALL 12 steps and have finally had the spiritual awakening that the 12th step refers to. Speaking for myself only "if it works don't fix it"! I'm not in the debate business nor do I pretend to fully understand the 12 traditions. I AM in the "results" business however and will be eternally grateful for having been steered in the direction of this book.

In my town, there all many AA people who flock to the two local Back to Basics "meetings", where they are taken through all the steps in 4 short weeks. Some of these people seem to think they are cured.

In 1977, the General Service Board of AA issued a bulletin strongly suggesting that AA groups do not use, sell or refer to books or literature that is not approved by the General Service Conference of AA, and if they insist on doing so, that they at least be sure to advertise their programs as such. There are reasons for that folks. Every book that is approved by the Conference is rigorously scrubbed by committee after committee to make sure it conforms 100% to AA's principles, steps and traditions. The two Back to Basics meetings in my town - one held at an AA clubhouse - do not even have enough respect for the program to let newcomers know they are not hearing official AA.

This book is not AA. It is not approved by the General Service Conference. It is filled with references to books issued by Hazelden, a non-secular, Christian-biased non-AA institution. It's bad enough that Hazelden is directly responsible for AA losing its copyright to the "triangle within the circle" emblem; Stools and Bottles, a Hazelden publication, is loaded with references to the Bible, which Bill and Dr. Bob struggled to keep out of the program.

Back to Basics may very well be a terrific program, but it has not passed the Service Board and is not approved to be used in AA meetings. Period. I strongly believe that people who swear by the Back to Basics program are doing serious harm to the fellowship of AA. Bill Wilson once said that if AA ever fell, it would do so from within. This book is one of the causes of AA's weakening, not one of its strengths. I currently have three sponsees, and I won't let any of them go near this program.

AA has more than enough enemies from outside the program. If you really love AA, please be aware that you attend these workshops at the peril of the program.

What a great find! This books has simplified the 12 Steps while not taking away the principles. It has been great in taking meetings to prisons, shut-ins, and others with whom we have a limited time frame. Many of us are using it with new sponsees after reworking the program ourselves using the guidelines set forth in this book. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in grasping and understanding this incredible program.

This is the best! Go through the steps the way they were intended to be worked! Simple... not easy. Keep coming back!

A small group of us chose to go throught the steps using this book. Any STEP work is a good idea. I believe this book is easy to understand and provides the guidelines needed to get the work done!!

The history is well documented. The procedure is clear and we're seeing good results.