Then he cites the big book as to what is a requirement for membership to aa, and that is a desire to quit drinking. Bleeding deacon all you need is the big book alcoholics. Do they become bleeding deacons or elder statesmen. We had yearly events where we attended a meeting at all the groups in our district ending in a dinner it was called a day in aa, but that too has faded in to something more convenient or is gone.
Bill always admitted that he had many of the character traits of the bleeding deacon, so he made a conscious effort to avoid becoming such a person. My group sometimes reads from the original manuscript of the big book because many of us favor the more forceful language it uses. The bleeding deacon is one who is just as surely convinced that the group cannot get along. So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. Right reverend ward ewing, former chairperson of the aa general service board. I dont believe that simply sitting in a meeting will.
I know personally, that i am very guilty of being a control freak and behave like a baby if i do not get my way. Leadership in aa, bleeding deacon or elder statesperson a district 23 buzz session. Point to, and boldly state that all the big book personal stories are now conferenceapproved and thereby overcome the bleeding deacon test which consigned them to oblivion as relics of bygone days. When he found it building into a resentment he came to me and told me what i had done, and how it affected him. Nearly every oldtimer in our society has gone through this process in some degree. North carolina conference of young people in alcoholics anonymous. May 10, 2018 the bleeding deacon is just as surely convinced that the group cannot get along without him. That pamphlet went through the same conference approval. When i read the chapter of the big book, more about. Bleeding in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. That group eventually dissolved to due to personalities we had a bleeding deacon in our midst and eventually he killed th group. Later on she called and asked for the article, and i lied and said i hadnt had time to write it. Take all 12 steps in just 4 hours download this aa big book step guide and work book.
Apr 19, 2008 another bleeding deacon the danger of reminiscing about the good ol days. Ever heard of the bleeding deacon and the elderly statesman. Elder in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. I havent chased down any service work, what ive done has been handed to me. Now, im certainly not the grand big book puba or aa authority. Long overlooked big book 1st edition personal storiesaa.
Bobs brief remarks aa history how it works aa 12 steps 12 steps of aa audio book. The bleeding deacons give me practice on releasing my resentments and learning about assertiveness. The members responded to get out of the way but try to help. The word questions is mentioned 9 x in the big book and 12x in 12n12. I looked for a fulltext version of as bill sees it, which was written by bill wilson, the founder of aa, but no dice. The bleeding deacon is one who is just as surely convinced that the group cannot get along without him, who constantly connives for reelection to offi ce, and who continues to be consumed with selfpity.
To my mind, it is crystal clear, as the right reverend ward ewing attests to in the above quote, that aa cannot become religious, that ones religion. The book alcoholics anonymous, aka the big book, is the basic text for the aa program of sobriety. The eaa group rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. As their grief and anxiety wear away, a subtle change begins. It seems like they think they own aa because they are really old and have been in the rooms for 20 plus years. The reading in the fifth chapter of the big book says that we are not saints p. This entry was posted in uncategorized and tagged aa and establishing a relationship with god, aa basic text personal storiesx, aa big bok, aa big book 1st ed a new life, aa big book personal. Real alcoholics, the big book and selective altruism posted by m a under cult aspects of. Aug 21, 2019 leadership in aa, bleeding deacon or elder statesperson a district 23 buzz session. The bleeding deacon is one just as surely convinced that the group cannot get along without him, who constantly connives for reelection to office, and who continues to be consumed with selfpity. Ultimately they divide into two classes known in a.
The bleeding deacon is one who is just as surely convinced that the group cannot get along without him, who constantly connives for reelection to office, and who continues to be consumed with self pity. On page 123, alcoholics anonymous comes of age, bill wilson states. Jane, this is not at all what i understand the term bleeding deacon, as used in aa, to mean. It is my hope that when aa members call themselves an aa group, they wont create a second requirement for membership. The elder statesman is the one who sees the wisdom of the groups decision, who holds no resentment over his reduced status, whose judgment, fortifi ed by considerable experience, is sound, and who is willing to sit quietly on the sidelines patiently awaiting developments. Generally, big book sponsors are unhappy with the prevailing presentation of the. Not a chair or a mouth or listening to some bleeding deacon babbling fool go off about their 25 years in a. The bleeding deacon is one who is just as surely convinced that the group cannot get along without him, who constantly connives for reelection to office, and. Dec 08, 2014 we hear there are suggestions, but it turns out they are really musts. A workshop guide to the twelve traditions of cocaine. Whether youre a member of alcoholics anonymous, cocaine anonymous, drug addicts anonymous, narcotics anonymous or any other anonymous 12 step based fellowshipwere here to share our experience, strength and hope with each other that we may solve our common problem and help others to recover from any and all addictions. We hear there are suggestions, but it turns out they are really musts. Another bleeding deacon the danger of reminiscing about. My group was called an aa group after the longform of the third tradition which states, any two or three alcoholics, gathered for sobriety, may call themselves an.
Tonight at a meeting i mentioned that i am using a workbook i found on the internet to guide me through the steps. There will be alluring shortcuts and bypaths down which they may wander and lose their way. The term bleeding deacon is a corruption of an old new england term from the 18th or 19th century. Aa ends lawsuit over big book manuscript aa beyond belief. He constantly connives for reelection to office and continues to be consumed with selfpity. When i read the chapter of the big book, more about alcoholism, it was clear the author was. The aa message is being carried into jails and churches, treatment centers and factories. Gratitude month and the birthday plan alcoholics anonymous. To my mind, it is crystal clear, as the right reverend ward ewing attests to in the above quote, that aa cannot become religious, that ones religion is an outside issue relative to our aa spirituality. Elder statesmen versus the bleeding bleating deacons big book. Important places aa international talks aa old timers alcoholics anonymous big book dr. The first reference to bleeding deacon that i am aware of, is in the book twelve steps and twelve traditions, published by alcoholics anonymous world. Nov 23, 2008 the bleeding deacons give me practice on releasing my resentments and learning about assertiveness.
Bleeding deacon may very well have its origins in aa. Avid students of aas history,and ardent newcomers would appreciate it. Inheritors of the big book sponsorship tradition find themselves a minority perspective within the rapidly growing recovery culture. However, my support network and sponsor are very old school aa. Then our singleness of purpose and our common welfare can prevail. Stories, aa history, big book, big book 1st ed comes to life, big book personal stories, big book stories, bill w. Bleeding deacons and elder statesmen, houston roundup 2014. Sorting and rendering passages in the proprietary format of the 164 and more concordance does not in any way imply affiliation with or endorsement by either. He also quotes the big book in suggesting that even hard drinkers should be helped like real alcoholics. When it comes to speaking, i enjoy being the center of attention, i like to get a laugh. Jun 07, 2009 he states, i am willing to work the program. Barry died in 1985, but the big book manuscript wasnt transferred to aa world services as was promised in barrys letter, and there isnt any evidence that aa world services presented the leach estate with barrys notarized letter. Pity in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12 traditions. So he asks me, you know scott, im dying of alcoholism today, im really really sick, but even though i dont know the.
Jul 28, 20 right reverend ward ewing, former chairperson of the aa general service board. Elder statesmen versus the bleeding bleating deacons. Some have objected to doing this because they say only aa approved books can be used in meetings. My reaction to that was the same as my reaction when it was suggested i come to aa i thought it was one of the dumbest ideas id ever heard and i ignored her letter. Rotation of half of the conference delegates in one year, the other half the next. The bleeding deacon is just as surely convinced that the group cannot get along without him. Technology in aa online community the way out big book study group. Aa principles personalities bleeding deacons the eaa. On page 86 of the big book of alcoholics anonymous it says. This can be done by citing the new conferenceapproved publication by a. Aa principles personalities bleeding deacons the e. The bleeding deacon of deer creek d, nevada city, california, october 1956.
I came to aa ravaged by the disease of alcoholism, having tried many. Bleeding deacon all you need is the big book permalink printer friendly. The original term was bleating deacon, evoking a farmers image of an old goat in the pulpit. Alcoholism12 step support bleeding deacons there are a few of them in my area and it seems like they have taken over all the meetings.
It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us. Aa has done wonders for me, throughout this whole thing the thought of a drink or a drug has not even been an option and i attribute that to aa in my life. Simply stated, my sobriety is a side effect of right living and right action. Aug 11, 2012 this entry was posted in uncategorized and tagged aa and establishing a relationship with god, aa basic text personal storiesx, aa big bok, aa big book 1st ed a new life, aa big book personal. To qualify here, ive been able to speak at big and small big book step meetings, conventions, conferences and of course one on one in some new guys driveway as i drop him offive been at it half my life almost exactlysometimes im on it spiritually and things are revealed that have enormous depth and weight and. Many years ago i inadvertently caused hard feelings in an fellow aa. He was deliberately taking steps to guard against becoming a bleeding deacon, the type of older member who attempts to dominate the fellowship and to block any change not of his own making. The 164 and more book, ebook, and web site are all concordances which display passages from the big book alcoholics anonymous, the twelve steps and twelve traditions, and the a. The bleeding deacon and the elder statesman youtube.
My big book suggests that i must make amends to those i resent, not because of what they did to me, but for my reaction to it. Pity in big book alcoholics anonymous, 12 steps and 12. Nov 28, 20 bleeding deacons and elder statesmen, houston roundup 2014. Spiritual reading list original manuscript of the big book. I my personal opinion the bleeding deacons are why aa growth has declined. Another bleeding deacon the danger of reminiscing about the. My personal copy of the big book is well worn, highlighted and tabbed with notes written on just about every page, just like any text book. Actually no, its the aa program and came right out of the 12 steps.
Suppose we tell you some of the obstacles a family will meet. What about the bleeding deacon and elder statesman. Leadership in aa, bleeding deacon or elder statesperson. Miracles in progress 12 step recovery forums alcoholics anonymous alcoholics anonymous bleeding deacon all you need is the big book start a new topic reply printer friendly post info. The allergy of the body and the obession of the mind. I feel fairly confident this will happen if members of aa will read what is in the basic text for recoverythe aa big book. In fact, aa world services didnt realize they had the letter until it surfaced sometime in 2007. I recommend 3d printing if your sponsor is a bleeding deacon. Aug 07, 2011 sometimes i wonder why im still sober. How would other members of aa handle this bleeding deacon. A copy of the prepublication manuscript circulated prior to printing of the 1st edition of the big book alcoholics anonymous. This pamphlet says aa is not a medical society and that withholding medication can be as harmful in some cases as issuing medication can be in others. Alcoholics anonymous as a spiritual experience the chart. There you will find release from care, boredom and worry.