Alcoholics Anonymous by Alcoholics Anonymous, 575 pages

  I read the fourth and latest edition of the Big Book.

  If you struggle with any substance abuse or addiction or care about someone who does, this is a valuable read. It could be considered "Self Help" inasmuch as reading it could help you take a step away from life-destroying addiction and toward a 12-step group.

  This blue book is a primary piece of literature for Alcoholics Anonymous, aimed to be a tool to help those in recovery and those seeking sobriety guide each other through meetings and personal contact. The first section of the book describes how the program came about and how it is designed to work, along with notes to family members and employers of alcoholics. The majority of the book consists of personal stories written by individuals in recovery, each one sharing his/her own struggle and path to sobriety. The appendices are also much-used tools.

  The book retains the Foreword from each of the previous editions that, when viewed back to back, are awe inspiring. In 1939, the Foreword identifies Alcoholics Anonymous as “nearly one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body.” In 1955, the group had “mushroomed into nearly 6,000 groups whose membership is far above 150,000 recovered alcoholics” in the all 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii, all the Canadian provinces, plus communities in six other countries. The 1976 edition conservatively estimated more than one million recovered alcoholics among their ranks belonging to 28,000 groups in more than 90 countries. The 2001 edition celebrates more than two million recovered alcoholics finding sober lives through Alcoholics Anonymous via more than 100,800 groups in approximately 150 countries. Impressive life changes across the globe stem from this book!