January 20, 2026 “Regardless of worldly success or failure, regardless of pain or joy, regardless of sickness or health or even of death itself, a new life of endless possibilities can be lived if we are willing to continue our awakening, through the practice of AA’s Twelve Steps.” AA Co-Founder, Bill W., December 1957, “The Greatest Gift of All”, The Language of the Heart I remember sitting in my home group listening to one of the men speak at my home group. I was astonished when he revealed that his son had been shot and killed by a local gang member by cross fire. In other words, his son was in the wrong place at the wrong time. This man had expressed how grateful he was that he was sober, and that he was able to meet with the young man who killed his son in prison. At that time, he was regularly visiting him. In that same group, one of the members, my sponsor's husband's sponsee, actually killed someone in a drunk driving incident but went ...
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation." --HERBERT SPENCER This quote first appeared in one of the Stories in the Back of the Book, first edition, titled An Artist’s Concept. The story was dropped from subsequent editions and the quote was moved to appear at the end of Appendix II called "Spiritual Experience". This would be on page 570 in the Third Edition and Fourth Edition. I like reading the material that is the closest to the beginning of the formation of the AA construct to get a better comprehension of our program at our roots. Here is a snippet from that story... "The next day I met over twenty men who had achieved a mental rebirth from alcoholism. Here again it was not so much what these men told me in regard to their experiences that was impres...