Bill W's Last Message --- “Concept of Anonymity”

. My dear friends, Recently an A.A. member sent me an unusual greeting which I would like to extend to you. He told me it was an ancient Arabian salutation. Perhaps we have no Arabian groups, but it still seems a fitting expression of how I feel for each of you. It says, “I salute you and thank you for your life.” My thoughts are much occupied these days with gratitude to our Fellowship and for the myriad blessings bestowed upon us by God’s Grace. If I were asked which of these blessings I felt was most responsible for our growth as a fellowship and most vital to our continuity, I would say, the “Concept of Anonymity.” Anonymity has two attributes essential to our individual and collective survival; the spiritual and the practical. On the spiritual level, anonymity demands the greatest discipline of which we are capable; on the practical level, anonymity has brought protection for the newcomer, respect and support of the world outside, and security from those of us who would use A.A. for sick and selfish purposes. A.A. must and will continue to change with the passing years. We cannot, nor should we, turn back the clock. However, I deeply believe that the principle of anonymity must remain our primary and enduring safeguard. As long as we accept our sobriety in our traditional spirit of anonymity we will continue to receive God’s Grace. And so—once more, I salute you in that spirit and again I thank you for your lives. May God bless us all now, and forever. *Read by Lois at the annual dinner given by the New York Intergroup Association in honor of Bill’s 36th anniversary—October 10, 1970. FAIR USE: For educational purposes only. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Fair Use Definition Fair use is a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders, such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching or scholarship. It provides for the legal, non-licensed citation or incorporation of copyrighted material in another author’s work under a four-factor balancing test. PLEASE NOTE: ALL NAMES, TRADEMARKS AND IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. These pages are neither endorsed nor approved by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. https://www.aa.org/ Alcoholics Anonymous, “Big Book” pdf https://www.aa.org/the-big-book Alcoholics Anonymous, “Big Book” audio https://www.aa.org/resources/media?te... STEP 1 We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable. STEP 2 Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity STEP 3 Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. STEP 4 Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. STEP 5 Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. STEP 6 Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. STEP 7 Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. STEP 8 Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. STEP 9 Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. STEP 10 Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. STEP 11 Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. STEP 12 Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. SURRENDER SHARING AMENDS GUIDANCE HONESTY PURITY UNSELFISHNESS LOVE TRUST GOD CLEAN HOUSE HELP OTHERS Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter 5, How it works, AA, Dr Bob, Bill W, Big Book, 12 Steps, RECOVERED, Powerless, 1st Step Experience, Craving, Desire, Real Alcoholic, Easy Does It, 4 Absolutes, Honesty, Purity, Unselfishness, Love, Keep Coming Back, Clarence Snyder, AA Cleveland, Akron Ohio, Founders', Serenity, Amazing Grace, The Doctor's Opinion, Dr Silkworth, drunk, sober, How it works, Big Book, 12 Steps, 1st Step Experience, Alcoholic, Easy Does it, Absolutes, aa meetings, sobriety, aa speaker, oxford group, miracle, peace, serenity, fellowship, .