I had not watched any AA online videos in a long while and I found this great documentary about Bill W. Incredibly good. My Anniversary is tomorrow- 20 Big Ones!! It works if you work it!
Norm well done and keep it up, please remember it is a disease that never goes away - my father was sober from 1973 to 2012 and in 2012 he started to delude himself and say it was a reckless youth issue and he was never an alcoholic, he started to drink again after 39 years and immediately it was obvious to all he was an addict, he died this year but the last few years of his life were an awful experience for his family - my mother checked out mentally in 2013 and has had dementia since - I guess she refused to go through the experience of living with an active alcoholic again, she spared herself that - us his children are broken down from the experience. For yours and your loved ones sake please stay sober and never get complacent.
Thanks Bill, for the wonderful message of hope for the suffering alcoholic and that sustains so many grateful, recovering alcoholics. I now have 32 years in recovery, one day at time. AA works, if you work it.
But sought strength from her higher power! Amen marriage is certainly not easy or for the faint of heart, but he took care of himself first so he could be better for her!
Truly great stuff, and what a testimony. Watched this after a zoom meeting. So grateful we live in a time where we dont have to face certain troubles alone.
I found an AA book in a jail cell during the first couple of weeks of my 4 year sentence. A.A. is basically a spiritual way of life that returns you to sanity and allows you to dig in and walk life with your creator. The program lies in the book and the step work. The meetings are such a wonderful gift too, just getting to meet sober friends who really care about you but the spiritual experience, the relationship with your creator, the dark obsessive nasty garbage that floods our minds 24/7 and gets TOSSED OUT with a snap of a finger (it takes work though) All of that comes from the doing of the 12 steps. If you want to stop destroying yourself then I reccomend at the very least to look up a meeting. Go there tonight and ask around for a book . Get the book and some numbers (they will give you a packet witha list of there phone numbers, call them they want to help) read the book quietly with some coffee or tea or outside at the park or anywhere you can be free for a couple hours and keep reading. From there, pick up one of those numbers and call around to get to another meeting.
Yes,we are completely powerless without God and in the same time is God that helps us accepting our powerlessness,this is the miracle. I thank so much AA to be in my life,our lives. Just for today I can look at the mirror and say “ welcome girl, you are back in a different kind of living “. Thanks HP for the fellowship, steps ,sponsor. I’m not alone no more
Thank God for the AA Fellowship and them drunks that show us the way. Truly beautiful way of life one day at a time. I am forever grateful for a life of miracles today. The 12 Steps recovery program goes beyond word's, It's truly a sacred journey " the desire to find God must come from within".... Thank you A.A. If your drinking yourself to death and want to stop, please, please make the phone call for help and never ever give up. Good sponsorship is hard to find at times but don't Give up, The miracle of recovery is truly awesome and today maybe your day!
Thank you for this Jan. I love AA, saved me, been able to see my son's grow up and keep my family together. I had my last drink Nov 95 ODAAT, first seven years no programme, dry drunk, hell on earth, five meetings a week. Then got a sponsor who guided me through the steps, got connected to God, everything changed, believe me i know the difference. We used to have a sign hanging up in an old home group of mine it read 📖 CHANGE OR DIE not my opinion, my experience God bless you all my brother's and sisters And we will cease fighting...........
I never meant to quit... it's just been along time since I felt it necessary to drink or use any mood or mind altering substance. A.A. is a great begining that I always come back to, and without those 12 steps, I of myself cannot navigate through life. I found a new way of living and facing life without being anesthetized. Thank you God for orchestrating Sam Shoemaker, Ebby, Dr. Silkworth,Father Ed, Henrietta,Bill,Lois,Bob,Anne and leaving the keys for me to get in seventy years later
AA is for those who want it If you try it and you think it will not work for you then leave and good luck to you honestly. If you stay you will find it will be confusing and hard. But if you stick it out get ready for a miracle. Please give it a chance please. We need you as much if not more than you may need us. It's quite easy to stay sober for just one day. And if you stay you will have a chance to stay sober any way you want. Nobody but nobody is the same. If someone trys to give you orders you just tell them to back off. Long time experience has shown us that nobody tells a drunk what they have to do. I think you know what I mean. Trust me AA just ruins you for drinking. lol
I love how people just judge bill for his disease. A couple women at the meeting last night said some not so nice stuff about my bill and I didn’t like it. None of you in this world and not me either is better than him at all. Are we in his boots ? Nope 👎 and I’m enjoying this beautiful video before my meeting tonight. Folks never judge a book by its cover just don’t bc when it comes there turn to read yours the judgement just might get passed on you ! God bless you all and god bless bill and god bless bless that’s two blesses for Lois
👍 Yup. Bill W was wise enough and humble enough to hand AA over to AA and made every effort to be just a member of AA and relinquish his platform as AA's founder. He ultimately ignored every instinct in him to go chasing after money in the world of big business again, because of his passion for sobriety and the AA way. He reportedly got a little overly close with a woman outside of his marriage to Louis, that we know of, but don't know the circumstances or if she was a 'new' member of AA (Which is what is called 13th stepping btw. Many people have relationships as recovered members in AA, that's life, not 13th stepping someone). Also, according to his letters to Fr Ed. Dowling, he was very interested in the research into a new drug called LSD, thought to be able to cure depression (still is), but concluded it would not be congruent with his principles about seeking to deepen his relationship with his 'God'. So, I don't think he was having groovy parties with vulnerable people outside AA. But, I wasn't there. I didn't know him, but I've listened to a lot of people who did. Ernie K and Chuck C are interesting people to look up to get a better idea of his character.
The admission of powerlessness is the first step of recovery. otherwise we remain hung up . If we rely on willpower alone, then the only thing we know how to do is escalate our addictions Step 1 calls us to do less, to yield, to surrender, to let go. Fear of withdrawing and constant denial are two factors that keep the addiction cycles spinning. Admitting powerlessness is absolutely essential to help break the addiction cycle which is made up of 5 points. 1. Pain 2. Reaching out to an addictive agent, such as work, food, sex, alcohol, or dependent relationships to sooth our pain 3. Temporary anesthesia 4. Negative consequences 5. Shame and guilt, which result in more pain or low self-esteem.”
Thanks for posting this.I already knew the most important parts of "Our" beginnings, however, It was nice to hear in detail what were the cornerstones of those AA beginnings and the determination,drive,dedication,enthusiasm, inspiration and relentless effort in "Carrying the message" by our co founders and first wave of our Fellow drunks!
Surprised to see so few thumbs up/down and likes. To me, this is royalty and a treasure. It is challenging to get why a reality star will get thousands of views and comments and piece like this so little.
If you can't physically attend AA meetings personally, you can go on the Internet and go to www.intherooms.com. Register and log in. You can join in with others from all over the world and listen to their stories. You can also get "in the box" and spend 4 to 5 minutes sharing your story. The meetings last an hour, and are on the air several times each day. There you'll find the 12 steps, the promises, etc. So it's great for new people who really want to stop drinking.
In some places, I wish there were subtitles :( .... the captions that are autogenerated are so inaccurate at times.... But i'm amazed at how simple the principles are ... and how he said he was like a child
Poor lois...the conditioning on her from his behaviour...she looks at him all the time.....that poor girl, woman, always in agreeance.?God knows what we dont know....I'd like something real.....
The reasons we lost the power of choice in drinking are not so obscure anymore. Science has finally accomplished a treatment, written about in The Big Book around 80 years ago, called The Sinclair Method.
Poor wife that as to hear this over and over...Can't believe she stayed with him! Brainwashing works..."let's go inside you look cold, you could make us a pot of coffee". haha!
Of course she stayed because Bill had money and good D .... So what's that make her? Today #metoo and feminism would have crushed him but to anyone who has negativity towards AA well Start your own fellowship it's a free country
If you listen to his wife’s interview she said she couldn’t leave him because she just wanted to be with him too much - her words. I hear you about the coffee comment- these were the times- and we haven’t come that far - misogyny can not be accepted ever.
The gift of food and hot coffee cannot be underestimated. Bless those who lovingly make them, bless those who happily enjoy them. Everyone wins when love is at the heart of things. ♥️
Bollocks! There's lots of atheists, agnostics, pantheists, native Americans, Buddhists, Hindus, Toists, and belief in Spinoza/Einstein type of God i.e The universe/mother nature who have got clean and sober and have remained so for decades until their dying day. Atheists believe the fellowship itself is the higher power and they do all right. Your crap is dangerous talk as it could prevent people seeking help and that can be fatal so watch your words Jesus boy.
I had not watched any AA online videos in a long while and I found this great documentary about Bill W. Incredibly good. My Anniversary is tomorrow- 20 Big Ones!! It works if you work it!
20 is a Big One. Congratulations.
I'm coming up on 24...
Congratulations 🎉
Congratulations
Congratulations, God bless you!
Norm well done and keep it up, please remember it is a disease that never goes away - my father was sober from 1973 to 2012 and in 2012 he started to delude himself and say it was a reckless youth issue and he was never an alcoholic, he started to drink again after 39 years and immediately it was obvious to all he was an addict, he died this year but the last few years of his life were an awful experience for his family - my mother checked out mentally in 2013 and has had dementia since - I guess she refused to go through the experience of living with an active alcoholic again, she spared herself that - us his children are broken down from the experience. For yours and your loved ones sake please stay sober and never get complacent.
بسیار ممنون بیل ویلسون . به خاطر همه چی ....
R there many meetings in Egypt ???
Thank you señor Bill W.
8 years sober!!
Solo por hoy.
👏👏🥇👏🇲🇽
Thanks Bill, for the wonderful message of hope for the suffering alcoholic and that sustains so many grateful, recovering alcoholics. I now have 32 years in recovery, one day at time. AA works, if you work it.
Lois must have been an angel to put up with all that and still be by Bill's side. Amazing woman
But sought strength from her higher power! Amen marriage is certainly not easy or for the faint of heart, but he took care of himself first so he could be better for her!
Truly great stuff, and what a testimony. Watched this after a zoom meeting. So grateful we live in a time where we dont have to face certain troubles alone.
AA is a wonderful program as long as you want it and want to listen thank God it is help me these last 30 days thank God for AA
Lon Branham well done buddy 👍🏼
GOD bless
Keep coming back Brother.
Made me cry with Gratitude hearing Bill and Lois 🙏✨🦉
Спасибо, Билл и Боб! Вместе с сегодня 5 лет, 5 месяцев и 25 дней трезвой, счастливой и осознанно жизни. Низкий поклон!
I found an AA book in a jail cell during the first couple of weeks of my 4 year sentence.
A.A. is basically a spiritual way of life that returns you to sanity and allows you to dig in and walk life with your creator.
The program lies in the book and the step work.
The meetings are such a wonderful gift too, just getting to meet sober friends who really care about you but the spiritual experience, the relationship with your creator, the dark obsessive nasty garbage that floods our minds 24/7 and gets TOSSED OUT with a snap of a finger (it takes work though)
All of that comes from the doing of the 12 steps.
If you want to stop destroying yourself then I reccomend at the very least to look up a meeting. Go there tonight and ask around for a book .
Get the book and some numbers (they will give you a packet witha list of there phone numbers, call them they want to help) read the book quietly with some coffee or tea or outside at the park or anywhere you can be free for a couple hours and keep reading.
From there, pick up one of those numbers and call around to get to another meeting.
Thank's Bill my Life saved because of you and Dr Silkworth. THANKYOU
Yes,we are completely powerless without God and in the same time is God that helps us accepting our powerlessness,this is the miracle. I thank so much AA to be in my life,our lives. Just for today I can look at the mirror and say “ welcome girl, you are back in a different kind of living “. Thanks HP for the fellowship, steps ,sponsor. I’m not alone no more
Thank God for the AA Fellowship and them drunks that show us the way. Truly beautiful way of life one day at a time. I am forever grateful for a life of miracles today. The 12 Steps recovery program goes beyond word's, It's truly a sacred journey " the desire to find God must come from within"....
Thank you A.A.
If your drinking yourself to death and want to stop, please, please make the phone call for help and never ever give up. Good sponsorship is hard to find at times but don't Give up, The miracle of recovery is truly awesome and today maybe your day!
What an incredible man.... WOW. A very powerful documentary. Thank you Bill W.
Wonderful Man saved so many
Thank you for this Jan. I love AA, saved me, been able to see my son's grow up and keep my family together. I had my last drink Nov 95 ODAAT, first seven years no programme, dry drunk, hell on earth, five meetings a week. Then got a sponsor who guided me through the steps, got connected to God, everything changed, believe me i know the difference. We used to have a sign hanging up in an old home group of mine it read 📖
CHANGE OR DIE not my opinion, my experience
God bless you all my brother's and sisters
And we will cease fighting...........
I never meant to quit... it's just been along time since I felt it necessary to drink or use any mood or mind altering substance. A.A. is a great begining that I always come back to, and without those 12 steps, I of myself cannot navigate through life. I found a new way of living and facing life without being anesthetized. Thank you God for orchestrating Sam Shoemaker, Ebby, Dr. Silkworth,Father Ed, Henrietta,Bill,Lois,Bob,Anne and leaving the keys for me to get in seventy years later
shaun keates
Esta película me cambio la vida no por el alcohol y mi enfermedad mostró el camino para entender la enfermedad Real Que es mi ALMA
AA is for those who want it If you try it and you think it will not work for you then leave and good luck to you honestly. If you stay you will find it will be confusing and hard. But if you stick it out get ready for a miracle. Please give it a chance please. We need you as much if not more than you may need us. It's quite easy to stay sober for just one day. And if you stay you will have a chance to stay sober any way you want. Nobody but nobody is the same. If someone trys to give you orders you just tell them to back off. Long time experience has shown us that nobody tells a drunk what they have to do. I think you know what I mean. Trust me AA just ruins you for drinking. lol
Not sure how u work that out who needs it most the 1 with the issues or the 1 with the answers ?? Are we not all equal ??
I'm so grateful for this program and the Big Book 📖 🔺. 12 steps too obviously
Great documentary. Aa history is interesting and good to learn.
Nicolás AA. Desde Piura Perú 🇵🇪
I love how people just judge bill for his disease. A couple women at the meeting last night said some not so nice stuff about my bill and I didn’t like it. None of you in this world and not me either is better than him at all. Are we in his boots ? Nope 👎 and I’m enjoying this beautiful video before my meeting tonight. Folks never judge a book by its cover just don’t bc when it comes there turn to read yours the judgement just might get passed on you ! God bless you all and god bless bill and god bless bless that’s two blesses for Lois
👍 Yup.
Bill W was wise enough and humble enough to hand AA over to AA and made every effort to be just a member of AA and relinquish his platform as AA's founder.
He ultimately ignored every instinct in him to go chasing after money in the world of big business again, because of his passion for sobriety and the AA way.
He reportedly got a little overly close with a woman outside of his marriage to Louis, that we know of, but don't know the circumstances or if she was a 'new' member of AA (Which is what is called 13th stepping btw. Many people have relationships as recovered members in AA, that's life, not 13th stepping someone).
Also, according to his letters to Fr Ed. Dowling, he was very interested in the research into a new drug called LSD, thought to be able to cure depression (still is), but concluded it would not be congruent with his principles about seeking to deepen his relationship with his 'God'.
So, I don't think he was having groovy parties with vulnerable people outside AA. But, I wasn't there. I didn't know him, but I've listened to a lot of people who did. Ernie K and Chuck C are interesting people to look up to get a better idea of his character.
I'm in the aa program and it's a wonderful program
Incredible footage
Stark reminder to anyone in this situation......were not there
The admission of powerlessness is the first step of recovery.
otherwise we remain hung up .
If we rely on willpower alone, then the only thing we know how to do is escalate our addictions Step 1 calls us to do less, to yield, to surrender, to let go.
Fear of withdrawing and constant denial are two factors that keep the addiction cycles spinning.
Admitting powerlessness is absolutely essential to help break the addiction cycle which is made up of 5 points.
1. Pain
2. Reaching out to an addictive agent, such as work, food, sex, alcohol, or dependent relationships to sooth our pain
3. Temporary anesthesia
4. Negative consequences
5. Shame and guilt, which result in more pain or low self-esteem.”
Thanks for posting this.I already knew the most important parts of "Our" beginnings, however, It was nice to hear in detail what were the cornerstones of those AA beginnings and the determination,drive,dedication,enthusiasm, inspiration and relentless effort in "Carrying the message" by our co founders and first wave of our Fellow drunks!
He hits in something extremely important.... Relapse does breed hopelessness... How do we pull out of that??
Relapse can happen but key is to open your mouth and ask for help u will get better❤
She never gave up on him.
Surprised to see so few thumbs up/down and likes. To me, this is royalty and a treasure. It is challenging to get why a reality star will get thousands of views and comments and piece like this so little.
If you can't physically attend AA meetings personally, you can go on the Internet and go to www.intherooms.com. Register and log in. You can join in with others from all over the world and listen to their stories. You can also get "in the box" and spend 4 to 5 minutes sharing your story. The meetings last an hour, and are on the air several times each day. There you'll find the 12 steps, the promises, etc. So it's great for new people who really want to stop drinking.
13months soba thx bill 🙏🏼
Thank you very much..
N.A. Greek
Gia sou re file.
Congrats on your sobriety, a true gift from God himself.
This is really wonderful
In some places, I wish there were subtitles :( .... the captions that are autogenerated are so inaccurate at times.... But i'm amazed at how simple the principles are ... and how he said he was like a child
Show me a drunk i will show you someone searching for God.
What about drunken religious people?
porque el alcoholico recuperado sabe de las necesidades de un alcoholico, las enfermedades que padese
She truly loved bill w
Alcohol wasn't the problem unless I drank it! Doh.
I doubt alcohol would be legal if it just came out today
jm A good point!
What a great women she was
Thanks GOD
Poor lois...the conditioning on her from his behaviour...she looks at him all the time.....that poor girl, woman, always in agreeance.?God knows what we dont know....I'd like something real.....
Love aa program
las mil maneras de un alcoholico puede esconder el alcohol
Best part is Lois: 52:44
The reasons we lost the power of choice in drinking are not so obscure anymore. Science has finally accomplished a treatment, written about in The Big Book around 80 years ago, called The Sinclair Method.
de halli aplican veneno contra veneno.
We are alcoholic anonymous sos we r soldiers of soberity 86- 87- 88 read it.
I'll be 2 years sober Sept 9 aa work's
You never know bill w may not of been able to get sober without his wife standing bye his side
We all need love and support
Addiction is scary stuff
33:29 does anyone know what he said here? “Possibly…” what?
I wonder if any that which zoom any of those others meetings
what year was this filmed?
1964
√
i don't mind mr kowalski
Never talks about herself?....just all him
Poor wife that as to hear this over and over...Can't believe she stayed with him! Brainwashing works..."let's go inside you look cold, you could make us a pot of coffee". haha!
Well its obvious you are not an alcoholic or have one in your family
She's a great woman who started the Al_Anon program and they definitely love eachother
Of course she stayed because Bill had money and good D ....
So what's that make her?
Today #metoo and feminism would have crushed him but to anyone who has negativity towards AA well
Start your own fellowship it's a free country
If you listen to his wife’s interview she said she couldn’t leave him because she just wanted to be with him too much - her words.
I hear you about the coffee comment- these were the times- and we haven’t come that far - misogyny can not be accepted ever.
The gift of food and hot coffee cannot be underestimated. Bless those who lovingly make them, bless those who happily enjoy them. Everyone wins when love is at the heart of things. ♥️
Without Jesus Christ as your foundation you will not make it.
Bollocks! There's lots of atheists, agnostics, pantheists, native Americans, Buddhists, Hindus, Toists, and belief in Spinoza/Einstein type of God i.e The universe/mother nature who have got clean and sober and have remained so for decades until their dying day. Atheists believe the fellowship itself is the higher power and they do all right. Your crap is dangerous talk as it could prevent people seeking help and that can be fatal so watch your words Jesus boy.