Hence the two men set to work almost frantically upon alcoholics arriving in the ward of the Akron City Hospital. Their very first case, a desperate one, recovered immediately and became A.A. number three. He never had another drink. This work at Akron continued through the summer of 1935. There were many failures, but there was an occasional heartening success. When the broker returned to New York in the fall of 1935, the first A.A. group had actually been formed, though no one realized it at the time.
- 'Almost frantically' is a good description of how to go about the AA programme
- In truth, total reliance on God can produce concerted but calm action
- But 'almost frantic' is better than indolent or lackadaisical
- The 'work' is Step Twelve: it's not working on our defects or on communing with God
- The first eleven Steps are the preparation for the work
- Note that the authors did not consider recovery to be a lifelong or even a protracted process
- It was a short process that could be completed
- Thereafter, we are simply AA members, and to maintain our sober status as AA members we must stay spiritually fit, chiefly by carrying the message
- Not everyone gets it
- That means not everyone buys the ideas and follows through with action
- But everyone who buys the ideas and follows through with action succeeds