There are several ‘death threats’ in AA: things I must avoid or eliminate to stay sober:
1. Disunity (Tradition One)
2. Reservations (Step One)
3. Dependence on people, places, and things (Step One, Step
Three Requirement)
4. Harboured resentment (Step Four)
5. Keeping secrets (Step Five)
6. Selfishness (Step Six, Step Seven)
7. Ongoing harm without sincere repentance (Step Six, Step
Seven)
8. Failure to make amends (Step Eight, Step Nine)
9. Failure to face creditors (Step Eight, Step Nine)
10. Complacency (Step Ten)
11. Not living on a spiritual basis (Step Two, Step Three,
Step Eleven)
12. Lack of spiritual growth through work and self-sacrifice
for others (Step Twelve)
1. Disunity:
“Soon A.A. was beset by these very problems on every side and in every group. But out of this frightening and at first disrupting experience the conviction grew that A.A.’s had to hang together or die separately. We had to unify our Fellowship or pass off the scene.” (Foreword to the Second Edition, Big Book)
2. Reservations:
“If we are planning to stop drinking, there must be no reservation of any kind, nor any lurking notion that someday we will be immune to alcohol.” (Page 33, Big Book)
3. Dependence on people, places, and things:
“He clamors for this or that, claiming he cannot master alcohol until his material needs are cared for. Nonsense. Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: Job or no job—wife or no wife—we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God.” (Page 98, Big Book)
4. Harboured resentment:
“It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent that we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worthwhile. But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely grave. We found that it is fatal. For when harboring such feelings we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit. The insanity of alcohol returns and we drink again. And with us, to drink is to die.” (Page 64, Big Book)
5. Keeping secrets:
“The best reason first: If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking. Time after time newcomers have tried to keep to themselves certain facts about their lives. Trying to avoid this humbling experience, they have turned to easier methods. Almost invariably they got drunk. Having persevered with the rest of the program, they wondered why they fell. We think the reason is that they never completed their housecleaning. They took inventory all right, but hung on to some of the worst items in stock. They only thought they had lost their egoism and fear; they only thought they had humbled themselves. But they had not learned enough of humility, fearlessness and honesty, in the sense we find it necessary, until they told someone else all their life story.” (Page 72, Big Book)
“These memories are a nightmare. He trembles to think someone might have observed him. As fast as he can, he pushes these memories far inside himself. He hopes they will never see the light of day. He is under constant fear and tension—that makes for more drinking.” (Page 73, Big Book)
“He should realize that we are engaged upon a life-and- death errand.” (Page 75, Big Book)
6. Selfishness:
“Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us!” (Page 62, Big Book)
7. Ongoing harm without sincere repentance:
“Suppose we fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble? Does this mean we are going to get drunk? Some people tell us so. But this is only a half-truth. It depends on us and on our motives. If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson. If we are not sorry, and our conduct continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink. We are not theorizing. These are facts out of our experience.” (Page 70, Big Book)
8. Failure to make amends:
“Simply we tell him that we will never get over drinking until we have done our utmost to straighten out the past.” (Page 77, Big Book)
“Being intrigued, however, he invited our friend to his home. Some time later, and just as he thought he was getting control of his liquor situation, he went on a roaring bender. For him, this was the spree that ended all sprees. He saw that he would have to face his problems squarely that God might give him mastery. One morning he took the bull by the horns and set out to tell those he feared what his trouble had been. He found himself surprisingly well received, and learned that many knew of his drinking. Stepping into his car, he made the rounds of people he had hurt. He trembled as he went about, for this might mean ruin, particularly to a person in his line of business. At midnight he came home exhausted, but very happy. He has not had a drink since. As we shall see, he now means a great deal to his community, and the major liabilities of thirty years of hard drinking have been repaired in four.” (Page 156, Big Book)
9. Failure to face creditors:
“Most alcoholics owe money. We do not dodge our creditors. Telling them what we are trying to do, we make no bones about our drinking; they usually know it anyway, whether we think so or not. Nor are we afraid of disclosing our alcoholism on the theory it may cause financial harm. Approached in this way, the most ruthless creditor will sometimes surprise us. Arranging the best deal we can we let these people know we are sorry. Our drinking has made us slow to pay. We must lose our fear of creditors no matter how far we have to go, for we are liable to drink if we are afraid to face them.” (Page 78, Big Book)
10. Complacency:
“It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.” (Page 85, Big Book)
11. Not living life on a spiritual basis:
“To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face.” (Page 44, Big Book)
“Whether the family goes on a spiritual basis or not, the alcoholic member has to if he would recover.” (Page 135, Big Book)
12. Lack of spiritual growth through work and self-sacrifice for others:
“Particularly was it imperative to work with others as he had worked with me. Faith without works was dead, he said. And how appallingly true for the alcoholic! For if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could not survive the certain trials and low spots ahead. If he did not work, he would surely drink again, and if he drank, he would surely die.” (Page 14, Big Book)
“Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail.” (Page 89, Big Book)
“Your husband will see at once that he must redouble his spiritual activities if he expects to survive.” (Page 120, Big Book)