"If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution. We were in a position where life was becoming impossible, and if we had passed into the region from which there is no return through human aid, we had but two alternatives: One was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could; and the other, to accept spiritual help.

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 46~

"Trembling, I stepped from the hospital a broken man. Fear sobered me for a bit. Then came the insidious insanity of that first drink, and on Armistice Day 1934, I was off again.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Bill’s Story, pp. 8~

“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.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pp. 156~

“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.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pp. 156~

“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.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pp. 156~

"Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldn't be shy on this matter of prayer. Better men than we are using it constantly.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 85~

"We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can quickly diagnose yourself, Step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking. Try to drink and stop abruptly. Try it more than once. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters if you get a full knowledge of your condition."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, More About Alcoholism, pg. 31~

"We must find a spiritual basis of life -- or else."

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 44

“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.”

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, pp. 155-156 ~

"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 worth while."

~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 66~