Daily Readings

One day, a visiting member from Canada asked the group, "If you are so proud of your supposed connection to the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous and the 12 steps as the solution to alcoholism, why don't you just read from the Big Book?" That simple question proved revolutionary. It led the group to move away from other literature and ultimately to the How It Works Daily Readings book. On October 26, 1995, the Group Conscience approved using the "Big Big Book." Initially, the daily readings were contained in an exceptionally large three-ring binder containing the specific readings from pages of AA and plastic covers. Hence the name, the "Big Big Book." Later, the readings were published in the now familiar bound edition. The bound books are replenished on an as- needed basis. They are purchased from a vendor in the same manner as the other literature purchases approved at the monthly How It Works Business Meeting.

The How It Works group really began to grow in membership after adoption of the Daily Readings book. In many respects, the adoption led to the unification of the How It Works groups and members all over the world. By having each group on the same page (and date!) those people who are traveling find a special bond. When we read and focus on topics from the Big Book, we see how devastating the disease really is. And yet, we also see how big the answer is compared to the problem.

Adoption of the Daily Readings book allowed all of the Big Book to be read by all the members. Further, the Daily Readings book also placed special attention on the Step Three and Step Seven prayers and the "Spiritual Experience" Appendix.

Minutes of that How It Works Group Conscious meeting held on 10-31- 1996, indicate that the evolution of the Big Big Book continued. It was decided at that time not to include the readings of acceptance that appeared on page 449 of the Third Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous because it's not included in the first 164 pages.

Later on, of course, the Daily Readings book would be expanded to include the pages on "Spiritual Experience" added as an appendix in the back of Alcoholics Anonymous and to include Dr. Bob's Nightmare (pages 171 through 181, Fourth Edition). Over time, only slight changes have been made from the original Daily Readings book, primarily to include some slight pagination changes resulting from the Fourth Edition's new Forward and the inclusion of the Step Three and Step Seven prayers, etc. In the sixth printing, the dating format was changed to ensure that even those who could attend only the AM or PM meetings, not both, would be given the opportunity to read all of the selected readings from Alcoholics Anonymous, rather than repeating half of the book as it was previously formatted.