101 Common Cliches of Alcoholics Anonymous: The Sayings the Newcomers Hate and the Oldtimers Love - Paperback

by Bob Tolin (Author)

It is hard to find Alcoholic Anonymous literature that has the same flavor as your favorite meeting... until now. This book was written in the same spirit that claims - "We are not a glum lot." This book has been received with such favor that I have now written a second book to add to it, another 101 cliches, so people now have more cliches and commentary to ponder and enjoy. In the Big Book, an alcoholic' states, "...the most compelling part of A.A., the part that made me want to try this sober thing, was the laughter, the pure joy of the laughter that I heard only from sober alcoholics." This book was written first, with the hope to spread this laughter to the newcomer that has lost all hope. Secondly, it serves to enlighten and dispel rumors about AA, to inform people who are simply curious about the teachings of A.A. It tells what it is really like from someone who has taken the journey and recovered. It is filled with witty heartfelt clichés that are so true, so sharp, they make the old-timers smile and the newcomers cringe. The clichés are used to teach newcomers the greater truths about the cure for alcoholism. Each cliché is a parable, an allegorical truth that is then explained using plainly stated information from knowledgable sponsors and the Big Book with humorous commentary from a recovered alcoholic. This book is not fluff, nor is it for the faint hearted. The world of alcohol and drug abuse is not pretty, nor one easily explained or understood. This book is gritty, informative, and at the same time inspirational and full of joy and hope, but most of all it was written with the newcomer in mind, so it does a balancing act just for them. It is meant to be simple, when I was first getting sober I had the attention span of a gnat. It is honest and funny and gives a glimpse of just how ugly addiction gets and how attractive real recovery can be. After reading about us, our cliches and our solution to a condition described as cunning, baffling and powerful, it is my hope at least some will say, "Yes, I am one of them, too; I, too, must have this thing." NOTE: the font size in this book is very close to LARGE PRINT

Author Biography

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bob T. started his drinking career at the age of 17 and 17 years later it ended in chaos, with Bob in hand cuffs facing multiple felony charges for assault and discharging a weapon in a heated battle with his crack dealing "friends". He was put into the psych cell of the county jail with 3 other deranged prisoners when he answered the question, "Are you suicidal?" with "Can I see the charges first?" He was then told he could potentially be serving up to 10 years in Ionia State Prison. Family, friends and lawyer urged Bob to submit to an intense in-house alcohol and drug treatment facility called Dawn Farm in lieu of the upcoming trial. It was a no-nonsense recovery center founded on the accumulated wisdom of AA and the founding principles of Bill W and the Oxford Group. This was the beginning of Bob's strange journey back to sanity. If your path has led you to the brink of insanity and death and you are ready for a new direction, come to A.A. we're open.