We believe what AA says when it states:
Our Primary Purpose is " Carry This Message to alcholics" (pg 60)
We have created an environment where a newcomer will get the support and encouragement to help him or her from the very start whatever your hurts, habits and hang ups! We do this because it is vital to our own growth and preservation of our Homegroup.
To better understand our Primary Pupose, we follow the clear cut directions of our Big Book which allow us to help those who are done drinking and want to take the action neccessary to have a Spiritual Experience to overcome alcoholism.
In the forewords, we learn about Alcoholics Anonymous and why it did what it did and why it still does it today. There is evidence that alcoholism has been around since the beginning of time. Noah, it appears in the Bible, possibly had a drink problem as he drank the wine and passed out in his tent.
With exception to the temperance society and the Pioneers Association, there have been only two major players in dealing with the problem of alcoholics over the human race.
The first was The Washingtonians in 1840 to 1850. They had no program but a lot of fellowship and they encouraged each other with their "sins", etc. They failed because it got too complicated and lacked real direction with it masses of troubled folks.
Then came along another bunch of no hopers who formed themselves from a Christian based group called The Oxford Group to become Alcholics Anonymous. By God's Mercy and Grace, the Founders of this Fellowship were given a practical program of action which ensures permament emotional sobriety, including freedom from alcoholism! They also learned, through the success and failure, how to preserve the Fellowship which is vital to those suffering alcoholic still to come to us through the Traditions.
In this Basic Text for permanent sobriety, we find the twelve steps which assured us a method of escaping death by drinking or permament insanity for chronic alcoholics, which also assure the unity, survival and growth of the Fellowship, so vital and neccessary for real alcoholics seeking a way out of their problems.
In our BB, we get the full set of directions for serving our primary purpose on pages 89 to 103. Within this chapter, we get a flavour for the recovery process which carries its own momentum and purpose to enable the dishonest and undisciplined alcoholic to become recovered from alcoholism in just twenty pages of the Big Book (pages 64 - 84) while living an honest and self-disciplined lifestyle in sobriety.
The pages in between give the newcpomer information about our problem, sufficient to self-diagnose; and also to get the encouragement to go out there in our towns and help others to grow our fellowship; to save ourselves and others from dying from this illness.
The Doctor's Opinion gives us the medical testimony which describes alcoholism which makes sense to the lay reader, the alcoholic. Here we learn the exact nature of the disease called alcoholism and how helpless and hopeless this condition of mind and body seems to be. We also learn how alcoholics cannot manage the decison not to take the first drink.
The main purpose of "Bill's Story" is for identification as are the other personal stories in the BB. Here we will be "12th Stepped " by Bill W. himself. If we do what Bill did, we will get what Bill got - sobriety without end!
"There is a Solution" offers a solution for the condition for the hopeless state of our mind and body. We will learn who gave us this info and we will be offered guidance where to find our clear cut directions for recovery. We will also learn the difference between our fellowship and the program and the types of drinkers who may come to us for help.
"More About Alcoholism" will indeed tell us more about insidous mental insanity called alcoholism which takes the alcoholic out after a period on the wagon or abstinence. Here we get Step One and it breaks down why we are powerless over alcohol and why our lives are unmanageable by it.
"We Agnostics" opens up with the "alcoholic test" on pg 44 and if we "pass the test" - we learn about the Spirituality part of our program and why some of us may fail at this point. It also where we will find Step Two.
By the time, we get to "How It Works", we will have a clear idea of what our problem is in the fellowship and what the solution is. Now in this chapter, we learn Precisely HOW to do the Program! Within this chapter, we will learn Steps Three and Four and we also learn WHEN to take a step, HOW to take a step and WHAT the results will be. It also reminds us WHY we need to take these actions.
"Into Action" gets us to take the Program Test: either we are for real or not. If we are, then we will take our second set of clear-cut directions as we go into action for sobriety without any reservations. Within twenty pages (64 - 84) we are then told we are RECOVERED.
"Working With Others" we have ended the debate as to whether we are or not alcoholics and also we have ended the debate of there is a God or not through Steps One, Two and Three.
We have put an end to the confusion that goes on in our heads through Steps Four, Five, Six and Seven. We have ended the hurts and sufferings of others through Steps Eight and Nine.
We have a formula which alllows us never to be buy into the DIS-ease of the Spiritual Malady and clearing our heads and hearts of Resentment, Fear, Selfishness and Dishonesty. We have learnt how to talk to God (Prayer) and how to listen to Him (Meditation) through Step Eleven.
Now we are ready to go to work because we have a message to carry in Step Twelve as we have been Blessed with a Spiritual Awakening to save lives! That's our Primary Purpose.
We recover by the steps we take, not solely by the meetings we make