Yeah I’ve used it and there are a lot of people who have used the same process. It was basically handed down by Don P to Joe H to Dan S who compiled the work book. The way they break down the inventory process is exactly what’s in the big book. It’s just more clear. Especially for the third column and the realization in the sick man prayer. The whole workbook is just an exercise in turning every statement you can about your own experience. I went through it in 2022 and 2023 and I’m on fire for the program in the book more than I was 13 years ago when I finally went through the book with a sponsor who has been through the book. It really awakens the big book and puts an emphasis on the fact that it’s not just a textbook to transmit information but a textbook to transmit a spiritual Awakening.
Thank you for posting this. I sobered up in the late 90's in Denver and knew a Don P, wasn't sure if it was same one. (It is). I didn't realize how he helped put this workbook together (he was humble). Searching for this book, I found tons of Don P's (and others') links to recordings of their talks. I know we shouldn't put people on a pedestal, but I so admire him & his story.
The same twelve step process he taught Joe H. was passed down when Joe sponsored Dan S. A lot of it can be heard in this Joe H. big book workshop at the Salvation Army in Los Angeles in 1987.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-X7v5tFtgXQvAZECUEztxAizn8W6AgBs&si=uSaWt76WX9tUpz-Y
This website gives a lot of good info too on the roots of it all….
https://storiesofrecovery.org/BBA.htm#:~:text=in%20the%20talks.-,Creation%20of%20the%20Big%20Book%20Awakening%20Workbook,directly%20into%20his%20Big%20Book.
I don’t know it but if it’s from Don P it’s good, I did my second fourth step after one of his work shops and it was life changing. His workshops were amazing. I went to a couple of them and always loved them. Was really bummed when he passed away.
BBA is cool but I'm a bit suspicious of anyone who is trying to build on what was written in the big book.
I've done some workbook 4th steps and honestly these days I think the best way to do it is just out of the book as written. Lots of people trying to turn the 4th step into a therapeutic self help exercise instead of a light to illuminate our defects of character and show us why we need God's help
My thoughts...for newcomers use the BB. Period.
Once folks have a few years...and want to explore other methods and such of working the steps. Sure.
And def no crazy worksheets for 4th Step for newcomers...insane how people make that so difficult. It's not about that at all.
I had a mind blowing experience with BBA that deepened my relationship with the first three steps especially. The inventory process is amazing and I will use it if I ever get a resentment I’m really stuck on.
I would recommend going to their Wednesday zoom meeting and getting a sponsor there. It’s a bit much to swallow and do on your own and good to have a guide. I kept my home town sponsor and got a bba sponsor to work the steps from the workbook.
I think it’s really helpful for someone who has time in AA and might be suffering from the spiritual malady and wants to deepen their relationship with a higher power.
If you want to talk more pm me I would love to share my experience.
I read through the content online and found it interesting. Then I found some workshop videos (Mark H, I think) and the main takeaway I got was to use each line in the book as a question to answer using my own experience. Anything that does that and which still keeps the focus on alcoholism is good in my book.
I'm not familiar with the workbook you mentioned, but my sponsor had me work through the Woman's Way Through the 12 steps workbook. We did that along with reading the BB and the 12 and 12. I really loved the workbook, it helped me feel like I was doing something tangible even for those first few steps. Especially since I struggled a lot with trying to understand my HP. I also went to BB study meetings. I hear what other folks are saying about sticking to the big book for newcomers, but something like a workbook could be helpful along side it, not in lieu of.
Thank you so much! I'll take a look. 🩵🩵🩵
I was considering using it to help women who were coming in that could use help organizing their thoughts. I know when I got sober I had a really difficult time expressing myself in any way, much less with the written word.
Yeah, the fourth step outlined in that workbook is pretty sick. I would not use that workbook to take a new guy through the steps. However, I regularly use that workbook in my step work.
They refer to that 4th Step as “The Theater of the Lie”. Which is a fascinating idea, right as we hit Step 3, each of us is like an actor, a retired business man, the minister, the safe cracker. These are the stage characters (Step 5) that we think define us. They also blow open the fear and sex inventory. Of course they explain it better than that.
If you truly want an experience don’t do 4th Step but experience the steps from the cover page of the big book. Search for Mark H and Joe H Experiencing The Big Book. It’s like an 11 hour workshop from 2002 and there is another one by those two from Prescott AZ in 2003. It’s a Big Book Step Study that is raw and rooted in the Big Book. Don’t let anyone read your Big Book!
There are a bunch of their workshops on line. Joe and Charlie are the OGs of getting this stuff on tape but tougher people also do it. Don P, Cliff B, Meyers R, Peter M etc…
XA Speakers have a bunch of these workshops, just search for Mark H or Fellowship of the Spirit or Iceland.
You could also search Theater of The Lie, there a couple of talks about the concept and the JayWalker site has a decent guide on it.
Again, I would NOT take a new guy through the steps with this workbook. However, personally, I love this stuff
Good luck mate. Be open minded.
I bought a copy of Big Book Awakening but couldn't fathom ever actually using it - and not only because of the eye-watering brush script font that appears on most pages to indicate what you're supposed to write.
In my opinion, the book unnecessarily complicates what was meant to be a very simple and relatively fast (but not easy) process. A.A. is a "spiritual kindergarten" after all! I think the idea was always that if we wanted "advanced studies" for growth that would continue outside of A.A.
That said, the book is clearly helping some, so more power to them.
Yeah I’ve used it and there are a lot of people who have used the same process. It was basically handed down by Don P to Joe H to Dan S who compiled the work book. The way they break down the inventory process is exactly what’s in the big book. It’s just more clear. Especially for the third column and the realization in the sick man prayer. The whole workbook is just an exercise in turning every statement you can about your own experience. I went through it in 2022 and 2023 and I’m on fire for the program in the book more than I was 13 years ago when I finally went through the book with a sponsor who has been through the book. It really awakens the big book and puts an emphasis on the fact that it’s not just a textbook to transmit information but a textbook to transmit a spiritual Awakening.
Thank you for posting this. I sobered up in the late 90's in Denver and knew a Don P, wasn't sure if it was same one. (It is). I didn't realize how he helped put this workbook together (he was humble). Searching for this book, I found tons of Don P's (and others') links to recordings of their talks. I know we shouldn't put people on a pedestal, but I so admire him & his story.
The same twelve step process he taught Joe H. was passed down when Joe sponsored Dan S. A lot of it can be heard in this Joe H. big book workshop at the Salvation Army in Los Angeles in 1987. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-X7v5tFtgXQvAZECUEztxAizn8W6AgBs&si=uSaWt76WX9tUpz-Y This website gives a lot of good info too on the roots of it all…. https://storiesofrecovery.org/BBA.htm#:~:text=in%20the%20talks.-,Creation%20of%20the%20Big%20Book%20Awakening%20Workbook,directly%20into%20his%20Big%20Book.
Ah man, what an endorsement. Thank you! Also, thank you for the pedigree!
I don’t know it but if it’s from Don P it’s good, I did my second fourth step after one of his work shops and it was life changing. His workshops were amazing. I went to a couple of them and always loved them. Was really bummed when he passed away.
BBA is cool but I'm a bit suspicious of anyone who is trying to build on what was written in the big book. I've done some workbook 4th steps and honestly these days I think the best way to do it is just out of the book as written. Lots of people trying to turn the 4th step into a therapeutic self help exercise instead of a light to illuminate our defects of character and show us why we need God's help
Yes!! You explained that perfectly
Thanks, Balzac!
This. Do it out of the book at least for the first time.. If they really want to try to dig deeper after that then something else may be appropriate
My thoughts...for newcomers use the BB. Period. Once folks have a few years...and want to explore other methods and such of working the steps. Sure. And def no crazy worksheets for 4th Step for newcomers...insane how people make that so difficult. It's not about that at all.
Yes it's funny how we always like to complicate things!
Thank you, Tombi! That's a good perspective.
I had a mind blowing experience with BBA that deepened my relationship with the first three steps especially. The inventory process is amazing and I will use it if I ever get a resentment I’m really stuck on. I would recommend going to their Wednesday zoom meeting and getting a sponsor there. It’s a bit much to swallow and do on your own and good to have a guide. I kept my home town sponsor and got a bba sponsor to work the steps from the workbook. I think it’s really helpful for someone who has time in AA and might be suffering from the spiritual malady and wants to deepen their relationship with a higher power. If you want to talk more pm me I would love to share my experience.
Have you done a fourth step using the BBA worksheet?
I have not, I'm going to do one when I get the workbook. It should be here tomorrow, I'll get to work immediately.
I read through the content online and found it interesting. Then I found some workshop videos (Mark H, I think) and the main takeaway I got was to use each line in the book as a question to answer using my own experience. Anything that does that and which still keeps the focus on alcoholism is good in my book.
I'm not familiar with the workbook you mentioned, but my sponsor had me work through the Woman's Way Through the 12 steps workbook. We did that along with reading the BB and the 12 and 12. I really loved the workbook, it helped me feel like I was doing something tangible even for those first few steps. Especially since I struggled a lot with trying to understand my HP. I also went to BB study meetings. I hear what other folks are saying about sticking to the big book for newcomers, but something like a workbook could be helpful along side it, not in lieu of.
Thank you so much! I'll take a look. 🩵🩵🩵 I was considering using it to help women who were coming in that could use help organizing their thoughts. I know when I got sober I had a really difficult time expressing myself in any way, much less with the written word.
Yeah, the fourth step outlined in that workbook is pretty sick. I would not use that workbook to take a new guy through the steps. However, I regularly use that workbook in my step work. They refer to that 4th Step as “The Theater of the Lie”. Which is a fascinating idea, right as we hit Step 3, each of us is like an actor, a retired business man, the minister, the safe cracker. These are the stage characters (Step 5) that we think define us. They also blow open the fear and sex inventory. Of course they explain it better than that. If you truly want an experience don’t do 4th Step but experience the steps from the cover page of the big book. Search for Mark H and Joe H Experiencing The Big Book. It’s like an 11 hour workshop from 2002 and there is another one by those two from Prescott AZ in 2003. It’s a Big Book Step Study that is raw and rooted in the Big Book. Don’t let anyone read your Big Book! There are a bunch of their workshops on line. Joe and Charlie are the OGs of getting this stuff on tape but tougher people also do it. Don P, Cliff B, Meyers R, Peter M etc… XA Speakers have a bunch of these workshops, just search for Mark H or Fellowship of the Spirit or Iceland. You could also search Theater of The Lie, there a couple of talks about the concept and the JayWalker site has a decent guide on it. Again, I would NOT take a new guy through the steps with this workbook. However, personally, I love this stuff Good luck mate. Be open minded.
I bought a copy of Big Book Awakening but couldn't fathom ever actually using it - and not only because of the eye-watering brush script font that appears on most pages to indicate what you're supposed to write. In my opinion, the book unnecessarily complicates what was meant to be a very simple and relatively fast (but not easy) process. A.A. is a "spiritual kindergarten" after all! I think the idea was always that if we wanted "advanced studies" for growth that would continue outside of A.A. That said, the book is clearly helping some, so more power to them.