In 1965, this book originally had the proposed title “Alcoholism & Sex.” Two years later it came out with the current title to appeal to a wider audience. As I write this in 2014, the book hasn’t been revised for 42 years & it shows. With terms like: temptress, fellows, bulwark (I had to look this word up!), he-males (I kid you not!), & even a reference to a series of articles from The AA Grapevine, the overall tone reminded me of some discontinued literature that I’ve read recently. I also tried to keep in mind that this is not a typical Al-Anon book that reflects a wide variety of member sharings. In fact, it’s mostly based on conversations with only a few Delegates from a 1966 Conference.^{(footnote 1)}

2. All that being said, my favorite part (…its saving grace in my opinion) is near the end of the book: “How the 12 Steps Apply to Marriage Problems.” For every Step, there are 6 – 7 questions for self-evaluation. If this book is ever retired, I would hope that this one particular section would live on as a pamphlet or be incorporated into other literature.

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**BONUS CAL QUESTION #1: Rather than do extensive revisions to this book, the World Service Office decided to create an entirely new book on relationships that I enjoyed much better. What was it? (Hint: see item # B-30!)

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***BONUS CAL QUESTION #2: The book wraps up with a section called “A Final Thought” written by Robert K. Greenleaf. Since his full last name is given (& is therefore not anonymous), I’m guessing he was “grandfathered” into the Al-Anon literature similar to contributions by other non-members such as Bill W., Harold Black, & Joseph L. Kellermann. However, of these three, Greenleaf has the unique distinction of being the only one to appear in an Al-Anon daily reader! Which book is it? (Hint: see pages 198 (July 16th) & 228 (August 15th) in item # B-6!)

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****UPDATE (10/23/22): The brand new foreword for “The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage” (item # B-4) is now available to read online! For a little background on why this new foreword came about, check out the article entitled “The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage.”^{(footnote 2)} With all the supply issues & paper shortages continuing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, & given that all the current stock has to be depleted first, I’m not sure when this new foreword will actually start appearing in the printed books, so I’m glad it’s available to read here.

Footnotes           

1. Page 126 of “Many Voices, One Journey” (item # B-31).

2. “The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage” article from pages 37-38 of the “2021 World Service Conference Summary” (item # P-46).