WHAT I LEARNED: 1. If you’re following along with each post chronologically, then you’ve come to this entry to find out what is different in this original (now discontinued) version from 1981 compared to the revised 2005 version.  If the program hasn’t changed, why did the book change & what am I missing that was included in the original??  Here’s a brief breakdown:

A) Overall, the original book is less cohesive & less streamlined (aka: “more words”).  Here are 2 examples:

“By working Step 10, we…” appears in this original version as: “The basic message of Step 10 added up to just this, we…”

&

“Al-Anon’s primary purpose is…” was originally written by a member as: “Al-Anon’s reason for existence is…”

B) The personal stories are different for Steps 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, & Tradition 6.  In my opinion, (with the exception of Step 11), the switched-out ones in the revised version have more value-added substance!)

C) The original book included references to AA, faith-based terms (such as “Buddhist” & “Golden Rule”), as well as other pieces of literature (some of which have been discontinued).

D) Slogans were not capitalized.

E) Being gender-neutral was not a concern.  (Interestingly enough, in one essay, “God as we understood him” now shows up in the revised book as “God of our understanding.”)

F) After the 12 Concepts, the General Warranties of the Conference are not listed at all.  …Couldn’t find out why they were left out, but it seems to be standard practice now to have the Warranties in all the books.

2. My favorite line comes from the Step 11 story on page 72: “There is not one moment when you are not using, or experiencing, in some way, one of God’s miracles, only ‘miracle’ isn’t the word, because what I am thinking of is not the exceptional, unusual, or rare phenomena, but the ordinary experiences we have all the time.”