Sometimes Quickly

Ebby T. was in deep chicken fat trouble! He had been arrested for running his car into the side of a Manchester, Vermont, lady’s house, then had the nerve to ask her to bring him a coffee.

She instead called the town constable. Following a second unknown incident, he was, for the third time, arrested for drunkenly shooting pigeons in his front yard with a loud double barreled shotgun. He faced six-months in either Winsor Prison or the Brattleboro Asylum.

Though not being very religious, Ebby prayed to God in doubtless desperation . . . to quote: “. . . as I had never prayed before.”

Ebby prayed these words: “I really mean this, I want to quit this drinking.” Ebby then had a sudden release from drinking that lasted two years and seven months – enough time for him to carry his sobriety message to Bill Wilson. Ebby’s release happened quickly.

Clarence S., founder of Cleveland AA, was quoted to say: “Bill W. made the touchdown, but it was Ebby who handed him the ball.”

Bill W., while detoxing at Towns Hospital, was only about three days sober when he went through what was to eventually become our Twelve Steps (p. 13). He tells us: “I ruthlessly faced my sins and became willing to have my new found Friend (God) take them away, root and branch.” Of course, this was to become Step Seven four years later when he wrote the Big Book Manuscript. But, to point: Bill had immediate results from his request!

His Wall Street dreams were cast aside as he made a bee-line to Calvary Mission to help other helpless drunken sots find sobriety. He never drank again! The miracle mentioned in Appendix II, “A personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism” (p. 567), had indeed taken place in short order. Bill’s release happened quickly!

Dr. Bob S., arriving home from a several days drunken spree, became willing to make amends to members of his medical staff and other professorial associates, admitting that he was “secret drinker.” This action, of course, put his reputation as a doctor in jeopardy, but he was willing to go to any lengths. Although his obsession to drink hung on for over two years, he never drank again. Dr. Bob’s release happened quickly!

The timing of the above sequence of events allowed AA to start when it did. I sometimes hear around the tables: “Take your time to work the Twelve Steps.” Aren’t we lucky that these three founding members didn’t wait to take the necessary action of surrender. I am happy to know that the Big Book has a time table. Please notice as how the Step Ten directions use the words: “at once,” “immediately,” and “quickly!” (p. 84)

By Bob S., Richmond, IN