"sick" in the Big Book

The wars which had been fought, the burnings and chicanery that religious dispute had facilitated, made me sick.

From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick.

This was our course: We realized that the people who wronged us were perhaps spiritually sick.

Though we did not like their symptoms and the way these disturbed us, they, like ourselves, were sick too.

We asked God to help us show them the same tolerance, pity, and patience that we would cheerfully grant a sick friend.

When a person offended we said to ourselves, “This is a sick man.

We wouldn’t treat sick people that way.

We have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our enemies, for we look on them as sick people.

They should be patient, realizing they are dealing with a sick person.

Tell him how baffled you were, how you finally learned that you were sick.

But urge upon a man’s family that he has been a very sick person and should be treated accordingly.

In our belief any scheme of combating alcoholism which proposes to shield the sick man from temptation is doomed to failure.

We have told small tots that father was sick, which was much nearer the truth than we realized.

Sometimes we sensed dimly that we were dealing with sick men.

He is just another very sick, unreasonable person.

When you have carefully explained to such people that he is a sick person, you will have created a new atmosphere.

Frequently, you have felt obliged to tell your husband’s employer and his friends that he was sick, when as a matter of fact he was tight.

By force of circumstances, she was often obliged to treat father as a sick or wayward child.

To me, this incident illustrates lack of understanding as to what really ails the alcoholic, and lack of knowledge as to what part employers might profitably take in salvaging their sick employees.

You can see that he is mentally and physically sick.

When his wife next calls saying he is sick, you might jump to the conclusion he is drunk.

If you are an alcoholic, you are a mighty sick man.

Of course, this chapter refers to alcoholics, sick people, deranged men.

They will approach still other sick ones and fellowships of Alcoholics Anonymous may spring up in each city and hamlet, havens for those who must find a way out.

“Yes, that’s me,” said the sick man, “the very image.

Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick.