"wives" in the Big Book

It brings misunderstanding, fierce resentment, financial insecurity, disgusted friends and employers, warped lives of blameless children, sad wives and parents—anyone can increase the list.

Strangely enough, wives, parents and intimate friends usually find us even more unapproachable than do the psychiatrist and the doctor.

It may be one of our own family, but we cannot disclose anything to our wives or our parents which will hurt them and make them unhappy.

Passing all understanding is the patience mothers and wives have had with alcoholics.

If circumstances warrant, we ask our wives or friends to join us in morning meditation.

It may mean sharing your money and your home, counseling frantic wives and relatives, innumerable trips to police courts, sanitariums, hospitals, jails and asylums.

TO WIVES* W ith few exceptions, our book thus far has spoken of men.

Among us are wives, relatives and friends whose problem has been solved, as well as some who have not yet found a happy solution.

We want the wives of Alcoholics Anonymous to address the wives of men who drink too much.

As wives of Alcoholics Anonymous, we would like you to feel that we understand as perhaps few can.

How could men who loved their wives and children be so unthinking, so callous, so cruel?

The wives and children of such men suffer horribly, but not more than the men themselves.

We wives found that, like everybody else, we were afflicted with pride, self-pity, vanity and all the things which go to make up the self-centered person; and we were not above selfishness or dishonesty.

We suggest that you direct some of your thought to the wives of his new alcoholic friends.

Though it is entirely separate from Alcoholics Anonymous, it uses the general principles of the A.A. program as a guide for husbands, wives, relatives, friends, and others close to alcoholics.

The foregoing pages (though addressed only to wives) indicate the problems such people may face.

Husbands and wives have sometimes been obliged to separate for a time until new perspective, new victory over hurt pride could be rewon.

We know there are difficult wives and families, but the man who is getting over alcoholism must remember he did much to make them so.