I need to be crystal clear. What follows is one alcoholic’s view. It is not endorsed by AA, and I don’t even know if I’d find a single person to agree with me, but it is how I see it. No great studies or even research have been done to write this. It is off the cuff based on a meeting I was in the other day. It was a Big Book study starting on page 90, and we ended on the top of page 94.

I love AA! I am following in my sponsor’s footsteps, saying that with conviction. I say that all the time in meetings after meetings. I also love AA in public if my disease comes up, I spread the word. I try never to push my love of AA onto another, as it is a program of “attraction rather than promotion.” Honestly, I don’t always succeed in keeping to that tradition. Within my love of AA, I have a couple of personal rules. First and foremost, If it is written in the Big Book, IT IS TRUE…PERIOD! I won’t debate it. I won’t question it. Two things on earth are always right—my wife and the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Another rule for me, like many of us, is trying to get the message of AA to other alcoholics.

So how Do We Reconcile Pages 89–100 of the Big Book with Today’s World?

These pages contain many suggestions that don’t seem to work in today’s cynical, overstimulated, untrusting, and frightening world.

Here Are Just Some Highlights:

• Ask doctors, hospitals, and clergy for alcoholics you may be able to help. Today, doctors are bound by HIPAA laws and couldn’t provide that information if they wanted too. Clergy may also hesitate due to privacy concerns and confidentiality vows. In 1939, there was no internet to spread rumors, and in general, people trusted each other more. 
• Get information from their (your prospective AA) spouses. In 1939, communities were open and honest. Families helped each other, and strangers performed good works for each other. Not so much today. My spouse is not talking to you about my drinking problem, let alone finances or habits.
• Let them go on a binge. In 1939, few in medicine knew that one more binge could be fatal. 
• Even though you talked to the family, leave them out of it. If we talked to someone’s family behind their back today, it could create irreconcilable differences.
  

These suggestions sound out of sync with today’s world, but they make sense when broken down. Any significant work of literature is written for the norms of its time. In order to be impactful, a book must resonate with its first readers. Scholars may later give historical context, but if a book jumped ahead to anticipate the future, would it have been taken seriously in its own time?

The Big Book may feel antiquated, but it had to ring true to its original audience like all great texts. 1984 warned of totalitarianism using the realities of its time, making it timeless. The U.S. Constitution addressed immediate concerns but left room for growth. Similarly, AA’s message remains valid because it spoke truth to its audience then—and still does today.

What Hasn’t Changed

Pages 90–100, the section on working with newcomers. Despite its dated language, it still perfectly describes the process of carrying the AA message. The Big Book lays out, step by step, how to approach someone struggling, how to share your experience without preaching, and how to guide them toward a solution without forcing anything on them. These principles still work because alcoholism hasn’t changed—only the world around it has.

These key points remain the same today:

• If he doesn’t want to stop drinking, don’t waste time trying to persuade him.
• Helping a Newcomer: If a potential alcoholic wants help, act quickly. Emphasize that you are not there to force them into anything, just to share your experience.
• Qualifying the Alcoholic: Be honest about your own past drinking and what happened to you. Help them see if they relate.
• Not Forcing Sobriety: If they don’t want help, don’t push them. Sometimes, they need to struggle more before they’re ready.
• Explaining the Solution: If they are open, talk about how you recovered. Share the importance of a spiritual approach, but avoid religious debates.
• Practical Action: Suggest they read the Big Book and reflect on their situation. Encourage them to take action, not just talk about it.
  

We can do these same six things for newcomers and those waffling about whether to attempt sobriety with our fellowship today, just as our founders did 85 years ago. The actions above are the making of a solid 12-step call.

Other actions our book suggests still need to be done for newcomers, but as society has changed, so has the responsibility for some suggestions. Leave the conversations with the family to recovery coaches or, if there is trauma to your prospect, a therapist. Let doctors determine if someone should have another drink, wait to discuss rehab until another time, or—God forbid—have one more blackout that brings them to such a low they beg for help. Let’s face it: Bill and Dr. Bob were winging it, and I believe that through divine intervention, they managed to give us the correct actions. We just need to divide the roles of 12 stepping in today’s society.

How to Proceed?

The Big Book is precisely as correct today as it was when written. The world has changed, and 12-step providers might now be a team rather than just one person doing it all. The world may have grown too big for one person alone to save another. We are interdependent on each other. So do your part in 12-stepping everyone and everywhere you can, but take into account the culture and societal norms of today as you do it.