Does the Big Book say we're meant to be "happy, joyous, and free"?
In short:
- Yes. "We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free." (p. 133) It's in Chapter 9, "The Family Afterward," in a passage about cheerfulness, play and health (pp. 132–133).
- The paragraphs around it tie happiness to the newcomer and to being useful: "If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn't want it." (p. 132) "So we think cheerfulness and laughter make for usefulness." (p. 132)
- It doesn't promise a life without trouble. The next lines say "we made our own misery. God didn't do it," and that if trouble comes, we should "cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence" (p. 133). Right after, the book tells readers to take health problems to doctors and "never belittle a good doctor or psychiatrist" (p. 133).
- So context confirms the line and fills it in: joy is part of being useful and attractive to the next alcoholic, and trouble is expected and met, not ruled out.
Where it sits
Chapter 9 is written to recovering alcoholics and their families. After many pages on the strains of the first months at home, the chapter turns (p. 132): - "We have been speaking to you of serious, sometimes tragic things." (p. 132) "But we aren't a glum lot." (p. 132) - "We absolutely insist on enjoying life." (p. 132) The writers try not to be cynical about the state of the nations or carry the world's troubles on their shoulders (p. 132). - When they see a man sinking into alcoholism, they give him first aid and put what they have at his disposal, and for his sake they recount and almost relive the horrors of their past (p. 132). But those who tried to carry all of other people's burdens found they were soon overcome (p. 132). - "So we think cheerfulness and laughter make for usefulness." (p. 132) Outsiders are sometimes shocked when members laugh at a tragic past, "But why shouldn't we laugh? We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others." (p. 132) - Those in bad health and those who seldom play don't laugh much, so families should play, together or separately (pp. 132–133).
Then the line, and right after it: "We cannot subscribe to the belief that this life is a vale of tears, though it once was just that for many of us." (p. 133) The misery was our own making. Avoid manufacturing more of it, and treat trouble, when it comes, as a chance to show God's power (p. 133).
Right after: health
The next paragraph keeps its feet on the ground. "A body badly burned by alcohol does not often recover overnight nor do twisted thinking and depression vanish in a twinkling." (p. 133) The writers believe a spiritual way of living is a powerful health restorer, "But this does not mean that we disregard human health measures." (p. 133) God has supplied "fine doctors, psychologists, and practitioners of various kinds" (p. 133); take health problems to them.
The same note elsewhere in 1939
- Bill W., in his own story: "There is, however, a vast amount of fun about it all." (p. 16) And: "The joy of living we really have, even under pressure and difficulty." (p. 15)
- Chapter 11, about the early meetings: a newcomer gave way to "that gay crowd inside, who laughed at their own misfortunes and understood his" (p. 160).
Does the context change the reading?
It confirms it. The book says it plainly and means it. What the context adds is what the joy is for and what it isn't: it's tied to usefulness and to drawing in the newcomer, it's held alongside an honest expectation of trouble, and it comes with advice to see a doctor when health needs one.
Read it yourself
- Chapter 9, "The Family Afterward" (pp. 122–135), free from A.A.: https://www.aa.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/en_bigbook_chapt9.pdf
- Chapter 1, "Bill's Story" (pp. 1–16): https://www.aa.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/en_bigbook_chapt1.pdf
- Chapter 11, "A Vision for You" (pp. 151–164): https://www.aa.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/en_bigbook_chapt11.pdf
- Related: What does the Big Book say about helping the drinker's family? · Where are "the Promises," and what do they promise?
- The full book, Alcoholics Anonymous, is sold by A.A. World Services at https://onlineliterature.aa.org.
Sources
| Source | Pages | First published |
|---|---|---|
| Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter 9, "The Family Afterward" | 132–133 | 1939 |
| Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter 1, "Bill's Story" | 15–16 | 1939 |
| Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter 11, "A Vision for You" | 160 | 1939 |
Page numbers are from the fourth edition (2001). The Preface says the program chapters have been "left largely untouched" since 1939 (p. xi).
Recovery Starts is independent and not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous. Quotations are brief and cited; the Big Book is © A.A. World Services, Inc.
These pages answer questions about A.A. from A.A.'s own published literature, read in full, with every quote checked word for word against the page it cites. Recovery Starts is independent and not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous. What we read, and when each source was written.