IT WORKS

Ah, 'It works' — those three simple words carry the weight of millions of recovered alcoholics. The Big Book makes this promise on page 85: 'We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others.' That's not wishful thinking; it's the cumulative experience of those who have walked the path before us. [Page 85] The Promises on pages 83-84 are not a guarantee of perfection, but a description of what happens when we thoroughly follow the Steps: 'We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.' [Page 83] For me, 'It works' means that the program is a proven design for living — not because we are special, but because the principles are sound. It's a quiet confidence born of action, not just belief. When someone says 'It works,' they're saying that the Steps, the Fellowship, and the Higher Power of their understanding have transformed their life from hopelessness to usefulness. The book doesn't ask us to take its word for it; it invites us to try it ourselves and see. As the Foreword notes, 'To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book.' [Page xiii]