Page 273 - The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

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HE SOLD HIMSELF SHORT

But he found there was a Higher Power that had
more faith in him than he had in himself. Thus, A.A.
was born in Chicago.

grew up in a small town outside Akron, Ohio,
I where the life was typical of any average small
town. I was very much interested in athletics, and
because of this and parental influence, I didn’t drink
or smoke in either grade or high school.
All of this changed when I went to college. I had
to adapt to new associations and associates, and it
seemed to be the smart thing to drink and smoke. I
confined drinking to weekends, and drank normally in
college and for several years thereafter.
After I left school, I went to work in Akron, living
at home with my parents. Home life was again a re­
straining influence. When I drank, I hid it from my
folks out of respect for their feelings. This continued
until I was twenty-seven. Then I started traveling,
with the United States and Canada as my territory
and with so much freedom and with an unlimited ex­
pense account, I was soon drinking every night and
kidding myself that it was all part of the job. I know
now that 60 percent of the time I drank alone without
benefit of customers.
In 1930, I moved to Chicago. Shortly thereafter,
aided by the Depression, I found that I had a great
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