BIG BOOK TRUDGE BBSS MEETING
THURSDAYS 7:30PM EST ON ZOOM
ID: 871-1257-8154 PW: 005790
The Meeting Format
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Before the start of the meeting please inform your speaker that their share is twenty or thirty minutes depending on the reading and that you will give them a five-minute warning before time is up.
Have someone ready to read the last two paragraphs on page 164 at the end of the meeting before the Lord’s Prayer.
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I. Greeting:
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Good evening and welcome to the Thursday night meeting of the "Big Book Trudge" Big Book Step Study Group. We will open the study in our usual manner with a two-minute moment of silence.
II. My name is _______ and I am an alcoholic.
III. Preamble of A.A.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
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IV. Preamble of Big Book Trudge.
“Sobriety—the freedom from alcohol—through the teaching and practicing of the twelve steps is the sole purpose of an AA group.” as quoted by Bill Wilson.
The purpose of this meeting is to help alcoholics recover by the studying, discussing, and practicing of the twelve steps as they are laid out in the Big Book.
It has been our hard-learned experience that other methods did not work with us. Some of us have tried other methods and our results were disastrous, until we looked at the basic and simple approach the Big Book offers.
It has become apparent to us that when we stopped blaming people, places, and things for our problems, and decided to take an honest and fearless look at ourselves as the root cause of our alcoholism and decided to apply these twelve principles in our lives, we got better.
If discussion strays from the step being studied, the chairperson will remind you of the purpose of this meeting. It is not the group’s intention to be intimidating or insulting to anyone. We only know that if you are talking about the problem, you cannot possibly be talking about the solution. We reserve the right of the chairperson to limit discussion to the step being studied tonight.
*If you have done the fourth step, your fifth step and are into the amends of the ninth step, as it is laid out in the Big Book with a Big Book Step Study sponsor by the Hyannis method, please share your experience with us on the step we are studying tonight. If you haven’t, we ask that you be open-minded enough to listen. If you have a question pertaining to the step, please feel free to ask. Group conscience has voted a five-minute limit on comments.
V. Secretary’s Report (Ask for the Secretary’s Report.)
VI. Tonight we are on Step _______ and reading (from) the chapter titled ______ which is on p. (or pgs.) _______ in the Big Book. Please commence with the reading.
VII. As the chair, I have asked _______ to speak on this step. Please help me to welcome ______.
VIII. Read the last part of the Group Conscience to the group when the speaker is finished.
As we begin the sharing portion of our meeting, I’d like to remind everyone of our group conscience. If you have done the fourth step, your fifth step and are into the amends of the ninth step, as it is laid out in the Big Book with a Big Book Step Study sponsor by the Hyannis method, please share your experience with us on the step we are studying tonight. If you haven’t, we ask that you be open-minded and humble enough to listen. If you have a question pertaining to the step, please feel free to ask. Group conscience has voted a five-minute limit on comments. A hand will be raised to let you know when you have reached four minutes and again after five minutes. (Feel free to explain this in your own words if you feel it's necessary.)
VIIII. Proceed to the members’ sharing their experiences on the step from where the reading left off.
X. Closing. (Five minutes before the meeting ends.)
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Ask all those who have not shared to introduce themselves.
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Thank you to our speaker, ______, for sharing their experience with the Big Book and Step _____.
Choose a newcomer to read...
The chapter titled "A Vision For You" closes on page 164 with the following:
"Our book is meant to be suggestive only. We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answer will come, if your own house is in order. But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us.
Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.
May God bless you and keep you --- until then."
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XI. By the Group Conscience the meeting ends with the Lord's Prayer. (Ask the speaker to lead us out with the prayer.)
For The Speaker - Please have your speaker read this before the meeting begins.
Dear Guest Speaker,
Thank you for being of service tonight!
To keep the sharing focused on the step being studied please limit your share to your experience with the step we are studying.
Any history of your experience before doing the steps in Big Book Step Study should be confined to how it relates to tonight's reading and the step being studied.
Remember that Central Service suggests that all speakers make every effort to deliver their message without the use of profanity or off-color material.
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Speakers who are qualified may share up to 20 minutes for weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 11 & 14.
(Steps 1, 2, 5, 8/9, and the first part of 12)
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Speakers who are qualified may share up to 30 minutes for weeks 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15 & 16.
(Steps 3, 4, 6/7, 10, 11 and the second and third part of 12.)
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Your share will be recorded and posted on the website. If you wish to remain anonymous simply identify yourself as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous without mentioning your name.
Thank you again for being of service to us, and God.
Secretary’s Report
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Again, welcome to our Thursday night Big Book Step Study meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. My name is ______ and I’m an alcoholic. This is tonight’s secretary’s report.
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It is my responsibility to ask a few things from you and remind you of a few more.
This meeting is scheduled to be an hour and a half without a break.
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Although we do not take a collection at this meeting you may contribute to Alcoholics Anonymous online or at in-person meetings.
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If you are moving around during the meeting, please be courteous and stop your video to prevent distractions from the group’s purpose. Please mute your audio as well. Our speaker will be recorded this evening, and the audio file will be made available on the site at BigBookTrudge.com. You will not be recorded while attending this meeting.
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Is there anyone new to our meeting for the first time or new to the Hyannis-formatted Big Book Step Study meetings who would like to introduce themselves?
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If you are new to this meeting, and the format, this message is especially for you.
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First, this is an open meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous; in keeping with our Third Tradition which states that the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking, we ask that all who participate confine their discussion to their problems with alcohol.
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Second, as we read through the step tonight, we ask that you not identify yourself before reading.
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Third, our group conscience speaks directly to those who are qualified to share during the discussion part of the meeting. If you have not done these steps as previously described, we ask that you be humble and open-minded enough to just listen.
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Lastly, this meeting follows the Hyannis Big Book Step Study format and strictly adheres to this solution-based approach that has been proven to help countless alcoholics recover. We do this not to be restrictive but simply because we know it works. If you have not worked the steps directly out of the Big Book with a sponsor in this way by the Hyannis format, we ask that simply identify yourself and listen if called on.
If you have any questions about our group conscience or our meeting's format, visit the website at BigBookTrudge.com to learn more about them. The links for the relevant pages will be shared in the chat area. If you wish to receive reminders for the study, please message your cell number to Bobby B in the chat box to be added to the list.
Will all those who are qualified and willing to sponsor by the Big Book Step Study method please share your information in the chat area. Newcomers, please make a note of this.
If you are not qualified to speak you may add the word “listening,” “reading,” or “writing” after your name.
Are there any announcements for the good of Alcoholics Anonymous or Big Book Step Study?
(Read the tradition of the month, the short form, on page 562.)
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Thank you. Enjoy the meeting.
Group Conscience
The Chairperson: Qualifications, Responsibilities, and Attitudes.
1. Is sober, has done the steps as laid out in the Big Book, and can demonstrate that by their own words and example.
2. Is willing to conduct the meeting according to the format. Is the "point man" of the BBSS group; is obligated to uphold the group conscience from the chair; and is willing to explain the group's function and goals to newcomers and visitors before or after the meeting. Must be willing to interrupt an individual who is off the step and remind them of the purpose of the meeting or may have to "quiz" them on various parts of the steps to see if they have, in fact, done the work as described in the text. Keeps the time, and lets people know when their time is up. The most important as well as difficult trusted servant position in the group. The chairman leads for a month and chooses the speaker for each meeting/step.
3. Believes that "God's will" is for drunks to get help through the 12 steps as laid out in the BB. Has a greater desire to tell the "Truth" than to be popular within the AA community at large. Believes he or she is an employee/agent of God.
The Format.
1. Chairperson's Instructions.
As the basic format for the group meeting, the instructions consist of several parts: the AA preamble, the Group preamble, and the Step Rotation.
2. Group Preamble / Group Conscience Statement.
This is what makes a BBSS meeting what it is. It defines our group conscience, our mission, and the way we carry our message to the alcoholic who still suffers. It lays out the ground rules of the meeting. It makes clear that sharing at a BBSS meeting depends upon whether a person has direct experience with the 12 steps as they are laid out in the basic text by the Hyannis format.
3. The Readings for the 12 Steps in the Big Book.
Also known as the cycle, or step rotation, this is a 16-week rotation of readings. The chairperson announces the step, and pages in the Big Book that will be used as a topic for the meeting that night. The chairperson starts the reading by asking people to read a paragraph or paragraphs at a time, going around the room by calling on raised hands. (The readers do not identify themselves at this point in the meeting.)
4. The Speaker.
A meeting speaker is also a person who is qualified to share by having experienced the 12 steps as they are laid out in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous with the help of another person who has done it this way. They have done the 3rd step with their sponsor, or another person. They have completed the 4th step exactly as the Big Book lays it out by the Hyannis method, are easily able to describe all three parts, and are willing to read examples from their own inventory. They have done steps 6 and 7 approximately an hour after they finished their 5th step. They have made some significant 9th step amends, and are practicing steps 10, 11, and 12 daily. They usually have chaired BBSS meetings and are sponsoring people through the 12 steps. They often give a talk focusing specifically on the text and their experience with the directions for the step being studied. The entire talk generally lasts around 20 minutes.
The Meeting Itself.
An hour and a half with no break. Start time is 7:30. It's divided into three basic parts: the reading, the speaker, and discussion of the step being studied.
1. Who Can Share.
Only people who have completed their 5th step and are on 9-12 may share during the meeting. Most people who have been through the process qualify by introducing themselves and saying that they have done the 12 steps as they are laid out in the Big Book with a BBSS sponsor, and have done the steps this way, or something to that effect. This differentiates them from those AA's who are not familiar with the BBSS process. Each person shares their experience with the step for up to 5 minutes. The chair keeps track of time and usually will signal by hand when time is up.
2. What to Do When Unqualified People Try to Share.
It is the responsibility of the chairperson to determine whether a person is qualified. The chairperson must listen carefully to what the person is saying about the step and determine with discernment whether the person's experience is consistent with the directions in the text. Some warning signs that someone is at a BBSS meeting for the first time; mentions other methods, other 12 step literature, AWOL's, treatment center step work, Joe and Charlie seminars and tapes, the 7 deadly sins, assets-liabilities checklists; talks around the step and won't get to the point; is unfamiliar to the group and is not familiar with BBSS meetings; is visiting from another group; is a popular and well respected "oldtimer," but speaks very little of their own step experience, or how exactly they did the steps.
As described earlier, the chair must interrupt a person and ask them if they have "done this step the way it is laid out on these specific pages in the book Alcoholics Anonymous by the Hyannis method?" There are many approaches to this. Most successful approaches are direct, but always courteous and polite, and start with "Excuse me..." If the person says they have done it this way, or if there is still some doubt, the next step is to ask them if they would mind answering a few questions to satisfy the group. If they have done the steps, especially the 4th step the way it is laid out, they shouldn't mind too much if they are asked some questions related directly to the basic instructions for the 4th step, such as, "Can you please tell me what the main parts of the 4th step are?" and "What are the 4 main defects in the 1st part of the inventory? " or "How did you do your turnarounds?" and "How did you do your sex inventory?" These are not meant to embarrass the person, but to see if they are qualified to share. It is not fair to ask other people to pass and listen who are writing their 4th steps for months on end, and let people with questionable experience get by and water down the meeting. This weakens the group and will frustrate qualified people who have had the experience, and do not want to hear (or for their sponsees to hear) about other methods which the group conscience does not support.
If the chairperson fails to do this at meeting level, a qualified person should approach the person in question directly after the meeting to explain the format and ask some of those same questions. Some chairpersons ask to see the visitor's 4th step and offer to show them their own. This is all done in an attitude of genuine concern, helpfulness, and loving service.
What happens if the person becomes angry and insists on sharing? It is wise to give them their 5 minutes and let them have their say. But, at a later time, they still need to demonstrate that they have had the experience if they want to participate on a sharing level. Our inventories have shown us that outbursts of anger are often self-seeking strategies to protect our security, self-esteem, personal relations, ambition, and pride are designed to get us the things that we want. The old expression "an empty barrel makes the most noise" best describes this type of reaction.
3. The meeting will conclude with the Lord’s Prayer.
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Step Rotation & Readings (4th Edition)
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Week 1 - Step One
"We admitted we were powerless over alcohol..."
The Doctor's Opinion pp. xxv-xxxii
(Speaker - up to 20 minutes)
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Week 2 - Step One
"...that our lives had become unmanageable."
Chapter 3: More About Alcoholism pp. 30-43
(Speaker - up to 20 minutes)
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Week 3 - Step Two
"Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."
Chapter 2: There is A Solution pp 17–29; also Appendix II: Spiritual Experience pp 569
(Speaker - up to 20 minutes)
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Week 4 - Step Two
"Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."
Chapter 4: We Agnostics pp. 44-57
(Speaker - up to 20 minutes)
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Week 5 - Step Three
"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him."
Chapter 5: How It Works pp.58-64
(Speaker - up to 30 minutes)
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Week 6 - Step Four
"Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves." Resentment
Chapter 5: How It Works pp.64-67
(Speaker - up to 30 minutes)
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Week 7 - Step Four
"Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves." Fear
Chapter 5: How It Works pp.67-68
(Speaker - up to 30 minutes)
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Week 8 - Step Four
"Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves." Sex Conduct
Chapter 5: How It Works pp. 68-71
(Speaker - up to 30 minutes)
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Week 9 - Step Five
“Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”
Chapter 6: Into Action pp. 72-75
(Speaker - up to 20 minutes)
Week 10 - Step Six & Seven
“Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”
"Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings."
Chapter 6: Into Action pp. 76
(Speaker - up to 30 minutes)
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Week 11 - Step Eight & Nine
“Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.”
“Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”
Chapter 6: Into Action pp. 76-84
(Speaker - up to 20 minutes)
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Week 12 - Step Ten
“Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.”
Chapter 6: Into Action pp. 84-85
(Speaker - up to 30 minutes)
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Week 13 - Step Eleven
“Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him , praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”
Chapter 6: Into Action pp. 85-88
(Speaker - up to 30 minutes)
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Week 14 - Step Twelve
“Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics...”
Chapter 7: Working with Others pp. 89-96 "...of their chance."
(Speaker - up to 20 minutes)
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Week 15 - Step Twelve
“Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics...”
Chapter 7: Working with Others pp. 96-100 "Suppose now you... - ...amount of criticism."
(Speaker - up to 30 minutes)
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Week 16 - Step Twelve
“...and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”
Chapter 7: Working with Others pp. 100-103 "Assuming we are..."
(Speaker - up to 30 minutes)
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The Group's Service
1. Position.
The position of Secretary is a six-month term. The group member elected for this position must meet the same requirements as a member who qualifies to share.
The Secretary is responsible for reading the announcements and running the monthly business meetings.
The Secretary is responsible for keeping an updated list of group members and responsible for seeing that new members receive relevant information from the group. Group Conscience, etc.
The Secretary will remain online for a short period of time at the conclusion of the meeting to answer any questions or gather information from new members.
Speakers who are qualified may share up to 20 minutes for weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 11 & 14.
(Steps 1, 2, 5, 8/9, and the first part of 12)
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Speakers who are qualified may share up to 30 minutes for weeks 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15 & 16.
(Steps 3, 4, 6/7, 10, 11 and the second and third part of 12.)
2. Anniversary
"Big Book Trudge" does not celebrate its group anniversary with speakers, etc. The group's start date is Thursday, September 25, 2025
3. Business Meetings.
A business meeting will be held on the last Thursday of the month and will be limited to no more than 20 minutes. Business meetings will close with the Secretary's choice of prayer.
Discussion and decisions about group matters and relevant votes are limited to those who hold the same qualification as a speaker. "Robert's Rules of Order" will be followed for business meetings. The group's Secretary will guide the business meeting.
4. Changes To The Group Conscience.
The Group Conscience for "Big Book Trudge" is adopted at the start of the first meeting on Thursday, September 25, 2025 by founding members Bobby B and Mike W and cannot be altered for the first calendar year. A vote will take place on Thursday, September 24, 2026 to make changes after the following process takes place. (Only group members who qualify to speak by the group conscience may speak during this process though all group members may attend.)
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a) Ideas for any possible changes to the group conscience may be submitted via email to BigBookTrudge@gmail.com from August 1st, 2026 – August 13th, 2026.
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b) A 15-minute meeting will be held each Thursday of the month following the regular meeting to discuss these ideas the four weeks leading up to the vote(s) on group conscience.
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c) A vote will take place on Thursday, September 24, 2026 on the ideas discussed throughout the previous month and any changes made will be effective at the start of the next meeting. A member must be present at all the discussion meetings throughout July to vote. This meeting is for a vote only; there will be no further discussion or explanation of what the vote is relevant to.
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d) To summarize: a group member must attend each of the meetings through the process and be qualified to speak per the group conscience at the beginning of the process to vote.
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e) In the event the Group Conscience needs to be changed to accommodate the meeting and its service within the first calendar year both of the founding members will need to vote for the change to happen.
5. Miscellaneous.
When a speaker is agreeable to being recorded during their share it will be uploaded to the website BigBookTrudge.com and made available to visitors there. Anonymity of the speakers will be observed.
Summary.
The Big Book Step Study meeting by the Hyannis format works by being very structured and specific, providing "clear cut directions" on how to recover from the disease of alcoholism. They work by putting the principles of AA ahead of our own (and other people's) personalities, and by keeping one aim above all else: carrying the AA message to the alcoholic who still suffers—no matter how long they have been sober.
"The Group's Service" is included to protect the integrity of the "Group Conscience" and "Meeting Format."
It is essential to have done the steps this way in order to have the experience, faith, and courage it takes to pass it on. As it says on page 164 of our book: "But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven't got."