Key takeaway
Someone said the real Big Book stories were removed and you arrived too late. B-20 collects 56 stories retired from the first three editions. You do not have to read them before you sit. The current book is still the basic text. The stories that remain are not a contest you have to win.
Last updated: Tue Oct 06 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Someone said the real stories were removed, and you arrived too late to read them. It landed like a locked door. The pages that mattered, in that person's telling, left with an earlier edition, and you showed up after they were gone.
You are not late. You do not have to read those retired stories before you sit down.
An anthology, not a test you missed
B-20 is titled Experience, Strength and Hope. It collects 56 stories that were retired from the first three editions of the Big Book. They sit in that anthology together. You do not have to know a single title inside it. Leave the pile closed. Retirement from the main text is not a ruling that you missed the real program. It means those particular stories are kept in this other book.
You may read the anthology later, if older stories are something you want. You may leave it closed for good. A.A. does not tell members what they may read. Conference-approved means the General Service Conference approved a piece for publication by the General Service Office. The label does not disapprove of what that office does not publish, and it is not an order. B-20 can matter to someone who wants the retired stories. You do not owe the chair an opinion of it tonight. Conference-approved literature explains the label when a label is being used to hurry you.
If a person says the old stories were better, you can let them have their taste. Taste is not a deadline. You do not have to agree, and you do not have to catch up so their preference becomes your homework. You can ask for nothing. You can choose a beginner meeting when an argument about editions is the last thing you can stand in a room. Beginners is a format. It is not a rank you have to earn by finishing an anthology first.
The basic text did not leave with those stories
Alcoholics Anonymous was first published in 1939, and it is still the basic text. The Fourth Edition, from 2001, kept the chapters that describe the recovery program unchanged. New stories were added to the personal histories. You do not have to buy a different copy to be on time, and you do not have to hunt the retired stories to catch up. Unchanged program chapters mean the how of the program was not thrown out when a story left an edition. Added stories mean the personal histories were not frozen in place. Either fact is enough to drop the idea that you are too late for the real thing. Do not let anyone tell you that you must upgrade before you are allowed to sit.
The stories still printed in the book are not a contest. That worry has its own guide, personal stories are not a contest. Use it if you have been measuring your life against the back of the book. This worry is the retired stack, the one someone is using to make you feel late. Leave both outside. The Big Book can wait with them. Books at cost is the page for when money and a book get tangled. The seat is still free of dues. Groups normally offer pamphlets free of charge and the books at cost. You do not have to own B-20, or any edition, to walk in.
In the room, people share what drinking did, what they did about it, and how they live now. Those are stories too, and they are happening in chairs, not in a retired table of contents. You can listen. The guide to just listening is permission in plain language. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. What to expect and how to find a meeting will get you to a door. A Big Book meeting is one format among others. You can choose it later, or avoid it tonight, without settling the question of retired stories. aa.org is not a meeting finder. The meetings search is a start. Confirm the time. Listings on this site are not verified.
An old anthology will not treat a sick night. Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. A meeting is not detox. NIDA says mutual-help groups such as A.A. are peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment. FindTreatment.gov lists programs. SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), is free, confidential, and available 24/7 in English and Spanish.
Tonight, go sit with people who are actually in the room. B-20 can wait on the shelf with the fear that you missed the real stories. The current book is still the basic text. You do not have to read those fifty-six retired stories before you are allowed to want help.
Call (800) 653-9376 if you need treatment; the call is free to you, treatment providers pay for the referral, the line is not an intergroup, and the line is not A.A., and it is not SMART Recovery.
Additional Resources
Sources cited on this page:
- A.A. literature catalog 2025
- A.A.: The Big Book
- A.A.: Conference-approved literature (SMF-29)
- A.A.: Information about meetings
- A.A.: The Twelve Traditions
- A.A.: Find A.A. near you
- SmarterRecovery meetings search
- SmarterRecovery about and referral line
- NIDA: Treatment
- NIAAA Core Resource on Alcohol
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- SAMHSA National Helpline
- FindTreatment.gov
Common Questions
Were the real stories removed from the Big Book?
Stories were retired from the first three editions and collected in another book. That is not the same as you arriving too late for the program. Alcoholics Anonymous, first published in 1939, is still the basic text. In the Fourth Edition, from 2001, the chapters that describe the recovery program remain unchanged, and new stories were added. You do not have to chase the retired pages before you sit. A meeting does not check your edition.
What is the book Experience, Strength and Hope?
B-20, Experience, Strength and Hope, collects 56 stories retired from the first three editions of the Big Book. You do not have to know a title in it. You may read it later or leave it closed. A.A. does not tell members what they may read. Conference approval is not an order to finish an anthology first. The book can be interesting to someone else. Interesting is not a debt you owe tonight.
Do I have to read those retired stories before I go to a meeting?
No. You can sit tonight with none of them read. There are no dues or fees. Groups normally offer pamphlets free of charge and books at cost, and you do not have to own B-20 to walk in. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. You can listen while people share what drinking did and how they live now. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. The anthology can stay on the shelf.
What about the stories that are still in the current book?
The stories still in the book are not a contest, and that worry has its own guide. This worry is the retired pile from the first three editions. You can leave both unread. The Big Book remains the basic text. aa.org is not a meeting finder. Use the meetings search and confirm the time, because listings here are not verified. A beginners meeting is a format you can choose if an edition argument is too much.
What if feeling late is mixed up with feeling sick?
Care before the books. Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. NIDA says mutual-help groups such as A.A. are peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. FindTreatment.gov lists programs. SAMHSA's helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), is free, confidential, and available 24/7 in English and Spanish.