We are back
Some updates
Personal Update
Since my last post 16 months ago, I, the author who writes as Bill, went through some incapacitating mental health issues, followed by a relapse. Now I’m trying to recover both sobriety and mental health. Through it all I’ve been practicing IFS. I’ve returned to working the steps with a new sponsor and am currently on Step 7. One of the actions I want to be part of my step work, as well as my mental health recovery, is to continue this project.
I now have some insight from parts work about why almost a year without drinking set me up for a mental health crisis. I’ll explore this as it seems appropriate over the course of the project.
Switching to Second Edition
Going forward, I will be quoting from the 1955 Second Edition of the Big Book, which is in the public domain. The main text of the Second Edition is basically the same as the current edition; the main changes have been the addition of more stories at the end. The page numbers are different, but I am going to keep using the page numbers of the current edition, with Second Edition page numbers in italics.
Note on AI
I have never used and will never use any form of AI to write or draft or research or brainstorm this Substack. I did use AI to produce some graphics because back then I still thought those bots were nifty. Now I think they are just cheesy and I won’t be using them any more. All images going forward are public domain archival art, with traceable provenance (so not somebody else’s AI-generated slop).
Thank You
To my surprise, subscriptions to this Substack have continued to grow in my absence. I formed the intention to continue the project just for my own edification, but it has been very encouraging to return and to see that it has an audience and continues to get new subscribers every week. The overlap of IFS and AA clearly resonates for many people as it does for me. I look forward to continuing the project together with you.
That “Actual Writing” graphic is made by the wonderful Daniel Mitsui.