Editor's Note

AA's cofounders knew from the beginning how difficult it could be for drunks to accept the spiritual premise of the program. "To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face," the Big Book says. "To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic such an experience seems impossible." Cracking that sense of impossibility takes a leap of faith that, for many of us, begins with trusting the experience of others. Hearing stories of others' release from alcoholism, we begin to believe that we too might recover. Seeing AAs find serenity in a power that they really do choose for themselves, we begin to trust that even those of us who don't rely on religion or invisible forces can stay sober practicing the spiritual principles of AA.