How it Works (Continued)
 
J: Now, we can easily see in this... this is before it was edited, Charlie and I did a lot of study, and you might want to, too. You can see the clarity of the Big Book in the manuscript versus our book. He's saying that in the first four chapters and The Doctor's Opinion, the chapter to the agnostic, our adventures before and after, Bill's story, (that) these earlier chapters have been designed to sell you the ABC's which are the first two Steps.
If you have the first two Steps, then he says, the very (next) thing, we are convinced that we are at Step Three. But if you don't have the first two Steps, he says, reread the book and get them or else throw the book away. Because you can't start off at Step Three. This is why we can't start at Chapter 5, How It Works.
The only (working) Steps that are in our Big Book--the Big Book only contains Steps Three through Twelve. The Big Book does not tell us how to work Steps One and Two. The only action Steps, the only working Steps are Three through Twelve.
Step Three is the first Step in the book. It's based on the conclusions of the first two Steps. So you have to have those two conclusions. They are not working Steps. You just--you read the first few chapters and you come to two conclusions. One: that you're powerless. And Two: that there is a Power. Then you can begin the program of "Alcoholics Anonymous," which begins at Step Three.
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