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We use only the Big Book
No daily reflections, no outside literature, no treatment-center handouts. The first 164 pages of Alcoholics Anonymous contain everything we need.
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About This Meeting
What is Big Book Step Study, where did it come from, and why does it work?
Where This Comes From
In the early 1980s on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a man named Dale M. started something different. Along with Don and a small group of men, they went back to the original text of Alcoholics Anonymous — the Big Book — and asked a simple question: what if we just did what it says?
Not what treatment centers said it said. Not what had been passed down through decades of well-meaning telephone game. The actual book, read word for word, followed step by step.
What they found surprised them: the instructions were right there all along. Pages 58 through 103 lay out a clear, specific program of action. Many people in AA had heard about the steps, talked about the steps — but hadn't sat down and followed the precise directions printed in black and white on those pages.
This discovery became the Hyannis format, named after the Cape Cod area where it started. It spread because it worked. Today, Hyannis format Big Book Step Study meetings exist across the country and around the world. Portland Men's Big Book Step Study is one of them.
How This Differs
This isn't a typical AA meeting. Here are six things that set Big Book Step Study apart.
02
We read before we talk
Every meeting starts with reading the assigned pages aloud, one paragraph at a time around the room. The text speaks first.
03
Not everyone shares
Sharing is limited to men who have completed all twelve steps as laid out in the Big Book, with a BBSS sponsor. This ensures what gets said comes from direct experience, not theory.
04
The speaker has done the step
Each week, a member who has worked the steps qualifies on that week's step — sharing what the book told them to do, and what happened when they did it.
05
No identification before reading
We don't introduce ourselves before reading. The Big Book is the authority in this room, not any individual.
06
Solution-focused
We spend very little time on the problem. This meeting is about the specific actions described in the Big Book that produce a spiritual experience.
The 15-Week Cycle
We follow a continuous 15-week rotation through the first 164 pages of the Big Book. When the cycle ends, it starts again — so you can join any week.
| Week | Step | Title | Pages | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Step 1 | Doctor's Opinion | pp. xxv–xxxii | The physical allergy and mental obsession |
| 2 | Step 1 | More About Alcoholism | pp. 30–43 | The strange mental blank spot |
| 3 | Step 2 | There Is a Solution | pp. 17–29 | A spiritual experience as the way out |
| 4 | Step 2 | We Agnostics | pp. 44–57 | For the person who says “I can't believe in God” |
| 5 | Step 3 | How It Works | pp. 58–64 | The Third Step prayer and the decision |
| 6 | Step 4 | Resentments | pp. 64–67 | The number one offender |
| 7 | Step 4 | Fears | pp. 67–68 | A single page that has saved many men |
| 8 | Step 4 | Sex Conduct | pp. 68–71 | Where have we been selfish, dishonest, or inconsiderate? |
| 9 | Step 5 | Into Action | pp. 72–75 | Sharing your inventory with God and another person |
| 10 | Steps 6 & 7 | Defects | p. 76 | One page, one prayer |
| 11 | Steps 8 & 9 | Amends | pp. 76–84 | Where the promises start coming true |
| 12 | Step 10 | Daily Inventory | pp. 84–85 | Keeping your side of the street clean |
| 13 | Step 11 | Prayer & Meditation | pp. 85–88 | Morning and evening practice |
| 14 | Step 12 | Working with Others | pp. 89–96 | Carrying the message |
| 15 | Step 12 | A Vision for You | pp. 96–103 | What life looks like on this program |
Why “By the Numbers” Matters
The Big Book is not vague. It says things like “Here are the steps we took” and gives numbered instructions, specific prayers, and clear directions. It's easy to miss how specific the text actually is — this meeting slows down and takes it at face value.
This meeting strips away the interpretations and goes back to what the book actually says. Not to be rigid — but to be thorough.
What Qualifies Someone to Share
Sharing is reserved for men who have:
- 1 Completed all twelve steps as laid out in the first 164 pages of the Big Book
- 2 Done so with a Big Book Step Study sponsor
This isn't about seniority or time sober. It's about having walked through the steps yourself.
Why This Format Works
We've watched this meeting grow from 10 men to 30, 40, sometimes 50 on a Sunday morning. That didn't happen because of marketing.
- Men discover the instructions were in the book all along
- Alcohol stops being the focus
- Willingness comes from failure
- Recovery becomes daily practice
- Sponsorship becomes apprenticeship
Join Us This Sunday
Whether you're new to recovery or have been sober for decades, there's always more to discover in the Big Book.