Tools for Fools by William M. - First Printing from 1971

Tools for Fools for Alcoholics and Other Human Beings by William M. This is a First edition, first printing from August 1971.

Here is the short Introduction to the book:

This is a book about me. It is not written to teach a thing. It is written only to share a few things that I believe to be true today.

One of the reasons for writing it is that I am tired of hearing about this fast-paced, "dog-eat-dog," competitive world of today. In reality it is a sane, sensible, beautiful world. However, sometimes I permit myself to become a "dog-eat-dog" person. When I do, I believe I become less able to compete, less productive, and less able to grow. As a result, my life is less fulfilling, less rewarding, and I can find less reason for being.

If this is true, as I believe it is, then it seems essential that I find some tools to work with so I can better live with me. The tools I found and intend to write about here are based on the philosophy proposed in the Alcoholics Anonymous program. I am an alcoholic, but they would be just as workable for me if I were not. I do not believe that there are such things as alcoholic personalities or alcoholic traits. I believe they are human traits, and because we drank as we did, we aggravated them more, and then because we try to live by this program, we are more aware of them.

In this book I am talking to myself. Thank you for listening.

I hate long introductions.”

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Here is an excerpt from the First Chapter:

Alcoholism and The Alcoholic

What is an alcoholic? There are thousands of definitions. They may be all right or all wrong. There are many descriptions and explanations. Here are some words about drinking problems that I believe have some merit.

If you have ever wondered whether or not you have a drinking problem, you are probably too late. You already have it. It never crosses the mind of a completely normal drinker, because it is never a problem.

If you count your drinks, you usually have a problem. Did you ever see anyone count their calories who didn't have a weight problem?

If you get in some type of trouble or embarrassment from drinking alcohol and continue to try again, you have some kind of a problem.

Here is an example:

Let us suppose my name is John Smith, and I am a mechanic in a garage in a small town. I'm married and have 6 children. My pay is above the average in the community, but not too much for the family responsibilities.

Every night after work I stop and have a few beers with the boys. Sometimes just a few, but quite often I am late for supper, and once in a while I don't get home until the bar closes. I've never been arrested for drunkenness or drunk driving, and I've been at work every day for the last 5 years.

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This book is in very good condition with minimal wear. The cover shows some stains. There is a name and address written on the inside of the front cover. There is no other writing or markings inside the book.

Please view all of the photos for the conditions.