Comparing “To Employers” to the original manuscript for our Basic Text
Comparison Format — Colors appear here only and are — — not used in the actual comparisons. — Words above brackets are from the pre-publication version. < Bracketed copy is from our Basic Text as it reads today. > ~ Format Examples ~Rarely have we < RARELY HAVE WE > seen a person fail who has thoroughly directions followed our < path >...~ ~ ~Now we think you can take it! < — — — — — > Here are the steps we took...~ ~ ~11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our — — — — — — < conscious > contact with God < as we understood Him >...~ ~ ~
Chapter 10 < Chapter 10 > TO EMPLOYERSOne of our friends, whose gripping story you have < AMONG MANY employers nowadays, we think of one member > read, < who > has spent much of his life in the world of big busi- ness. He has hired and fired hundreds of men. He knows the alcoholic as the employer sees him. His present views ought to prove exceptionally useful to business men everywhere. But let him tell you: I was at one time assistant manager of a corporation de- partment employing sixty-six hundred men. One day my secre- tary came in saying that Mr. B– insisted on speaking with me. I told her to say that I was not interested. I had warned this man < him > several times that he had but one more chance. Not long afterward he had called me from Hartford on two successive days, so drunk he could hardly speak. I told him he was through – finally and forever. My secretary returned to say that it was not Mr. B– on the phone; it was Mr. B–'s brother, and he wished to give me a message. I still expected a plea for clemency, but these words came through the receiver: "I just wanted to tell you Paul jumped from a hotel window in Hartford last Saturday. He left us a note saying you were the best boss he ever had, and that you were not to blame in any way." Another time, as I opened a letter which lay on my
137
desk, a newspaper clipping fell out. It was the obituary
of one of the best salesman I ever had. After two weeks
foot
of drinking, he had placed his < toe > on the trigger of
a loaded shotgun – the barrel was in his mouth. I had
discharged him for drinking six weeks before.
Still another experience: A woman's voice came faintly
over long distance from Virginia. She wanted to know if her
husband's company insurance was still in force. Four days
before he had hanged himself in his woodshed. I had been
obliged to discharge him for drinking, though he was brilli-
ant, alert, and one of the best organizers I had ever known.
Here were three exceptional men lost to this world
because I did not understand < alcoholism > as I do now.
Then
< What irony – > I became an alcoholic myself! And but for
the intervention of an understanding person, I might have
followed in their footsteps. My downfall cost the business
community unknown thousands of dollars, for it takes real
money to train a man for an executive position. This kind
Our
of waste goes on unabated. < We think the > business fabric
it and nothing will stop it but
is shot through with < a situation which might be helped by >
better understanding all around.
You, an employer, want to understand.
< > Nearly every
modern employer feels a moral responsibility for the well-
usually
being of his help, and he < > tries to meet these
responsibilities. That he has not always done so for the
alcoholic is easily understood. To him the alcoholic has
to be
often seemed < > a fool of the first magnitude. Because
of the employee's special ability, or of his own strong per-
sonal attachment to him, the employer has sometimes kept such
the time he ordinarily would
a man at work long beyond < a reasonable period >.
More often,
Some employers have tried every known remedy. < In only >
however,
< a few instances >
138
is very little
< has > there < been a lack of > patience and tolerance. And
we, who have imposed on the best of employers, can scarcely
blame them if they have been short with us.
Here, for instance, is a typical example: An officer of
one of the largest banking institutions in America knows I no
longer drink. One day he told me about an executive of the
,
same bank < > who, from his description, was undoubtedly alco-
holic. This seemed to me like an opportunity to be helpful
. So a good
< , so > I spent < > two hours talking about alcoholism,
. I supported my
the malady < , and > described the symptoms and < >
statements with plenty of evidence
< results as well as I could >. His comment was, "Very
interesting. But I'm sure this man is done drinking. He has
three-months'
just returned from a < three-months > leave of absence, has
taken a cure, looks fine, and to clinch the matter, the board
of directors told him this was his last chance."
My rejoinder was that if I could afford it, I would bet
< The only answer I could make was that if the man >
him a hundred to one the man
< followed the usual pattern, he > would go on a bigger bust
that
than ever. I felt this was inevitable and < wondered if > the
a possible
the bank was doing < the man an > injustice. Why not bring
the man in
< him into > contact with some of our alcoholic crowd?
He might have a chance. I pointed out < that > I had had
nothing to drink whatever for three years, and this in the
face of difficulties that would have made nine out of ten
men drink their heads off. Why not at least afford him an
no",
opportunity to hear my story? "Oh < no," > said my friend,
"this chap is either through with liquor, or he is minus a
job. If he has your will power and guts, he will make the
grade."
I wanted to throw my hands up in discouragement, for
my banking acquaintance had missed the point
I saw that < I had failed to help my banker friend >
entirely
< understand >. He simply could not believe that his
139
deadly malady
brother-executive suffered from a < serious illness >.
There was nothing to do but wait.
, of course,
Presently the man did slip and < > was fired.
our group
Following his discharge, < we > contacted him. Without
our
Without much ado, he accepted < the > principles and procedure
high
< that had helped us >. He is undoubtedly on the < > road
a lack of
to recovery. To me, this incident illustrates < >
understanding and knowledge on the part of employers –
< >
lack of understanding as to what really ails the alcoholic,
and lack of knowledge as to what part employers might profi-
tably take in salvaging their sick employees.
To begin with, I think you employers would do
< If you desire to help it might be > well
experience
to disregard your own drinking < >, or lack of it.
,
Whether you are a hard drinker, a moderate drinker < > or
have but little notion of the inner
a teetotaler, you < >
workings of the alcoholic mind. Instead, you
< > may have
, based
some pretty strong opinions, perhaps prejudices < >
upon your own experiences of you
< >. Those < > who drink
are almost certain to
moderately < may > be more annoyed with an
alcoholic than a total abstainer would be. Drinking occa-
sionally, and understanding your own reactions, it is pos-
,
sible for you to become quite sure of many things < > which,
so far as the alcoholic is concerned, are not always so.
This paragraph break appears in the manuscript only.
As a moderate drinker, you can take your liquor or leave
can
it alone. Whenever you want to, you < > control your drink-
ing. Of an evening, you can go on a mild bender, get up in
,
the morning, shake your head < > and go to business. To you,
liquor is no real problem. You cannot see why it should be
to anyone else, save the spineless and stupid.
you have to fight an
When dealing with an alcoholic, < there may be a >
ingrained he
< natural > annoyance that < a man > could be so weak, stupid
and irresponsible. Even when you understand the malady bet-
still have to check this feeling and remember
ter, you may < feel this feeling rising. >
that your employee is very ill, being seldom as weak and
< >
irresponsible as he appears.
< >
Take a
< A > look at the alcoholic in your organization
< is many times illuminating >. Is he not usually brilliant,
fast-thinking, imaginative and likeable? When sober, does
140
he not work hard and have a knack of getting things done?
Review his ask yourself whether he
< If he had these > qualities and < did not drink would >
would , if sober. And do you owe
< he > be worth retaining < ? Should he have >
him obligation you feel toward sick
< > the same < consideration as > other < ailing >
employees? Is he worth salvaging? If your decision is yes,
, ,
whether the reason be humanitarian < > or business < > or
you will wish to know what to do
both, then < the following suggestions may be helpful >.
The first part has to do with you. stop
< > Can you < discard >
< the > feeling that you are dealing only with habit, with
you have
stubbornness, or a weak will? If < this presents > difficul-
about that I suggest you re-read
ty < , re-reading > chapters two and three
of this book
< >, where the alcoholic sickness is discussed
at length < might be worth while >. You, as a business man,
better than most that when you deal with
< want to > know < the necessities before considering the >
any problem, you must know what it is. Having conceded
< result. If you concede >
you forgive him
that your employee is ill, can < he be forgiven > for what
you shelve the resentment you
he has done in the past? Can < >
may hold because of
< > his past absurdities < be forgotten >?
you fully appreciate the man
Can < it be appreciated > that < he > has been a victim
of crooked thinking, directly caused by the action of alcohol
on his brain?
I well remember the shock I received when a prominent
doctor in Chicago told me of cases where pressure of the
from within
spinal fluid actually ruptured the brain < >. No
wonder an alcoholic is strangely irrational. Who wouldn't
be, with such a fevered brain? Normal drinkers are not so
handicapped.
< affected, nor can they understand the aberrations of the >
< alcoholic. >
Your man has probably been trying to conceal a number
disgust
of scrapes, perhaps pretty messy ones. They may < be >
you puzzled by them, being unable
< disgusting >. You may be < at a loss >
above board
to understand how such a seemingly < above-board > chap
you
could be so involved. But < these scrapes > can generally
charge these
< be charged >, no matter how bad, to the abnormal action of
alcohol on his mind. When drinking, or getting over a bout,
an alcoholic, sometimes the model of honesty when
141
normal, will do incredible things. Afterward, his revulsion
will be terrible. Nearly always, these antics indicate
abberations, and you should so
nothing more than temporary < conditions. >
treat them.
< >
This is not to say that all alcoholics are honest and
that
upright when not drinking. Of course < this > isn't so, and
you will have to be careful that don't
< > such people < often may >
impose on you. Seeing your attempt to understand and help,
some men will try to take advantage of your kindness. If you
are sure your man does not want to stop, < he > may as well
discharge him
< be discharged >, the sooner the better. You are not doing
him a favor by keeping him on. Firing such an individual may
prove a blessing to him. It may be just the jolt he needs.
I know, in my own particular case, that nothing my company
,
could have done would have stopped me < > for < , > so long as
I was able to hold my position, I could not possibly realize
how serious my situation was. Had they fired me first, and
had they then taken steps to see that I was presented with the
solution contained in this book, I might have returned to them
six months later, a well man.
right now
But there are many men who want to stop < >, and
If you make a start, you should
with them you can go far. < >
be prepared to go the limit, not in the sense that any great
< >
expense or trouble is to be expected, but rather in the
< >
matter of your own attitude, your
< Your > understanding treatment
the case
of < their cases will pay dividends >.
Perhaps you have such a man in mind. He wants to quit
,
drinking < > and you want to help him, even if it be only
something of
a matter of good business. You < now > know < more about >
alcoholism. You < can > see that he is mentally and physi-
cally sick. You are willing to overlook his past performan-
you call the man in and go at him
ces. Suppose < an approach is made something > like this:
Hit him point blank with the thought
< State > that you know
all
< > about his drinking, < and > that it must stop. < You >
Say
< might say > you appreciate his abilities, would like to
,
keep him, but cannot < > if he continues to
142
That you mean just what you say. And you should
drink. < >
mean it too!
< A firm attitude at this point has helped many of us. >
, assure him are not proposing
Next < he can be assured > that you < do not intend >
you have done so
to lecture, moralize, or condemn; that if < this was done >
is you misunderstood. Say, if
formerly, it < was > because < of misunderstanding. >
you possibly can, that you have no
< If possible express a lack of > hard feeling toward him.
bring out the idea of
At this point, < it might be well to explain > alcoholism,
sickness. Enlarge on that fully. Remark that you have
the < illness. >
been looking into the matter. You are sure of what you say,
< >
hence your change of attitude, hence your willingness to
< >
deal with the problem as though it were a disease. You are
< >
willing to look at your man as a gravely-ill
< Say that you believe he is a gravely ill > person, with
your
this qualification – being perhaps fatally ill, does < >
man , and right now
< he > want to get well < >? You ask < , >
because many alcoholics, being warped and drugged, do not want
to quit. But does he? Will he take every necessary step,
submit to anything to get well, to stop drinking forever?
If he says yes, does he really mean it, or down inside
does he think he is fooling you, and that after rest and
treatment he will be able to get away with a few drinks now
Probe your
and then? < We believe a > man < should be > thoroughly
< probed > on these points. Be satisfied he is not deceiving
himself or you.
Not a word about this book, unless you are sure you
< Whether you mention this book is a matter for >
ought to introduce it at this juncture.
< your discretion. > If he temporizes
you
and still thinks he can ever drink again, even beer, < he >
may discharge him
< might > as well < be discharged > after the next bender
which, if an alcoholic, he is < almost > certain to have.
Tell him that , and mean it!
< He should understand that > emphatically < . >
Either you are dealing with a man who can and will get well
, don't .
< > or you are not. If not, < why > waste time with him < ? >
This may seem severe, but it is usually the best course.
After satisfying yourself that your man wants to recover
and that he will go to any extreme to do so, you may suggest a
definite course of action. For most alcoholics who are drink-
ing, or who are just getting
143
over a spree, a certain amount of physical treatment is
Some physicians favor cutting
desirable, even imperative. < >
off the liquor sharply, and prefer to use little or no
< >
sedative. This may be wise in some instances, but for the
< >
most of us it is a barbaric torture. For severe cases,
< >
some doctors prefer a slower tapering-down process,
< >
followed by a health farm or sanitarium. Other doctors
< >
prefer a few days of de-toxification, removal of poisons
< >
from the system by cathartics, belladonna, and the like,
< >
followed by a week of mild exercise and rest. Having
< >
tried them all, I personally favor the latter, though
< >
the
< The > matter of physical treatment should, of course,
be referred to your own doctor. Whatever the method, its
should be
object < is > to thoroughly clear mind and body of
the effects of alcohol. In competent hands, this seldom
, should it be
takes long < > nor < is it > very expensive. Your man
is entitled to be
< will fare better if > placed in such physical condition
physically
that he can think straight and no longer < > craves
These handicaps must be removed if you are going
liquor. < >
to give him the chance you want him to have. Propose
< If you propose > such
. Offer
a procedure to him < , it may be necessary > to advance the
if necessary, make
cost of treatment, < > but < we believe > it
plain that any expense will later be deducted from his pay.
Make ;
< It is better for > him < to feel > fully responsible < . >
it is much better for him.
< >
When
< If > your man accepts your offer, < it should be >
point
< pointed > out that physical treatment is but a small part
of the picture. Though you are providing him with the best
possible medical attention, he should understand that he must
undergo a change of heart. To get over drinking will require
He must
a transformation of thought and attitude. < We all had to >
even home and business,
place recovery above everything, < >
he will lose
for without recovery < we would have lost > both < home > and
< business >.
Show that
< Can > you have every confidence in his ability to
.
recover < ? > While on the subject of confidence, < can you >
tell him ,
< adopt the attitude > that so far as you are concerned < >
. His
this will be a strictly personal matter < , that his > alco-
holic derelictions, the treatment about to be undertaken,
these .
< > will never be discussed without his consent < ? >
Cordially wish him success and say you want
< It might be well > to have a
on
long chat with him < upon > his return.
To return to the subject matter of this book: It contains
, as you have seen, directions your
< > full < suggestions > by which < the >
employee may
144
solve his problem. To you, some of the ideas which it con-
Perhaps some of them don't make sense to
tains are novel. < >
you. Possibly
< Perhaps > you are not quite in sympathy with the
approach we suggest. By no means do we offer it as the last
word on this subject, but so far as we are concerned, it has
been the best word so far. Our approach often does work.
< worked with us. >
you are
After all, < are you not > looking for results rather than
.
methods < ? > Whether your employee likes it or not, he will
learn the grim truth about alcoholism. That won't hurt him
the
a bit, < even > though he does not go for < this > remedy
at first
< >.
I our
< We > suggest you draw < the > book to the attention
of the doctor who is to attend your patient during treatment.
Ask that be
< If > the book < is > read the moment the patient is
– he is if possible.
able < , > while < > acutely depressed, < >
< realization of his condition may come to him. >
The doctor should approve a spiritual approach. And
< >
besides, he ought to
< We hope the doctor will > tell the patient the truth about
his condition, whatever that happens to be. The doctor
At
should encourage him to acquire a spiritual experience. < >
this stage it will be just as well if the doctor does not
< >
mention you in connection with this book. Above all,
< >
neither you, the doctor, nor anyone should place himself
< When the man is presented with this volume it is best that >
in the position of telling the man the
< no one tell him > he must abide by < >
contents of this volume
< its suggestions >. The man must decide for himself.
You cannot command him, you can only encourage. And you
< >
will surely agree that it may be better to withold any
< >
criticism you may have of our method until you see whether
< >
it works.
< >
You are betting, of course, that your changed attitude
and
< plus > the contents of this book will turn the trick. In
will
some cases it will, and in others it < may > not. But we
persist
think that if you < persevere >, the percentage of successes
When
will gratify you. < As > our work spreads and our numbers
increase, we hope your employees may be put in personal
, which, needless to say, will be
contact with some of us < >
more effective
< >. Meanwhile, we are sure a great deal can be
if you follow the suggestions of this chapter.
accomplished < by the use of this book alone. >
call him in and ask
On your employee's return, < talk with him. >
what happened.
< > Ask him if he thinks he has the answer.
Get him to tell you how he thinks it will work, and what
< >
he has to do about it. Make him feel
< If he feels > free to discuss
cares to. Show him
his problems with you, if he < knows > you
,
understand < >
145
that you
and < > will not be upset by anything he wishes to
.
say < , he will probably be off to a fast start. >
it is important that
In this connection, < can > you remain
undisturbed if the man proceeds to tell you < shocking >
which shock you.
things < ? > He may, for example, reveal that
,
he has padded his expense account < > or that he has planned
to take your best customers away from you. In fact, he may
,
say almost anything if he has accepted our solution < >
which, as you know, demands rigorous honesty. < Can you >
Charge
< charge > this off as you would a bad account and start
afresh . ,
< fresh > with him < ? > If he owes you money < you may >
which are reasonable. From this
< wish to > make terms < . >
point on, never rake up the past unless he wishes to
< >
discuss it.
< >
be patient and
If he speaks of his home situation, < you can >
Let him see
< undoubtedly > make helpful suggestions. < >
that he can
< Can he > talk frankly with you so long as he does not
others.
bear < business > tales or criticize < his associates? >
the you want to keep,
With < this > kind of employee < > such an
attitude will command undying loyalty.
the alcoholic
The greatest enemies of < us alcoholics > are resentment,
jealousy, envy, frustration, and fear. Wherever men are
, ,
gathered together in business < > there will be rivalries < >
and, arising out of these, a certain amount of office poli-
the alcoholic has
tics. Sometimes < we alcoholics have > an idea that people
him
trying to pull < us > down. Often this is not so at all.
his as a basis of
But sometimes < our > drinking will be used < >
criticism
< politically >.
One instance comes to mind in which a malicious indivi-
of
dual was always making friendly little jokes < about > an
alcoholic's drinking exploits. < In this way he was slyly >
< carrying tales. > In another case, an alcoholic was sent
to a hospital for treatment. Only a few knew of it at first
, bill-boarded
< > but < , > within a short time, it was < billboarded >
throughout the entire company. Naturally this sort of thing
decreases a
< decreased the > man's chance of recovery. The
146
should make it his business to
employer < can many times > protect the victim
if he can
from this kind of talk < >. The employer cannot play
try to
favorites, but he can always < > defend a man from need-
less provocation and unfair criticism.
As a class, alcoholics are energetic people. They work
will
hard and they play hard. Your man < should > be on his mettle
to make good. Being somewhat weakened, and faced with physi-
cal and mental readjustment to a life which knows no alcohol,
Don't let him
he may overdo. < You may have to curb his desire to > work
sixteen hours a day just because he wants to. < You may >
Encourage Make it
< need to encourage > him to play once in a while. < >
possible for him to do so.
< > He may wish to do a lot for
other alcoholics and something of the sort may come up during
Don't begrudge him a
business hours. < A > reasonable amount of
time.
< latitude will be helpful. > This work is necessary to main-
tain his sobriety.
After your man has gone along without drinking for a few
try
months, < you may be able > to make use of his services with
other employees who are giving you the alcoholic run-around –
provided, of course, they are willing to have a third party
Don't hesitate to let an
in the picture. < An > alcoholic who has
recovered, but holds a relatively unimportant job, < can >
talk to a man with a better position. Being on < a > radical-
ly different basis of life, he will never take advantage of
the situation.
You must trust your man.
< Your man may be trusted. > Long experience with alco-
makes you suspicious
holic excuses naturally < arouses suspicion >. When his wife
don't
next calls saying he is sick, < you might > jump to the con-
clusion he is drunk. If he is, and is still trying to recover
on our basis presently ,
< >, he will < > tell you about it < >
even if it means the loss of his job. For he knows he must
Let him see
be honest if he would live at all. < He will appreciate >
< knowing > you are not bothering your head about him
147
at all ,
< >, that you are not suspicious < > nor are you trying
to run his life so he will be shielded from temptation to
Program
drink. If he is conscientiously following the < program >
Recovery
of < recovery > he can go anywhere your business may call
Do not promote him, however, until you are sure.
him. < >
In case he does stumble, even once, you will have to de-
cide whether to let him go. If you are sure he doesn't mean
business, there is no doubt you should discharge him. If, on
the contrary, you are sure he is doing his utmost, you may
wish to give him another chance. But you should feel under no
do so
obligation to < keep him on >, for your obligation has been
In any event, don't let him fool
well discharged already. < >
you, and don't let sentiment get the better of you if you
< >
are sure he ought to go.
< >
There is another thing you might < wish to > do. If your
organization is a large one, your junior executives might be
provided with this book. You might let them know you have no
quarrel with the alcoholics of your organization. These juni-
ors are often in a difficult position. Men under them are
frequently their friends. So, for one reason or another, they
cover these men, hoping matters will take a turn for the bet-
ter. They often jeopardize their own positions by trying to
help serious drinkers who should have been fired long ago, or
else given an opportunity to get well.
After reading this book, a junior executive can go to
, "look
such a man and say < approximately this, "Look > here, Ed.
Do you want to stop drinking or not? You put me on the spot
every time you get drunk. It isn't fair to me or the firm.
I have been learning something about alcoholism. If you are
an alcoholic, you are a mighty sick man. You act like one.
The firm wants to help you get over it, < and > if you are
. There and I hope you have
interested < , there > is a way out < >
sense enough to try it do
< >. If you < take it >, your past
will be forgotten
148
and the fact that you went away for treatment will not be
,
mentioned. But if you cannot < > or will not stop drinking,
I think you ought to resign."
Your junior executive may not agree with the contents of
,
our book. He need not, and often should not < > show it to
his alcoholic prospect. But at least he will understand the
problem and will no longer be misled by ordinary promises.
He will be able to take a position with such a man which is
eminently fair and square. He will have no further reason
for covering up an alcoholic employee.
It boils right down to this: No man should be fired just
because he is alcoholic. If he wants to stop, he should be
,
afforded a real chance. If he cannot < > or does not want
usually
to stop, he should < > be discharged. The exceptions
are few.
We think this method of approach will accomplish several
for you. It will promptly bring drinking situations
things < . >
to light. enable you to restore
< > It will < permit the rehabilitation of > good men
to useful activity
good men < >. At the same time you will feel
,
no reluctance to rid yourself of those who cannot < > or will
,
not < > stop. Alcoholism may be causing your organization
money
considerable damage in its waste of < time >, men and reputa-
tion. We hope our suggestions will help you plug up this
We do not expect you to become a
sometimes serious leak. < >
missionary, attempting to save all who happen to be alcoho-
< >
lic. Being a business man is enough these days. But we can
< >
sensibly
< We think we are sensible when we > urge that you stop this
worth-while
waste and give your < worthwhile > man a chance.
vice-
The other day an approach was made to the < vice >
president of a large industrial concern. He remarked: "I'm
mighty glad you fellows got over your drinking. But the
policy of this company is not to interfere with the habits
of our employees. If a man drinks so much that his job
suffers, we fire him. I don't see how you can be of any
,
help to us < > for < , > as you see, we don't have
149
any alcoholic problem." This same company spends millions
for research every year. Their cost of production is figured
to a fine decimal point. They have recreational facilities.
There is company insurance. There is a real interest, both
humanitarian and business, in the well-being of employees.
But alcoholism – well, they just don't < believe they > have
that
< it >.
Perhaps this is a typical attitude. We, who have collec-
tively seen a great deal of business life, at least from the
alcoholic angle, had to smile at this gentleman's < sincere >
opinion. He might be shocked if he knew how much alcoholism
cost
< is costing > his organization a year. That company may
harbor many actual or potential alcoholics. We believe that
managers of large enterprises often have little idea how
Perhaps this is a guess, but we
prevalent this problem is. < >
have a hunch it's a good one. If still
< Even if > you < > feel your
you well
organization has no alcoholic problem, < it > might < pay to >
take another look down the line. You may make some interest-
ing discoveries.
Of course, this chapter refers to alcoholics, sick
vice-
people, deranged men. What our friend, the < vice >
,
president, had in mind < > was the habitual or whoopee
probably
drinker. As to them, his policy is < undoubtedly > sound,
as you see, does
but < > he < did > not distinguish between such
people and the alcoholic.
This next paragraph appears in the manuscript only.
Being a business man, you might like to have a summary
is
of this chapter. Here it < Is >:
One: Acquaint yourself with the nature of alcoholism.
Two: Be prepared to discount and forget your man's past.
Three: Confidentially offer him medical treatment and
cooperation, provided you think he wants to stop.
Four: Have the alcohol thoroughly removed from his system
and give him a suitable chance to recover physically.
Five: Have the doctor in attendance present him with this
book, but don't cram it down his throat.
Six: Have a frank talk with him when he gets back from
his treatment, assuring him of your full support, encour-
aging him to say anything he wishes about himself, and
making it clear the past will not be held against him.
Seven: Ask him to place recovery from alcoholism ahead
of all else.
Eight: Don't let him overwork.
Nine: Protect him, when justified, from malicious gossip.
Ten: If, after you have shot the works, he will not stop,
then let him go.
The previous paragraph appeared only in the manuscript.
you give your
It is not to be expected that < an > alcoholic
employee < will receive > a disproportionate amount of time
is not to
and attention. He < should not > be made a favorite. The
right kind of man, the kind who recovers, will not want this
upon you
sort of thing. He will not impose < >. Far from it.
,
He will work like the devil < > and thank you to his dying
day.
,
Today < > I own a little company. There are two
150
alcoholic employees, who produce as much as five normal
better way of life
salesmen. But why not? They have a < new attitude >,
and they have been saved from a living death. I have
enjoyed every moment spent in getting them straightened out.
You, Mr. Employer, may have the same experience!
< >*
See appendix – The Alcoholic Foundation. We may be
*< See Appendix VI – We shall be happy to hear from you >
able to carry on a limited correspondence.
< if we can be of help. >
e-aa discussion of To Employers
NoNameYet Online A.A. 