The 4th AA International Convention, 1965

S. who composed the "I am Responsible" pledge for the convention in Toronto.

Nell writes:"I will never forget -- nor will anyone who was there -- the moving ceremony of rededication on Saturday evening in the Maple Leaf Gardens auditorium.

The crowd of more than 10,000 rose and joined the conference delegates, trustees, and A.A. representatives from 21 countries up on the stage in repeating the declaration. They clasped hands and loudly pronounced in one tremendous, strong voice:"I am responsible..

When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of A.A. always to be there. And for that: I am responsible."My Declaration( adapted in brackets)I am willing to rise above my life’s struggle and figure out what else there might be. I will stop trying to “get perfect” and try instead to retrieve my lost self and lost body. I will have direction and be complete.I will seek a sponsor as soon as I feel a connection, but I’ll get started this week. I will come up with ideas for my plan of eating. I will recognize my fused identity: body and spirit. I will find reasons to love my present body and embrace actions that contribute to its health. I will stop negative thoughts. I will recreate my story and write another, acknowledging the old story’s myth and seeing it for its deception.I will gravitate toward my truest self and people who affirm that self. I will faithfully work the OA program, gleaning from it what I can and leaving what I cannot absorb, without bitterness. I will work on healing scars and use OA(AA,SA,GA,AA etc) as a healing process from the pain of my story. I will sacrifice much and will accept the grief I feel from those losses.

I will spend more time alone in a sacred space that enables me to know my emerging self and body. With vigilance, I will care for myself each time I ingest food and will make a serious change in my attitudes about food and feeding myself. I will hold myself in compassion and love myself despite, or because of, my powerlessnes.I will refrain from negative self-talk and replace that nasty voice with a kinder one. I will immerse myself in fellowship with OA members, as well as with other friends. I will involve them in this process, lean hard when I need to and remain an individual throughout. I will honor my voice and not judge myself harshly. By doing that, I will learn not to judge others.

I will respect my body, feeding it well and learning to understand the connection between my thinking and hunger. I will be aware of the emotions that go along with this endeavor and be honest with others and myself. I will not use the word “wrong.”I understand I will feel strong symptoms of withdrawal because of what I must give up. A great loneliness will try to sneak in, but I will endure through prayer, support, writing and self-love. I will find light and be light, trying to be enthusiastic about the new things I’m learning. I will honor my nervousness and have serenity around hunger and food. I will remember the energy it took to maintain such violent self-hatred and my choice to spend energy elsewhere. I will recognize that I must eat carefully and refuse to be reckless. I will learn when to fight and when not to, and how to be a whole person.

I will fill myself with other things when I’m no longer physically hungry and will accept my body in whatever form it takes. To be peaceful, I will retain my strong opinions in the pursuit of learning. I will learn to be comfortable in my body, both naked and clothed, and I will like me.

I will use the concepts I’ve gathered in therapy, reading and OA(AA SA GA etc) to learn self-love. I will let things go when I need to. I will always be safe. I will be able to do this. I will make room in my body for my large and voluptuous spirit and will align my body with that spirit. I will win over the darkness of my past and learn what it means to be healthy.

— K.B., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA