Alcoholism Is Not A Three Fold Disease

Guest article by Cliff B. First in Three Part Series of article which address an important issue. Most of us have heard that alcoholism is a Three Fold Disease. And guess what? It isn’t. Cliff explains.

Let’s Do It The Way Our Founders Did!

by Clifford B.

“I took my leave of Dr. Bob, knowing that he was to undergo a serious operation. The old, broad smile was on his face as he said almost jokingly, ‘Remember Bill, let’s not louse this thing up. Let’s keep it simple!’ I turned away, unable to say a word. That was the last time I ever saw him.” “A.A Comes of Age”, pg. 214

Over the past few months, there has been a growing concern expressed by some of our BBS Members regarding Step One being presented as a “Three Fold” disease; “Body, Mind and Spirit.” While that has become a popular concept in our Fellowship, it is wrong, confusing and a deterrent to alcoholics who are agnostic or atheistic and seeking help from us for their drinking problem. Some of us are not keeping it simple.

Declining Success (More Meetings)
Before there were so many meetings, most of which are devoid of our Program of Recovery, our Founders, and for the 30 -35 years following, experienced a 75 – 90% success rate with long term sobriety. They knew what they were doing. As one of my dear friends who has been around longer than I have and is a devout practitioner of our Basic Text said, “The way we are treating newcomers borders on slaughter.” Let’s not be a part of that tragedy.

Bill stated that the only Step we must get 100% right is Step One. We are told Step One states the Problem, alcoholism. There are only two parts of Step One; the Physical and the Mental. There is no third part.

The first part, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol” states the physical problem of the alcoholic. The allergy which produces the craving that deprives an alcoholic of the ability to control the amount we drink, once we start drinking. There are people who have this problem and know if they drink, they will wind up drunk so they don’t drink. Are they Powerless over alcohol? Yes. Is their life unmanageable? No! Certainly not when it comes to “managing” their decision to not drink. Read the story of the man age thirty on page 32 of our Basic Text. If we could manage our decision to not drink, why would we come to Alcoholics Anonymous?

From that stage, we progress into Chronic Alcoholism where we no longer have the power to manage our most sincere desire to never drink again. Our life has now become “unmanageable.” Alcoholism has now taken complete control of our lives. Our disease has now developed to where it is patient, permanent, progressive, and fatal.

At the present time, there is no solution for the “Powerlessness of the Body.” Unless medical science discovers a cure for our “allergy,” we will take that allergy to our grave.

Mental Powerlessness
There is, however, a Solution for the “Mental Powerlessness.” It is a Complete Psychic Change which is “Spiritual” in nature. It occurs when an alcoholic can learn to live selflessly by Spiritual Principles. The Program of Alcoholics Anonymous is not the only manner in which an alcoholic can find that Solution. The Salvation Army, for example, has been helping alcoholics learn to live sober through Christianity since 1865. But remember, many if not most alcoholics are agnostics. Some are atheistic. They have had an abundance of being told they need to find God, accept religious views or teachings, etc.

Our Steps, in the order they are stated, are the Spiritual Principles we should freely discuss with our new prospect. In Chapter Seven, we are given an effective way to stress our Spiritual Principles without creating a resistance to our Program of Action. None of us came to Alcoholics Anonymous to put life in our Spiritual Being. In fact, most of us are not aware that such exists. We know of our physical, intellectual and emotional being but the Spiritual is an unknown.

Where Is There Hope?
We come to Alcoholics Anonymous in hopes of finding a way out of the bottle; to avoid death by drinking or wet brain insanity. If we have the willingness to go to any length to live sober and a knowledgeable Sponsor who will keep us focused on following the clear-cut directions in our Basic Text, we will come to know the God of our understanding in a very personal and intimate way. That is a Promise!

The God of our “understanding?” Our understanding can be (1.) there is a loving God (a person who has faith), or (2) there is a God but he is too busy looking after the Universe to be interested in me (an agnostic) or (3) there is no God (atheist). Dr. Bob was a believer, he had faith. Bill Wilson was an agnostic and was so the night he decided to follow Ebby’s suggestions. Bill knelt by his hospital bed and said, IF there is a God, let Him show Himself now.”

Jim Burwell was an atheist and the motivation for “God, as we understand Him.” That statement opens the door very wide, thank God.

So, when we are given the opportunity to share our Experience and Knowledge of our Program of Recovery, let’s present it as our Founders saw it, not as others see it. We have a “Two-fold” disease with a Solution for only the Mental Part of our Alcoholism; the Insidious Insanity.

Passed On – One Alcoholic To Another
Step One is a statement of our Problem; we are powerless physically and mentally over alcohol Step Two is a statement of the hope for a Solution to our “Alcoholic Insanity.” Let’s not further confuse the newcomer.

In “Bill’s Story,” he tells of his desperation on learning from Dr. Silkworth that his drinking problem had him condemned to an alcoholic death or wet brain insanity. “He wished for the end.” After he had reached the point where he was drinking to find oblivion, his old drinking buddy, Ebby called on him. Bill was astonished to learn that the man whose drinking problem had been worse than his own was two months sober and happy in his sobriety.

Bill was more than a little eager to learn what Ebby was doing to live without the bottle. He was beginning to get some hope when Ebby said ”I’ve got religion.” Bill was a self described agnostic so was disappointed but invited Ebby to go ahead and talk while he went to work on the two quarts of “Bathtub gin.”

A few days later, Bill realized he was going into delirium tremens. He remembered Dr. Silkkworth predicted he would die of a heart attack during DT’s so he headed to Town’s Hospital hoping to escape death by drinking. He had the desperation of a drowning man. On the third day of his sobriety, he called Ebby and asked him to come to the Hospital and tell him one more time what it was he was doing to live sober. Ebby did. Bill had already surrendered to the problem.

That night, he surrendered to the Solution asking His protection and care with complete abandon. Bill lived the rest of his 36 years of life sober and committed to doing all he could to assure that we too could live a sober and purposeful life.

Continued next Tuesday – Part Two

Cliff is an old friend, one in a “host of friends” that comprises the felloship I crave, a sometimes royal pain in my butt and member of the Primary Purpose Group of Alcoholics Anonymous. Dallas, Texas.