How Many Finger Is Ronnie Holding Up?

There are two conditions to real alcoholism. In the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous” It is a Two-Fold disease.

Not “three-fold” as some people – unfamiliar with AA’s “Description of the alcoholic” in that book – like to say. If you want to to call it a THREE FOLD DISEASE go ahead – but you’ll have to look somewhere outside of the book “Alcoholics Anonymous to find it.

Both of these conditions must be present. And the only one qualified to view deeply into ones own history of reactions and behaviors to alcohol to the degree necessary to determine the presence of those two conditions is the person with the drinking problem.

What someone who has recovered and who is armed with the facts about his or her OWN alcoholism is qualified to do is to show you what those two conditions are. It is up to you to see if the shoe fits – not anyone else. You are the only one with the intimate knowledge of your own past, necessary to make such a determination. We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic because when we do – we err.

That can result in non-alcoholics believing themselves alcoholics and real alcoholics calling themselves alcoholics but not knowing why it is. We rob him of the deep inner recognition of the malady within ones self. And THAT in the long run makes for poor sponsorship in AA and widespread ignorance about the malady within and outside of that fellowship – because there is a lack of ability in explaining alcoholism to the person such as yourself who is researching for an answer.

CONDITION ONE: The inability to stop once you start – it is called CRAVING. This is an abnormal PHYSICAL reaction to alcohol since it is only experienced by a small portion the total population. Hence it is an allergy by definition – an exaggerated or pathological immunological reaction to substances, situations, or physical states that are without comparable effect on the average individual.

Real alcoholics do not CRAVE alcoholic until they first take alcohol in their system – either by drink, or by accidental ingestion through eating alcohol contaminated food. People who are thus afflicted can pretty much solve this problem in the same way anyone with any other food allergy can: Just don’t drink the alcohol – which is a food, by the way. A carbohydrate. (See: What we don’t know can kill us“)

CONDITION TWO: It is called an obsession. Alcohol does NOT have to first be physically introduced into the body for this component to become operative. It is a MENTAL component which causes the sufferer to drink EVEN THOUGH HIS EXPERIENCE SHOWS that he will experience the aforementioned allergic reaction and not be able to stop once he starts because of the CRAVING.

You can have one of the conditions present, and this will result in problems – problems which can be solved through human aid – such as rehabs, support groups etc. – but if you cannot stop once you start – AND you cannot “NOT START” — THEN you fit the “Our description of the alcoholic” offered by “Alcoholics Anonymous” – THEIR Program – and can benefit using THEIR SOLUTION. (The Twelve Steps)

If you have only ONE of those two conditions you will not need to take such drastic action as the AA Program and may be able instead to benefit from other means of control or moderation – such as counseling or other means less drastic than that prescribed by AA, which requires a total psychic change of being.

I hope that helps someone.

Peace,

Danny S

Allergy or No Allergy

Some people just really hate the word allergy.

I think I’m going to stop using it. We don’t HAVE to use the word. It’ s just a word and there is no insistence upon it’s adoption made anywhere in the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

Obsession? YES.

Insanity? YES.

Craving? Most definitely.

But “Allergy” NONE!

It is simply a suggested term from Dr. Silkworth. The co-authors of the Big Book did not embrace the term with both arms and legs either, you know. In fact they gave it a decent sized berth.

“This phenomenon, as we have suggested, may be the manifestation of an allergy”.

“May be” an allergy? Not sure that it is an allergy? NOPE!

To get into a debate over whether or not alcoholics are actually, medically or semantically “ALLERGIC” to alcohol is just plain imbecilic. It is a distraction from the real intent of the co-authors. They didn’t care if ascribed the word “allergy” to it – as long as we were aware of the condition known as a physical “CRAVING” for alcohol – a reaction which very few people – only alcoholics – experience.

A Big Book Thumper’s commandeering of the word “Allergy” is easily justified; by its literal description, the physical craving most certainly can fit that definition – if not medically then certainly semantically. (See Caldron)

But just for the sake of keeping my head from being constantly hit with rotten eggs tomatoes and an occasional anvil I think I might just deep six the term straight out of my personal vocabulary.

It won’t effect what I have learned about alcoholism in the least – not as long as I am able to identify what the word “Allergy” was being proposed to describe by Silkworth:

PHYSICAL CRAVING FOR ALCOHOL – CAUSED BY
and AFTER ALCOHOL ENTERS THE BODY.

Call it whatever the hell you want. Call it Moo Goo Gai Pan Syndrome - it doesn’t matter.

“Our description of the alcoholic.” doesn’t refer to the craving as allergy at all – not in the first forty three pages – not in the next one hundred and twenty one. Only Dr. Silkworth mentions it in “The Doctors’ Opinion” and even he does not insist upon it.

So lighten up all you “It’s all in the mind” types. Alcoholism centers in the mind but as the co-founders noted in their comments about Dr. Silkworth’s testimonial letters in “The Doctor’s Opinion”,

The doctor’s theory that we have an allergy to alcohol interests us. As laymen, our opinion as to its soundness may, of course, mean little. But as ex-problem drinkers, we can say that his explanation makes good sense. It explains many things for which we cannot otherwise account.”

Hardly an iron clad endorsement in favor of everyone jumping on the “ALLERGY” bandwagon – only that the physical craving be acknowledged and included in the description of alcoholism.

“In our belief, any picture of the alcoholic which leaves out this physical factor is incomplete”

So lets all take some chill pills on the allergy subject. Call it allergy or not – just don’t forget that alcoholism is a TWO FOLD disease:

1 – Mental/Obsession/Insanity AND
2 – Physical/Craving.

“Allergy” (the word) is optional – and if you know that alcohol in any amount will trigger an abnormal reaction – called “craving” for more alcohol then you get it. If you think is solely a mental condition – then you don’t.

Peace,

Danny S

Allergy or No Allergy

Some people just really hate the word allergy.

I think I’m going to stop using it. We don’t HAVE to use the word. It’ s just a word and there is no insistence upon it’s adoption made anywhere in the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

Obsession? YES.

Insanity? YES.

Craving? Most definitely.

But “Allergy” NONE!

It is simply a suggested term from Dr. Silkworth. The co-authors of the Big Book did not embrace the term with both arms and legs either, you know. In fact they gave it a decent sized berth.

“This phenomenon, as we have suggested, may be the manifestation of an allergy”.

“May be” an allergy? Not sure that it is an allergy? NOPE!

To get into a debate over whether or not alcoholics are actually, medically or semantically “ALLERGIC” to alcohol is just plain imbecilic. It is a distraction from the real intent of the co-authors. They didn’t care if ascribed the word “allergy” to it – as long as we were aware of the condition known as a physical “CRAVING” for alcohol – a reaction which very few people – only alcoholics – experience.

A Big Book Thumper’s commandeering of the word “Allergy” is easily justified; by its literal description, the physical craving most certainly can fit that definition – if not medically then certainly semantically. (See Caldron)

But just for the sake of keeping my head from being constantly hit with rotten eggs tomatoes and an occasional anvil I think I might just deep six the term straight out of my personal vocabulary.

It won’t effect what I have learned about alcoholism in the least – not as long as I am able to identify what the word “Allergy” was being proposed to describe by Silkworth:

PHYSICAL CRAVING FOR ALCOHOL – CAUSED BY
and AFTER ALCOHOL ENTERS THE BODY.

Call it whatever the hell you want. Call it Moo Goo Gai Pan Syndrome - it doesn’t matter.

“Our description of the alcoholic.” doesn’t refer to the craving as allergy at all – not in the first forty three pages – not in the next one hundred and twenty one. Only Dr. Silkworth mentions it in “The Doctors’ Opinion” and even he does not insist upon it.

So lighten up all you “It’s all in the mind” types. Alcoholism centers in the mind but as the co-founders noted in their comments about Dr. Silkworth’s testimonial letters in “The Doctor’s Opinion”,

The doctor’s theory that we have an allergy to alcohol interests us. As laymen, our opinion as to its soundness may, of course, mean little. But as ex-problem drinkers, we can say that his explanation makes good sense. It explains many things for which we cannot otherwise account.”

Hardly an iron clad endorsement in favor of everyone jumping on the “ALLERGY” bandwagon – only that the physical craving be acknowledged and included in the description of alcoholism.

“In our belief, any picture of the alcoholic which leaves out this physical factor is incomplete”

So lets all take some chill pills on the allergy subject. Call it allergy or not – just don’t forget that alcoholism is a TWO FOLD disease:

1 – Mental/Obsession/Insanity AND
2 – Physical/Craving.

“Allergy” (the word) is optional – and if you know that alcohol in any amount will trigger an abnormal reaction – called “craving” for more alcohol then you get it. If you think is solely a mental condition – then you don’t.

Peace,

Danny S

The Divorced Alkie Will Drink – No Matter What

Calm down – not marital “divorce” – SPIRITUAL Divorce!

To the average Pop-AA devotee, the worst possible thing that an AA can do is drink. Not me. Drinking is NOT the worst thing. The worst thing I can do is give up my relationship with my Creator.

That probably will RESULT in drinking – and a lot more other horrendous behaviors too – but drinking is certainly not the be all and end all of this recovery deal.

Liquor is “but a symptom” (64:0) – a mere bag of shells – an indication of another far more serious problem – spiritual sickness that stems from our own resentments.

When a protegee tells me that they have “slipped” it is usually while we are working together on the Steps. My reaction is always the same, “NO SHIT!” I say. Why? Because it is not beyond expectation.

He is after all still suffering from a spiritual malady – a self imposed divorce from God.

Real alcoholics will drink, no matter what, until such time as their spiritual awakening and that is NOT “Upon arrival” in the Fellowship. “Just showing up” is not a treatment for alcoholism.

I have noticed that when a protegee is steadfast in wanting to stop drinking and change his life then right after Step Three – immediately after vowing to God that we will now turn our lives and wills over to Him in a process we call Steps Four through Twelve – there seems to come a sort “grace period” – as if God is keeping us safe from alcoholic obsession in this interim – that period of time prior to the spiritual awakening.

Others, just seem to be “Free agents” until that awakening occurs – and IT DOES – usually somewhere in and around Steps Five through Seven.

Some of these “free agents” drink. I don’t consider it a big deal. It’s to be expected because that’s what real alcoholics do – they DRINK – NO MATTER WHAT. Until they have recovered through the awakening transformation from one type of character into another.

It’s NOT because they aren’t going to enough meetings, or making coffee or calling their sponsor, or have a Home Group. Those are the POP-AA tools of sobriety. We are concerned with “Spiritual Tools” – not weak, human hand forged implements reserved for people with “A drinking problem”.

When that happens we just keep forging ahead to get him there This is why we try to get a newcomer through this process as fast as possible – none of that “Step a Year” bull-dinky or whatever other procrastination techniques we too often hear. This person life and the well being and health of an entire family might be at stake. It IS a RACE!

Pretending to know how much time a newcomer has before that next first-drink obsession is going to hit him broadside is just plain arrogance. Yet we hear it all the time don’t we? Yes, from meeting dependent AAs who HAVE power over alcohol.

You know the ones – the Jugheads. Those who “Put the plug in the jug“ to stay sober and in saying that ADMIT openly that they are not real alcoholics since they HAVE power over alcohol.

Not me or the men I sponsor. I don’t sponsor Jugheads. they have the luxury of another, less drastic, easier-softer solution.

We are POWERLESS until such time as a the spiritual comes to remove the obsession.

Peace,

Danny s

The Divorced Alkie Will Drink – No Matter What

Calm down – not marital “divorce” – SPIRITUAL Divorce!

To the average Pop-AA devotee, the worst possible thing that an AA can do is drink. Not me. Drinking is NOT the worst thing. The worst thing I can do is give up my relationship with my Creator.

That probably will RESULT in drinking – and a lot more other horrendous behaviors too – but drinking is certainly not the be all and end all of this recovery deal.

Liquor is “but a symptom” (64:0) – a mere bag of shells – an indication of another far more serious problem – spiritual sickness that stems from our own resentments.

When a protegee tells me that they have “slipped” it is usually while we are working together on the Steps. My reaction is always the same, “NO SHIT!” I say. Why? Because it is not beyond expectation.

He is after all still suffering from a spiritual malady – a self imposed divorce from God.

Real alcoholics will drink, no matter what, until such time as their spiritual awakening and that is NOT “Upon arrival” in the Fellowship. “Just showing up” is not a treatment for alcoholism.

I have noticed that when a protegee is steadfast in wanting to stop drinking and change his life then right after Step Three – immediately after vowing to God that we will now turn our lives and wills over to Him in a process we call Steps Four through Twelve – there seems to come a sort “grace period” – as if God is keeping us safe from alcoholic obsession in this interim – that period of time prior to the spiritual awakening.

Others, just seem to be “Free agents” until that awakening occurs – and IT DOES – usually somewhere in and around Steps Five through Seven.

Some of these “free agents” drink. I don’t consider it a big deal. It’s to be expected because that’s what real alcoholics do – they DRINK – NO MATTER WHAT. Until they have recovered through the awakening transformation from one type of character into another.

It’s NOT because they aren’t going to enough meetings, or making coffee or calling their sponsor, or have a Home Group. Those are the POP-AA tools of sobriety. We are concerned with “Spiritual Tools” – not weak, human hand forged implements reserved for people with “A drinking problem”.

When that happens we just keep forging ahead to get him there This is why we try to get a newcomer through this process as fast as possible – none of that “Step a Year” bull-dinky or whatever other procrastination techniques we too often hear. This person life and the well being and health of an entire family might be at stake. It IS a RACE!

Pretending to know how much time a newcomer has before that next first-drink obsession is going to hit him broadside is just plain arrogance. Yet we hear it all the time don’t we? Yes, from meeting dependent AAs who HAVE power over alcohol.

You know the ones – the Jugheads. Those who “Put the plug in the jug“ to stay sober and in saying that ADMIT openly that they are not real alcoholics since they HAVE power over alcohol.

Not me or the men I sponsor. I don’t sponsor Jugheads. they have the luxury of another, less drastic, easier-softer solution.

We are POWERLESS until such time as a the spiritual comes to remove the obsession.

Peace,

Danny s

Alcoholism – Folded, Spindled and Mutated

PART I (Tomorrow – Part II)

If we stick with what is in the book, we are often surprised to learn that much of how we speak about alcoholism and the words and terminology that we commonly hear is very much a devolution or mutation of the original experiences of the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Maybe it is good to get back to basics. No Not Wally P’s “Back to Basics” method of taking the steps – (that is good and fine) but in how we describe alcoholism and the solution to it – as well as the spiritual, mental conditions comprising it AND THEN the spiritual conditions that surround it – but are not “it”.

We can do this – if not for better understanding, then at a least to be on the same page with the co-authors. Then if we want to throw it all away and disregard it, and make up our own stuff or take some stuff from Treatment Centers – at least the we are making an informed decision to do so. We should at least know who the baby is before throwing it away with the bathwater.

The Big Book talks about conditions which it identifies as “ILLNESS” or “MALADY” even “SICKNESS“. Even though the book is about alcoholics and alcoholism the co-authors also mention another illness – the illness of being “Spiritually sick.”

They do not give it a name – but simply call it being “spiritually sick”. Frankly, if I had to give it a name I might be inclined to call it “agnostic or atheist”.

Why do they bring it? Because the solution to spiritual sickness also restores us to mental and physical health by allowing us to recover from the OTHER malady we know as “alcoholism”.

“When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.(64:3) Here alcoholism is referred to by it’s two components – the mental component, “Obsession/insanity” and it’s physical component, “craving/allergy”

Let me accurately paraphrased this, “When we get spiritually healthy we also recover from alcoholism.”

For some reason though, people have taken to combining the “two fold” illness that is described in the Big Book and combining it with another malady, “spiritual malady” to produce and new “Three fold” illness – and then slapping the “Alcoholism” malady label on the whole repackaged product. It’s is synthetic and false. It is bogus. It is a distraction from recovery.

There are probably reasons that they have done this but the principal reason is probably from not studying the book – and heavy reliance upon hearsay from others who ALSO have not studied the book.

Well, maybe alcoholism is a three fold disease, but if it is – then the Big Book co-authors were wrong. In the book the Big Book co-authors and co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous have not characterized it as being “Three Fold”.

They DO characterize it as a condition of “Mental Obsession combined with Physical Allergy.” That is ALL they needed to understand alcoholism. The very expression of “three fold” and two fold” is not actually used either. We are just using those “fold” words for understanding purposes.

Separately the co-founders ADDITIONALLY speak of a SECOND malady they term as “spiritual sickness”. By the way, the words malady, illness, sickness are all synonymous in the English language. I am not tempted to throw the word “disease” in there because the Big Book never speaks of alcoholism as a disease. In fact. The word disease is only used once in the entire book, referring to the separate “spiritual disease” and never to alcoholism itself (obsession & physical craving/allergy).

(Go to Part II)

Peace,

Danny S

Twelve Step "Calls" Work

With the email I get it seems that many people aren’t familiar with how a Twelve Step “Call” works – so maybe I can clear up misunderstanding for the uninitiated. Do not follow THIS as the directions! I am just generalizing here and this is MY understanding of what the Big Book directions say and call for. Clear? Good.

There are two approaches each with very specific tasks to perform and results hoped for. I cover it all when I do Twelve Step workshops but for now I will generalize and not get into the minutia of it, but you can easily reference the Big Book for the details – what to say, when to say it, what not to say, what to do – it is very clear and precise.

And it’s interesting too, especially if you are not familiar with the process – (And effective!) Your mind would boggle if you saw what I see doing this work in the field. It warms the heart and soul and so encourages one to continue with the work. It is immensely satisfying work.

To see families reconcile – lives and health restored and then to watch as these folks then carry it on to other sufferers with the exact same results is sometimes astonishing! To see men who upon meeting are lying in a fetal position for days and sometimes weeks at a time, in their own vomit and diarrhea, near death – eschewed by hospitals, failures of ten or twenty treatment center residencies – and just a few weeks later are up, holding a job and reuniting with children, parents and spouses, well frankly it is just too much for words. Even for someone as verbose as I.

First it’s helpful to know why we do this work and why it is so effective when “run” properly:

“Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail. This is our twelfth suggestion: Carry this message to other alcoholics! You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail. Remember they are very ill.” (89:0)

So let’s take Bill Dodsen as an example – the well known “Man in the bed”. Bill and Bob go after him. Once again in noticing the method used in the twelve step work Bill and Bob were performing:

“The man in the bed was told of the acute poisoning from which he suffered, how it deteriorates the body of an alcoholic and warps his mind. There was much talk about the mental state preceding the first drink.” (157:5)

Deterioration of the body? What were they talking about? Liver cirrhosis – Wet brain – Pancreatitis - Hangovers? Not likely.

They explained to him the progressive sensitivity to alcohol and how if any alcohol whatever enters his body the phenomenon of craving would kick in.

Here we hear much confusion, even amongst our own members. Alcoholics don’t CRAVE alcohol until the first drink has been swallowed. (Or alcohol has somehow entered the body through alcoholically contaminated foods, mouthwash, medications, ect)

We alkies don’t sit at home or in our offices “Jones’n” for a drink when there isn’t any already in our bodies.

So if we cannot have any alcohol in our bodies without experiencing a craving for MORE, and we don’t CRAVE more until the first alcohol is introduced, then why can’t we “Just Don’t Take The First Drink”, thereby avoiding the CRAVING for more problem?

They explained this to Bill D. They talked “Much” about the mental state preceding, BEFORE, taking the drink. That means they explained to him the obsession, or in other words the alcoholic insanity of taking that ONE DRINK even though his past history adequately demonstrated an inability to stop (Craving more) when he needed or wanted to stop.

Once he “Got it” – then “Getting it” was not enough. He recognizes that is hopeless. (HE took Step One)

Finally:
The two friends spoke of their spiritual experience and told him
about the course of action they carried out. (157:1)

They wrap the presentation with their solution to the problem – that is the “What happened” part you may have heard of in the formula. What happened was that they had a spiritual awakening/experience that came about by “Action they carried out”. Then they outlined that program of action to Bill D – the Twelve Steps.

Now all our friend Bill D needs to do is acknowledge that the spiritual solution will work (Step Two) and to make a decision to follow the course of action they outlined to him. (Take Step Three).

It’s a simple effective formula for carrying this message.

• Explain the allergy/craving
• Explain the obsession/insanity
• Explain the spiritual experience (Which can’t be done if we haven’t actually HAD a spiritual experience ourselves) and explain the 12 Steps. (Again – can’t be done if we haven’t taken them)
• Tell him what life is like now AFTER recovery. (It’s going to be GOOD)
  

WARNING: If the prospect can’t identify with my explanation of allergy AND obsession – I may not be dealing with a real alcoholic. Even if he IS, he may not really WANT to stop. (SO I ASK HIM!) If so, there will be no need to proceed. But I have still been helpful – now he is free to seek help for whatever OTHER problem he may have that has brought him to this horrible juncture.

“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.” (142:4)

Have any of us ever gone on a “Twelve Step” call prior to actually understanding the disease – been able to explain it as Bill and Bob have done – had a spiritual experiences and recovered through the twelve steps?

I have. Shame on me – and shame on anyone who hasn’t experienced the solution, hasn’t learned how to explain it – yet attempts to pass it on to another alcoholic whose very life sits in our hands.

If the guy/gal is a real alkie – willing to go through the simple process of the Twelve Steps and adopt its new way of living on a continuing basis – then these folks WILL HAVE a spiritual awakening that BLOWS THE MIND! So much so, they are sometimes ridiculed and eschewed by contemporary “meeting goers” and others who call themselves “still recovering” alcoholics who have not done or experienced what he has.

But they never drink again and they pass on to others exactly what has been passed onto them in the same way it was passed to them. It’s fast acting.It’s effective and I have NEVER seen it not work for any real alcoholic willing to really try. (Heavy drinkers and problem drinkers hardly EVER “really try”. They don’t HAVE to! They can just moderate or quite ON THEIR OWN – they put the “plug in the jug” and leave the fellowship OR they stay and avail themselves of the social benefits. Some even go on the Internet passing on their middle-of-the-road solutions which worked for THEM but is deadly for us real alkies who’s malady can only be conquered through a spiritual awakening. And spiritual awakening is the ONLY purpose of the 12 Steps – not “not drinking anymore”)

I hope this give you a good idea of how the twelve steps for alkies like me work and why I am so passionate about recovery and Twelve Steps. It’s not only for what it has done for me – but what it does for others.

Peace,

Danny S

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.

Sit The Man Down

Periodically I will be asked how I begin working with a newcomer. Ok, so here’s how I do it – why not:

I sit the man down. I tell him my story. I tell him what I know about alcoholism – the parts which clearly illustrate

1) Mental Obsession and

2) Physical allergy.

Then he either identifies with those two conditions and can apply them to his own history – or not. If he says he can, he tells me those stories.

If he can’t tell me specific examples where it is clear to both of us that he indeed has BOTH conditions – I pass.

If he CAN identify and tells me so, THEN I am “satisfied that he is a real alcoholic” (92:1) and not just a Disco Drunk or someone who drinks too much because he “doesn’t want to feel” or has “stuffed his feeling and needs to escape his problems” or whatever other reasons heavy drinkers typically give for drinking and think they are qualifying – then I begin to dwell on the hopeless feature of the malady. It’s very simple.

We both may have totaled a bunch of cars, and run over some babies and that’s great if we want to have a conversations about how expensive bodywork is or how horrible prison conditions are these days. But it does not allow us to have a meaningful discourse about alcoholism.

This is why a park bench wino is able to identify with the story of a nun, and visa versa – and they can effectively 12 step each other – while a heavy drinker will walk away and say “I don’t identify – I’m not a nun.”

It’s why a newcomer barely six months sober can help a 20 year old-timer, suffering bedevilments and dying a slow miserable death from untreated alcoholism – AND going to AA meetings – getting sicker and sicker and sometimes joining with others of his type making his own home group sicker and sicker.

This is exactly how they did it back when AA had a near 100% success rate. And it worked. Unfortunately we’ve gotten away from what worked. Nothing else has depth and weight except this type of talk.

BTW, this can all be reconciled in the Big Book, on 18:3 and more.

Peace,

Danny S

Is Relapse Just Bad Luck?

The problem arises when people insist that they are only sober for today. If you say “I know I will never drink again” knowing deep down in your heart that you are recovered, you’ll get scolded and told “Don’t ever say that.” – as if it is some sort of bad omen to avoid – and your punishment will be the cruse of a relapse – like some sort of AA karma.

This idea can be very subtle but is it not everyone else’s experience in the Fellowship? Yet no where in our Program (in the Big Book) does it say that we don’t drink a day at a time. It says FOREVER!

To further that, you will also find that if you say that you have recovered that people will say,

“He’s not actually recovered, he just thinks himself better than us. That’s his EGO talking.”

The truth is that the reason for taking the first drink is removed. That reason is “INSANITY” by way of alcoholic obsession. The cycle of obsession and allergy is broken – something we could NOT have done without divine help.

When folks say they have not yet recovered and will never recover, we are hearing folks who have not yet turned their will and life over to God’s care and who never plan to. There is usually no reason to disbelieve them.

Peace,

Danny S