The Password Is . . . . .
. . . powerless.
Power. Powerless. Powerful. Lost the power. New Power. Willpower. Power steering. Power to the people. Power with a lower case ‘p’. Power with an uppercase ‘P’.
All this POWER mentioned in the Big Book. OK, not power to the people or power steering. I got carried away, all right? But the others? Yes.
Some people will read this and say its too much to look at – that to consider these things is not “keeping it simple”. It is not. It is simple reading comprehension at the fourth grade level. So they can take a long walk off a short pier as far as I am concerned.
Keeping it Simple, which is not a slogan from the Big Book by the way, does not mean not knowing or doing squat. you know the sentiment - “I don’t do the Steps because I KEEP IT SIMPLE”. Even “simple math” requires SOME ‘ciphering” for crying out loud. Not learning even rudimentary math is not keeping math simple – it’s keeping stupid.
Some people like that. They like to walk around professing stupidity for the false modesty it conveys. It makes one sound humble doesn’t it. “AW shucks! I don’t know nuthin’ - aaher aaher - I don’t even know how this AA stuff works – all I know is that it does. Aaher aaher.”
Puhleeze. Don’t you want to gag? That’s not ‘humility’ in the sense that it is used in spiritual parl
ance. Pretending to be a moron has nothing to do with being humble.
Like many words in the English language ‘POWER’ has different meanings depending upon in what context it is used and it is used in several very simple contexts by the co-authors of the Big Book. But first let’s dispel what is probably the most popular AA Myth and probably the one that is most damaging to the Fellowship inside and outside of itself.
Here’s Allen Luden handing out those little wallets with the “Password” and we hear that TV announcers voice – you know that mysterious low keyed guy that whispers the “Password” to us out in TV Land – so low you have to strain to hear it, as if Betty White or Soupy Sales might hear the answer because yourTV volume is cranked too high.
“The password is ‘powerless‘” DING! (shhhhhhhhhhhh!)
SOUPY: “Weak”.
BETTY: “Feeble” (Buzzer sounds – EHH! INCORRECT!)
Over to the opposing team: Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched) and Peter Lawford.
ELIZABETH: “Defenseless”
PETER: “Surrender” (Buzzer sounds – EHH! INCORRECT!)
SOUPY: “Impotent”
BETTY: Makes a funny face feigning surprise and horror – the audience and contestants laugh at the sexual connotation. She finally responds – “Flaccid”
Now they are hysterical. The studio erupts into total giddiness. The control room cuts to an Ivory Snow commercial. (featuring Marylin Chambers)
Powerless is associated with weak, feeble, surrender, flaccid. “Hello my name is Danny and I am flaccid.” NEVER! Even if it were true.
I wonder if there is a Twelve Step Fellowship for that.
I employ a clipping service that scans the news wires each day and sends me every mention of “Alcoholics Anonymous” in the daily press. When I read these pieces I am bowled o
ver. Much of it is anti-AA press releases issued by medical and “addictions” specialist organizations who compete with AA with their own treatment facilities. The biggest negative that they zero in on to present their “AA alternative” is the “POWERLESSNESS” issue.
“If you go to AA you will have say you are POWERLESS. And who wants THAT?”
No man! I want to be powerful. Screw that ‘always recovering, always sick and crazy, always powerless’ crap. Sign me up for a bed at your place man!
They actually think that WE think that we are powerless over alcohol. They think that since we think we are powerless over alcohol that we have to rely upon the AA fellowship to keep us away from drinking ourselves to death.
They see us as weak wimpy feeble fools who have been brainwashed into a cult that relies upon the the hypnotic and suggestive effects of AA meeting “crowd mentality” and repetitive sloganeering in order to remain dry.
And from where do they get this impression?
FROM US! Could they be right – about some of us?
To be continued.
Peace,
Danny S
Getting A Handle On Step One
“God never let’s us get more than we can handle?“
Heah? Jeeze, my experience is the exactly the opposite. I mean, what is it about the word “powerlessness” that a person who thinks this way is missing? I constantly get way more stuff tossed at me than I could ever handle. The very idea that I can handle everything myself - without His help – is what got me into trouble in the first place.
The awareness that we always have things that we cannot handle on our own is what saves alkies!
I couldn’t handle alcohol, could I? Without His help it is too much for us. God has time and again allowed more than I could handle my entire life.
If God always only allowed me what I could handle – then why on earth should I waste His and my time asking Him for help with anything?
Why would anyone who really embraces the “powerless over alcohol” proposition even consider such an opposing idea that is one hundred and eighty degrees opposite the Step One proposition?
Maybe they haven’t taken Step One? YA THINK?
More Silly Slogan Articles.
Peace,
Danny S
Who The Hell Do You Think You Are?
Danny is a born and bred New Yorker, (1957) who grew up in “da Bronx”, New York City and has lived most of his life in the borough of Queens. He now lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts with his wife Nancy and their two children, Danny Jr. and Kristen.
The Schwarzhoffs are a complete family unit enjoying emotional, mental and physical health and a harmonious lifestyle free from harmful stress. Both children are Honor Roll students in their schools, are socially active and well balanced in all areas of their lives. In July, 2011 the Schwarzhoffs celebrated their thirty second wedding anniversary.
He writes. He plays guitar. Danny was born May 7, 1957. His parents divorced when he was five and he is the product of an alcoholic family life visa vi his mother’s live-in boyfriend who was an alcoholic.Danny himself is an alcoholic. He refers to himself as a “Recovered alcoholic” – no longer suffering from the malady. He got sober for the first time in 1997 and then again in 1999. He has been sober since.He owns several popular and enduring blogs about alcoholism, meditation, recovery and the Twelve Step based solutions to life’s problems. For eight years standing, both Google and Yahoo have rated Danny as the number one, top rated “Recovered Alcoholic”.
He calls himself a “Real Live Recovered Alcoholic”; no longer suffering from the malady. Danny stopped drinking for the first time in 1997 and then again in 1999. He has been sober ever since. He has over thirty years experience with a special form of non-religious, spiritual meditation that he teaches and writes about in tandem with his unique style of carrying the Twelve Step message of recovery that emphasizes this unique meditation technique. He claim it is the missing link in Twelve Step Recovery and has devoted his life to delivering it to the world, beginning with the alcoholic.
Danny was first exposed to the meditation technique he prescribes when he was about five years old. It happened following a traumatic experience with his mother’s violent, alcoholic live-in boyfriend. In order to deal with the humiliation and resentment he experienced at the hands of this man Danny stumbled upon the technique – which he later recognized as meditation – in order to protect himself from the harms caused by that painful traumatic experience. He was able to dislocate his emotions much in the same way that the circus contortionist might dislocate a shoulder. Miraculously, when the experience was over he realized that he no longer hated the man for beating him.
Armed with his secret ‘gimmick’, life could never be quite the same. Then in his teen years he discontinued the mystic ‘dislocation’ practice and descended into the perverse world of active alcoholism, suffering mental and physical dysfunction for nearly two decades. Then in 1999 during a “white light” spiritual experience everything changed and he was able once again to ‘meditate’. He has never needed to look back. He continues to apply this method in all areas of life and has continued to enjoy mental, emotional and physical well-being as well as spiritual healthfulness. Now he teaches the technique to others principally through working with alcoholics who are attempting to go through the Twelve Step Recovery process.
Not only has Danny fully recovered from alcoholism and substance abuse but through this technique integrated into the Twelve Step process he has been able to overcome major depression, anxiety, smoking, onset type II diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, sugar addiction, colitis, hemorrhoids, and even erectile dysfunction. His doctors have un-prescribed virtually all of the prescriptions he has been given in the past decade including Lipitor, TriCore, and ADD medications like Adderall as well as the antidepressant drugs Effexor, Welbutrin and Lexapro.
He first began writing in the mid 70s when he landed a job as publicist and advertising director for a Bronx produce company. He wrote advertising copy and press releases for the company and directed all of their marketing and promotion until 1982. After several years as a Lobbyist in Washing DC serving the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association he left to start his own weekly tabloid newspaper where he was Editor-in Chief of “The Fruit & Vegetable Reporter.” He wrote most of the tabloids feature stories and much of the news copy. Danny has published articles in Grapevine, AA’s magazine for Alcoholics, and also in the Barnstable Patriot on Cape Cod.
The late 80s and 90s brought Danny to Wall Street in New York City when he became a stockbroker. One of his firms became the subject of the movie “Boiler Room” – a factoid which fuels much of his storytelling on the subject of alcoholism, spiritual dysfunction and substance abuse in the workplace. In the late 90s he moved to Cape Cod where he began writing, working with alcoholics, and breeding thoroughbred racing pigeons. He also began working for several rehab centers aiding addiction counselors with rehabilitating alcoholics and drug addicts.
Today Danny give regular public talks on alcoholism and recovery. He has conducted Twelve Step workshops at recovery conferences in Boston, New York and in Denmark as well as at Dartmouth College (UMASS).
Although frequently consulted by treatment facility administrators and those in the recovery business Danny does not affiliate with any treatment center or rehabs. He hasn’t got any recovery models to sell. He gives his meditation exercise away for free and only writes of his experience on the subject with one goal in mind. He wants to persuade others to try it and to experience an entire change of being and lifestyle through it. He is not an authority on any recovery methods or organizations, God, alcoholism or spirituality nor does he speak or write in representation of anyone but himself. He is not a member of any organized religion or cult and has no axe to grind. He does however express his experience and observations as a spiritually awakened and Recovered Alcoholic. He does not write as a form of “Twelve Step” work for Alcoholics Anonymous or as a form of therapy.
Biographic disclaimer: Sometimes the question of anonymity arises – along with the issue of whether or not Danny is a member of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). If Danny were a member of AA, he would violate AAs traditions by saying so publicly. He would also be lying if he were a member and denied it. So in order to respect that organizations traditions he does not answer that question publicly. However, Danny does want his readers to know that AA has earned his respect and he approves of AAs Twelve Step Program. He also does not think that AA has a monopoly on recovery from alcoholism and that AA is not for everyone. He has attended AA meetings and has done extensive research into its history and Twelve Step Program and is an ardent practitioner of the Twelve Steps. He writes about some of these observations regarding AAs Program, Fellowship and history.
Danny Schwarzhoff is a recovered alcoholic and a writer by trade. He is not an authority on ANY recovery methods or organizations, God, alcoholism or spirituality nor does he speak or write in representation of anyone but himself. He is not a member of any organized religion or cult and has no axe to grind. He does however express his experience and observations based upon that experience as a RECOVERED alcoholic. He does not write as a form of “twelve step” work for Alcoholics Anonymous. Please see the FAQ for more information.
By Nancy Lee Schwarzhoff
Personal Note: I am so grateful to have gotten my husband back. We have been married now for almost twenty-seven years. He became someone I no longer recognized; certainly not the wonderful guy I fell in love with; who made me laugh, who held doors for me, who was truthful and honest; who was going to go out into the world and make a difference – who loved me and didn’t mind showing it. I lost that guy, during the years that he drank. To anyone who has an alcoholic spouse I truly hope you find what my husband has stumbled into. The joy and serenity that has come back is truly a second chance for both of us.
I hope we all enjoy his new book. (He swears he will start looking for a publisher soon!) On the too few occasions that he gives me a few pages to read I end up laughing and crying all on the same page. (I am sure he does that on purpose, knowing him like I do) Then again I went through much of it. So much he never let me know about. He kept so much inside of him. He became secretive and I wondered “How could I have been so mistaken about him?” I questioned whether he loved me at all and what I did to cause him to turn the way he seemed to be. We had no idea what was happening to him. To us.
Even though Dan has been writing his whole life, this is his first attempt at a real book. When he started it a little over a year ago, I knew in my heart that it was something he should do and have been as supportive (through my fears) as I could. I was shocked when suddenly he said he had over 200,000 words written! How he did that, I don’t know. I guess there is still much I don’t know about him as a RECOVERED alcoholic. I am sure he would have started it and given up in our old life. Things are still changing for us everyday.
Although it may or may not be a best seller; it may not conform what to some people think they already know about alcoholics, I will tell you that it is all true and amazing to me. Even his new found recovered friends are just the most amazing, larger than life wonderful people I have ever met in my life. Believe it or not, even the still sick ones he brings here to the house, still drunk!
Danny gets some pretty heavily criticism for being so outspoken. I must say, he does have a knack for cutting to the chase. This bothers some people, especially other un-recovered drunks – who do not even know him past his writings. But if they can deal with their own sensitivities, as I have learned, they will find my husband to be a loving and generous man with a passion for sobriety like none we can imagine. And it is only because of sobriety that it shows. Again.
I know Danny’s talk. He certainly does not walk his own talk a hundred percent. He is far from being a saint. Not on your life! But he does seem to have a skill for catching it before too much harm can come of it. And he helps an awful lot of people. I do admire that in him. But do not ever let him tell you that he walks the talk twenty-four hours a day.
There are second chances in life, happiness, and family. It is waiting for you, inside of you. I hope you find it.
- Love Always, Nancy
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