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

Spiritual Experience . . . . WHEN?

OPEN ALL DAY.
WE ACCEPT WALK-INS.
NO WAITING!

The impatient humanity in all of us wants to know, “When will I have the spiritual experience?”
The answer to that question is right here in today’s study – it is in Step Five.

“We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience.” (75:2)

NOW? WOW! We begin to have the experience – regardless of what our BELIEFS are. That tells me that even if I have spent much of my life in conflict with God, I will still have a spiritual experience! (Not an awakening!) Talk about promises!

It does not start at some later date, down the road, after we’ve had some “Time under our belt”, or been “Reading the book” for five or ten years – or gained some experience in “Practicing these principles” It is now – right in Step Five.

Very many of us have drastic upheavals or what we call “white light experiences” right now – in this phase of the step taking. Not a few – but MANY! I talk to them – all over the world. It is a frequent occurrence! But not the rule.

Middle-of-the-Roader solutionists do not like to hear this – they aren’t having spiritual experiences as the result of these steps – but it is never-the-less a fact. I think they under rate the power and enormity of this Program and Fellowship.

We are having the “psychic change” required to remove the desire to drink – and we may not have even been going to meetings for a very long time, but we have been meeting the “essential requirements” (14:0) and are starting to cough up the price of freedom – the “destruction of self-centeredness.” (14:1)

When I talk about some of this before doing a fifth step with others, it can have the effect of taking some of the misguided dread of “confession” (Which the 5th step in NOT) that a newcomer has picked up from the opinions of other folks who “shared” their opinions about Step Five without having very much experience with it – perhaps just their own and no fifth step experience gained from working with others.

Having taken step 5 is a good start but giving it and not “hearing” them leaves many us quite inexperienced in this Program and not well suited to be sharing much about Step Five in meetings.

AA meetings are chock full of the sickest, most self-centered people on the planet – and they LOVE to give advice – and you can quote me on that!

Peace,

Danny S