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Question about AA

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1562

The baffling nature of alcoholism is that, the will power is totally non-existent when in comes to making a choice whether to pick a drink or not. We may employ the will power in all the other aspect of our life situation, however when it comes to booze we succumb to the desire to take that first drink and then the craving kicks in and we end up drunk.

The doctor who helped Bill W has this to say:

Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the true from the false. To them, their alcoholic life seems the only normal one. They are restless, irritable and discontented, unless they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks-drinks which they see others taking with impunity. After they have succumbed to the desire again, as so many do, and the phenomenon of craving develops, they pass through the well-known stages of a spree, emerging remorseful, with a firm resolution not to drink again. This is repeated over and over, and unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery.

On the other hand-and strange as this may seem to those who do not understand-once a psychic change has occurred, the very same person who seemed doomed, who had so many problems he despaired of ever solving them, suddenly finds himself easily able to control his desire for alcohol, the only effort necessary being that required to follow a few simple rules.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1562

Jbblue,

I see you have a sincere desire to recover. Please try to read the Doctors Opinion and try to see if you can identify with the book says about alcoholism. The mental obsession, we all make firm decision not to drink ever again but later in the evening we change the mind and pick up a drink. After which the physical craving kicks in and end up drunk. Then the spiritual malady: restless, irritable discontent...when not drinking.

That is the powerlessness over alcohol and the un-manageability (spiritual malady) the book talks about. Once we are convinced that we are alcoholic, then we become ready to look for solution.

If you are an atheist or an agnostics, there is a chapter called "we agnostics" which talks about how most of the people who walk into the fellowship are in that state, confused. Actually the co-founder Bill W had a bit of struggle accepting GOD and his friend suggested for him to come up with his own conception of GOD..

There are many promises in the big book, there is the 9th step promises and the 10th step promises i am going to leave here. So you can have some hope:

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half

way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the

past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.

No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.

That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things

and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon

life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively

know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is

doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us, sometimes

quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.

And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone, even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have

returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot

flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically.

We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or

effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it,

neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a

position of neutrality safe and protected. We have not even sworn off.

Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither

cocky nor are we afraid. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 37

I think AA can save me. I'm just having a bit of a struggle in a few areas. I need to work on this. I'm devoted to learning all I can about recovery. I've made some huge steps and I know where my health is at. I have a chance to completely recover. I need to do what it takes to get there. My family introduced me to alcohol at a young age. So I never had a clue on how it could captivate a person until it was too late. And I know they never meant to help me along with the disease but at the same time I care so much I need to get better so I can help them, and others. I'm so fortunate to have a husband who doesn't drink. He is staying with me on my path of much needed freedom. I have the support I need but I seem to disappoint him at times. I must get better.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11216

The instant messenger is no longer available on the site. We are currently working on a new and improved private messaging function.

Ashley, Health Educator

Here to help :)

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1562

Being certified as a border line alcoholic (based on my lies about the qty of liquor I consumed) by my counselor, I continued to manage my life without quiting and seeking help. But the day arrived I couldn't read my own document during a walk-through. I knew I was done. I sought a psychiatrist. Looking at my history, he wont give me Antabuse (because my brother had died drinker after that). He recommended I go to AA and seek a spiritual solution. I was desperate so I went. Hanging around the fellowship I finally ran into the speaker tapes I mentioned earlier. Because I was befogged, i had to listen to these tapes over and over again. Finally I realized, alcoholism is not about drinking too much alcohol. Its the condition that exist if we don't drink.

So the book says Selfishness and Self-centered-ness is root cause of all our problems. So, I had to look at my character defects. Look at my past were I have been selfish, dishonest, fearful, sarcastic....AA calls it moral inventory. And had to pick a sponsor and share those defects with him and pray to my higher power to get over with these short-comings...

Some of them don't go away but we keep trying..Then the restitution. Going back to the people I have hurt. The main thing is not to repeat the behavior again.

Somewhere during this phase, the fear that I will pick up another drink went away.

Then we have the step were we continue to watch for these characters every moment and we seek the protection of our higher power (In AA nobody thrusts anything on you, you can have you own conception of GOD that is the beauty of it) thru prayer and meditation.

I meditate a lot, recently I included chanting of some mantra too into my schedule..This is all to observe and cleanse the in-space.

And then i try to be of maximum use to fellow alcoholics. In the AA meetings I don't share much but, i watch for new-comers. I carry these CDs handy and give them away to those coming in. And I am member of another board where the moment a new comer joins, I send them an email about these speaker tapes... I strongly feel the moder AA meetings have diluted the message of AA.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 37

I don't know how to use the instant messenger. I tried to add you. I would love to hear more about your experience and how you arrived where you are today.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1562

In AA, we call it obsession of the mind. After a few days of abstinence, the mind tricks us into thinking its going to be fine this time and we take that first drink. There is a key paragraph in the book:

The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so called will power becomes practically nonexistent. We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are without defense against the first drink.

Then the physical craving kicks in. This happens only with alcoholics. The body asks for more and we end up drunk. I used to sneak out on Saturday mornings for a tall bottle of beer. But after the first one, I usually get drunk in the afternoon.

And the most important piece is that an alcoholic is restless, irritable and discontented during those gaps.

Once we start working the steps of AA, we will be placed in a position of neutrality. Where we will not be interested in liquor anymore. That is one of the promises of AA.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 37

Thank you for sharing Foxman. 4 years sober is amazing and truly inspiring. I have cut back a bit since I woke up and realized there is a serious problem that affects almost everyone in my family. Generations of alcoholics in denial. But my "self knowledge" has not been enough to be successful. I have many questions. first off where I fail every time. Cravings hit me hard around day 12 (if I even get there) and I can't always get through it. They say they won't be as bad as time goes on. In your experience, (or anyone else who wouldn't mind sharing) did the cravings get easier to handle? Or is there a way of dealing with it better? You know

I'm short of time at the moment but I'll keep writing and asking. Thanks for the support everyone. It really does mean a lot. I will see if I will try to figure out the instant messenger over the weekend.

Jbblue

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1562

Dear Jbblue,

I will be glad to share my experience with AA. End of September I would have completed 4 years of freedom from bondage to alcohol. It was 4 months into just going to meetings, still crazy I ran into one of the most inspirational speeches ever heard (from a drunk). His name is Chris R he had then about 21 years sobriety. And the speech highlighted the dilution of the message of AA (today) and modern meetings of AA turning into therapy session, instead of helping the suffering alcoholics find a power so they can remain sober and lead a serene life. You may google for 'xa-speakers' and find several speakers among them you will find many of this persons speech. He was the one who turned my attention to the actual program prescribed in the book called Alcoholics Anonymous. Also helpful was the workshop (also available at the same site) by Joe and Charlie. I went through the Book with the aid of the workshop. It was so enlightening. I just followed the instructions laid out in the book. I attend few meetings (not a whole lot like modern day people propagate) but I stay connected, try to be of maximum use to fellow drunks.

Please start reading from the Preface, Forwards.. then the Doctors Opinion....... Bills Story... (basically from left to right) preferably listening to the workshop. They read key paragraphs from the book and offer there opinion/experience. Together they had about 100 years of sobriety before Joe passed away couple of years ago after helping so many people around Arkansas.

I would be open to leave my email/contact info here but, i am not sure about the policies of this forum. The other forum I belong to has a feature so we can send private messages. Not sure about this. May be the instant messenger could help.

Anyways, please read the book and if you any questions, you may post the questions here. We all can benefit from your questions.

13 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11216

Great topic Jbblue!

I am interested in hearing what other members have to say.

Ashley, Health Educator

Here to help :)

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Question about AA