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Carol87 · 10-20-2007, 10:59 AM

If only you knew how long I struggled with that question. Finally someone led me to this in the Big Book ... and I had my answer

"Could I be an alcoholic without some of the hair-raising experiences I had heard of in meetings? The answer came to me very simply in the first step of the Twelve Steps of AA. 'We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.' This didn't say we had to be in jail, ten, fifty, or one hundred times. It didn't say I had to lose one, five or ten jobs. It didn't say I had to lose my family. It didn't say I had to finally live on skid row and drink bay rum, canned heat or lemon extract. It did say 'admitted I was powerless over alcohol; that my life had become unmanageable.'

Most certainly I was powerless over alcohol, and for me, my life had become unmanageable. It wasn't how far I had gone, but where I was headed. It was important to me to see what alcohol had done to me and would continue to do if I didn't have help." - excerpt page 379, Alcoholics Anonymous, Third Edition, page 354, Fourth Edition

10-20-2007, 10:59 AM	#8 (permalink)
Carol87 Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Nebraska Posts: 187	If only you knew how long I struggled with that question. Finally someone led me to this in the Big Book ... and I had my answer "Could I be an alcoholic without some of the hair-raising experiences I had heard of in meetings? The answer came to me very simply in the first step of the Twelve Steps of AA. 'We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.' This didn't say we had to be in jail, ten, fifty, or one hundred times. It didn't say I had to lose one, five or ten jobs. It didn't say I had to lose my family. It didn't say I had to finally live on skid row and drink bay rum, canned heat or lemon extract. It did say 'admitted I was powerless over alcohol; that my life had become unmanageable.' Most certainly I was powerless over alcohol, and for me, my life had become unmanageable. It wasn't how far I had gone, but where I was headed. It was important to me to see what alcohol had done to me and would continue to do if I didn't have help." - excerpt page 379, Alcoholics Anonymous, Third Edition, page 354, Fourth Edition __________________ *"As God's people, we stand on our feet; we don't crawl before anyone." (Page 83, Alcoholics Anonymous)*