3-33
Quote:
Though there is no way of proving it, we believe that early in our drinking careers most of us could have stopped drinking. But the difficulty is that few alcoholics have enough desire to stop while there is yet time. We have heard of a few instances where people, who showed definate signs of alcoholism, were able to stop for a long period because of an overpowering desire to do so. Here is one.
A man of thirty was doing a great deal of spree drinking. He was very nervous in the mornign after these bouts and quieted himself with more liquor. He was ambitious to succeed in business, but saw that he would get nowhere if he drank at all. Once he started, he had no control whatever. He made up his mind that until he had been successful in business and had retired, he would not touch another drop. An exceptional man, he remained bone dry for twenty-five years and retired at the age of fifty-nine, after a successful and happy business career. Then he fell victim to a belief which practically every alcoholic has----that his long terms period of sobriety and self-discipline had qualified him to drink a sober men. Out came his carpet slippers and a bottle. In two months he was in a hospital, puzzled and humiliated. He tried to regulate his drinking for a while, making several trips to the hospital in the meantime. Then, gathering all his forces he attempted to stop altogether and found he could not. Every means of solving his problem which money could buy was at his disposal.
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A full knowledge of our condition is a humbling thing. We are powerless over alcohol. Left to human resources we are unable to control our destructive drinking. With nowhere else to go we can turn to a Power we may not have even given thought was available to us. Until we have a humble understandins of our inability to help ourselves we are resistant to turn to this Power. To help smash the delusiion that we are like other people is the purpose of the illustration. If we are alcoholic, over time we get worse, never better. The ability to control our drinking.
Spree drinking, nervousness and drinking in the morning to calm our nerves are signs of alcoholism. We can compare the progression of our own drinking to this fellow. Are we showing signs of alcohlism?
This man possessed high ambitions and common sense but was still alcoholic. Do we think that our good intentions will protect us from alcoholism? How about will power and firm resolve? This fellow's reliance on resolve kept him sober for 25 years, but then failed him.
Do we have this belief? Will we also fall victim to it? How have past periods of abstinence worked to restore our ability to control our drinking?
Aftern self-discipline repeatedly fails to work, we begin to lose confidence in ourselves and seek help from others. When the help of our families, spouses, friends, and doctors all fail we are left seemingly hopeless. Unless we can't find something greater than human power, we may be doomed as this fellow was.
Source:
The Annotated AA Handbook
a companion to the Big Book
Frank D.