[nandm]

2-3

We hope we have made clear the distinction between the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic. If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely, or if, when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably alcoholic.

Every word up to this point is to help us determine whether we are alcoholic or not. We have examined the doctor's opinion which is that we suffer from an allergy to alcohol that results in a physical craving that is beyond our control. We have been shown the classic progression of alcoholism in Bill's story. We have seen that alcoholic insanity condemns us to drink despite the need or desire to abstain. Now the authors sum up the description of alcoholism in one sentence.

4

If that be the case, you may be suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer.

The authors use the word "may" to allow us to decide for ourselves if this is true. To determine if this is true for us, we need to examine our drinking in the light of the information contained in the previous chapters.

This is the basic premise of the Alcoholics Anonymous program. If we have reached the point where human aid is of no avail we have nowhere to turn but to a spiritual solution to our problem. AA is not a self help program. If we were able to help ourselves we would not need AA.

5-6

To one who feels he is an athiest or agnostic such an experience seems impossible, but to continue as he is means disaster especially if he is an alcoholic of the hopeless variety. To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis----not always easy alternatives to face.

Tangible assistance from a Power greater than ourselves seems unavailable to those of us who are without hope. This help seems out of our reach and only available to monks, priests, and gurus. Faced with alcoholic destruction we become willing to attempt to access this Power that the authors declare has solved their problem.

9-10

At first some ofus tried to avoid the issue, hoping against hope we were not true alcoholics. But after a while we had to face the fact that we must find a spiritual basis of life----or else.

To be a true alcoholic means that to recover we have to abandon our old ways of thinking and methods of dealing with life. Many of us hold tightly to the idea that our lives based on self can be successful if only we try hard enough. We resist, sometimes for years, beginning to build our lives on a spiritual foundation.

Many of us try for years to avoid the spiritual solution hoping that mere fellowship with sober people will help us recover. Sooner or later we realize that our lives run on selfwill are unsuccessful and we begin to seek a solution. Some of us unfortunately return to our old solution and begin once again to drink. Others of us discover a true solution in the spritually based way of life suggested in the Big Book.

Alcoholism destroyes all things worthwhile in our lives leaving only feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and guilt. Association with sober people in AA can not bring about a personality change sufficient to overcome alcoholism. The power capable of restoring meaning and purpose to our lives can be found only by adopting a spiritual way of life.

14

If a mere code of morals, or a better philosophy of life were sufficient to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have recovered long ago.

To recovery we need to experience an entire psychic change (xxvii:2). We must abandon the ideas and attitudes that currently shape our lives and adopt entirely new ones (27:11-12). Our selfishness and selfcenterdness are obstacles to gaining this new life (62:2-14). We as humans lack the power to remake our character to the extent necessary. Only God can replace the foundations and motivations for our actions and emotions.


Source:
The Annotated AA Handbook
Frank D.