|
He may be threatened, or it may just be a misunderstanding of the nature of alcoholism. AA's Big Book frames this as a "world of ignorance and misunderstanding." It's not ill-intended, just naiive. It's why some AAers feel it's very important to distinguish between the hard drinker and the real alcoholic.
I've literally seen alcoholics carry that notion of 'I can beat this by willpower' right to the grave.
What do you think, Find? Are you just a weak-willed loser who isn't trying hard enough to stay sober, or do you think there something more complex going on? I think it's not only complex, but cunning baffling and powerful. Many who have really sincerely tried to quit and been unable have reached the same conclusion. I couldn't do it on will. I couldn't do it on self-knowledge. And I couldn't do it on fear.
Strange enough, when I knew deep in my being that I couldn't do it, that's when I started to recover. Surrender is common theme around these parts.
"How many time people have said to us: "I can take it or leave it alone. Why can't he?" "Why don't you drink like a gentleman or quit?" "That fellow can't handle his liquor." "Why don't you try beer and wine?" "Lay off the hard stuff." "His will power must be weak." "He could stop if he wanted to." "She's such a sweet girl, I should think he'd stop for her sake." "The doctor told him that if he ever drank again it would kill him, but there he is all lit up again."
Now these are commonplace observations on drinkers which we hear all the time. Back of them is a world of ignorance and misunderstanding. We see that these expressions refer to people whose reactions are very different from ours."
--AA Big Book, Ch.2, 1st Ed.
|