keithj

Maybe willpower is not the entire answer? Maybe that will, as strong as it is, needs to be directed along different lines?

I'm a pretty smart and capable guy. I've got a track record of being able to accomplish whatever I set out to do. But when it came to alcohol, I fell short every time. I lived in a fantasy world for quite some time, always thinking that if I just worked harder, applied myself better, or really really tried to stay sober, I'd be able to accomplish that as well. If only I managed well, all would be better.

That was my delusion. Today I don't cling to any notion that I can work or think my way out of alcoholism. I don't know the first thing about staying sober. But I had some people tell me that if I took certain actions, if I directed my will along certain lines, I would recover. So I did. I abandoned myself to the same path that they had travelled. And I got the same result they got.

Here's a little secret, Jade. Those actions that I have to take to stay sober and have a fulfilling and wondrous life, are the exact same actions that a newcomer to sobriety has to take. Exactly the same.