Keith, you raise an interesting point. Obviously, a person who does not understand alcoholism thinks it is a choice. However, what if a person had the spiritual awakening and had the obsession removed. After a number of years, they stop going to AA, for whatever reason. If the person does not have the obsession, but then picks up a drink, has that person not made a choice?
The reason I raise this is my own experience. The obsession is gone, has been for a long time. If I pick up a drink tonight, I believe it is by choice. However, once that drink is in my body, the physical allergy takes over and I absolutely believe the obsession will return, rendering me unable to make that choice any more.
Now the Big Book tells me on page 85 that I am not cured of alcoholism. What I have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of my spiritual condition. Not that I intend to find out, is it possible to regain the obsession if I let up on my Spiritual program? or do I just pick up a drink by choice, then return to the obsession.
The reason I comment is, we do not know what that man did 20 years ago. he may have taken the steps, removed the obsession, then returned to drinking for some unknown reason. If he says he chooses to drink every time in the last 4 years, then I agree he does not understand alcoholism. On the other hand, if he said he chose to return to drinking after 20 years, then maybe he understands but cannot come to grips with the fact he has to do it all over again.
Just food for thought.
Originally Posted by
keithj 
I heard a recent share from a guy who previously had something like 20 years of not drinking. He's been drinking hard and trying to get sober again for the last four years, piecing together a week or two at a time and then drinking for 6 months at a stretch. Heartbreaking really. The guy is thumped and beaten.
What caught my attention was that he shared he stopped going to meetings. And then he shared that he chose to drink again. And in that little nugget, I realized that he's been around AA for 20 some years and missed Step 1. He's never had a first step experience with powerlessness. He's never understood what the BB says about loss of choice in drinking.
All Big Book quotes are from Alcoholics Anonymous 1st edition