Originally Posted by FrothyJay

Great question, and I think one that requires you to look at things a bit differently.

Alcoholism is so much more than a bad drinking problem. The drinking, in fact, is really just the symptom of a much deeper, more dangerous condition. In AA, we call this the spiritual malady that drives our self destructive behavior. It's a condition, as you point out, that's been with us as far back as we remember.

Think of it this way: alcohol treated that spiritual malady. It relieved us of that distress, restlessness, irritability. And we became hooked on it, because it gave us that comfort and ease. It treated our spiritual malady.

Try this:

Alcohol treats alcoholism.

But then it gives out on us, betrays us. Yet we stick with it, not unlike an abused spouse, because we are afraid of what life would be like without it. And because it still occasionally relieves that maddening sense that we are completely out of kilter with the world around us. It still promises to scratch our itch, even though it will leave us bloody and worse than ever.

Now take alcohol away. You are back to square one: an agonizing spiritual malady, now overlayed with the physical cravings for alcohol and all the anxiety and fears that were not processed while you were anesthetizing yourself. We are trembling, depressed, angry human beings.

Abstinence from alcohol does not treat this condition. It's merely a start. Days sober are fun to count, but if there is no real recovery going on, those days are usually numbered.

Recovery treats the spiritual malady that made your life miserable before you drank, while you drank, and after you quit. In Alcoholics Anonymous, recovery is a vital spiritual awakening via the 12 steps. And it relieves us of the desire to drink by restoring us to sanity.

What do we recover? An awakened spirit. And then, anything is possible.