Peter G

Let me ask... haven't you already tried any (or many) of the things described in the beginning of the 3rd chapter at different points in your drinking career? Haven't you already failed miserably in numerous attempts to manage, contain, and control your drinking? Maybe you can remember changing out hard liquor for beer, given up straight shots for high balls, and all of these experiments became abysmal failures as you would drink yourself into a coma anyway? Have you ever limited yourself to only certain specific times when you can drink - as in "only after 5pm" sort of thing? Basically, have you ever tried establishing any conditions on your drinking that eventually you burned to the ground because you just couldn't stop from getting completely blotto?

They aren't giving you an out persay, IMO they are suggesting that if you think you can behave like a normal drinker, go ahead and try. Since you're here at SR and in AA I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you already have tried.

I'm certainly no AA Zenmaster, but I took from this passage that the message was entirely about how the alcoholic comes to grips with step 1. These kind folks from the 1930's were telling me to make damned sure - like 1000% SURE - that I know full well, deep down to my gut that I'm an alcoholic, even if it means going out and exhausting any flights of fancy I might still have with controlling booze by myself. It tells me that by clinging onto even one perverted hope/belief that I'm NOT a total out of control booze hound, such fodder will make the 12 steps less effective, if not entirely useless at fixing me.

Of course I might be entirely wrong. Looking forward to hearing some others chime in on this.

EDIT: I hadn't read the earlier replies before posting. Sorry if I've jimmied up something or taken something out of proper context.
*Note to self; always read the replies before posting ...