Originally Posted by
WhiteFeathers 
Hi. I'm giving AA a real shot. I've been going to meetings diligently for a few months now and I'm sincerely wondering...
If alcoholism is a physical disease-- an allergy, like Dr. Silkworth puts it in the BB-- then why do we need the moral inventory, the making of amends, etc. that results in the spiritual treatment of the disease?
If alcoholism is an "allergy" that you are born with, something like-- I want to say, celiac disease (you eat one piece of gluten and then you get sick)-- what does confessing my wrongs to someone else do? How do working the steps prevent me from picking up the first drink?
This is an inconsistency that is really creating a lot of cognitive dissonance for me and I would really love some input from people who have experience with the 12 steps.
It is a physical, mental, and spiritual disease. That is what every person I have come across in AA has told me. And I believe it. Abstaining from alcohol cures the body, the steps cure the mind. Confessing your wrongs clears your conscience. You can't get better if you still hold grudges or have skeletons in the closet.
