Originally Posted by Gottalife

In AA we talk about emotional sobriety. It is one of the main goals of the programme and doesn't automatically come from stopping drinking. In fact, the emotional instability can get a lot worse in sobriety unless the alcoholism is treated. Bill W wrote a pamphlet on the subject called Emotional Sobriety. He was having problems at over twenty years, and he present s his solution in this pamphlet.

A while back I saw a guy at a meeting, been sober thirty years he said, but his emotional state was exotremely bad. Dry drunk doesn't begin to describe it. He had got married just over a week beforehand, went on the honeymoon, and the wife had kicked him out before they even got home. He was howling about how hard done by he was and what an unreasonable woman his wife was. He got to talk about all this by interrupting the person sharing and ignoring please from the chair for him to wait his turn. His sad tale was so important we all had to hear it immediately. Then he left.

Thirty years without a drink, and less emotional stability than most newcomers. Just stopping drinking is not always the total solution.