A
wildly imaginative dianoetic rambling concerning the the “basic
text” of Alcoholics Anonymous (viz. the Big Book) (our comments in
red print)
Chapter 2 There Is A Solution (pp. 22-26)
“Why
does he behave like this? If hundreds of experiences have shown him
that one drink means another debacle with all its attendant suffering
and humiliation,
why is it he takes that one drink? Why can’t he stay on the water
wagon? What has become of the common sense and will power that he
still sometimes displays with respect to other matters? [this
suggests that drink-free the alcoholic is quite capable of making
decisions on his or her own behalf, and quite without recourse to a
'special advisor' ….]
Perhaps
there never will be a full answer to these questions. Opinions
vary considerably as to why the alcoholic reacts differently from
normal people [but
see Links and downloads
for research articles on this area]. We are not sure
why, once a certain point is reached, little can be done for him. We
cannot answer the riddle.
We
know that while the alcoholic keeps away from drink, as he may do for
months or years, he reacts much like other men [again
it is clear from this statement that drink-free alcoholics are quite
capable of organising their own lives - and exercising their own
judgement - without the intervention of the aforementioned 'special
advisor' ie. sponsor]. We are equally positive that
once he takes any alcohol whatever into his system, something
happens, both in the bodily and mental sense, which makes it
virtually impossible [note the
qualification: “virtually”] for him to stop. The
experience of any alcoholic will abundantly confirm this.
These
observations would be academic and pointless if our friend never took
the first drink, thereby setting the terrible cycle in motion.
Therefore, the main problem of the alcoholic centres in his mind,
rather than in his body [a
'feedback loop' - as the physical addiction strengthens so does the
psychological dependency and so on. Body and mind are after all interdependent]. If you ask him why he started on that
last bender, the chances are he will offer you any one of a hundred
alibis. Sometimes these excuses have a certain plausibility, but none
of them really makes sense in the light of the havoc an alcoholic’s
drinking bout creates. They sound like the philosophy of the man who,
having a headache, beats himself on the head with a hammer so that he
can’t feel the ache. If you draw this fallacious reasoning to the
attention of an alcoholic, he will laugh it off, or become irritated
and refuse to talk.
Once
in a while he may tell the truth. And the truth, strange to say,
is usually that he has no more idea why he took that first drink than
you have. Some drinkers have excuses with which they are
satisfied part of the time. But in their hearts they really do not
know why they do it. Once this malady has a real hold, they are a
baffled lot. There is the obsession that somehow, someday, they will
beat the game. But they often suspect they are down for the count.
How
true this is, few realize. In a vague way their families and friends
sense that these drinkers are abnormal, but everybody
hopefully awaits the day when the sufferer will rouse himself from
his lethargy and assert his power of will.
The
tragic truth is that if the man be a real alcoholic, the happy day
may not arrive. He has lost control. At a certain point in the
drinking of every alcoholic, he passes into a state where the most
powerful desire to stop drinking is of absolutely no avail
[ie. the desire to stop cannot override the
desire to continue]. This tragic situation has already arrived
in practically every case long before it is suspected.
The
fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the
power of choice in drink. Our so-called will power becomes
practically nonexistent.. We are unable, at certain times,
to bring into our consciousness with sufficient
force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a
month ago. We are without defence against the first drink.
The
almost certain [again a qualified
statement – see above] consequences that follow taking even
a glass of beer do not crowd into the mind to deter us. If these
thoughts occur, they are hazy and readily supplanted with the old
threadbare idea that this time we shall handle ourselves like other
people. There is a complete failure of the kind of defence that keeps
one from putting his hand on a hot stove.
The
alcoholic may say to himself in the most casual way, “It won’t
burn me this time, so here’s how!’’ Or perhaps he doesn’t
think at all. How often have some of us begun to drink in this
nonchalant way, and after the third or fourth, pounded on the bar and
said to ourselves, “For God’s sake, how did I ever get started
again?’’ Only to have that thought supplanted by “Well, I’ll
stop with the sixth drink.’’ Or “What’s the use anyhow?’’
When
this sort of thinking is fully established in an individual with
alcoholic tendencies, he has probably placed himself beyond
human aid, and unless locked up, may die or go permanently insane.
These stark and ugly facts have been confirmed by legions of
alcoholics throughout history. But for the grace of God [or
otherwise], there would have been thousands more convincing
demonstrations. So many want to stop but cannot [ie.
an insufficiency of will-power].
There
is a solution. Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the
levelling of our pride, the confession of shortcomings which the
process requires for its successful consummation. But we saw that it
really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the
hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it. When,
therefore, we were approached by those in whom the problem had been
solved, there was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple
kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet [Note:
the choice to pick up the 'tool kit' remains with the newcomer. They
are NOT thrust down his throat]. We have found much of
heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence
of which we had not even dreamed [Don't worry:
this is called hyperbole. Nobody's going to be 'rocketed' anywhere.
See reference below to Appendix II – Spiritual Experience].
The
great fact is
just this, and nothing less: That we have had deep and
effective spiritual experiences* which have revolutionized our whole
attitude toward life, toward our fellows and toward God’s universe.
The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty ['absolute certainties' tend
to be rather thin on the ground, some would argue even non-existent -
although we can't be absolutely certain of that! Contrast this
emphasis with the previously cautious tone of the section]
that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which
is indeed miraculous [or NOT ie. according to
an individual's belief system]. He has commenced to accomplish
those things for us which we could never do by ourselves
[alternatively it might be said that certain
psychological transformations have occurred quite spontaneously
without the intervention of any such deity. Take your pick according
to your own perspective! Both might be equally valid – or then
again ….. neither]
If
you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe
[belief: a mental representation of a sentient
being's attitude toward the likelihood or truth of something]
there is no middle-of-the-road solution. We were in a position where
life was becoming impossible, and if we had passed into the region
from which there is no return through human aid [but
AA is composed of humans?], we had but two alternatives: One
was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our
intolerable situation as best we could; and the other, to accept
spiritual help. This we did because we honestly wanted to, and
were willing to make the effort [Note:
again the initiative remains with the newcomer – NOT with anyone
else].
________________
(our
emphases)
Coming
next – Chapter 2 There Is A Solution (contd)
Cheerio
The
Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
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