Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (contd)

aacultwatch's perspective on:

The AA (General Service conference approved) book:

“Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions: A co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous tells how members recover and how the society functions”

(an almost as wildly discursive commentary as our 'take' on the Big Book)

This tome is much reviled in cult circles (especially amongst the Big Book nutters who regard it as almost heretical! (A point of interest: if you're looking for meetings largely free of the aforementioned 'fruitcakes', and for that matter sundry other screwballs, then a Twelve Step meeting following the format of the above text is usually a safe bet). The text we will be using is as indicated above. And now we come to:

Step Four (pp. 42-45)

“Step Four

“Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” [note: of “ourselves” - NOT someone else]

”CREATION gave us instincts for a purpose. Without them we wouldn’t be complete human beings. If men and women didn’t exert themselves to be secure in their persons, made no effort to harvest food or construct shelter, there would be no survival. If they didn’t reproduce, the earth wouldn’t be populated [no problems there it would seem – plenty when it comes to the former!]. If there were no social instinct [is there such a thing?], if men cared nothing for the society of one another [“caring” for the society of others is not necessarily the same as being instinctually drawn to their company], there would be no society. So these desires [to be distinguished from 'instincts']—for the sex relation, for material and emotional security, and for companionship—are perfectly necessary and right, and surely God-given [how so “perfectly necessary”, “right” and “surely”?].

Yet these instincts, so necessary for our existence, often far exceed their proper functions. Powerfully, blindly, many times subtly, they drive us, dominate us, and insist upon ruling our lives [and sometimes impel us to seek to rule the lives of others]. Our desires for sex, for material and emotional security, and for an important place in society often tyrannize us [and others in the process eg. cult sponsors]. When thus out of joint, man’s natural desires cause him [and others – hence the need for Steps 8 and 9] great trouble, practically all the trouble there is. No human being, however good, is exempt from these troubles [What! Not even your sponsor? Who'd have thought it!]. Nearly every serious emotional problem can be seen as a case of misdirected instinct. When that happens, our great natural assets, the instincts, have turned into physical and mental liabilities.

Step Four is our vigorous and painstaking effort to discover what these liabilities in each of us have been, and are.

We want to find exactly how, when, and where our natural desires [or rather our “misdirected instinct[s]”] have warped us. We wish to look squarely at the unhappiness this has caused others and ourselves. By discovering what our emotional deformities are, we can move toward their correction. Without a willing and persistent effort to do this, there can be little sobriety or contentment for us. Without a searching and fearless moral inventory, most of us have found that the faith [or modified self and world view] which really works in daily living is still out of reach.

Before tackling the inventory problem in detail, let’s have a closer look at what the basic problem is. Simple examples like the following take on a world of meaning when we think about them. Suppose a person places sex desire ahead of everything else. In such a case, this imperious urge can destroy his chances for material and emotional security as well as his standing in the community. Another may develop such an obsession for financial security that he wants to do nothing but hoard money. Going to the extreme, he can become a miser, or even a recluse who denies himself both family and friends.

Nor is the quest for security always expressed in terms of money. How frequently we see a frightened human being determined to depend completely upon a stronger person for guidance and protection. This weak one, failing to meet life’s responsibilities with his own resources, never grows up. Disillusionment and helplessness are his lot. In time all his protectors either flee or die, and he is once more left alone and afraid [ie. codependency – in AA frequently exhibited in the sponsor/sponsee relationship].

We have also seen men and women who go power-mad, who devote themselves to attempting to rule their fellows [eg. cult (although not exclusively) sponsors – now you can see perhaps why this text is so unpopular with the cult – too close to home!]. These people often throw to the winds every chance for legitimate security and a happy family life. Whenever a human being becomes a battleground for the instincts, there can be no peace.

But that is not all of the danger. Every time a person imposes his instincts unreasonably upon others, unhappiness follows. If the pursuit of wealth tramples upon people who happen to be in the way, then anger, jealousy, and revenge are likely to be aroused. If sex runs riot, there is a similar uproar. Demands made upon other people for too much attention, protection, and love can only invite domination or revulsion in the protectors themselves—two emotions quite as unhealthy as the demands which evoked them. When an individual’s desire for prestige becomes uncontrollable, whether in the sewing circle or at the international conference table, other people suffer and often revolt. This collision of instincts can produce anything from a cold snub to a blazing revolution. In these ways we are set in conflict not only with ourselves, but with other people who have instincts, too.

Alcoholics especially should be able to see that instinct run wild in themselves is the underlying cause of their destructive drinking [or alternatively the fundamental cause is a genetically inherited abnormal physical response to alcohol, overindulgence in which leads to the above distortions in psychological configuration, which in turn are identified as the causes (and justifications) for our excessive drinking]. We have drunk to drown feelings of fear, frustration, and depression. We have drunk to escape the guilt of passions, and then have drunk again to make more passions possible. We have drunk for vainglory—that we might the more enjoy foolish dreams of pomp and power. This perverse soul-sickness is not pleasant to look upon. Instincts on rampage baulk at investigation. The minute we make a serious attempt to probe them, we are liable to suffer severe reactions.”

(our emphases)(our observations in red print)

Coming next – Step Four (contd)

Cheers

The Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)