Posted by TamaraJ on May 13, 2005, at 16:06:06
In reply to just trying to understand..., posted by rainbowbrite on May 12, 2005, at 9:19:18
I just wanted to share a couple of excerpts by AA members from an AA book called Daily Reflections, which gets to the heart of alcoholism:
TOTAL ACCEPTANCE
"He cannot picture life without alcohol. Some day he will be unable to imagine life either with alcohol or without it. Then he will know loneliness such as few do. He will be at the jumping-off place. He will wish for the end."
"Only an alcoholic can understand the exact meaning of a statement like this one. The double standard that help me captive as an active alcoholic also filled me with terror and confusion: "If I don't get a drink I'm going to die," competed with "If I continue drinking it's going to kill me." Both compulsive thoughts pushed me ever closer to the bottom. That bottom produced a total acceptance of my alcoholism - with no reservation whatsoever - and one that was absolutely essential for my recovery. It was a dilemma unlike anything I had ever faced, but as I found out later on, a necessary one if I was to succeed in this program."
WOULD A DRINK HELP?
"By going back in our own drinking histories, we could show that years before we realized it we were out of control, that our drinking even then was no mere habit, that it was indeed the beginning of a fatal progression."
"When I was still drinking, I couldn't respond to any of life's situations the way other, more healthy, people could. The smallest incident triggered a state of mind that believed I had to have a drink to numb my feelings. But the numbing did not improve the situation, so I sought further escape in the bottle. Today I must be aware of my alcoholism. I cannot afford to believe that I have gained control of my drinking - or again I will think I have gained control of my life. Such a feeling of control is fatal to my recovery."
poster:TamaraJ
thread:496819
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20050506/msgs/497423.html