Thoughts on Recovery – No. 70 – Step 1 – Description of the Alcoholic – The desperate experiment of the first drink – Why does he? Example a man called Jim – Part 1 – More about Alcoholism – P 35-37
The chapter More about Alcoholism is designed to make the reader understand that the alcoholic is powerless, powerless, powerless, to control how much we drink after we take the first drink and powerless to keep from taking the first drink. This is the hopeless condition of mind and body that defines the real alcoholic. Is this true for you? It was true for me when I came in and is true for me today if I don’t continue to seek GOD and work the steps every day.
In this thought I am going to look at the powerful story of Jim that is on pages 35-37. The purpose is to describe the thinking that precedes the insane action of taking the first drink. Remember all action is born in thought. So why does he? What is he thinking? Let’s look at Jim.
Jim is described as a great guy initially. Owns an automobile agency, commendable war record, great salesman, and everyone likes him. Yet he has a nervous disposition! I believe they are describing the spiritual malady. Jim turned to alcohol at age 35 and found it provided relief from his nervous disposition.
Jim becomes so violent when intoxicated that after a few years he ends up in an asylum. There he meets members who try to work with him. They told him what they knew of alcoholism. He makes a beginning and reassembled his life. He is now working at the agency he lost because of his alcoholism. All went well for a time. WARNING: He failed to enlarge his spiritual life! I can’t recall how many people thru the years come in defeated and within a short time things appear better. They don’t see the need to work the steps and in a short time you don’t see them anymore. Remember we have to be in fit spiritual condition to be able to see the truth about alcohol. God is the power that gives me power to choose not to take the first drink. To his consternation, he found himself drunk half a dozen times in rapid succession.
They worked with him on each of these occasions. Notice we continue to work with people who relapse. Jim agreed he was an alcoholic. He knew he faced another trip to the asylum if he drank again. He would lose his family. YET he drank again. How could this happen? Did it happen to you? Knowing you are an alcoholic will not defend you from taking the first drink. Fear of the consequences will not keep you from taking the first drink. Self-knowledge and will power will not keep you from taking the first drink. It must come from a higher power. That is what the big book is all about. P45. The object of this book is to find a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem. The book Alcoholics Anonymous is the treasure map to a relationship to God.
In part 2 I will look at his story on what happened to him and then we can see why we are powerless against the first drink and what is the insanity of alcoholism.