Step by Step
Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013
"The classification of alcoholics seems most difficult ...There are, of course, the psychopaths who are emotionally unstable. ...They are always 'going on the wagon for keeps.' They are over-remorseful and make many resolutions, but never a decision.
"There is the type of man who is unwilling to admit that he cannot take a drink. He plans various ways of drinking. He changes his brand or his environment. There is the type who always believes that after being entirely free from alcohol for a period of time he can take a drink without danger. There is the manic-depressive type, who is, perhaps, the least understood by his friends ...
"Then there are types entirely normal in every respect except in the effect alcohol has upon them. They are often able, intelligent, friendly people.
"All these, and many others, have one symptom in common: they cannot start drinking without developing the phenomenon of craving." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, "The Doctor's Opinion," p xxviii.
Today, I will not expend time needlessly figuring out in what "classification" of drinking I fit because, in the end, the common denominator for everyone in every category is that I cannot now or ever drink responsibly. If I accept that absolute truth, I have surrendered to Step One and can begin the work toward recovery; if I have not accepted it, I cannot set out on the journey toward sobriety because I have not admitted my powerlessness over alcohol. And if the opinion of the doctor quoted here is on the mark - that drinking is the trigger to the "phenomenon of craving" - the solution to quenching the craving is simple: don't drink. That's keeping it simple! And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013
Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013
"The classification of alcoholics seems most difficult ...There are, of course, the psychopaths who are emotionally unstable. ...They are always 'going on the wagon for keeps.' They are over-remorseful and make many resolutions, but never a decision.
"There is the type of man who is unwilling to admit that he cannot take a drink. He plans various ways of drinking. He changes his brand or his environment. There is the type who always believes that after being entirely free from alcohol for a period of time he can take a drink without danger. There is the manic-depressive type, who is, perhaps, the least understood by his friends ...
"Then there are types entirely normal in every respect except in the effect alcohol has upon them. They are often able, intelligent, friendly people.
"All these, and many others, have one symptom in common: they cannot start drinking without developing the phenomenon of craving." - Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, 1976, "The Doctor's Opinion," p xxviii.
Today, I will not expend time needlessly figuring out in what "classification" of drinking I fit because, in the end, the common denominator for everyone in every category is that I cannot now or ever drink responsibly. If I accept that absolute truth, I have surrendered to Step One and can begin the work toward recovery; if I have not accepted it, I cannot set out on the journey toward sobriety because I have not admitted my powerlessness over alcohol. And if the opinion of the doctor quoted here is on the mark - that drinking is the trigger to the "phenomenon of craving" - the solution to quenching the craving is simple: don't drink. That's keeping it simple! And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013
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