Page 34 - More About Alcoholism

Chapter: Three

Page: 34

Step we are on: Step One

Subject: Desire, Powerlessness, Power of Choice

Reading Time: 90 seconds

• Have we all felt that we lacked the character to stop drinking?

Many of us felt that we had plenty of character.

This takes a bit of wind out of the popular myth that alcoholics suffer from,“low self-esteem."

There are schools of thought that tell us so,  frequently told by those standing to gain if we allow them to become our source of self-esteem. 

Here, we are pointed toward the truth, that it is quit the opposite: In reality, alcoholics suffer from overly-INFLATED self-esteem, not "low" self-esteem. All esteem installed by “self” is a lie and there's more about this as we move through the book.

The 1930' definition of Pride is "undeserved self-esteem." Unfortunately, the modern day definition does not convey this meaning to us and is a misapplication in Twelve Step practice.

• What was our tremendous urge to never ever drink again – to quite for once and all?

There was a tremendous urge to cease forever.

• Is a great desire to stop drinking enough?

Yet we found it impossible.

That should be enoght to put the “You gotta REALLY want it." fallacy to rest. The spirit that might enter and deliver the alcohol solution doesn’t really give a flying fig what YOU want! Just as an opposing spirit that tells you to "Go ahead and drink" does respect our desire to stop.

TOMORROW:

• What is the really baffling feature of chronic alcoholism?
• This is the baffling feature of alcoholism as we know it - this utter inability to leave it alone,
• No matter what?

Peace & Love,

Danny S – RLRA
Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

http://recoveredalcoholic.blogspot.com