Page 35 - More About Alcoholism

Page: 35

Step we are on: Step One

Subject: Mental Condition, Jim the Salesman, Insanity, Two Fold illness, Pre-lapse, Relapse, Normal vs. Abnormal

Good morning. Have you ever wondered why alcoholics relapse? I mean the actual, quantifiable reason that it happens? Today we will learn the ONLY reason for relapse given in this whole book. That's right, they spill the beans for us straight out. We will also learn about how relentless the co-founders of AA were when they worked with alcoholics.


What happened as the result of that effort? (Remember their 'method'. They were telling him what they knew of alcoholism and the answer they had found. This is how they began a twelve step procedure, by building their credibility and gaining the prospects confidence and trust so that he will go the extreme lengths they are going to prescribe. It isn't going to be to do a "90-in-90" either. It will be EXTREME.)

• So, Jim has taken Steps One and Two --- now what?

His family was re-assembled, and he began to work as a salesman for the business he had lost through drinking

• How did this beginning seem to be working out for Jim at first?

All went well for a time,

• So where did he fail?

but he failed to enlarge his spiritual life.

This is huge. This statement of Jim’s failure, exactly what he failed to do, is a theme attached to relapse that is made several times throughout these stories and it is the same recurring reason for ALL relapse by ALL alcoholics. Of course it is because as we have already learned, that although alcoholism is a twofold malady it is set in motion by a first illness ---- SPIRITUAL SICKNESS.

Alcoholism is not so much a disease as it is a syndrome* and it doesn't happen to spiritually well folks. We are ONLY susceptible to alcoholism AFTER we have first become ill spiritually.

Alcoholics suffer from TWO illnesses, not just one. They have alcoholism AND they are spiritually ill. We know this because not everyone who is spiritually ill becomes alcoholic yet EVEYONE who develops the alcoholic obsession AND physical craving IS ALCOHOLIC – and this combination is not possible until a person FIRST fails spiritually.

• How many times did he wind up drunk?

To his consternation, he found himself drunk half a dozen times in rapid succession.

• How many times did the recovered alcoholics go see him?

On each of these occasions we worked with him,

He got drunk six times. They made six attempts to carry the message to him - to twelve step him each and every time. None of the , "Your not ready or "call me when you ready" stuff for these co-founders. They WENT to see him! They did not wait for him to get meetings under his belt, or to show up in a church basement.

They WORKED WITH HIM. Proactively and steadfastly.

Our Primary Purpose alive and active? You bet.

• What did the A.A’s do?

reviewing carefully what had happened.

Now we are going to review what happened to Jim the salesman with the co-authors. What we learn is absolutely amazing. Remember he has failed to follow the directions, his spiritual life has not been enlarged as the result of his failure and despite repeated, unrelenting attempts to 'work with him" his botched attempts to not drink (despite some "going well" sobriety and employment) and THIS has brought him to relapsed.

Peace and Love,

Danny S - RLRA
Real Live Recovered Alcoholic
http://recoveredalcoholic.blogspot.com

* Syndrome is a word that was not available to the co-authors in 1938. These pioneers glaringly omitted referring to alcoholism as a disease, avoiding its obvious usage like the plague . Had "SYNDROME" been a word available to them they might well have chosen it in their description. Fortunately today we can see that it does fit, but for Big Book Study purposes it is not used. Even so, alcoholism is most certainly NOT a disease and it most certainly IS a "syndrome".

Syndrome: A group of symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or other abnormal condition. (In Alcoholism Mental obsession combines with physical craving to form the abnormal condition or "Alcoholic Syndrome")