Page 37 - More About Alcoholism

Page: 37

Step we are on: Step One

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

Good morning. We are still on Jim the salesman. We are being introduced to this idea of the alcoholic mind. The alcoholic mind is subject to alcoholic obsession. For him there is no “think think think" regarding the first drink.

There is no “Think the drink through.”

There is no “Keep it green.”

There is no “Remember the last drink.”

NONE of these are an adequate defense against alcoholic insanity, the obsession inside the mind afflicted with alcoholism - the kind described in this book, in this story.

• Is this kind of thing farfetched to us? (2 sentences)

You may think this an extreme case. To us it is not far-fetched, for this kind of thinking has been characteristic of every single one of us.

• Have some of us given more thought to the consequences than Jim did

We have sometimes reflected more than Jim did upon the consequences.

• What is curious about the alcoholic’s thinking?

But there was always the curious mental phenomenon that parallel with our sound reasoning

• What overrode our sound reasoning?

there inevitably ran some insanely trivial excuse for taking the first drink.

• Will sound reasoning keep us from taking the first drink?

Our sound reasoning failed to hold us in check.

• What always wins out?
  

The insane idea won out.

• What do we then earnestly and sincerely ask ourselves?

Next day we would ask ourselves, in all earnestness and sincerity, how it could have happened.

So much for "THINK THE DRINK THROUGH"

If any problem drinker can do THAT and not drink - stave off the act of taking that first drink -- then he is not one of us. He hasn't got the obsession. Obsession occurs somewhere beyond thought. Beyond the alcoholics ability to control himself.

The alcoholic mind operates subconsciously.

We shall learn more about this "alcoholic mind" later on when we talk about Fred the accountant.

TOMORROW

• Do we occasionally decide to get drunk and then go do it?
• What prompts us to do such a crazy thing?
• What are we obliged to admit after such a binge?
• What do we come to understand when we start drinking deliberately?
• At this stage of the disease, can we imagine what the consequences will be when we start drinking?

Peace & Love,

Danny S – RLRA

Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

http://recoveredalcoholic.blogspot.com