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. We are still looking at Jim the Salesman.

• Was Jim good at his profession?

He is a good salesman.

• Was he a popular person?

Everybody likes him.

• Was he a dummy?

He is an intelligent man,

• Did he appear to be normal or abnormal?

normal so far as we can see,

• Except for what?

except for a nervous disposition.

Not a fellow to stand out in a crowd. Not overly intellectual; not unpopular. He seems 'normal' to those around him, even with his tendency toward 'nervousness'.  

Which of course indicates that there must be something terribly wrong with Jim. We'll soon see just why he is so "nervous".

Disposition - inclination, especially to a feeling or mood.
The Winston Simplified Dictionary – 1938

Peace & Love,

Danny S – RLRA

Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

http://recoveredalcoholic.blogspot.com

Are They One of Us?

Page: 34

Step we are on: Step One

Subject: Quitting Experiment, "One of us", Pre-relapse

• What is the question posed at this point?

How then shall we help our readers determine, to their own satisfaction, whether they are one of us?

Information will be imparted that will help the alcoholic self-diagnose!

It isn't:

• AA Group diagnosed ("You're in the right place.")

• Sponsor diagnosed ("Do you think you have a problem with alcohol?") or

• Doctor diagnosed ("Consequences define alcoholism.")
  

Any diagnostic method used by any of these entities are irrelevant for the purposes of this very special self diagnosis, the one for which AA is so famous among its recovered members and at times reviled by "professionals." 

But it's KEY to success in the 12 Step recovery model.

• What will be helpful?

The experiment of quitting for a period of time will be helpful,

• Do we think we can do better than that in helping the readers of this book determine if they are chronic alcoholics?

but we think we can render an even greater service to alcoholic sufferers and perhaps to the to the medical fraternity.

They well knew that they had a greater and truer understanding of alcoholism than did the medical professional or average individual. They knew that alcoholism has a spiritual cause — not a physiological cause — and could only be solved through spiritual means.

They had hoped that their "what follows" would help doctors understand alcoholism as much it would help the alcoholic himself. Not much has changed all these years later.

Today the "medical fraternity" remains a good example where a little bit of knowledge can be harmful. Doctors continue to mistreat, misdiagnose and harm alcoholics by treating symptoms and helping alcoholics do not much more than get worse.

Question: What might have happened had the medical profession actually accepted AA's ideas about alcoholism -- all those years ago?

Page 35

• What will we describe?

So we shall describe some of the mental states that precede a relapse into drinking,

TOMORROW:

• Why describe the mental condition?
• What is the question at this point?
• In what state are the alcoholic’s friends and why? (rest of paragraph)

Peace & Love,

Danny S –RLRA
Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

http://recoveredalcoholic.blogspot.com