--We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.--
We know that little good can come to any alcoholic who joins AA unless he has first accepted his devastating weakness and all its consequences. Until he so humbles himself, his sobriety-if any-will be precarious. Of real happiness he will find none at all. Proved beyond doubt by an immense experience, this is one of the facts of AA life. 12x12 pp21
Moderate drinkers have little trouble in giving up liquor entirely if they have good reason for it . They can take it or leave it alone.Then we have a certain type of hard drinker. He may have the habit badly enough to gradually impair him physically and mentally. It may cause him to die a few years before his time. If a sufficiently strong reason-ill health, falling in love, change of enviroment, or the warning of a doctor-becomes operative, this man can also stop or moderate, although he may find it difficult and troublesome and may even need medical attention.
But what of the real alcoholic? He may start off as a moderate drinker; he may or may not become a continuous hard drinker; but at some stage of his drinking career he begins to lose all control of his liquor consumption, once he starts to drink. Big Book pp 20-21
Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinking. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death. Big Book pp 30
Suggested reading--The Drs. opinion and Chapters 1,2 and 3 of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anoonymous with these 2 questions in mind---
1) Are they talking about me?
2) Is it possible that I am alcoholic?
cheri said
May 16, 2005
Hi everyone,
I only know the BB and how I worked the steps with my sponsor. So in posting each step, I can only go with what I know how to do. If anyone else has other sugested readings to step 1 please post it here.
I will share on my step one and how I found AA in a day or two.
Love to all, cheri
amanda2u2 said
May 16, 2005
I think the way you did that was absolutely great! You decided which excerpts from the 12x12 and the BB and put the page numbers, asked some questions. Great job! Thank you very, very much.
--We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.--
We know that little good can come to any alcoholic who joins AA unless he has first accepted his devastating weakness and all its consequences. Until he so humbles himself, his sobriety-if any-will be precarious. Of real happiness he will find none at all. Proved beyond doubt by an immense experience, this is one of the facts of AA life. 12x12 pp21
Moderate drinkers have little trouble in giving up liquor entirely if they have good reason for it . They can take it or leave it alone.Then we have a certain type of hard drinker. He may have the habit badly enough to gradually impair him physically and mentally. It may cause him to die a few years before his time. If a sufficiently strong reason-ill health, falling in love, change of enviroment, or the warning of a doctor-becomes operative, this man can also stop or moderate, although he may find it difficult and troublesome and may even need medical attention.
But what of the real alcoholic? He may start off as a moderate drinker; he may or may not become a continuous hard drinker; but at some stage of his drinking career he begins to lose all control of his liquor consumption, once he starts to drink. Big Book pp 20-21
Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real alcoholics. No person likes to think he is bodily and mentally different from his fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our drinking careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could drink like other people. The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinking. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death. Big Book pp 30
Suggested reading--The Drs. opinion and Chapters 1,2 and 3 of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anoonymous with these 2 questions in mind---
1) Are they talking about me?
2) Is it possible that I am alcoholic?
Hi everyone,
I only know the BB and how I worked the steps with my sponsor. So in posting each step, I can only go with what I know how to do. If anyone else has other sugested readings to step 1 please post it here.
I will share on my step one and how I found AA in a day or two.
Love to all, cheri
I think the way you did that was absolutely great! You decided which excerpts from the 12x12 and the BB and put the page numbers, asked some questions. Great job! Thank you very, very much.
love in recovery,
amanda