Turn to page xiii, the Foreword to the First Edition. The first paragraph is where we want to draw our attention. Bill realized that there is strength in the collective voice. Hence, "... are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered… ." (There's that word "recovered" again!) The fact of the matter is that we are more likely to listen to one hundred than to just a single voice.

"To show other alcoholics PRECISELY HOW WE HAVE RECOVERED is the main purpose of this book." A powerful statement! Note that the capitalized words in the sentence above were capitalized in the first edition of the book. Subsequent editions italicized these words.

 

The BB use of the word recovered  is of a very special and technical sense, the context of which differs from what the man on the street – being unacquainted with Bill’s style of writing –  would not rightly understand.   So, to save a long explanation I state the following:

 

·         Being a recovered alcoholic means that the physical allergy is still in me.  If I take one shot of whisky I might not be able to stop for several days.  I will never be able to drink like a gentleman!

·         Being a recovered alcoholic means that the mental obsession will forever lurk ‘out there somewhere’ in wait for me to start living in less than a fit spiritual condition.  If this happens,  I am condemned to drunkenness!

 

I then may be asked:  “Well how are you different than when you first came to AA?  I can answer:

 

·         If I should drink is no longer in my emotional vocabulary.   When I receive a vision of drinking I begin to view those horrible visual hallucinations and remember how the refrigerator used to whisper to me!  The dreadful hangovers seem to re-occur at once.  I remember (feel) that jail door’s clang!  This experience is so unpleasant that I immediately push all such thoughts out of my mind. 

·         Now-a-days,  I am not even aware that  a restaurant serves martinis before dinner.  When I was a newcomer  I would have to fight off all thoughts of drink all day long.    Now, no such idiotic idea ever really occurs to me with any weight or depth.

 

Being recovered is a wonderful thing – it is not like just hanging in there one day at a time.  OH NO!  This is a daily reprieve, contingent on  the maintenance of a spiritual condition.  IT IS A CUP FLOWING OVER!  It often is accompanied with SPIRITUAL JOY!

 

This is way different than being a recovering-ing-ing alcoholic.

 

Bob S.

 

 

PS – To read a pamphlet on this subject please log on to the site below.

 

http://www.4dgroups.org/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=26&func=fileinfo&id=5

 

 

 

 

 

4D website:  www.4dgroups.org

 

 

Art Studio:  bobstonebraker.com