Just an observation about the allergy and the obsession. When I was
actively out there drinking, I used to run into people who used to
say something like "I need a drink" or "I am going to go
out tonight and get sloshed" that sort of thing. I often thought
these people were MY KINDA GUYS. I identified with "I need a drink:
and"I'm getting sloshed", because I usually did need a drink or was
already sloshed.

But when I embarked with these compatriots of the sauce, on what I
thought was bound to be a great evening of much drinking and
debauchery, I found myself disappointed and bewildered. Often, these
great talkers would have thier "needed" drink and shortly thereafter
simply go home.?!? Or they would sit with me for an hour or so, get
a major "buzz" on and the next thing, they were on the next
train to the burbs. For all of their talk, these people were nothing
more than lightweights!

Meanwhile, I was committed to carrying out my own drinking mission,
which usually was to drink through the night into the next day.
These people would outwardly advocate an admitted obsession to
drink or get drunk, once giving in to the obsession, went no further
once satisfied. They were obsessed all right but were missing the
physical allergy to alcohol which produced a craving for more. Once
satisfied, their obsession went away and no further desire for
alcohol was carried. These people were NOT alcoholics of my type,
for sure. Not yet anyway. I think I was once like hese people.

Then there were those who were able to well keep up with me. We'd
get into all sorts of trouble and consume tremendous amounts of
alcohol in an afternoon, often staying up for several days at a
time. Once they got going, they could not stop, just like me.

However unlike me, they choose when these bouts where to occur. They
usually planned them for occasions like New Years Eve or other
celebratory type of events which only happen a few times a year.
Once the started, they couldn't stop, so they choose simply not
to start except for special occasions. These people were also NOT
alcoholics of my type, for sure. Not yet anyway. I think I was once
like these people as well.

From the stories I hear told in many of our rooms, it is apparent
that there are vary many of both of these types of problem drinkers,
who are not real alcoholics by our description of the alcoholic, yet
identify as alcoholics to other members never-the-less. This is duwe
to ignorance, and lack of interest I guess in botehriong to read our
Big Book to find out just what diesease it isd they THINK they have.

Frankly,I'm often glad they are here, for many reasons. But I do not
identify with them, not do they identify with me. God help any real
alcoholic who does what THEY do to keep sober.

Peace,

Danny S





--- In BBS_Open_Discussion@yahoogroups.com, "Ritter" <ritter@s...>
wrote:
> Mega dittoes Tammy. When I was new (and sometimes still like to
think of
> myself that way ^9^), I kept hearing, put on your tray what you
want, what
> works for you and leave the rest. Also watch the others.
> What the others did really, really worked and so I learned by
example.
>
> After some time, I began to see the HP in others and the HP in me
too.
>
> ODAAT
> Julien
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Tammy Cook
> To: BBS_Open_Discussion@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2004 2:56 PM
> Subject: RE: [BBS_Open_Discussion] Re: Big Book Study - Post #6
>
>
> Wow! We hear this all the time at meetings. It's simplistic
instructions
> for newcomers. I was told that also. I have even said that. I
always
> supposed that the reason was because that's all that we can expect
from
> newcomers to be able to do. What then do we say to the newcomer,
who can't
> make heads or tails of us, at their first meeting?
> I try tell them what was told to me. To ask their Higher
Power to
> keep them sober in the morning, when they wake up and then thank
that Power
> at the day's end. I always try to tell them about how I felt when
I prayed
> to my God in early sobriety. I didn't have faith or belief in that
Power
> whom I called God. I only believed that I saw sober and happy
people in AA.
> I believed in what I could see. I believed what I heard them say
about
> themselves. These people told me what to do and I believed what
they said
> about the program. I had a thimble full of hope that any God might
loved me.
> I told these fears to the group. I was informed that I did not
have to
> "feel" anything when I prayed. My feelings and lack of faith or
belief was
> not important right now. What was important was the action of
getting on my
> knees in prayer. I was told that I put the cart before the horse
and that is
> how I lived most of my life. I would have to do less thinking and
take those
> actions. What else can we say but get a Big Book and get a
temporary sponsor
> before you leave this room.........???? I'd like to hear what
should be said
> from others.
> I appreciate learning and re-learning these things from this
BB study.
>
> jim <adailey@n...> wrote:
>
> Hi Danny,
>
> Amazing how often self-knowledge and will power are mistaken
as a viable
> program to defeat alcoholism isn't it? I think Step One and
it's
> admission
> of powerlessness is the single most misunderstood of AA's
principles.
> The
> don't drink (will power) and go to meetings (self-knowledge)
plan is
> based
> on principles that our early members found ineffective and use
the first
> 63
> pages or so of our book (Preface-Page 43) in an attempt to
dissuade us
> from
> attempting to rely upon these types of measures.
>
> The summary paragraph on page 43 stresses the point of the
first 63
> pages of
> the book and states the following:
> "Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective
mental
> defense
> against the first drink. Except in a few rare cases, neither
he nor any
> other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must
come from
> a
> Higher Power".
>
> I was one of those drunks who's problem was lack of Power; not
lack of
> information, not lack of motivation, and certainly not a lack
of
> meetings.
> Lack of Power can only be overcome by a spiritual experience
and never
> by a
> psychological or social one (the meeting effect).
>
> I don't much care for the 12 & 12 but the first paragraph of
the essay
> on
> Step One sums it up pretty well:
> "Who cares to admit complete defeat? Practically no one, of
course.
> Every
> natural instinct cries out against the idea of personal
powerlessness.
> It is
> truly awful to admit that, glass in hand, we have warped our
minds into
> such
> an
> obsession for destructive drinking that only an act of
Providence can
> remove
> it
> from us.
>
> jim
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Danny S [mailto:dschwarzhoff@f...]
> Sent: Monday, August 02, 2004 10:32 AM
> To: BBS_Open_Discussion@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [BBS_Open_Discussion] Re: Big Book Study - Post #6
>
> I find it ironic that the most rudimentary and important
admissions a
> real
> alcoholic must make prior to recovering from alcoholism could
not be
> made by
> me no matter how many meetings I went to, how many chairs I
put away or
> how
> many cookies I brought in or how many times I read the Big
Book. For the
> first several years of "not drinking today" in AA, I spoke of
> powerlessness
> over alcohol from one side of my mouth and then boasted of my
being
> powerful
> over alcohol out of the other side.
>
> By declaring that I was able to solve my drinking problem by
going to
> lots
> of AA meetings, meant I thought I was already powerful over
alcohol. I
> don't
> need God to stop drinking then do I? I've done it all on my
own, just by
> taking the bull by the horns and immersing myself in a new way
of living
> called "going to meetings".
> This was all I could offer to anyone, because it was all that
I had
> heard in
> meetings and if being a good AA parrot got me a little
approval, then
> that's
> what I went for.
>
> If THE message was being spoken of, I was missing it. No
turning of my
> life
> or will over to God, no inventory, no leveling of my pride, no
prayers,
> no
> serving God and my fellows and no carrying of the message.
Just suiting
> up
> and showing up, and carrying some message!
> That's all that was needed to stop drinking? Yes until the
disease just
> got
> worse and worse and the insanity of the first drink came
around again.
>
> If I were a heavy drinker or just an as%$hole, killing my body,
> destroying
> my life and life of my family and others, my own will might
work. But as
> a
> real alcoholic, for whom the aforementioned horrors have
ABSOLUTELY
> NOTHING
> to do with whether or not I am an alcoholic, I was as just as
hopeless
> as
> Bill and needed to find the same solution which he eventually
found in
> order
> to recover. I needed a miracle. A genuine, God sent, complete
> transformation of my very being. Nothing less.
>
> Peace,
>
> Danny S
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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