Overcoming the spiritual malady, we recover from alcoholism

[SoberDrunk1]

Enclosed is a linked to material to illustrate how not managing our life leads us back into the vicious cycle of alcoholism and drug adiction:

Relationship between un-manageability and powerlessness.

tinyurl.com/firststepAA

[Isinatra]

An alcoholic is always in recovery because there is no cure yet. We only have reprieves. But that reprieve can last until we take our last breath if we make good choices. My choice was to do anything it took to stop drinking and one of those anythings was to not go it alone anymore. For on my own and left to my own devices, I couldn’t stop. It took a village, not just self knowledge to answer all the questions I had. Like penicillin…AA was the foundation to start helping people, but the foundation, over time, was built upon and improved. In order for newer generations of people to understand alcohol abuse disorder (alcoholism in this case) information needs to reflect the newer discoveries. And it does. AA is still the basis, but it’s now in the 21st century. The Big Book suggests to always keep an open mind and more will be revealed. And more has been revealed.

[SoberDrunk1 in reply to Isinatra]

I ran into some great big book thumbers that clarified the hidden nuggets in the book. How to connect the dots. They would start with how the alcoholic without help is hit with those peculiar mental twist or the blind spots just prior to that first drink. All because of the spiritual malady. And once we succumb to the desire the allergy kicks in and we want more. So, the defense is, being spiritually fit. Yes its a daily repreive. The best part is the 10 step promise.

""And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone— even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. Wereact sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality—safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is our experience. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.""

So, if i am spiritually fit, i can go anywhere, i can be among people who drink. I liked this promise a lot and that gave me the drive to work the steps and continue to work the step.

[Isinatra in reply to SoberDrunk1]

This is where (not here, but in the rooms of AA or a twelve step program) discussions are needed for the different perceptions and understandings of what the words can mean in the Big Book to an individual.

I wanted to quote verbatim from the Big Book when I first joined Drink Free, but it’s copyrighted and I’d need permission from Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Unless I’m mistaken.

[SoberDrunk1 in reply to Isinatra]

I quote from 3rd editions. Those are no longer bound by copyrights.

[Isinatra in reply to SoberDrunk1]

hmmm. Mine is the fourth edition and it’s copyrighted. In the terms and conditions of HU, it states that infringements of copyrighted material isn’t allowed. I googled if quotes can be taken from a copyrighted book and there are exceptions to do so without permission. Im just not sure if I fall under the exceptions. Im thinking about it……🙌🏼

[SoberDrunk1 in reply to Isinatra]

Yeah, 4th is copyrighted. Earliar version were not. They lost the copyright, thats why you see 3rd edition and earliar editions are being published by non-AA folks.

And wanted to add, i have quoted from the HTML version in other groups and never gotten into trouble with AA. I am doing this to share more information about the program, they shouldn't be worried about it. If I am quoting it in a publishing that I am making money which i am not, they shouldn't be worried about it.

Anyways, lets share our experience strength and hope and not caught up with the CR issues.

I wake up everyday with absolutley no obsession to drink, what a blessing. Thats the 10th step promise. I am living it.