Monday, I hit that 12:30 meeting that I enjoy so much. This gal who h as really been struggling with her drinking came in and shared about this new drug she had heard about that was supposed to help alcoholics qut drinking. I guess it's an old drug, but they have done this study and its supposed to be a help. As she shared, she acknowledged that while AA is good, "wouldn't it be easier if we had something like this pill to help out...?"
Well, that opened the flood gates as you can well imagine. For me, I quite coming to AA in order to keep drug/alcohol free a long, long time ago. I come to AA now to stay emotionally balanced, spiritually fit, on an even keel, serene (that comes and goes he he) and so forth. I think people in early recovery are so focussed on "the problem: drinking" (as well they ought to be), that they fail to see that drinking is only a symptom. For me, once I got the drinking and drugging behind me for a period of time, and the fog cleared, it was then that I realized that I had only begun to address the problem: ME! The only step in AA that mentions alcohol is Step 1. The rest of the Steps address the real issue at hand.
For me, even if there were a pill that could keep me dry.... I know my disease well enough to know that once I got dry with these pills, if I didnt address my insanity (with a spiritual program, AA), I would return to drinking. I would quit taking the pills (having been cured) and quickly return to drinking. That's how I think... Thats what would happen, no doubt. The only solution for me is to continue to grow in the AA program. I am glad this gal brought this topic up. It reminded me of the importance of having a program. If I do not continue to do what I have done for the past 10 yrs in sobriety, I am so toast.... Thank God for AA and the Steps! Thank God I've learned this about myself!
7 comments:
If stopping drinking were my only problem I wouldn't still go. I'm with you. and grateful I KNOW that about myself today.
Isn't it ironic that they think to stop drinking, they must take a drug?
Rational Recovery and other non-12 step programs can be effective in stopping drinking. But that is as far as they go. What remains is a dry drunk.
btw- i saw a comment you left lex-sunshine that you would try to be at Lambda Tuesday night. Great. I have a fundraising comm. meeting there from 6:45p for about an hour. There is an excellent meeting at 6:30p called "Double Digit." If you can make that meeting, we should both be done about 7:30p and then go have coffee. I can let Scott W. know as well.
Our disease is threefold. Physical, spiritual, mental. The medication would only address the physical... which wouldn't get to the disease at all. People just don't get it.
Oh wow what a great post.
12 steps breaks our EGO -- bondage from self. I have many symtons, not just alcohol. What about food, or cutting. I don't have year yet but am so blessed that I can see this truth about the Dz. If I took a pill, my Dz is so powerful it would still find a way. It is either Faith in my God (HP) or relience of that thing between my 2 ears. That thing has failed me too many times, I am not letting my God go.
Thank you for posting about this!
amen! today its not about drinking or drugging, for me its about living well, spiritually, emotionaly, mentaly. and physically
I am glad the new comer said that and it opened a can of worms, there was someone at the meeting who needed to learn that drinking is just a symptom... right on!
Happy Friday Scott!!!!! :)
I am soooo jealous, I want to go to Houston :)
Its Alcoholism not alcoholwasim as they say
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