This hope, however, was destroyed by the doctor’s telling him that while his religious convictions are good, in his case they did not spell the necessary vital spiritual experience. ~ Big Book, pg. 27 There is a great big difference between religion and spirituality. I had these two things all mixed up when I first… Read More Vital Spiritual Experience
They appear to be in the nature of huge emotional displacements and and rearrangements. ~ Big Book, pg. 27. Active alcoholics tend to fear change. They love the routine that addiction provides. We were talking about this last night in a meeting. We all agreed that drinking and dealing with our drinking made sense when… Read More Change of Mind
Exceptions to cases such as yours have been occurring since early times. Here and there, once in awhile, alcoholics have had what are called vital spiritual experiences. ~ Big book, pg. 27 It must have been quite a struggle for this doctor to recognize that no matter how much skill and education he had in… Read More Exceptions
He can go anywhere on this earth where other free men may go without disaster, provided he remains willing to maintain a certain simple attitude. ~ Big book, pg. 26-27. What we need is an attitude of gratitude. Plain and simple, we cannot maintain long term sobriety if we choose to go on living a… Read More Attitude of Gratitude
In the doctor’s judgement he was utterly hopeless; he could never again regain his position in the world and he would have to place himself under lock and key or hire a bodyguard if he expected to live long. ~ Big book, pg. 26. Thank goodness we have come a long way in better understanding… Read More Judgement
He seemed quite rational and well-balanced with respect to other problems. Yet he had no control whatever over alcohol. Why was this? ~ Big Book, pg. 26. There is a percentage of us who are alcoholics, but we are functional in all other aspects of our lives. We have known great success and have held… Read More Trick Question
Above all, he believed he had acquired such a profound knowledge of the inner workings of his mind and its hidden springs that relapse was unthinkable. ~ Big Book, pg. 26 An old AA saying that comes from How It Works is “self knowledge availed us nothing.” We have this disease that tells us that… Read More Self Knowledge
This we did because we honestly wanted to, and were willing to make the effort. ~ Big Book, pg. 26. This is the commencement of our journey in AA: Step One calls for us to be completely honest and completely willing to admit complete defeat; and to be completely willing to do whatever we needed… Read More Step #1 Basics
we had but two alternatives: One was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could; and the other, to accept spiritual help. ~ Big Book, pg. 25 I think this choice is a no-brainer. If I was facing certain death from alcoholism, asking for… Read More Two Alternatives
We were in a position where life was becoming impossible, and we had passed into a region from which there is no return through human aid.. ~ Big Book, pg. 25. Early in our drinking history, either from youthful hormones or naivety, we felt as though we had the world by the short hairs. We… Read More No Return
