Endigar 908 ~ Countering Self Delusion
Step One: “We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.”
1st Step Principle: We will find enduring strength only when we first admit complete defeat over our isolated, obsessive thinking and compulsive behavior. (Adapted from 12 Steps & 12 Traditions, top of page 22)
AA Extracted Value: Honesty
ACA Extracted Values: Powerlessness & Surrender
Other Extracted Values: Acceptance
If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution. We were in a position where life was becoming impossible, and if we had passed into the region from which there is no return through human aid 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. This we did because we honestly wanted to, and were willing to make the effort.
~ Alcoholics Anonymous, There is a Solution, page 25
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Only an alcoholic at the end of the road would need to spend some serious time debating whether or not to choose life over death. Maybe there is some middle-of-the-road solution we haven’t thought of yet? Is there some other way we can get better without spiritual help? Perhaps we simply need to try harder to control our drinking. There must be some other solution out there that will work. How much longer can we deny we can’t control our drinking by ourselves? Have we really lost the power of choice in drink?
What more do I have to lose by giving a spiritual solution a try?
~ Practice These Principles by Alex M.
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It is quite astonishing to realize how difficult it is to be truthful with myself when the obsession is amplifying a pathological appetite in my body. Being honest with myself is an event repeated over and over to amplify the process of knowing myself and what I truly want. It seems like such awareness should be second nature. It has been my experience that human life embraces a multitude of necessary lies. Old age is in a galaxy far, far away. Sex equals love. Being good requires social martyrdom. Hurting other people will protect me. Getting my driver’s license provides escape from accountability. I suppose it should not be so surprising that being truthful is a learned skill and not the default response to living life on life’s terms. My alcoholism forces me to face this reality.
Daily Reprieve 
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