There are some aspects of addiction and alcoholism, which are not readily apparent until you see how these diseases infiltrate the thinking of those who are affected. It’s no wonder that the Big Book of AA says this: “Remember we deal with alcohol (or drugs), cunning, baffling and powerful. Without help, it is too much for us.” This is as true today as it was in April 1939 when the Big Book was published. So here are a few things to remember for those struggling with the early stages of recovery.
- The easy part is the “getting clean and sober” part. You can put down the weed, or the pills, or the bottle sure enough. It's the staying clean and sober part that is the real challenge, and it goes well beyond that, as I shall explain.
- If you say to yourself that “I have to stay sober forever, or from now on.”, then you are setting yourself up for failure. You’re freaking out because the challenge is too daunting. This is what I say to the fellows I sponsor: “Hey buster, you can stay sober forever if you stay sober today. Do you know why I say that? Because, my dear friend, it is always today.”
- The disease will lie to you. It will say: No way is this possible and make a huge mountain of it, because it wants you to give up trying and go back to your comfort zone, the familiar yet ultimately fatal obsession that brought you to your knees to begin with. Remember, this is just a thought, and it’s a lie.
- Another thought that is a lie: it’s OK to have just one drink or one hit, that you can quit any time you like. It is written that addiction and alcoholism represent an allergy of the body and an obsession of the mind. “Allergy” is hereby defined as an “abnormal reaction” which means that once you take that first drink or hit, the phenomenon of craving sets in, which then makes it impossible to stop after “just one”. The obsession is obvious: unless you reach out for help, you’ll be jonesing day and night for that hit or that drink, or both.
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