There is a Solution (Continued)
C: There's a switch that doesn't turn right, or something is gone up here that most people have in their head. We seem to not have that. (p. 24, par. 4-5) 'The alcoholic may say to himself in the most casual way, "It won't burn me this time, so here's how!" Or perhaps he doesn't think at all. How often have some of us begun to drink in this nonchalant way, and after the third or fourth, pounded on the bar and said to ourselves, "For God's sake, how did I ever get started again?" Only to have that thought supplanted by "Well, I'll stop with the sixth drink." Or "What's the use anyhow?"'
'When this sort of thinking is fully established in an individual with alcoholic tendencies, he has probably placed himself beyond human aid...'
Now, If we've placed ourselves beyond human aid, then the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous will not bring about recovery from our disease. Because the fellowship is made up of a bunch of human beings. (p. 24, par. 5: p. 25, par. 1) '... and unless locked up, may die or go permanently insane. These stark and ugly facts have been confirmed
by legions of alcoholics (top of p. 25) throughout history. But for the grace of God, there would have been thousands more convincing demonstrations. So many want to stop but cannot.'
'And then it says: (p. 25, par. 2) 'There is a solution. ' This thing that it's just described to us is a hopeless condition of the mind and of the body. This thing it's just described to us tells us we're either going to die or go permanently insane. But it says there is a solution to what they just described. Now then, We're going to start looking at
the common solution. We've been looking at the people in the fellowship. Now we can see why we're going to have to have this common solution. Because we've placed ourselves beyond human aid. Let's look at the solution and see what it is.
J: (p. 25, par. 2-3) 'There is a solution. Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the levering of our pride, the confession of shortcomings which the process requires for it's successful consummation. But we saw that it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness-and futility of life as we had been living it. When, therefore, we were approached by those in whom the problem had been solved, there was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet. We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed.'
'The great fact is just this, and nothing less: the we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences (Fully explained-Appendix II)...'
It finally gets down to what the common solution of alcoholic. is: a deep and effective spiritual experience.
Now, what does this do? (p. 25, par. 3) '... which have revolutionized our whole attitude toward life, toward our fellows and toward God's universe. The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves.'
He says that this spiritual experience--and we notice it produces an
attitude -- revolutionizes our whole attitude toward our fellows and toward God's universe. This seems like what Dr. Silkworth was looking for when he said unless we can have a psychic change (there is
very little hope of his recovery.) (p. xxvii, par. 1)
