There is a Solution (Continued)
 
C: Looking at this first page of Chapter Two. We've been able to see the diagnosis for alcoholism in the Doctor's Opinion. Now, here on page (seventeen) we see the solution. We see that it is not only within the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, but also within the common solution. Let's go over to page twenty.
On page twenty it says: (p. 20, par. 2-3) 'You may already have asked yourself why it is that all of us became so very ill from drinking. Doubtless you are curious to discover how and why, in the face of expert opinion to the contrary, we have recovered from a hopeless condition of mind and body. If you are an alcoholic who wants to get over it, you may already be asking -- "What do I have to do?"
'It is the purpose of this book to answer such questions specifically. We shall tell you what we have done.' Again we see a word which really doesn't deal in generalities. We saw the word "precisely" in the
Forward (p. xiii, par. 1) And now we see the word "specifically" coming into being.
It says: (p. 20, par. 4-5) 'How many times people have said to us: "I can take it or leave it alone. Why can't he?" "Why don't you drink like a gentleman or quit?" "That fellow can't handle his liquor." "Why don't you try beer and wine?" "Lay off the hard stuff . " "His will
power must be weak." "He could stop if he wanted to." "She's such a sweet girl, I should think he'd stop for her sake." "The doctor told him that if he ever drank again it would kill him, but there he is all lit up again."'
'Now these are commonplace observations on drinkers which we hear all the time. Back of them is a world of ignorance and misunderstanding. We see that these expressions refer to people whose reactions are very different from ours.'
It begins to explain the three... types of drinkers. It said: (p. 20, par. 6) 'Moderate drinkers have little trouble in giving up liquor entirely if they have good reason for lt. They can take it or leave it alone.' This is the one we talked about last night, the moderate or social drinker. It's not a big deal for them. They have one, two, or three drinks. They get a slightly tipsy, out of control, nauseous feeling, and they just stop drinking. They can take it or leave it alone. They really don't much care one way or the other.
(p. 20, par. 7; p. 21, par. 1) 'Then we have a certain type of hard drinker. He may have the habit badly enough to gradually impair (top of p. 21) him physically and mentally. It may cease him to die a few years before his time. If a sufficiently strong reason--ill health, falling in love, change of environment, or the warning of a doctor--becomes operative, this man can also stop or moderate, although he may find it difficult and troublesome and may even need medical attention. '
We see this person all the time. We call him the hard or heavy drinker. This is the guy that said, when I was in the service I was an alcoholic also, but then when I got out of the service I got married, and I just quit drinking and I don't see why you can't either. They drink exactly like us. But if a sufficiently strong reason present itself to them, they will either stop drinking entirely, or they will learn to moderate their drinking. These people are not alcoholics.
Now then it says: (p. 21, par. 2) 'But what about the real alcoholic?' If you're a drinker, you're going to fit into one these three categories. Now what about the real alcoholic. We just love that term there, real alcoholic. (p. 21, par. 2) 'He may start off as a moderate drinker... ' And many of us did. (p. 21, per. 2)
'... he may or may not become a continuous hard drinker...' Some of us were binge drinkers, we didn't drink every day. (p. 21, par. 2-3) '... but at some stage of this drinking career he begins to lose all control of his liquor consumption, once he starts to drink.'
'Here is the fellow who has been puzzling you...' Remember now, we're describing the people who make up this fellowship. (p. 21, par. 3-4: p. 22, par. 1) '... especially in his lack of control. He does absurd, incredible, tragic things while drinking. He is a real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He is seldom mildly intoxicated. He is always more or less insanely drunk. His disposition while drinking resembles his normal nature but little. He may be one of the finest fellows in the world. Yet let him drink for a day, and he frequently becomes disgustingly, and even dangerously anti-social. He has a positive genius for getting tight at exactly the wrong moment, particularly when some important decision most be made or engagement kept. He is often perfectly sensible and well balanced concerning everything except liquor, but in that respect he is incredibly dishonest and selfish. He often possesses special abilities, skills, and aptitudes, and has a promising career ahead of him. He uses his gifts to build up a bright outlook for his family and himself, and then pulls the structure down on his head by a senseless series of sprees. He is the fellow who goes to bed so intoxicated he ought to sleep the clock around. Yet early next (top of p. 22) morning he searches madly for the bottle he misplaced the night before. If he can afford it, he may have liquor concealed all over his house to be certain no one gets his entire supply away from him to throw down the wastepipe. As matters grow worse, he begins to use a combination of high-powered sedative and liquor to quiet his nerves so he can go to work. '
Remember, this was written in 1938 and 1939. (p. 22, par. 1) 'Then comes the day when he simply cannot make it and gets drunk all over again. Perhaps he goes to a doctor who gives him morphine or some sedative with which to taper off. Then he begins to appear at hospitals and...'
Treatment centers. They used to call them sanitariums, today they call them treatment centers, same deal. (laughter) They're a place they send people like us to try to do something for us. Most of this description was written in the male gender, because back in the '30's, the only people that they were dealing with, of course, basically were all men.
It wasn't until just before the Big Book was written, that the first woman came along. But if a lady should read this simply transferring her for he, then surly most women could find themselves within that
description also. I think all of us who are alcoholic, whether we are eighteen, or sixteen, or twelve, or sixty-two, surly we can find ourselves somewhere within this description. I doubt if any of us could match everything there, but all of us can match some of that description of the alcoholic, a very comprehensive picture of the alcoholic.
It says: (p. 22, par. 2-4: p. 23, par. 1-2) 'This is by no means comprehensive picture of the true alcoholic, as our behavior patterns vary. But this description should identify him roughly.'
'Why does he behave like this? If hundreds of experiences have shown him that one drink means another debacle with all it's attendant suffering and humiliation, why is it he takes that one drink? Why can't he stay on the water wagon? What has become of the common sense and will power that he still sometimes displays with respect to other matters? '
'Perhaps there never will be a full answer to these questions. Opinions vary considerably as to why the alcoholic reacts differently from normal people. We are not sure why, once certain point is reached, little can be done for him. We cannot answer the riddle.'
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