The days go by so fast that we have to slow ourselves down.
As an alcoholic that is in recovery, I know too much about the ins and outs of
a normal day. What is normal? No one can define this except to live life on a
daily basis, and abide by all laws. The laws of society and your place in this
world must be ideal for one to live. The spiritual malady exists in each and
every person on this earth. When one has an addiction, the spiritual malady can
go insane inside of a person whom is alcoholic. I will explain this further in
this book. We, as a society shun alcoholics that are on the street pushing
baskets from one place to another. They are searching for their soul and
drinking for these few unfortunates is a way of living. The spiritual malady
inside these people is the same as most recovering alcoholics. The difference
is controlling this through a spiritual connection to a higher power, or God. This
sounds very easy to the normal drinker who m can put down one drink and be
finished. There are those of us that cannot do this though. We drink into oblivion
and this makes us feel good when doing the action of drinking. The next day our
desire to quit comes for only a few moments and then the insanity of the
spiritual malady kicks in and makes us take another drink to start the day out.
This is a never ending cycle until one gets help from a detoxification system
of some sort.
Too many people go to treatment centers, to stop drinking
entirely. However, upon leaving a facility as a drug and alcohol treatment
center the urge to drink comes about from being away from the confines of a
facility. There is big money to be made by treatment centers and they are
growing as this story is written. The thousands of dollars for a thirty day
treatment center can range from the forty thousand dollar range all the way up
to one hundred thousand dollar range. Insurance companies are paying only a
small portion of this tab, because the relapse rate is high among first time
recovering alcoholics. Why is this so?
Let’s look at the situation, you just were confined to this
beautiful treatment center and every day you have meetings all day long, and
are surrounded by people that you can relate to on a mental, and physical
basis. The recovering alcoholic goes through many psychological changes in
treatment centers. They are finding out who they really are, and some are afraid
of leaving the confinement of this place. There is controlled non-drinking
activities for the patient. People get use to this and realize once they have
gone their usual thirty day treatment that they will face reality. There are
several who have excellent insurance and will treatment hop. This is the action
of going to one treatment center to another in a matter of months, because of
the confinement they are relaxed and want to remain sober and this is the only
way they can. A community of these people exists and go through thousands of
dollars to remain in this active group of alcoholics. This in itself is a
sickness, then the insurance money is gone, they are left with being homeless,
if not staying sober and pushing a basket full of clothes around the neighborhood,
as the old drunk who can’t stay sober. This is a reality in our world. Most human’s
frown upon these few unfortunate people that are destined to die if life does
not change for them. Can these “bums” change?
Yes, that is the good part, can you change him? No, there is
no way a person can change anybody that is sick spiritually, and most will end
up dead or in mental institutions. The worst case scenario is this person ends
up in jail, and confined for life of prison. They can be lawyers, doctors and
your everyday person that just cannot handle drinking. There is hope and that
hope lies in the principles in AA. Yes, may of men and women have lost everything
materialistic and even part of their pride? Their spiritual malady is dead and
they are physically and internally sick. They can survive if given a hand of
help, and driven to a place where hope still exists. AA in itself has helped
people sober up in spare rooms set aside for those whom cannot afford
treatment, and have the necessary tools to aid a victim of alcoholism and gain
his pride back for twenty four hours, then a spiritual program outlined in the
Big Book of AA can be shown to the newcomer and a new person can emerge as if a
child is reborn. Many of us have been this direction and thank God for programs
that cost no money, and offered by such agencies, like the Salvation Army and
others. These agencies care about the alcoholic that has lost everything
including their personal lives. One can become a new and active member in his
community, if strong and willing to follow a few steps on a daily, or hourly
basis. The spiritual malady can be re-shaped to accept this new way of living.
There is hope and even recovery if this person will dedicate
his life to a higher power, or God as he understands him. You must have a
spiritual revelation in your heart and head and want what AA has to offer. This
is the only way to stay sober. Many of us have tried to drink only a few beers,
or mix drinks where they are not as strong, and ended up flat on the street
passed out again. We get up and try again, and again. Sometimes there is no hope
for those who keep falling because they get involved in illegal activities and
are helpless. There are many more of us that have been beaten up enough and
give into the twelve steps of AA and live normal lives, as do our neighbors,
and become respected, born again humans. We love, and are loved by our fellow
friends and help others to quit drinking with our experiences, strength, and
hopes.
There is a re-birth of character through following the
outline in AA and one can laugh for once in his or her life and lead an employed,
enjoyable life, with the understanding that one drink will lead to another
embedded into their head they will never forget where they are and where they
came from. That is what AA is all about, fellowship and helping the alcoholic
deal with living life on life’s terms. It’s a new way of living and you will be
thrilled of how you are perceived from others who may have known you during the
bad times and respect your new self as a person who has beat the disease of
alcoholism. Though, do not fool yourself, you are one drink away from disaster.
This has to be remembered and never forgotten or you will relapse and it could
be your last one.
