I was powerless over alcohol. I say that because when I took the first drink I never knew what was going to happen other than I would want another. If I was not drinking, I was constantly thinking of ways to drink. That was the powerlessness and unmanageable part of my drinking. Through the 12 Steps and a couple of fantastic sponsors I quit drinking over 32 years ago. I hope fuzzy can say that in 32 years.

Can't see the forest, but for the trees.

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bilwfiend...

I quit drinking because it was obvious that I was addicted and alcohol was making me feel like shit.

does shit feel managable?

Ha Bill I like :)

P

Sure billwfriend,

Shit does feel manageable... Just quit drinking and the problem is solved.

Yeah sure for a while...for me drinking problems and living problems were always a little more intertwined...stopped drinking and thought "phew don't have to do THAT anymore!" and life was better. Til oftentimes I'd behave (sober) in a way that reminded me of the things and the feelings that brought me to stop drinking.

That for me is all part if the wider definition of Alcoholism as a dis-EASE'...body mind and soul and why putting the drink down is not always enough in the long term.

Great thing is thats not a statement of fact or a description of everybody that has a drink problem or even every addict. Just one way of describing a particular problem we choose to call Alcoholism (even though many folks use the term in different ways)

Drink is the problem...but then drink is just a symptom...for me theres a paradox right there in the first step :)

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Oh and theres no need to compel someone to go AA or to stay away from it eithet... if anyone in particular doesn't identify with the definition in AA..great :) they can sail on by and find another port. If they do identify...toot toot...they're probably in the right boat :)

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@Paul...
"Drink is the problem...but then drink is just a symptom...for me theres a paradox right there in the first step " Amen that. Yes, drinking was definitely a symptom for me. But the killer thing was that when I stopped, I went a little nuts. Slowly but surely like Chinese water torture. And the only relief I knew for sure worked --- was what I was obsessing over...drinking. Only it didnt work as my obsession wasnt the reality of my drinking. I wanted relief/ release and to be a normal drinker.I couldnt have that.

It was only when I realized that I have the power over alcohol that I was able to get sober. I do not believe in turning my will over to God or a "higher power." I was born with free will and it is my responsibility to make the best choices I can.

ExJG, isn't that free will that you got drunk with? Well then, how does one get sober with the same free will that got them drunk?

I'm asking because I'm familiar with what you drank and how often. That was me too. Without the faith I acquired in the 12 Steps, I never could have done it alone.

I'm glad you did!

The power of choice, gratful2b. Free will means you get to choose the path you will go down and when you make mistakes you can take action to live a better life.

I don't disagree with statement in #27 and I know it to be true...

Although I tried many times to quit drinking on my own, I eventually reached a point where I had to admit I was powerless. I was licked by alcohol and could do nothing effective to stop on my own. I accepted defeat and felt humiliated.

Though it seemed like the end of the road, it was really the end of one phase of my life and the beginning of another. It was the end of the phase in which I relied on self will, and the beginning of the phase in which I gradually learned to rely on my Higher Power!

One of the many Paradoxes of the 12 step program and of life itself is that when we finally reach and go through this surrender point, we win! and we know that we win because we because we feel an immediate sense of relief. Though we may feel deeply humiliated by our surrender, which goes against everything our egos have learned, the pain and humiliation is mitigated by the knowledge that the fight is over! We need struggle no longer! We have surrendered and it feels good! Scary maybe, but good, because the load which is lifted from our shoulders is greater then the fear of giving up and the pain of continuing the struggle!

The principle of surrender is basic to all life, even for those who do not reach it until death. and even when their death is caused by natural causes or old age. The point is for those of us who surrender early in life, life becomes satisfying instead of frustrating....a joy instead of a constant struggle...because the deep satisfaction of living in harmony with the cosmic forces is so much greater then the transitory pleasure or excitement obtained from any struggle we could imagine or actually wage against those forces.

Though the first step may sound like a statement of despair, it merely points out our human limitations which we have so long tried to hide from our conscious selves, and which have prevented us from solving our addiction problems on our own. This is our first step toward the humility we need to find the spiritual guidance that will open new dimensions in our lives. If we wish to be delivered from our drinking problems, we must first admit we cannot do it alone.

Hope this explains!

God Bless!

Paulokes, the problem here in the U.S. is people are compelled to go to AA by the courts or face jail or a violation of probation.