Page 48 - The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

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THERE IS A SOLUTION 27
without disaster, provided he remains willing to main­
tain a certain simple attitude.
Some of our alcoholic readers may think they can do
without spiritual help. Let us tell you the rest of the
conversation our friend had with his doctor.
The doctor said: “You have the mind of a chronic
alcoholic. I have never seen one single case recover,
where that state of mind existed to the extent that it
does in you.’’ Our friend felt as though the gates of
hell had closed on him with a clang.
He said to the doctor, “Is there no exception?’’
“Yes,’’ replied the doctor, “there is. Exceptions to
cases such as yours have been occurring since early
times. Here and there, once in a while, alcoholics
have had what are called vital spiritual experiences.
To me these occurrences are phenomena. They ap­
pear to be in the nature of huge emotional displace­
ments and rearrangements. Ideas, emotions, and
attitudes which were once the guiding forces of the
lives of these men are suddenly cast to one side, and a
completely new set of conceptions and motives begin
to dominate them. In fact, I have been trying to
produce some such emotional rearrangement within
you. With many individuals the methods which I em­
ployed are successful, but I have never been success­
ful with an alcoholic of your description.”*
Upon hearing this, our friend was somewhat re­
lieved, for he reflected that, after all, he was a good
church member. This hope, however, was destroyed
by the doctor’s telling him that while his religious
convictions were very good, in his case they did not
spell the necessary vital spiritual experience.
*For amplification—see Appendix II.