I'm an alcoholic. That means that, when I drink, I consistently overshoot and do bad stuff, and when I try to stop altogether, I'm good for a few days or weeks, but always start up again. What's more, when I start drinking, I go into a fog that can last anywhere from hours to years, where life just centres around drink, and I can't imagine ever stopping. That means there's no such thing as a safe drink.
That's pretty much AA's definition of what an alcoholic is, but expressed through my experience.
Being an alcoholic means that I have a condition that is progressive (it gets worse over time), fatal (because of the stuff I do when I drink and how sick it was making me), and incurable (without a programme, I would likely drink again, and if I drank, I would likely drink how I always drank: uncontrollably).
The only way to treat a condition like mine is complete abstinence. Once you're sober (cold turkey or with medical help), the job is not starting again. That's where AA comes in.
I've found a solution in AA. A good tip is to attend maybe six different groups in different parts of town. Groups vary a lot in how they approach the AA programme, and in people's personal backgrounds.
I found a strong AA group, which means that attendees were kind, open, cheerful, and optimistic and had sorted their lives out, and I did what they did.
What did these good people in AA do? Take the Twelve Steps of AA, under the guidance of a sponsor, and gradually become focused on what they could give to the world rather than what they could get from it. They gave me and give me a lot support, and I support others, too.
It works!
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