Bedevilment:  To harass or cause trouble for; to plague.

"We were having trouble with personal relationships, we couldn't control our emotional natures, we were a prey to misery and depression, we couldn't make a living, we had a feeling of uselessness, we were full of fear, we were unhappy, we couldn't seem to be of real help to other people . . . "

Dude who led the meeting this morning read this section right out of the Big Book.  And who would want to give all of that referenced stuff up?  It sounds like a magical way of living.  This section - in To The Agnostics - serves as a nice counterpoint to The Promises.  While we spend more time on What It's Like Now, on The Solution, it is good to keep a watchful eye on What It Was Like, on The Problems that brought us down.  I need to say every now and then: "Oh, yeah, right - that was a fucking miserable existence."

I think tomorrow I'm going to use the nickname Bedevilment Steve.  I was leaning toward Bewildered Steve but this one is in the lead.