"Self knowledge would fix his problem. He was absolutely convinced he had to stop drinking. He had no excuse for drinking. He showed real judgment and determination in other areas of his life, yet he was totally powerless to stay sober."
Self-knowledge and willpower; willpower and self-knowledge. The utter futility of these two powerful forces to arrest an active alcoholic is driven home over and over again.
"I saw that willpower and self-knowledge would not help me. So we'll say it once more: At certain times, alcoholics have no mental defense against the first drink."
In case you didn't believe me when I said what I said before.
"Instead we found that - no matter how hard we tried - relying only on ourselves and our willpower always completely failed. We are powerless to control our drinking. Which means that in order to change our drinking habits, we cannot just rely on ourselves."
In case you didn't believe me when I repeated what I said that I said before.
"To be doomed to die an alcoholic death or to find a way to live a spiritual life is not an easy choice to make."
I almost laughed the first time I read this line and then I thought: "Wait . . . they're serious here. They're not joking." It reminds me of the joke about a long-timer telling a newcomer he would have to choose between a spiritual solution or suffering a long and miserable life before succumbing, bereft and alone, only to hear the newcomer reply: "Can I get back to you on that?" It's almost literally what happens a lot of the time.
"We know that choosing between living your entire life as an alcoholic or becoming a spiritual person can be difficult."
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