The Doctor s Opinion Workshop

Transcription

1 The Doctor s Opinion Workshop p. 1

2 The Serenity Prayer God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; The courage to change the things I can; And the wisdom to know the difference. The Preamble of Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. Copyright The AA Grapevine, Inc. HOW IT WORKS Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our directions. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a way of life which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest. Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it -then you are ready to follow directions. At some of these you may balk. You may think you can find an easier, softer way. We doubt if you can. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely. Remember that you are dealing with alcohol - cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for you. But there is One who has all power - That One is God. You must find Him now! Half measures will avail you nothing. You stand at the turning point. Throw yourself under His protection and care with complete abandon. p. 2

3 Now we think you can take it! Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as your Program of Recovery: 1. Admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care and direction of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely willing that God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly, on our knees, asked Him to remove our shortcomings - holding nothing back. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make complete amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 12. Having had a spiritual experience as the result of this course of action, we tried to carry this message to others, especially alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. You may exclaim, "What an order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection. Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after, have been designed to sell you three pertinent ideas: (a) That you are alcoholic and cannot manage your own life. (b) That probably no human power can relieve your alcoholism. (c) That God can and will. If you are not convinced on these vital issues, you ought to re-read the book to this point or else throw it away! The Set Aside Prayer Dear God, please set aside anything I think I know about myself, about my disease, about the Big Book, the 12 Steps, the Program, the Fellowship, the people in the fellowship, and all spiritual terms, especially you, God, so that I may have an open mind and a new experience with all these things. Please help me see the Truth. Amen. p. 3

4 Alcoholics Anonymous, Appendix II, The Spiritual Experience The terms spiritual experience and spiritual awakening are used many times in this book which, upon careful reading, shows that the personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism has manifested itself among us in many different forms. Yet it is true that our first printing gave many readers the impression that these personality changes, or religious experiences, must be in the nature of sudden and spectacular upheavals. Happily for everyone, this conclusion is erroneous. In the first few chapters a number of sudden revolutionary changes are described. Though it was not our intention to create such an impression, many alcoholics have nevertheless concluded that in order to recover they must acquire an immediate and overwhelming God-consciousness followed at once by a vast change in feeling and outlook. Among our rapidly growing membership of thousands of alcoholics such transformations, though frequent, are by no means the rule. Most of our experiences are what the psychologist William James calls the educational variety because they develop slowly over a period of time. Quite often friends of the newcomer are aware of the difference long before he is himself. He finally realizes that he has undergone a profound alteration in his reaction to life; that such a change could hardly have been brought about by himself alone. What often takes place in a few months could seldom have been accomplished by years of self-discipline. With few exceptions our members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they presently identify with their own conception of a Power greater than themselves. Most of us think this awareness of a Power greater than ourselves is the essence of spiritual experience. Our more religious members call it God-consciousness. Most emphatically we wish to say that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his problems in the light of our experience can recover, provided he does not close his mind to all spiritual concepts. He can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial. We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honesty and open mindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable. There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance that principle is contempt prior to investigation. Herbert Spencer p. 4

5 Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter 4, We Agnostics In the preceding chapters you have learned something of alcoholism. We hope we have made clear the distinction between the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic. If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely, or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer. To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic such an experience seems impossible, but to continue as he is means disaster, especially if he is an alcoholic of the hopeless variety. To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face. p. 5

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7 The Disease Concept of Alcoholism Not necessary to drink at this level Emotional Barometer Cannot Quit OBSESSION MENTAL Necessary to drink at this level One Drink Insufficient Acetaldehyde Diacetic Acid Cannot Drink ALLERGY PHYSICAL Sufficient Filled with GUILT, REMORSE, RESENTMENT, SELF-PITY, FEAR Acetaldehyde Diacetic Acid Acetone Water Sugar Carbon Dioxide End Will Power ADDICTION PROCESS Enzyme Quantity and Quality Sufficient or Insufficient? Acetone (does not metabolize correctly) Water Sugar Carbon Dioxide 9 out of 10 people drink safely; they are at ease. Emerges RESTLESS, IRRITABLE, DISCONTENTED Creates a Craving Well-Known Spree Powerless Over Alcohol 1 out of 10 people does not drink safely, or, he is at dis-ease. p. 7

8 The Doctor s Opinion was written by William D. Silkworth, M.D. To many recovered alcoholics, this section of the Big Book is considered to be the most important as it describes alcoholism in terms that make sense to the real alcoholic. From this description, the alcoholic learns the exact nature of the disease of alcoholism and how hopeless this condition of mind and body seems to be. We are told why we are unable to control the amount we drink once we have taken the first few drinks. But more important, we are told why it is that we cannot manage our decision to not take the first drink once we have made a firm decision, pledge, vow, promise, etc., to never drink again. He also expresses his belief, based on his observations, in the effectiveness of the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous as a method of assuring the essential entire psychic change which he believed to be the only solution for the seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. Dr. Silkworth was trained in Neurology and lost his practice as the result of the stock market crash of He met Charlie Towns who was in search of a physician to direct his hospital, Towns Hospital, which specialized in the treatment of alcoholics and drug addicts. Dr. Silkworth accepted the position for a stipend of $40.00 a week. His plans were to re-enter private practice when he could afford to do so, but the time never came. He devoted his entire career to a practice of helping alcoholics. Many thousands of alcoholics were directed to Alcoholics Anonymous because of his faith in our way of life. Without Dr. Silkworth s opinion of alcoholism, Alcoholics Anonymous would not have happened. It is only when we clearly understand a problem that we may be able to find a solution. Bill W. understood the hopelessness of his alcoholism from Dr. Silkworth s opinion. Dr. Bob understood the hopelessness of his alcoholism after Bill W. explained Dr. Silkworth s opinion to him. If an alcoholic really wants to stop drinking for good and all, he must fully concede to his innermost self that he has a hopeless condition of mind, body and spirit. This is the first step in recovery and the Doctor s Opinion gives us the knowledge necessary to surrender to that truth. Very simply, from this section of the Big Book, we learn why it is that the real alcoholic has a body that can never get enough alcohol and a mind that will not let the alcoholic leave it alone. p. 8

9 1. What do we of Alcoholics Anonymous believe about this book? WE OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS BELIEVE THAT THE READER WILL BE INTERESTED IN THE MEDICAL ESTIMATE OF THE PLAN OF RECOVERY DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOK. 2. What is the source of the convincing testimony in this book? CONVINCING TESTIMONY MUST SURELY COME FROM MEDICAL MEN WHO HAVE HAD EXPERIENCE WITH THE SUFFERINGS OF OUR MEMBERS AND HAVE WITNESSED OUR RETURN TO HEALTH. 3. Who gave Alcoholics Anonymous this opinion of alcoholism? A WELL-KNOWN DOCTOR, (WILLIAM D. SILKWORTH), 4. What was his position? CHIEF PHYSICIAN AT A NATIONALLY PROMINENT HOSPITAL 5. What was Dr. Silkworth s specialty? SPECIALIZING IN ALCOHOLIC AND DRUG ADDICTION, GAVE ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS THIS LETTER: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: I HAVE SPECIALIZED IN THE TREATMENT OF ALCOHOLISM FOR MANY YEARS. IN LATE 1934 I ATTENDED A PATIENT WHO, 6. How did Dr. Silkworth describe the patient (Bill W.) he attended in 1934? THOUGH HE HAD BEEN A COMPETENT BUSINESSMAN OF GOOD EARNING CAPACITY, WAS AN ALCOHOLIC OF A TYPE I HAD COME TO REGARD AS HOPELESS. 7. What happened during Bill s third course of treatment? IN THE COURSE OF HIS THIRD TREATMENT HE ACQUIRED CERTAIN IDEAS CONCERNING A POSSIBLE MEANS OF RECOVERY. 8. As part of Bill s recovery, what did he try to impress upon other alcoholics? AS PART OF HIS REHABILITATION HE COMMENCED TO PRESENT HIS CONCEPTIONS TO OTHER ALCOHOLICS, IMPRESSING UPON THEM THAT THEY MUST DO LIKEWISE WITH STILL OTHERS. 9. His work was the basis for what? THIS HAS BECOME THE BASIS OF A RAPIDLY GROWING FELLOWSHIP OF THESE MEN AND THEIR FAMILIES. 10. How many did Dr. Silkworth say had recovered by 1939? THIS MAN AND OVER ONE HUNDRED OTHERS APPEAR TO HAVE RECOVERED. p. 9

10 11. How many did Dr. Silkworth know from his personal experience? I PERSONALLY KNOW SCORES OF CASES WHO WERE OF THE TYPE WITH WHOM OTHER METHODS HAD FAILED COMPLETELY. (Comment: In the original draft of the Big Book, Dr. Silkworth said, I personally know of 30 of these cases who were of the type with whom other methods had failed completely. He was willing to stake his reputation on these 30 hopeless cases that he saw recover, as Bill did, in Towns Hospital. The other 60 plus recovered alcoholics were in Akron or Cleveland.) 12. Why do these facts seem to be of extreme medical importance? THESE FACTS APPEAR TO BE OF EXTREME MEDICAL IMPORTANCE; BECAUSE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY POSSIBILITIES OF RAPID GROWTH INHERENT IN THIS GROUP THEY MAY MARK A NEW EPOCH IN THE ANNALS OF ALCOHOLISM. 13. Did Dr. Silkworth believe this Program would work for many others? THESE MEN MAY WELL HAVE A REMEDY FOR THOUSANDS OF SUCH SITUATIONS. 14. Did Dr. Silkworth have complete confidence in recovered alcoholics? YOU MAY RELY ABSOLUTELY ON ANYTHING THEY SAY ABOUT THEMSELVES. VERY TRULY YOURS, WILLIAM D. SILKWORTH, M.D. 15. What did the authors of this Book request of Dr. Silkworth? THE PHYSICIAN WHO, AT OUR REQUEST, GAVE US THIS LETTER, HAS BEEN KIND ENOUGH TO ENLARGE UPON HIS VIEWS IN ANOTHER STATEMENT WHICH FOLLOWS. 16. In Dr. Silkworth s enlarged statement, what fact does he confirm that suffering alcoholics must believe? IN THIS STATEMENT HE CONFIRMS WHAT WE WHO HAVE SUFFERED ALCOHOLIC TORTURE MUST BELIEVE THAT THE BODY OF THE ALCOHOLIC IS QUITE AS ABNORMAL AS HIS MIND. 17. What didn t satisfy us? IT DID NOT SATISFY US TO BE TOLD THAT WE COULD NOT CONTROL OUR DRINKING JUST BECAUSE WE WERE MALADJUSTED TO LIFE, THAT WE WERE IN FULL FLIGHT FROM REALITY, OR WERE OUTRIGHT MENTAL DEFECTIVES. 18. Was there any truth in them? THESE THINGS WERE TRUE TO SOME EXTENT, IN FACT, TO A CONSIDERABLE EXTENT WITH SOME OF US. 19. Of what are we sure? BUT WE ARE SURE THAT OUR BODIES WERE SICKENED AS WELL. 20. What must be included to make the picture of alcoholism a complete one? IN OUR BELIEF, ANY PICTURE OF THE ALCOHOLIC WHICH LEAVES OUT THIS PHYSICAL FACTOR IS INCOMPLETE. p. 10

11 21. Which part of the doctor s theory is of interest to alcoholics? THE DOCTOR S THEORY THAT WE HAVE AN ALLERGY TO ALCOHOL INTERESTS US. 22. Is our opinion considered valuable? AS LAYMEN, OUR OPINION AS TO ITS SOUNDNESS MAY, OF COURSE, MEAN LITTLE. 23. As ex-problem drinkers, what of his theory interests us? BUT AS EX-PROBLEM DRINKERS, WE CAN SAY THAT HIS EXPLANATION MAKES GOOD SENSE. 24. What does it do for us? IT EXPLAINS MANY THINGS FOR WHICH WE CANNOT OTHERWISE ACCOUNT. 25. Do we favor hospitalization for the very sick alcoholics? THOUGH WE WORK OUT OUR SOLUTION ON THE SPIRITUAL AS WELL AS AN ALTRUISTIC PLANE, WE FAVOR HOSPITALIZATION FOR THE ALCOHOLIC WHO IS VERY JITTERY OR BEFOGGED. 26. What is often necessary before we can begin to work with a person? MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT A MAN S BRAIN BE CLEARED BEFORE HE IS APPROACHED, AS HE HAS THEN A BETTER CHANCE OF UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTING WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER. THE DOCTOR WRITES: 27. Who should be interested in what is contained in this book? THE SUBJECT PRESENTED IN THIS BOOK SEEMS TO ME TO BE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE TO THOSE AFFLICTED WITH ALCOHOLIC ADDICTION. 28. What was Dr. Silkworth s position? I SAY THIS AFTER MANY YEARS EXPERIENCE AS MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF ONE OF THE OLDEST HOSPITALS IN THE COUNTRY 29. His hospital specialized in what? TREATING ALCOHOLIC AND DRUG ADDICTION. 30. Did Dr. Silkworth believe the material in this book was of sufficient substance to warrant his contribution? THERE WAS, THEREFORE, A SENSE OF REAL SATISFACTION WHEN I WAS ASKED TO CONTRIBUTE A FEW WORDS ON A SUBJECT WHICH IS COVERED IN SUCH MASTERLY DETAIL IN THESE PAGES. 31. What did Dr. Silkworth say that doctors believed to be of importance to alcoholics? WE DOCTORS HAVE REALIZED FOR A LONG TIME THAT SOME FORM OF MORAL PSYCHOLOGY WAS OF URGENT IMPORTANCE TO ALCOHOLICS, BUT ITS APPLICATION PRESENTED DIFFICULTIES BEYOND OUR CONCEPTION. p. 11

12 32. With everything the medical profession had going for them, what were the doctors not equipped to do? WHAT WITH OUR ULTRA-MODERN STANDARDS, OUR SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO EVERYTHING, WE ARE PERHAPS NOT WELL EQUIPPED TO APPLY THE POWERS OF GOOD THAT LIE OUTSIDE OUR SYNTHETIC KNOWLEDGE. Question - Did he believe that the medical profession had the ability to really help the alcoholic? (Comment: Your observation from the preceding 2 sentences.) 33. What was it that one of the leading contributors (Bill W.) of this book wanted to do with the ideas he had acquired? MANY YEARS AGO ONE OF THE LEADING CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS BOOK CAME UNDER OUR CARE IN THIS HOSPITAL AND WHILE HERE HE ACQUIRED SOME IDEAS WHICH HE PUT INTO PRACTICAL APPLICATION AT ONCE. 34. What privilege did Bill request of Dr. Silkworth? LATER, HE REQUESTED THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING ALLOWED TO TELL HIS STORY TO OTHER PATIENTS HERE 35. Was Dr. Silkworth really supportive of the idea? AND WITH SOME MISGIVING, WE CONSENTED. 36. How did he feel about the cases that he reviewed after Bill W. did his thing? THE CASES WE HAVE FOLLOWED THROUGH HAVE BEEN MOST INTERESTING; IN FACT, MANY OF THEM ARE AMAZING. 37. How did Dr. Silkworth view recovered alcoholics? THE UNSELFISHNESS OF THESE MEN AS WE HAVE COME TO KNOW THEM, THE ENTIRE ABSENCE OF PROFIT MOTIVE, AND THEIR COMMUNITY SPIRIT, IS INDEED INSPIRING TO ONE WHO HAS LABORED LONG AND WEARILY IN THIS ALCOHOLIC FIELD. 38. What do recovered alcoholics believe in? THEY BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES, AND STILL MORE IN THE POWER WHICH PULLS CHRONIC ALCOHOLICS BACK FROM THE GATES OF DEATH. (Comment: On this page, Dr. Silkworth mentions moral psychology, followed by powers of good and finally Power. He recognized our need for a Higher Power and expressed his acceptance of this fact in the foregoing fashion.) 39. Did Dr. Silkworth believe that hospitalization for the sick alcoholic is appropriate? OF COURSE AN ALCOHOLIC OUGHT TO BE FREED FROM HIS PHYSICAL CRAVING FOR LIQUOR, AND THIS OFTEN REQUIRES A DEFINITE HOSPITAL PROCEDURE, BEFORE PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES CAN BE OF MAXIMUM BENEFIT. p. 12

13 40. What did Dr. Silkworth believe to be the cause of the alcoholic s out-of-control drinking (powerlessness)? WE BELIEVE, AND SO SUGGESTED A FEW YEARS AGO, THAT THE ACTION OF ALCOHOL ON THESE CHRONIC ALCOHOLICS IS A MANIFESTATION OF AN ALLERGY; 41. Does this phenomenon exist with normal drinkers? THAT THE PHENOMENON OF CRAVING IS LIMITED TO THIS CLASS AND NEVER OCCURS IN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATE DRINKER. 42. How much alcohol can a real alcoholic safely use? THESE ALLERGIC TYPES CAN NEVER SAFELY USE ALCOHOL IN ANY FORM AT ALL; 43. Once the alcoholic has passed into the hopeless state, what happens? AND ONCE HAVING FORMED THE HABIT AND FOUND THEY CANNOT BREAK IT, ONCE HAVING LOST THEIR SELF-CONFIDENCE, THEIR RELIANCE UPON THINGS HUMAN, THEIR PROBLEMS PILE UP ON THEM AND BECOME ASTONISHINGLY DIFFICULT TO SOLVE. 44. Can emotional pleading help an alcoholic see the truth? FROTHY EMOTIONAL APPEAL SELDOM SUFFICES. 45. What type of message can help an alcoholic? THE MESSAGE WHICH CAN INTEREST AND HOLD THESE ALCOHOLIC PEOPLE MUST HAVE DEPTH AND WEIGHT. 46. In what must the alcoholic s ideals be grounded? IN NEARLY ALL CASES, THEIR IDEALS MUST BE GROUNDED IN A POWER GREATER THAN THEMSELVES, 47. Since alcoholism destroys lives, what can happen if our ideals are grounded in a Higher Power? IF THEY ARE TO RE-CREATE THEIR LIVES. 48. What would cause psychiatrists to accept and recommend the A.A. Program? IF ANY FEEL THAT AS PSYCHIATRISTS DIRECTING A HOSPITAL FOR ALCOHOLICS WE APPEAR SOMEWHAT SENTIMENTAL, LET THEM STAND WITH US A WHILE ON THE FIRING LINE, SEE THE TRAGEDIES, THE DESPAIRING WIVES, THE LITTLE CHILDREN; LET THE SOLVING OF THESE PROBLEMS BECOME A PART OF THEIR DAILY WORK, AND EVEN OF THEIR SLEEPING MOMENTS, AND THE MOST CYNICAL WILL NOT WONDER THAT WE HAVE ACCEPTED AND ENCOURAGED THIS MOVEMENT. 49. What did Dr. Silkworth believe could do a more effective job in helping alcoholics? WE FEEL, AFTER MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, THAT WE HAVE FOUND NOTHING WHICH HAS CONTRIBUTED MORE TO THE REHABILITATION OF THESE MEN THAN THE ALTRUISTIC MOVEMENT NOW GROWING UP AMONG THEM. p. 13

14 50. Why do alcoholic men and women drink? MEN AND WOMEN DRINK ESSENTIALLY BECAUSE THEY LIKE THE EFFECT PRODUCED BY ALCOHOL. (Comment: If you will go to pages 83 & 84, and put the words, When I had a few drinks in front of the Ninth Step Promises, you may be able to recognize the effect the alcoholic gets from the first few drinks.) WHEN I HAD A FEW DRINKS, I will be amazed before I am half way through. WHEN I HAD A FEW DRINKS, I will know a new freedom and a new happiness. WHEN I HAD A FEW DRINKS, I will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. WHEN I HAD A FEW DRINKS, I will comprehend the word serenity and I will know peace. WHEN I HAD A FEW DRINKS, no matter how far down the scale I have gone, I will see how my experience can benefit others. WHEN I HAD A FEW DRINKS, that feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. WHEN I HAD A FEW DRINKS, I will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in my fellows. WHEN I HAD A FEW DRINKS,self-seeking will slip away. WHEN I HAD A FEW DRINKS, my whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. WHEN I HAD A FEW DRINKS, fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave me. WHEN I HAD A FEW DRINKS, I will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle me. WHEN I HAD A FEW DRINKS, I will suddenly realize that God is doing for me what I could not do for myself. 51. Does the alcoholic understand why he drinks? THE SENSATION IS SO ELUSIVE THAT, 52. Does drinking cause problems or injuries as Dr. Silkworth terms them? WHILE THEY ADMIT IT IS INJURIOUS, 53. What is the real problem with the alcoholic? THEY CANNOT AFTER A TIME DIFFERENTIATE THE TRUE FROM THE FALSE. 54. What is normal to the alcoholic? TO THEM, THEIR ALCOHOLIC LIFE SEEMS THE ONLY NORMAL ONE. 55. In the absence of a few drinks, what does the alcoholic feel? THEY ARE RESTLESS, IRRITABLE AND DISCONTENTED, 56. What can they experience from taking a few drinks? UNLESS THEY CAN AGAIN EXPERIENCE THE SENSE OF EASE AND COMFORT WHICH COMES AT ONCE BY TAKING A FEW DRINKS What effect do alcoholics see others experience when they drink? DRINKS WHICH THEY SEE OTHERS TAKING WITH IMPUNITY. p. 14

15 58. What happens after the alcoholic succumbs to that desire for a few drinks? AFTER THEY HAVE SUCCUMBED TO THE DESIRE AGAIN, AS SO MANY DO, AND THE PHENOMENON OF CRAVING DEVELOPS, 59. What is the result of the first few drinks? THEY PASS THROUGH THE WELL-KNOWN STAGES OF A SPREE, 60. How does the alcoholic feel afterward? EMERGING REMORSEFUL, 61. What is the national anthem (resolution) of every alcoholic? WITH A FIRM RESOLUTION NOT TO DRINK AGAIN. 62. How well does the alcoholic manage the resolution to never take another drink (unmanageability)? THIS IS REPEATED OVER AND OVER, AND UNLESS THIS PERSON CAN EXPERIENCE 63. To be successful in sobriety, what must the alcoholic experience? AN ENTIRE PSYCHIC CHANGE THERE IS VERY LITTLE HOPE OF HIS RECOVERY. 64. Once an alcoholic has experienced an entire psychic change, what happens? ON THE OTHER HAND AND STRANGE AS THIS MAY SEEM TO THOSE WHO DO NOT UNDERSTAND ONCE A PSYCHIC CHANGE HAS OCCURRED, THE VERY SAME PERSON WHO SEEMED DOOMED, WHO HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS HE DESPAIRED OF EVER SOLVING THEM, SUDDENLY FINDS HIMSELF EASILY ABLE TO CONTROL HIS DESIRE FOR ALCOHOL, 65. What is necessary for this to happen? THE ONLY EFFORT NECESSARY BEING THAT REQUIRED TO FOLLOW A FEW SIMPLE RULES. (Note: Could the few simple rules be the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous?) 66. What did the men who cried out to Dr. Silkworth plead for? MEN HAVE CRIED OUT TO ME IN SINCERE AND DESPAIRING APPEAL: DOCTOR, I CANNOT GO ON LIKE THIS! I HAVE EVERYTHING TO LIVE FOR! I MUST STOP, BUT I CANNOT! YOU MUST HELP ME! 67. Do doctors, if they are honest with themselves, feel adequate in dealing with alcoholics? FACED WITH THIS PROBLEM, IF A DOCTOR IS HONEST WITH HIMSELF, HE MUST SOMETIMES FEEL HIS OWN INADEQUACY. 68. What is it when the doctor gives all that is in him? ALTHOUGH HE GIVES ALL THAT IS IN HIM, IT OFTEN IS NOT ENOUGH. 69. What can human power not do? ONE FEELS THAT SOMETHING MORE THAN HUMAN POWER IS NEEDED TO PRODUCE THE ESSENTIAL PSYCHIC CHANGE. p. 15

16 70. Can psychiatric efforts help a serious hard drinker? THOUGH THE AGGREGATE OF RECOVERIES RESULTING FROM PSYCHIATRIC EFFORT IS CONSIDERABLE, 71. Have medicine and psychiatry made much progress in treating chronic alcoholics? WE PHYSICIANS MUST ADMIT WE HAVE MADE LITTLE IMPRESSION UPON THE PROBLEM AS A WHOLE. 72. Do real (chronic) alcoholics respond to ordinary psychological treatment? MANY TYPES DO NOT RESPOND TO THE ORDINARY PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH. 73. Did Dr. Silkworth believe that a real alcoholic could recover by mental control? I DO NOT HOLD WITH THOSE WHO BELIEVE THAT ALCOHOLISM IS ENTIRELY A PROBLEM OF MENTAL CONTROL. (Note: This is followed by the unmanageability and the powerlessness. ) 74. In his example, was the alcoholic having a bad time? I HAVE HAD MANY MEN WHO HAD, FOR EXAMPLE, WORKED A PERIOD OF MONTHS ON SOME PROBLEM OR BUSINESS DEAL WHICH WAS TO BE SETTLED ON A CERTAIN DATE, FAVORABLY TO THEM. 75. What insane act did he carry out? THEY TOOK A DRINK A DAY OR SO PRIOR TO THE DATE, (Note: Does this demonstrate unmanageability? ) 76. As the result of taking the drink, what happened? AND THEN THE PHENOMENON OF CRAVING AT ONCE BECAME PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER INTERESTS SO THAT THE IMPORTANT APPOINTMENT WAS NOT MET. (Note: Does this demonstrate the powerlessness? ) 77. Do real alcoholics drink to escape? THESE MEN WERE NOT DRINKING TO ESCAPE; THEY WERE DRINKING TO OVERCOME A CRAVING BEYOND THEIR MENTAL CONTROL. 78. What do many alcoholics do to stop drinking? THERE ARE MANY SITUATIONS WHICH ARISE OUT OF THE PHENOMENON OF CRAVING WHICH CAUSE MEN TO MAKE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE RATHER THAN CONTINUE TO FIGHT. 79. Is it easy to classify alcoholics? THE CLASSIFICATION OF ALCOHOLICS SEEMS MOST DIFFICULT, AND IN MUCH DETAIL IS OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THIS BOOK. p. 16

17 80. How many types does Dr. Silkworth mention? Identify them. Type One? THERE ARE, OF COURSE, THE PSYCHOPATHS WHO ARE EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE. WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THIS TYPE. THEY ARE ALWAYS GOING ON THE WAGON FOR KEEPS. THEY ARE OVER-REMORSEFUL AND MAKE MANY RESOLUTIONS, BUT NEVER A DECISION. 81. Type Two? THERE IS THE TYPE OF MAN WHO IS UNWILLING TO ADMIT THAT HE CANNOT TAKE A DRINK. HE PLANS VARIOUS WAYS OF DRINKING. HE CHANGES HIS BRAND OR HIS ENVIRONMENT. 83. Type Three? THERE IS THE TYPE WHO ALWAYS BELIEVES THAT AFTER BEING ENTIRELY FREE FROM ALCOHOL FOR A PERIOD OF TIME HE CAN TAKE A DRINK WITHOUT DANGER. 84. Type Four? THERE IS THE MANIC-DEPRESSIVE TYPE, WHO IS, PERHAPS, THE LEAST UNDERSTOOD BY HIS FRIENDS, AND ABOUT WHOM A WHOLE CHAPTER COULD BE WRITTEN. 85. Type Five? THEN THERE ARE TYPES ENTIRELY NORMAL IN EVERY RESPECT EXCEPT IN THE EFFECT ALCOHOL HAS UPON THEM. THEY ARE OFTEN ABLE, INTELLIGENT, FRIENDLY PEOPLE. (Note: Isn t this the most common type of alcoholic?) 86. Are there even more types? ALL THESE, AND MANY OTHERS, 87. What is the common denominator of each and every type? HAVE ONE SYMPTOM IN COMMON: THEY CANNOT START DRINKING WITHOUT DEVELOPING THE PHENOMENON OF CRAVING. 88. What is the one thing that sets alcoholic men and women apart from all other people? THIS PHENOMENON, AS WE HAVE SUGGESTED, MAY BE THE MANIFESTATION OF AN ALLERGY WHICH DIFFERENTIATES THESE PEOPLE, AND SETS THEM APART AS A DISTINCT ENTITY. 89. Which treatment program has been successful in treating alcoholics? IT HAS NEVER BEEN, BY ANY TREATMENT WITH WHICH WE ARE FAMILIAR, PERMANENTLY ERADICATED. 90. What is the only relief from alcoholism? THE ONLY RELIEF WE HAVE TO SUGGEST IS ENTIRE ABSTINENCE. (Note: If the alcoholic never takes the first drink, he can never crave the second, then the third, then the fourth, then the fifth, the next fifth, and the next fifth...) p. 17

18 91. In spite of all the attention paid to alcoholism, what is the general consensus of physicians regarding alcoholics? THIS IMMEDIATELY PRECIPITATES US INTO A SEETHING CALDRON OF DEBATE. MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN PRO AND CON, BUT AMONG PHYSICIANS, THE GENERAL OPINION SEEMS TO BE THAT MOST CHRONIC ALCOHOLICS ARE DOOMED. 92. How does Dr. Silkworth demonstrate the Solution to chronic alcoholism? WHAT IS THE SOLUTION? PERHAPS I CAN BEST ANSWER THIS BY RELATING ONE OF MY EXPERIENCES. 93. What was the Solution to the first alcoholic s dilemma? ABOUT ONE YEAR PRIOR TO THIS EXPERIENCE A MAN WAS BROUGHT IN TO BE TREATED FOR CHRONIC ALCOHOLISM. HE HAD BUT PARTIALLY RECOVERED FROM A GASTRIC HEMORRHAGE AND SEEMED TO BE A CASE OF PATHOLOGICAL MENTAL DETERIORATION. HE HAD LOST EVERYTHING WORTHWHILE IN LIFE AND WAS ONLY LIVING, ONE MIGHT SAY, TO DRINK. HE FRANKLY ADMITTED AND BELIEVED THAT FOR HIM THERE WAS NO HOPE. FOLLOWING THE ELIMINATION OF ALCOHOL, THERE WAS FOUND TO BE NO PERMANENT BRAIN INJURY. HE ACCEPTED THE PLAN OUTLINED IN THIS BOOK. ONE YEAR LATER HE CALLED TO SEE ME, AND I EXPERIENCED A VERY STRANGE SENSATION. I KNEW THE MAN BY NAME, AND PARTLY RECOGNIZED HIS FEATURES, BUT THERE ALL RESEMBLANCE ENDED. FROM A TREMBLING, DESPAIRING, NERVOUS WRECK, HAD EMERGED A MAN BRIMMING OVER WITH SELF-RELIANCE AND CONTENTMENT. I TALKED WITH HIM FOR SOME TIME, BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO BRING MYSELF TO FEEL THAT I HAD KNOWN HIM BEFORE. TO ME HE WAS A STRANGER, AND SO HE LEFT ME. A LONG TIME HAS PASSED WITH NO RETURN TO ALCOHOL. (Comment: The alcoholic described in this paragraph, Hank Parkhurst, wrote Chapter Ten, To Employers. ) 94. What was the solution to the second man s alcoholism? WHEN I NEED A MENTAL UPLIFT, I OFTEN THINK OF ANOTHER CASE BROUGHT IN BY A PHYSICIAN PROMINENT IN NEW YORK. THE PATIENT HAD MADE HIS OWN DIAGNOSIS, AND DECIDING HIS SITUATION HOPELESS, HAD HIDDEN IN A DESERTED BARN DETERMINED TO DIE. HE WAS RESCUED BY A SEARCHING PARTY, AND, IN DESPERATE CONDITION, BROUGHT TO ME. FOLLOWING HIS PHYSICAL REHABILITATION, HE HAD A TALK WITH ME IN WHICH HE FRANKLY STATED HE THOUGHT THE TREATMENT A WASTE OF EFFORT, UNLESS I COULD ASSURE HIM, WHICH NO ONE EVER HAD, THAT IN THE FUTURE HE WOULD HAVE THE WILL POWER TO RESIST HIS IMPULSE TO DRINK. HIS ALCOHOLIC PROBLEM WAS SO COMPLEX, AND HIS DEPRESSION SO GREAT, THAT WE FELT HIS ONLY HOPE WOULD BE THROUGH WHAT WE THEN CALLED MORAL PSYCHOLOGY, AND WE DOUBTED IF EVEN THAT WOULD HAVE ANY EFFECT. (Comment: The alcoholic described in this paragraph, Fitz Mayo, Our Southern Friend, p.208 Alcoholics Anonymous, researched the title of Alcoholics Anonymous.) 95. Did it work for him? HOWEVER, HE DID BECOME SOLD ON THE IDEAS CONTAINED IN THIS BOOK. HE HAS NOT HAD A DRINK FOR A GREAT MANY YEARS. I SEE HIM NOW AND THEN AND HE IS AS FINE A SPECIMEN OF MANHOOD AS ONE COULD WISH TO MEET. p. 18

19 96. What does Dr. Silkworth advise every alcoholic to do? I EARNESTLY ADVISE EVERY ALCOHOLIC TO READ THIS BOOK THROUGH, 97. If an alcoholic carefully studies this book, what may he wind up doing? AND THOUGH PERHAPS HE CAME TO SCOFF, HE MAY REMAIN TO PRAY. WILLIAM D. SILKWORTH, M.D p. 19

20 Alcoholics Anonymous, page 63, 3rd STEP "God, I offer myself to Thee to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!" p. 20