Thursday, July 20, 2006
A.A.: There is a Solution - Chasing the perfect buzz
"But what about the real alcoholic? He may start off as a moderate drinker; he may or may not become a continuous hard drinker; but at some stage of his drinking career he begins to lose all control of his liquor consumption, once he starts to drink."
Alcoholics Anonymous
There is a Solution
Page 21
I began drinking when I was about thirteen and I can still remember the excitement and euphoria that drinking provided. I don't know if it's the same for everyone, but for me the feeling was incredible -- like nothing I had ever experienced. After a while, although the memory of the effect was still vivid, the feeling I got when I drank had changed -- still good, but different. The progressive nature of the disease made it all the more baffling. I had to drink more and more to get to that "perfect buzz" and the feeling never lasted as long as it did when I first started drinking.
I spent a lot of energy, time, and money chasing the perfect buzz -- it's an elusive thing! One day I realized that it had become the number one priority in my life and I didn't remember ever making that decision. I remembered choosing my first car. I remembered selecting a field of study and which college to attend. I remembered choosing my wife and a house for us to live. I remembered deciding to have children. But, I didn't remember opting to put all those things aside in favor of alcohol -- it just happened.
Alcoholism tells me that it's not such a big deal. It tells me that I can drink like I used to -- like a normal drinker. Alcoholism tells me that everything else important can wait. It tells me that I can find the perfect buzz. Alcoholism is a liar!
Get the latest edition of:
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA Services
aa addiction alcoholism recovery sponsornet substance abuse
Alcoholics Anonymous
There is a Solution
Page 21
I began drinking when I was about thirteen and I can still remember the excitement and euphoria that drinking provided. I don't know if it's the same for everyone, but for me the feeling was incredible -- like nothing I had ever experienced. After a while, although the memory of the effect was still vivid, the feeling I got when I drank had changed -- still good, but different. The progressive nature of the disease made it all the more baffling. I had to drink more and more to get to that "perfect buzz" and the feeling never lasted as long as it did when I first started drinking.
I spent a lot of energy, time, and money chasing the perfect buzz -- it's an elusive thing! One day I realized that it had become the number one priority in my life and I didn't remember ever making that decision. I remembered choosing my first car. I remembered selecting a field of study and which college to attend. I remembered choosing my wife and a house for us to live. I remembered deciding to have children. But, I didn't remember opting to put all those things aside in favor of alcohol -- it just happened.
Alcoholism tells me that it's not such a big deal. It tells me that I can drink like I used to -- like a normal drinker. Alcoholism tells me that everything else important can wait. It tells me that I can find the perfect buzz. Alcoholism is a liar!
Get the latest edition of:
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA Services
aa addiction alcoholism recovery sponsornet substance abuse
# posted by Bill B. @ 7:21 PM 
