". . . we tried to carry this message to alcoholics." What message? Hope. Example. The way out. The way back. A handful of simple principles to unravel most of our snarled-up problems. A touch of humor -- not taking ourselves so damned seriously. Meetings. Availability. Talk, talk, talk. . ."Carrying the message" is all these things.
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], p. 179
In AA we carry the message ... not the mess.
E S H = Experience, Strength and Hope.
Since drug abuse and addiction have so many
scopes and disturb so many aspects of an individual’s life, healing is not
simple. Valuable treatment programs characteristically include many mechanisms,
each going to a particular piece of the sickness and its consequences.
Addiction management must assist the person to stop using drugs, sustain a
drug-free way of life, and attain fruitful functioning in the family unit, at
work, and in the general public. Due to the fact that substance abuse is in general
a chronic disease, addicts are not able to just end the use of drugs for a
short time and be cured. Most addicts need long-term or recurring episodes of
care to attain the decisive goal of sustained abstinence and recovery of their
lives.
Drug addiction is a multifaceted illness
distinguished by powerful and, at times, unmanageable drug desire, along with
uncontrollable drug in search of and use that persist even in the face of
overwhelming consequences. Despite the fact that the path to drug dependence
begins with the deliberate act of using drugs, as time goes by, a person’s
aptitude to select not to do so gets compromised, and looking for and taking
drugs becomes neurotic. This conduct results mainly from the consequences of
extended drug exposure on brain performance. Craving is a brain illness that
impacts multiple brain functions, as well as the ones involved in gain and
enthusiasm, knowledge and memory, and inhibitory control over behavior.
A Member Shares:
Good evening, I'm Ann, and I'm an alcoholic. This weekend, I had the pleasure to go to a group's anniversary meeting. There was great food, upbeat members, and lots of great sharing from the speakers. As I listened to the story of one speaker who had over 25 years of sobriety, I was struck by the sheer miracles we are privy to in AA. From the depths of despair to lives that are rich and full of laughter and goodwill, we truly do change radically if we are willing. The speaker's story reminded me of the times in my own life when I simply did not believe that anything or anyone could help. I felt so alone and inadequate and hopeless. Then, I recall waking up one day with a “knowing” of how to solve my problem. I absolutely knew that I would and could be safe; I had somehow found the power to carry it out. Within a week, my life had changed. I had gone from hopeless to empowered, and had no way to explain what had happened. Today, I know what that was. It was the same power I found one morning to stop the insanity of alcoholism. My life has been filled with such moments of grace. I will be sure there is no solution to some problem, and then it changes. It always seems it changes in a blink. And in AA, we share our stories with others. We share honestly about that despair, our insanity, and then the miracles of how we've been transformed. Even when I was drinking, I was attending AA open meetings fairly regularly. Do you not think I wasn't hearing those miracles while secretly drinking and worrying that I might have a real problem myself? Of course, I was. I am sober by the grace of God, for sure. But the generous sharing by AA members is how God carried the message to me, even when I was still drinking. I will be eternally grateful, too. Because that morning when I personally “woke up,” I had not a shred of doubt that AA works, that I would be OK, and that I knew exactly what to do next. I still need to be constantly reminded that there is simply no problem that God cannot and will not help me through in this life. I hear your courage, wisdom, and strength and I'm reminded that I, too, can tap into that power.
