What is the 3 Fold Disease of Alcoholism & Addiction

In sobriety, if we are self-reliant we usually end up using anything that will make us feel good externally excessively. Selfishness and self -centeredness is the root of my trouble. My troubles are of my own making and arise out my living a life run on self-will. I must be God centered instead of self centered and God directed rather than self directed . The specific directions in the first 102 pages of the book  Alcoholic Anonymous.

I had a connection with the world I could not generate myself, when sober. Here we have an abnormal reaction to alcohol and for some alcoholics a maladjustment to life. I sin so naturally, effortlessly  and usually without even trying.

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The practice of Christian Meditation offers a remedy to the spiritual malady. When we enter the silence with discipline and perseverance, we make space for  the living presence of God to heal us from the inside out. If you’re struggling to find a Higher Power in AA, know that you’re not alone. There are many people who have been in your shoes and have found creative ways to work around this issue. Remember to keep an open mind and heart, and eventually, you will find something (or someone) who can serve as your own personal higher power.

The spiritual aspects of recovery and the ‘God word’ can be an obstacle for many new folks trying to get sober. Hopefully the ideas included in this short writing show that there are many ways to approach these topics. I struggled with this myself in the early days of my recovery. It was one more thing that my disease used to separate me from other folks in the rooms of recovery, another way to feel unique.

PROGRAMS

We became selfish and self-seeking, ever thirsting for more, and this lust warped us on every level. But we were never satisfied, because but the living presence of God can quench our parched souls. Once you’ve found something that you can believe in, it’s important to remember that your Higher Power is there for you when you need it. When things get tough, take a moment to pray, meditate, or just sit quietly and think about your Higher Power and what it means to you. Allow yourself to feel the strength and support that comes from knowing that there is something bigger than yourself out there rooting for your success. One of the most important things in AA is finding a sponsor – someone who has been through the program and can help guide you through it.

They do not understand why it is being suggested they read a book they believe to be for alcoholics. It is our experience that the problem is not the substance; the problem is the disease of addiction. We have also found that the disease of addiction is not limited to any one substance and that to be sober we need to be free from all mind-altering substances.

Recovery is a Journey

Alcoholics Anonymous, written in 1939 and affectionately nicknamed The Big Book by early AA members, explains that alcohol is only a symptom of a deeper spiritual problem. For us, the word ‘alcoholic’ may as well read ‘addictive eater’. To overcome that “spiritual malady” it is our experience that it is best to approach The Big Book with the guidance of an AEA Sponsor, to help us through the Twelve Step Programme outlined in the text.

This is why we need a satisfactory definition of what alcoholism and addition is? Rather than describing these conditions in terms of the manifest symptoms, i.e chronic substance abuse or, at times, vague “spiritual maladies”. I contend that alcoholism is an emotional disorder which results in chemical dependency on the substance of alcohol. However in order to treat it we have to first contend with the symptomatic manifestation https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/what-spiritual-malady-means/ of this disorder, chronic alcohol use, as it is the most life threatening aspect of this disorder when we present our selves at AA. In fact our first “spiritual” wakening was probably the result of drinking as it transformed how we felt about ourselves and the world in which we lived. In fact, I felt “more me” when I drank, it was like I escaped a restrictive sense of self to be a more expansive, people loving self.

For others, it may manifest as anger, anxiety, or depression. A spiritual malady is a deep-seated inner conflict that leads to restlessness, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/what-spiritual-malady-means/ irritability, and discontentment. It is a sense of “otherness” that keeps us from feeling at peace with ourselves and the world around us.

Alcoholics Anonymous, the book that was created in the late 1930s was used to get people sober. Alcoholics would read and follow the steps in the book and get sober. Finally, self-reliance can be dangerous because it can lead to complacency. When people become too self-reliant, they may stop working on their program entirely. This complacency can then lead to a sense of entitlement which is extremely dangerous for people in recovery.

Big Book ASL – Foreword to Fourth Edition

Professional therapists teach people to live in the present. AA encourages members to share their experience, strength and hope with other members. It is emotionally healthy to accept our past experiences, however painful, as past events and move on to a richer, more fulfilling future. In order to illustrate how I believe my spiritual malady is the consequence of my emotional disorder, called alcoholism/addiction first let’s  go back to where this idea of spiritual malady came from.

• The specific directions in the first 102 pages of the book  Alcoholic Anonymous.
• This inner conflict can be caused by many different things, such as childhood trauma, unresolved grief, or trauma related to addiction.
• AA provides many ways of becoming more emotionally well, which ultimately means more emotionally mature.
• So we have issues with emotions and somatic/body feeling states.
• I survived thirteen years as a mostly dry and yet untreated alcoholic in AA.

The AA Big Book talks about this delusion we develop in active addiction. Thoughts like we can eventually manage our lives while in active addiction. If you are seeking drug and alcohol related addiction rehab for yourself or a loved one, the YourFirstStep.org hotline is a confidential and convenient solution.