Soundness of Mind

[MajestyJo]

It has been said in AA that we are interested only in alcoholism. That is not true. We have to get over drinking in order to stay alive. But anyone who knows the alcoholic personality by first hand contact knows that no true alkie ever stops drinking permanently without undergoing a profound personality change.

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We thought "conditions" drove us to drink, and when we tried to correct these conditions and found that we couldn't do so to our entire satisfaction, our drinking went out of hand and we became alcoholics. It never occurred to us that we needed to change ourselves to meet conditions, whatever they were.

1. Letter, 1940
2. Twelve and Twelve, p. 48
From "As Bill Sees It"

Can identify with this. I could stop, but couldn't stay stopped. If I stopped alcohol, I substituted other things, like food, pills, work, and busy as a whole, something to take me out of the moment so I didn't have to feel, be accountable, or acknowledge what was going on in my life.

Love Always,
Jo

From my site Soundness of Mind in Yahoo. I was told that sobriety meant soundness of mind and that is why I have to work and live my recovery program every day.

This is applicable to all addictions. Smoking a joint doesn't give soundness of mind, I know because yesterday my son came by after smoking one. I tried one once, and resented the fact that I was sick and lost all the alcohol that I had to drink.

I had started drinking at noon, it was about 10 p.m. when I got sick and had to let my husband drive home, even though I never allowed him to drive my VW after he had 2 beer. So glad that I don't have to go there in today.