Yourself, God, and Another Human Being
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad shit-load of experience. It affects not only the drinker but just about everyone that comes in contact with s/he! Why we have to express our remorse out loud I will try to explain here.
We don’t leave primary school and think to ourselves, “Now, let’s go learn how to piss people off!”
There are not many of us who tell our Vocational Officer in High School, “I’d like to be an Alcoholic, and kill every good thing I can touch.”
But around one in ten people do just that. It’s impossible to properly quantify, but it’s a lot!
Very few people recover from addiction to drugs and alcohol. Those who do recover (stop doing it) will be left scarred and deeply affected by its symptoms.
One of the programs of recovery that has seen success in the last 80 years has been AA and it’s affiliate families. Millions swear by the 12 Steps Programs, and Rehabs around the world make a squillion helping addicts get a foothold on sobriety through 12 Step methods.
In several groups that I am personally aware of, they revisit the 12 steps each year a month at a time; therefore May is the month of reviewing Step Five.
“Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”
It’s a BIG ONE!
Here is my understanding of this important process after 10 years of abstinence and membership.
There are many dualities in a human life that benefit from unification.
According to Safwan Zabalawi, “It regards the body as separate from mind, the individual as separate from the environment, etc. which Buddhism rejects as being a mistake in thinking.
Bible
The Bible also speaks about duality in this way: There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4–6
This part of the 12 Step journey is as much to do with spirituality as it is about consciously taking about the problem and its affects. This is about oneness in our vital energy as well as physically taking stock.
Without the help of a friend or counsel to talk with the onus or burden is a little too great for the suffering and recovering alcoholic.
Whilst I’m thinking and writing this article I have been listening to one of my favourite podcasters, Aubrey Marcus. He is talking to Paul Chek in this week’s episode called,
Aubrey Marcus
Paul and Aubrey speak about the inherent need to return to oneness. This is not a subject title familiar to the drinker in the months and years leading up to their rock bottom. In fact, it’s hardly thought about by many people.
But having a spiritual awakening, and realised that the malady of alcoholism is a physical, spiritual and mental disease, it’s time now for us to take steps toward wholeness again.
Without a mental, spiritual, and mental recovery, we tend to just resume our old methods of dealing with life. The drink is our best friend and only confidante.
So, it is my contention that the Fifth Step of the program of recovery in the 12 Step Modality is imperative for the addict to begin to realise not only the harm that has occurred.
It is also of extreme importance for this to be shared with a brother and our concept of God, in order to begin the journey back to oneness. Unity.
love alwaz
mike
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Originally published at dharmaholic.com on June 2, 2018.
