To Be Selfish Or Not to Be; That Is The Question!!! Part – 2
Selfishness – self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 62)
If you are in recovery self-centeredness is a challenge that needs to be overcome. As I stated in the previous post (To Be Selfish Or Not to Be; That Is The Question!!!) I personally define selfishness and self-centeredness as:
The erroneous idea that I must be comfortable at all times or must do everything in my power to be comfortable. If something makes me uncomfortable, something must be wrong with that thing.
If you are the friend or loved one of a person in need of recovery you are probably well acquainted with the fact that that person is concerned with his or her own comfort at the expense of others including you.
In the last post we explored that self-centeredness, but what does the desired objective look like. What does a person free or well on the way to being free of self-centeredness look like?
Here is a conversation from the “Working With Others” chapter of the Alcoholics Anonymous book instructing us how to describe this to a potential newcomer:
Outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your own recovery. Actually, he may be helping you more than you are helping him. Make it plain he is under no obligation to you, that you hope only that he will try to help other alcoholics when he escapes his own difficulties. Suggest how important it is that he place the welfare of other people ahead of his own. Make it clear that he is not under pressure, that he needn’t see you again if he doesn’t want to. You should not be offended if he wants to call it off, for he has helped you more than you have helped him. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 94)
Notice how unselfishness is the message. The person trying to work with the potential newcomer first describes how unselfishness actually is a huge part of helping yourself. Then that person describes how the biggest reward he or she is looking for is for that potential newcomer to get better through gaining the same unselfishness.
In other words the message is that if I want to help myself I have to get you to get it and to help others in the same way.
Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends – this is an experience you must not miss. We know you will not want to miss it. Frequent contact with newcomers and with each other is the bright spot of our lives. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 89)
Notice the words “to see a fellowship grow up about you.” The “host of friends” and the people you will watch recover are the people you work with. Getting outside of yourself and helping others to recovery becomes “the bright spot” of your life.
Working with others is not the only evidence of unselfishness, but it is a very key one. That is why this statement is true:
Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 20)
Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 89)
I understand that there are people who do not get the unselfishness aspect of all of this and do some attempts at working with others (usually because he or she feels forced). What I am talking about looks and sounds more like this. (if it is you going through recovery this is a feeling you should experiencethat becomes a part of who you are):
While I lay in the hospital the thought came that there were thousands of hopeless alcoholics who might be glad to have what had been so freely given me. Perhaps I could help some of them. They in turn might work with others.
My friend had emphasized the absolute necessity of demonstrating these principles in all my affairs. Particularly was it imperative to work with others as he had worked with me. Faith without works was dead, he said. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 14)
It was a feeling and thought that Bill W. had and his sponsor reinforced. Working with others is one of the key evidences that a person is at least growing in unselfishness. For those of us who have traveled Alcoholics Anonymous circles we are probably at least somewhat familiar with what are known as “The Promises.” Listen to this part of “The Promises”:
No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 84)
The death of selfishness is a huge goal in for all of us looking to remain sober. As we come to see that our experience can benefit others we “lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.” Then “Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.” (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 84)
If you think you have reached some major milestone in recovery (finishing a program, someone says you have finished all the steps, you are abstinent currently and feel fine) and you do not feel or think in the manner described here, there is much more to do. You seem to have missed something.
If you are the friend or loved one of person who has reached one of these milestones and that person has no desire to reach others, that person is in deep trouble.
Here is an end note for the friends and loved ones. If the person does get this change of focus and begins to focus on working with others be as supportive of those efforts as you can. Do not hinder their work with others or you may be choking the life out of that person’s recovery.
The following passage was written “To Wives” bit applies to all friends and loved ones:
Still another difficulty is that you may become jealous of the attention he bestows on other people, especially alcoholics. You have been starving for his companionship, yet he spends long hours helping other men and their families. You feel he should now be yours. The fact is that he should work with other people to maintain his own sobriety. Sometimes he will be so interested that he becomes really neglectful. Your house is filled with strangers. You may not like some of them. He gets stirred up about their troubles, but not at all about yours. It will do little good if you point that out and urge more attention for yourself. We find it a real mistake to dampen his enthusiasm for alcoholic work. You should join in his efforts as much as you possibly can. We suggest that you direct some of your thought to the wives of his new alcoholic friends. They need the counsel and love of a woman who has gone through what you have. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 119)
We realize some men are thoroughly bad-intentioned, that no amount of patience will make any difference. An alcoholic of this temperament may be quick to use this chapter as a club over your head. Don’t let him get away with it. If you are positive he is one of this type you may feel you had better leave. Is it right to let him ruin your life and the lives of your children? (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 108)
Some people in recovery immediately upon deciding to give all of this a shot become more caring and considerate, this passage is not describing that group. This passage is describing the people who are still “bad-intentioned” even when abstaining from alcohol and drugs. Some of those “bad intentioned” individuals even misuse the information they get in recovery to manipulate others.
These people may say that they want to change and this may or may not be true, but the point is that if their actions continue to be destructive to those around them, it may
be better to take drastic measures for the good of all. Just letting the person continue to be an evil force, destroying his or her own life and the lives of all who he or she comes into contact with is the worst option.
I am not saying that all people who use heavily should be abandoned by their loved ones, but I do feel that allowing such a person to do whatever he or she feels, no matter
how destructive is actually a worse option.
There has to be a reasonable and balanced approach that is going to be helpful for all involved.
Let’s slow down a bit and look at this in more detail. If you look at the page that the first verse we read is on, we see what may seem like the exact opposite message:
Try not to condemn your alcoholic husband no matter what he says or does. He is just another very sick, unreasonable person. Treat him, when you can, as though he had pneumonia. When he angers you, remember that he is very ill. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 108)
Sometimes, people assume this means to allow the person to do whatever he or she wants to do and say nothing. Then you reach the passage we started with that says to not let the person “get away with it” and you may need to leave that person. These seem like conflicting ideas or at least pretty different extremes. The fact is, everyone involved needs to look at what is best for everyone.
Most of us have encountered the child who has the parents that can never say no to him or her. The kind of parents who never confront the troubles a child has. Those are usually the kids throwing things in the isle of the grocery store or cussing the parents out in a crowd. Then you have the parents that verbally or physically abuse their children. Those children have all kinds of issues not the least of which often being drug and alcohol problems. The point is that doing too much to correct a child is detrimental, but doing too little is also terribly detrimental.
With those of us in recovery there are some things we need to be handled delicately, some things that we need to be told bluntly and some things we need to figure out
ourselves. The problem is that even as the person going through it, we often do not know which approach goes where until after the fact.
What is clear with many alcoholics and addicts is that if someone approaches something that needs to be handled delicately with too much force, we tend to rebel against the idea without even considering if it is true or not. If something that needs to be handled more directly and forcefully is handled too delicately we tend to either ignore it or use manipulation to just not deal with it. If it is something we
need to figure out ourselves, delicate or direct approaches are both just information, but not really what is needed.
The point of all this:
If you are the friend or loved one of a person in recovery or in need of recovery:
Start with someone who already knows the ropes and have the person (or group of person’s) walk you through the process.
Some of these kinds of people include the person’s sponsor, an Al-Anon or CODA group, a professional counselor, a pastor, priest or other qualified religious leader, etc.
Think in terms of what serves the greatest good!
Am I helping or hurting the person (allowing someone to do something that is destructive to his or her relationships or to him or herself is often not good for that person while beating a person who feels terrible guilt while he or she is down is also not helpful)
Am I helping or hurting those around us
If I do nothing is someone around us going to get hurt?
If I confront this is someone around us going to get hurt in some way?
Is there a way to confront this that will best solve the problem (instead of just making me feel better about getting it off of my chest)
Am I allowing the person to hurt or abuse me in a way that hurts both of us?
Is this something I should plan a proper time for confrontation or I should do now?
Consider this passage which describes conversation with the person (confrontation) done appropriately:
We know these suggestions are sometimes difficult to follow, but you will save many a heartbreak if you can succeed in observing them. Your husband may come to appreciate your reasonableness and patience. This may lay the groundwork for a friendly talk about his alcoholic problem. Try to have him bring up the subject himself. Be sure you are not critical during such a discussion. Attempt instead, to put yourself in his place. Let him see that you want to be helpful rather than critical. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 111)
This may only be one example, but the focus is serving the greatest good of all while
confronting the problems.
If you are the person in recovery you need to keep in some things in mind:
Yes, there is a long period of reconstruction ahead. We must take the lead. A remorseful mumbling that we are sorry won’t fill the bill at all. We ought to sit down with the family and frankly analyze the past as we now see it, being very careful not to criticize them. Their defects may be glaring, but the chances are that our own actions are partly responsible. So we clean house with the family, asking each morning in meditation that our Creator show us the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg. 83)
Much of the mess you are dealing with and the crazy that seems to be around you is your own creation. If you didn’t create the crazy around you, it is possible that you drew it into your life.
Part of your recovery is doing all you can to repair whatever damage you have created.
You should not avoid conversations that confront your issues; it is part of your
recovery to seek out those conversations.
If the people closest to you cannot tell you what they see that you may need to change, who can? They probably know better than anyone (because they have often been the victims).
If we expect them to be patient, tolerant and kind with us in spite of our “crazy”
we owe them the same patience, tolerance and kindness when they approach us in some way that is a little crazy.
Be willing to look at what the people around you are saying is important to them with the importance they say it has.
Just because you don’t think it is not that important does not mean that it’s not.
Do not try to use your recovery information to manipulate those around you.
That is only part of the story and you are actually just manipulating yourself out
of recovery.
When in doubt seek out council from your sponsor, some much more mature in recovery, professional counselors, a pastor, priest or other qualified religious leader, people from your group, etc.
Keep people who are knowledgeable, understanding yet direct enough to tell you the truth in your life for such purposes.
ABSTAINING FROM ALCOHOL AND DRUGS IS NOT ENOUGH!!!
The alcoholic is like a tornado roaring his way through the lives of others. Hearts are broken. Sweet relationships are dead. Affections have been uprooted. Selfish and inconsiderate habits have kept the home in turmoil. We feel a man is unthinking when he says that sobriety is enough. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 82)
My point is that all of these challenges will have to be confronted; it is only a matter of how and when these confrontations will take place.
One set of words from a segment of the book discussing Step 9 best sums this all up:
And the first thing you know I was lifted right out of the A.A. group, and I floated higher, and higher, and even higher, until I was way up on a pink cloud which is known as Pink Seven, and I felt miserable again. So I thought to myself, I might just as well be drunk as feel like this. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg. 304 – “Physician Heal Thyself)
“Why, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’ve been sober for three months, been working hard. You’ve been doing all right.” But then he said, “Let me say something to you. We have here in this community an organization which helps people, and this organization is known as Alcoholics Anonymous. Why don’t you join it?” I said, “What do you think I’ve been doing?” “Well,” he said, “you’ve been sober, but you’ve been floating way up on a cloud somewhere. Why don’t you go home and get the Big Book and open it at page seventy and see what it says?” So I did. I got the Big Book and I read it, and this is what it said: “Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.” The word “thoroughly” rang a bell. And then it went on to say: “Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point.” And the last sentence was “We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.” “Complete abandon”; “Half measures availed us nothing”; “Thoroughly follow our path”; “Completely give oneself to this simple program”—rang in my swelled head. (Alcoholics Anonymous pgs. 304-305 – “Physician Heal Thyself)
So, what is the solution to this “pink cloud” and the worst cases of this “pink cloud” called “the Pink Seven?”
Let’s break down the page he was referred and see how it relates to solving this issue:
At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely. Remember that we deal with alcohol-cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power-that One is God. May you find Him now! Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon. Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery: (Alcoholics Anonymous pgs 58-59)
The first point seems to be that it is “too much for us.” We cannot recover on our own. But, why was that so important to getting past the “pink cloud” experience? If you glance at the rest of page 59, the rest of the page lists Steps One through Eleven this idea seems to revisit Step 1.
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 59)
The “old-timer” that had gotten a hold of him led him to a place where he could see that first and foremost, no matter what Steps or recovery stuff he thought he was doing, he had drifted to a place where he thought he had found the power to stay sober on his own power. He may have been working Step 4 or 5 maybe 8 or nine, but the “old-timer” felt the breakdown in his recovery that led to his “Pink Seven” was a breakdown in Step 1.
People who have been around me in recovery settings have probably heard me say this “Many of the times that people experience breakdowns of some kind in their recoveries are really experiencing a breakdown in Step 1.” I am not saying that this is the magic fix all, but whenever I start to struggle, I start by looking at Step 1. In other words I refocus on the idea that I cannot overcome this on my own power. All the recovery “stuff” I do or am doing does not give me the power, all of it gives me access to the power or more specifically better access the one who has the power.
Here is the real question to the person riding the “Pink Seven” is: “What are you so excited about?” Being sober for a bit is a huge accomplishment for many of us, but any excitement should be about the long journey I am about to take not as much about the journey I have already taken.
Think of it this way, I am about to fly overseas on a trip I really want to take. Starting recovery and remaining sober for a period of time is like buying the ticket. It is an exciting moment, because the journey is finally real. Now, imagine being so excited that you bought the ticket that you go out and celebrate having the ticked so hard that you never actually make the journey. You would be so busy celebrating the journey and the progress you had made towards making the journey, that you lose focus on the rest of the journey. The excitement itself is not a problem until it becomes so much of a focus that it becomes a distraction from taking the rest of the journey.
The point is that this distraction is another part of our addiction or what keeps us in our addictions. Simply put distractions that keep us from working on our recovery are a part of the problem and a normal part of our recovery that must be overcome.
Then this short paragraph moves on to Step 2:
Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power-that One is God. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 59)
Part of looking at the rest of the journey and a big part of refocusing on being powerless is to realize that there is power available so you can refocus on deepening your connection to that power instead of celebrating out on “the Pink Seven.”
The Second thing that “old-timer” was trying to show this man through this short read was Step 2:
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 59)
If there is no escape from something terrible, and suddenly you find out there is a possible escape, should you celebrate the fact there is a possible escape so much that you never actually escape. That is what “pink cloud” riders are doing. The truth is that if you are stuck in something terrible where there is no escape and suddenly you hear that there is a possible escape, celebration should be brief if there is any celebration at all. You have to get on with the business of actually escaping.
Then the passage this man was referred to goes on to say:
…there is One who has all power-that One is God. May you find Him now! Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 59)
This man was at the “turning point.” He either had to do something different or keep doing what he had been doing and expecting different results. Two key points here seem to be: “asked His protection and care with complete abandon.” And “Half measures availed us nothing”
All of this brings us to Step 3:
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 59)
The one who has “all power” is God and we each need to focus on deepening our relationship with Him. Some of us know nothing about God, some of us know a little about God (or at least think we do) some of us know a lot about God (or at least think we do), but whatever level of access to this power that we each have, we need more. You do not have to have a super-deep and super-clear understanding of every detail about God to be able to work all of this out, but you do need to focus your efforts on deepening your relationship with Him. As it is stated on Pages 99 and 100 of the Alcoholics Anonymous book:
Remind the prospect that his recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his relationship with God. (Alcoholics Anonymous pgs 99-100)
This relationship is stated as what your whole recovery depends upon. You may not have it, understand it, and in some cases may be opposed to it, but that does not change the fact that this relationship is the point: “May you find Him now.”
Those were three of the points that the “old-timer” seemed to be making to this man, but there is one more point that is much more overarching.
We have here in this community an organization which helps people, and this organization is known as Alcoholics Anonymous. Why don’t you join it?” I said, “What do you think I’ve been doing?” “Well,” he said, “you’ve been sober, but you’ve been floating way up on a cloud somewhere. (Alcoholics Anonymous pgs. 304-305 – “Physician Heal Thyself”)
The funny thing about this part of the conversation is that if you read through page 304 the man on the “Pink Seven” is already a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and has all the literature etc. that is a part of it. As a matter of fact he was one of the people most excited about Alcoholics Anonymous. That explains his response: “What do you think I’ve been doing?”
So, why did this guy describe Alcoholics Anonymous to him as if he had never heard of it? He was being sarcastic as a way to make a huge point. He had all the Alcoholics Anonymous stuff that the others used and went to meetings and talked the lingo, but he was not actually even close to doing what the others were doing. He was just acting like he thought a person in recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous should and “talking a good game.” He had all the emotion and little of the correct action. Even with the right things he was doing, he was not ding those things correctly or with the right mindset. That is why the page he referred him to not only covered some very important points about why he was struggling but also was the page that included the steps.
Working recovery is not about acting like your sober, or like your in recovery, it’s not about acting like you are an expert in recovery, it’s not about acting like you are an expert in recovery; it is about really working on the recovery. I understand the concept of “faking it til you make it,” as a starting point, but faking it will not give you recovery. It will only work if you work it.
I suppose the big underlying point to take away from this is that feeling sober and better is not the same as being sober and better. Sometimes the “crazy” of our addictions or alcoholism can give us a false feeling of great success that is actually intended to keep us using. This is the “pink cloud” and in the worse cases the “Pink Seven.”
If you are there are you are wondering if you are there, go to pages 304-305 and 58-59 and take some time to ponder them. Get with your sponsor or a sponsor and begin working/reworking the Steps beginning with focused work on the first three Steps.
If you are a friend of loved one of someone that may be on a “pink cloud” where he or she is feeling great, talking recovery, and even looking better, but is not doing anything to grow his or her recovery, you may be right to be concerned. Conversations about the first three Steps are good place to start. Think of your friend or loved one’s recover like a person walking the wrong way up a down escalator. To make progress the person has to do a lot of work. For that person to stay where he or she is requires continued work also. The moment the person decides he or she can stop working, that person will immediately begin going backwards (Happy or not. If happy, the person will just be going backwards with a smile).
If your friend or loved one starts recovery and after a few days or weeks says something like; “I don’t need that stuff any more, I have this under control” or “I feel better now that the problem is gone” there is a good chance that person is off on a “pink cloud” and possible on “the Pink Seven.” It may take a sudden depression or a relapse (or two) for the person to realize that there is far more to be done. My advice to you is to talk to this person about these things (although it is highly unlikely they will get it yet) and for you to keep your hope in that person’s recovery but always keep a watchful eye for things like this so you can be helpful as well as hopeful. The hope without the help will lead to terrible disappointment for you.
And the first thing you know I was lifted right out of the A.A. group, and I floated higher, and higher, and even higher, until I was way up on a pink cloud which is known as Pink Seven, and I felt miserable again. So I thought to myself, I might just as well be drunk as feel like this. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg. 304 – “Physician Heal Thyself)
A “pink cloud” that is called the “Pink Seven,” what does that mean? If you have never really experienced these terms in the recovery sense, they may be a little strange and alien to you. But, many of us know or may even be experiencing the emotion that these terms describe.
I have stumbled across these terms periodically in older 12 Step literature and in my travels inn recovery circles (mostly used by “Old Timers”). The usage suggests that the term describes a feeling of being better since starting recovery that comes soon after starting recovery. It isn’t just a normal feeling good that is a result of being sober, the usage describes a euphoric feeling that convinces a person that he or she is better than cured. It is often described as an “emotionally high” that often convinces a person new to recovery that he or she is so strong n his or her recovery that relapse seems impossible and that he or she is now some kind of expert in recovery.
Part of the idea conveyed in this term is the idea that this “pink cloud” is just the build up to a big letdown. The point is that it is an overly emotional feeling that makes a person think he or she already has what he or she desperately needs and thus that person will not work his or her recovery.
I have periodically (mostly with younger 12 Steppers trying to use the term) heard this term used for anyone that is felling better at all in early recovery. I don’t know that I would use a term like this for everyone that feels a little better due to sobriety, but it is something that all of us should watch for in early recovery.
The author above is describing the worst cases of “pink clouds” as the “Pink Seven” (like the term “Seventh Heaven” = extreme happiness or bliss) and gives us a brief description of the feeling. A feeling like he was lifted out of the group and such joy that it could only be described as floating. Then suddenly, he felt miserable and some of know that crazy idea that comes next: “If I’m gonna be miserable anyway, why not be high or drunk?”
Then someone who had more “clean time” and had seen all of this a few times helped him understand:
“Why, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’ve been sober for three months, been working hard. You’ve been doing all right.” But then he said, “Let me say something to you. We have here in this community an organization which helps people, and this organization is known as Alcoholics Anonymous. Why don’t you join it?” I said, “What do you think I’ve been doing?” “Well,” he said, “you’ve been sober, but you’ve been floating way up on a cloud somewhere. Why don’t you go home and get the Big Book and open it at page seventy and see what it says?” So I did. I got the Big Book and I read it, and this is what it said: “Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.” The word “thoroughly” rang a bell. And then it went on to say: “Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point.” And the last sentence was “We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.” “Complete abandon”; “Half measures availed us nothing”; “Thoroughly follow our path”; “Completely give oneself to this simple program”—rang in my swelled head. (Alcoholics Anonymous pgs. 304-305 – “Physician Heal Thyself)
This person was giving him a hard time, but he definitely made his point. The guy in the story had been working on recovery and started feeling great until he “felt miserable.” He was feeling kinda better but he was having a “Pink Seven” experience and the whole feeling was more of a fake experience that can only lead to bigger problem. The guy who pulled him to the side lets him know that he had been doing good stuff and had a few months of sobriety but, that he was not yet down to earth
The man in the story had been working through recovery stuff but had gotten so excited in recovery he had separated himself from what the program actually was. He had been feeling so good that in his feeling good he had missed the point.
The guy who redirected him in his recovery referred him to page 70 in the Alcoholics Anonymous book. If you go to page 70 in the Alcoholics Anonymous book you will not find any of these terms there. That is because in the first printings of the Alcoholics Anonymous book “The Doctor’s Opinion” which is currently not on normally numbered pages was the beginning of the book at page 1. In the current editions of the Alcoholics Anonymous book, the page that is referred to is page 59:
At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.
Remember that we deal with alcohol-cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power-that One is God. May you find Him now! Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon. Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery: (Alcoholics Anonymous pgs 58-59)
So, what is the solution to this “pink cloud” and the worst cases of this “pink cloud” called “the Pink Seven?” So far this is just food for thought, In my next post, we will look at this a bit deeper to get a better understanding.
How could men who loved their wives and children be so unthinking, so callous, so cruel? There could be no love in such persons, we thought. And just as we were being convinced of their heartlessness, they would surprise us with fresh resolves and new attentions. For a while they would be their old sweet selves, only to dash the new structure of affection to pieces once more. Asked why they commenced to drink again, they would reply with some silly excuse, or none. It was so baffling, so heartbreaking. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 107)
This passage is written specifically to wives of alcoholics (the chapter is named “To Wives”) but it really is a message to all who have a loved one or friend who has serious alcoholism or addiction issues.
People around us that don’t suffer from the same addictions as us often have these or similar questions bouncing around in their minds. “How could we be so unthinking or uncaring?” The actual answer is that in most cases, we don’t know. This is not (or at least not always) an attempt to excuse some bad behavior; this is often the actual answer. As a matter of fact, in many cases we were asking ourselves the same questions.
My point here is not to excuse any behaviors or actions, but to help those who have a loved one or a friend who is suffering to understand that much of this is not personal, it is just part of what addicts and alcoholics do. That by no means implies that you have to just sit back and let it happen, it just means that often it is not that we don’t care or want to hurt anyone, it is often just a crazy that seems compulsive to us.
In this post I hope to help those around an addict or alcoholic see what we do more clearly and for the addict or alcoholic to get an idea of how crazy our behavior seems to others.
Let’s look at a few of these common things we do that confuse or hurt those close to us. We will start with the progression that Bill W. (Bill W. one of the founding members) went through as his using got to be worse and worse. You may see close similarities to your friend, loved one or to yourself if you suffer from addiction or alcohol problems.
1. We ignore discussions and signs that we might be getting worse or “going overboard”
Though my drinking was not yet continuous, it disturbed my wife. We had long talks when I would still her forebodings by telling her that men of genius conceived their best projects when drunk; that the most majestic constructions of philosophic thought were so derived. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 2)
In this case he was starting to show signs of that his using might be developing into a serious problem. His wife, who would know, was disturbed and would try to have discussion about it with him. He not only wouldn’t consider what she was concerned about, he tried to convince her that it is better for people to be drunk because they somehow work better.
This is a part of being a serious alcoholic or addict. One of the first signs that we are losing our grip is that someone outside of you begins to be bothered or concerned. According to this, she didn’t go nuts; she even had reasonable discussion about it. Someone close to him was showing loving concern and it was as if they were speaking different languages.
Old Bill also made sure he explained how geniuses and great philosophers were not on users of alcohol, but did their best thinking and working while drink. I suspect that he was convincing his wife and himself at the same time. Oh what a cloud of nonsense that we can disappear behind when confronted. This is also a normal part of what it is to be an addict or alcoholic. Not only do we not listen, we blurt out almost reasonable sounding excuses for our using.
2. Everything seems like it is just better when using. In Bill’s Story, Bill simply put it this way
Using takes an important role in the life of the person. I starts to become the source of excitement no matter what the person is doing. If the person is doing something exciting, he or she feels like it would be a little more exciting if he or she were using and it is missing something if he or she doesn’t use.
If we are in an environment where it is not socially acceptable to use we slip off to use or we just don’t enjoy ourselves. It is a feeling like something is missing even in the most exciting of activities.
3. Using moves from important to dominant. It begins to take over as most important in the person’s life.
My drinking assumed more serious proportions, continuing all day and almost every night. The remonstrances of my friends terminated in a row and I became a lone wolf. There were many unhappy scenes in our sumptuous apartment. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 3)
So now, Bill is almost always drunk. What that means is where it used to be that drunk was added to whatever he was doing, now, whatever he is doing is being added to the fact that he is drunk. It no longer is just there to make other things better, the other things have to be reduced to things that make being drunk better (or they are not to be done).
What all of that means is that the world becomes measured by how it interacts with my high or attempts to get high. Getting high or drunk now dominates my thoughts and desires and everything else is in servitude to my new master; intoxication. The way I like to see this is that it is not that person necessarily loves you or whatever he or she loved before less, he or she has just started loving being high or drunk more.
Then there is this remonstrances of his friends terminating in a row stuff. What is all that? Lets define two of the terms used using the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Remonstrances = an earnest presentation of reasons for opposition or grievance
So that translates to: “The presentation of reasons opposing the amount of drinking Bill W. was doing let to quarrels or fights and he ended up being a loner.” Every time people tried to bring to his attention how bad his using was getting, he would get into a fight with them to the point of chasing them off. The fights would be so bad and his level of using so bad that the people who cared enough about him to say something to him decided to stay away from him all together.
That’s when our crazy really starts to come out. There are these people who really care about us, enough to try and talk to us about our obviously growing problem, and we push them away. We scream, holler, say stupid things, insult them, whatever it takes, just so they do not interfere with or try to interfere with our using. Because remember, we usually haven’t started caring for the person who confronts us less, we just care about being high or drunk more. So if that person is interfering, high or drunk must be protected at all costs.
One more thing from this passage, notice the change of tone in his relationship with his wife. Before, they were having “long talks,” now they are having “unhappy scenes.” Those of us who get to this level of using start pushing anyone who cares about us away, but some people are more tied to us than others. So even though he had become a loner, his wife was there whenever he decided to be home. It’s probably not about loving her less; it’s probably about loving being high or drunk more. She may be second on the list, but if she is in any way going to interfere with his high or with his comfort, she is immediately a problem. She probably stays in second place, but a very distant second place.
The pushing away of people is a normal part of the alcoholic’s or addict’s life. There may seem to be many different reasons (such as to not think about how much we hate ourselves, to avoid facing the problem, to avoid the stress, etc.) but, the real problem is that sick as it may sound, in our heads, the high becomes the most important thing to be protected in our lives.
None of that excuses it, but it is a fact at this level of using.
This will vary between alcohol and other drugs of choice and will even vary between different people. Different things happen. It may be the shakes, bags under the eyes, breaking out or rashes, extreme weight loss or gain, lots of minor illnesses (colds, flu’s, etc.), and many other physical symptoms.
These are some of the signs that the person’s body is having some troubles with the chemicals the person is ingesting. The odd part is we rarely even notice these signs of problems and if we do we tell ourselves they are somehow normal. As a rule if our bodies are trying to reject something or are have a negative response to something, it is a bad idea to continue taking in whatever it is. Yet we always find some reason to go on anyway.
When these signs start to appear, we are on the verge of serious problems (beyond whatever other serious problems we are causing ourselves). This is the point that those around us should feel an urgency and a desperation for us, the problem is that by this time they are pushed away from previous attempts to talk to or deal with us. We on the other hand, are at this point thinking in such a distorted way that we would be willing to have some physical problems as long as we can be drunk or high.
5. It eventually progresses from being the most important thing in our lives to the totality of our life. We have been pretty bad by this point and it is clear to those around us that we are an alcoholic or addict, but at some point it gets even worse.
The way Bill W. observed this is that his addiction became as important as breathing, his heart beating and eating in his mind. It was no longer something that he did, it became a must. He was not able to function if not using. This is another area that will look different depending upon the addiction and the person, but this is another sign that the problem has progressed to incredibly desperate levels.
At this point it is incredibly hard to stop, to want to stop, to see any way to stop or even to take a break. IN previous levels in this progression, if a person wanted to stop there would be struggle and some confusion etc. but at this level, it is a much bigger challenge. When a person tries to stop there is so much confusion and inner resistance to stopping that the person will have a terrible time mustering any desire to stop.
If the person was one of those people who could quit for a year here or there or six months here and there, that becomes increasingly difficult from here on. It’s like asking them to quit breathing or to want to quit breathing.
The thought life of the person also becomes monopolized by the desire to use. It is as if the person only lives to use. Work becomes only a way to get more (if work is even an option at this point). Interactions with loved ones become ways to keep their world together so as not to hinder their ability to continue to get high. For example one of the main reasons someone like this might not want a divorce is because he or she may end up paying child support etc. and have a harder time finding money to use with.
It may have started at an earlier place in this progression, but it is common by this stage to lie about the using or to sneak using if there are still people around that would be seen as somehow interfering with the using.
6. Serious physical dependence
I began to waken very early in the morning shaking violently. A tumbler full of gin followed by half a dozen bottles of beer would be required if I were to eat any breakfast. Nevertheless, I still thought I could control the situation, and there were periods of sobriety which renewed my wife’s hope. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 5)
At this point not only his mind acts as if using is as important as breathing or the heart beating, his body now reacts as if something important has stopped working properly whenever he is not using. Think about what he has just stated. When he did get to sleep (whatever time that happened at) the amount of time he spent sleeping (not using) created such a stress for his whole system that he awakened early to get more. When he awakened his body would be shaking violently desperate to use even a little bit. After that he even had to use if he wanted to eat his breakfast without throwing up. His body would not even allow him to eat if he wasn’t using.
At this point it is hard to even imagine quitting as an option. Think of it this way: “If I can’t be sober long enough to sleep, how am I gonna be sober longer?”
Now lets do a little reading to look at some occurrences in Bill W’s life at this point in the hope of getting some more understanding:
Then I got a promising business opportunity. Stocks were at the low point of 1932, and I had somehow formed a group to buy. I was to share generously in the profits. Then I went on a prodigious bender, and that chance vanished. I woke up. This had to be stopped. I saw I could not take so much as one drink. I was through forever. Before then, I had written lots of sweet promises, but my wife happily observed that this time I meant business. And so I did. Shortly afterward I came home drunk. There had been no fight. Where had been my high resolve? I simply didn’t know. It hadn’t even come to mind. Someone had pushed a drink my way, and I had taken it. Was I crazy? I began to wonder, for such an appalling lack of perspective seemed near being just that. Renewing my resolve, I tried again. Some time passed, and confidence began to be replaced by cock-sureness. I could laugh at the gin mills. Now I had what it takes! One day I walked into a cafe to telephone. In no time I was beating on the bar asking myself how it happened. As the whisky rose to my head I told myself I would manage better next time, but I might as well get good and drunk then. And I did. (Alcoholics Anonymous pgs 5-6)
So Bill had promising work that could put him back on his feet, but couldn’t stay sober long enough to go through with it. He finally “gets it” and knows how bad he has gotten and that he no longer has control and focuses himself on quitting. He meant business and could only hold on a short time before coming home drunk again.
Did you notice that the same questions that we would have for him, he had for himself. Where was all that “resolve?” What was going on in his mind when he relapsed? Is he crazy? Did you notice he could provide himself with no answer? That is why he or she doesn’t give a reasonable answer or any answer to those strong enough to still care after all of this: the person doesn’t have an answer!
Then there was a period where it looked like he had figured it out. He had done it all on his own and gave great hope to those that still cared about him. Then without warning, another relapse.
The remorse, horror and hopelessness of the next morning are unforgettable. The courage to do battle was not there. My brain raced uncontrollably and there was a terrible sense of impending calamity. I hardly dared cross the street, lest I collapse and be run down by an early morning truck, for it was scarcely daylight. An all night place supplied me with a dozen glasses of ale. My writhing nerves were stilled at last. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 6)
He had given up on the idea of sobriety and was scared while using too. The only escape he had prior to this was no longer an escape. Even using would not bring the desired escape any more yet sobriety even more unbearable. There was no place to escape from the results of using so he went and used.
For those who have never used or have never been this far along in their using, welcome to the insanity that is bouncing around the head of a person living at this level. After this reality, sometimes a person reaches what seems to be the only logical conclusion (this may have been a problem previously and may have even preceded using, but it does seem to be supported by this twisted logic now).
Should I kill myself? No – not now. Then a mental fog settled down. Gin would fix that. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 6)
This is pretty serious hopelessness. Once you completely give up on yourself, there is really no place to hide from that fact. You cannot truly hide from yourself. The closest you can get to hiding from yourself is the mental fog spoken of here. That’s not just being tipsy or a little high; that is being completely blitzed.
In the case of Bill W. he reached this point and stuck it out for years he describes hi mind and body as having to endure “this agony” for two more years and described it as “physical and mental torture.”
Eventually his alcohol was not enough to get enough of a mental fog and watch what happens:
A doctor came with a heavy sedative. Next day found me drinking both gin and sedative. This combination soon landed me on the rocks. People feared for my sanity. So did I. I could eat little or nothing when drinking, and I was forty pounds under weight. (Alcoholics Anonymous pgs 6-7)
Bill W. who seems to have been content with only using alcohol, and never showed an interest in doing any other drugs, suddenly is mixing drugs with his alcohol use. In other words, just when it looks like it couldn’t get any worse, those of us who use at this terrible level as if by magic find a way to make it worse.
In brief, Bill goes through recovery at a hospital and does quite well. He leaves and gets a period of sobriety. He thought he had the answer and that he had enough self-knowledge to remain sober. He thought this was the end of his using.
But it was not, for the frightful day came when I drank once more. The curve of my declining moral and bodily health fell off like a ski-jump. After a time I returned to the hospital. This was the finish, the curtain, it seemed to me. My weary and despairing wife was informed that it would all end with heart failure during delirium tremens, or I would develop a wet brain, perhaps within a year. She would soon have to give me over to the undertaker or the asylum. They did not need to tell me. I knew, and almost welcomed the idea. (Alcoholics Anonymous pgs 6-7)
Those who have lived this know the feelings, the thoughts, the despair, the hopelessness and everything else that comes at this point. Those who use heavily but have not gone this far (yet) may not recognize some of the latter details, but if you think about it, you can see how these things are the logical end to the continued using. They may not look exactly like this or be in exactly the same order, but this sounds like the stories of many, many others who have gotten this far along in addiction.
Now, for those of you who are the friends and loved ones of the person like this or somewhere in the process of getting more and more like this, this has been outlined mainly for you. This is not a scientific analysis of addicts and alcoholics, or a series of long term studies: This is one of us describing the process exactly as we experience it. This is a glimpse into the mind of the person you are worried about. This is his or her perspective.
Every situation is different and your response to this information in every case probably needs to be different also. Some of you may not be as intense in harassing the person, and some of you may need to be more direct and blunt due to your new realization about how serious the situation is. That is a detail that you probably need to work out with a local professional in the field or a local support group etc.
I hope this post is simply a new look at the person and the struggles that person is facing. So now back to the passage we started with:
How could men who loved their wives and children be so unthinking, so callous, so cruel? There could be no love in such persons, we thought. And just as we were being convinced of their heartlessness, they would surprise us with fresh resolves and new attentions. For a while they would be their old sweet selves, only to dash the new structure of affection to pieces once more. Asked why they commenced to drink again, they would reply with some silly excuse, or none. It was so baffling, so heartbreaking. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 107)
When you reread this with the insights we have just gone through, we get answers to those questions. Not the perfect answers and possibly not even satisfactory answers, but at least an understanding of what is going on.
I hope that this information is helpful for all who read it.
An illness of this sort – and we have come to believe it an illness – involves those about us in a way no other human sickness can. If a person has cancer all are sorry for him and no one is angry or hurt. But not so with the alcoholic illness, for with it there goes annihilation of all the things worth while in life. It engulfs all whose lives touch the sufferer’s. It brings misunderstanding, fierce resentment, financial insecurity, disgusted friends and employers, warped lives of blameless children, sad wives and parents – anyone can increase the list. We hope this volume will inform and comfort those who are, or who may be affected. There are many. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 18)
With those of us working the Twelve Steps who suffer from drug or alcohol addictions this may be painfully obvious. This also applies to many other addictions in a similar manner. For those of us reading this who are the friends or family of an addict or alcoholic you may or may not understand what this passage is trying to communicate.
Elsewhere in the Alcoholics Anonymous book (which was the origin of all things Twelve Step) it uses this description of the alcoholic specifically which translates to all addictions also:
The alcoholic is like a tornado roaring his way through the lives of others. Hearts are broken. Sweet relationships are dead. Affections have been uprooted. Selfish and inconsiderate habits have kept the home in turmoil. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 82)
If you are the friend or loved one of a person that is and addict or an alcoholic their using does not just create problems in his or her life. This person’s sickness rips through the lives of every person in contact with him or her creating problems for all.
If you are one of these loved ones, one point that you must completely understand is that, “YOU CANNOT CHANGE ANOTHER PERSON!” They have to change themselves or at the least allow you to give the input that they will use in changing. If you want to force another person (especially an addict or alcoholic) to change it will end only in great disappointment for you.
The real question is what, should you do as the friend or loved one of an addict or alcoholic. Another point to remember is that, “ALTHOUGH YOU CANNOT CHANGE ANOTHER PERSON, YOU CAN ALWAYS CHANGE YOURSELF!” Start working on you.
One great way to begin is to learn as much as you can about the addiction or alcoholism, about recovery, and about what parts you play in the person’s problems as well as what parts you have nothing to do with. The passage we started with from page 18 stated:
We hope this volume will inform and comfort those who are, or who may be affected. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 18)
The Book was not only written for the person in recovery to read and learn from, but also for all of the people around that person to gain an understanding of the person and the process of change. There are specific chapters in the book written directly: To Wives, to The Family Afterwards and To Employers. The rest of the information in the book also informs the friends and loved ones also.
However, not only should those around the addict or alcoholic be informed about these things there is more that recovery has to offer to them.
Though an alcoholic does not respond, there is no reason why you should neglect his family. You should continue to be friendly to them. The family should be offered your way of life. Should they accept and practice spiritual principles, there is a much better chance that the head of the family will recover. And even though he continues to drink, the family will find life more bearable. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 97)
The “spiritual principles” spoken of here are the ones outlined in the 12 Steps. The family ought to work the program also for 3 reasons:
To just grow in a more healthy way of living
There is a better chance that the friend or loved one will recover if those around him or her are making the same changes and going through the same struggles to be better
No matter what the person in recovery or in need of recovery does, it will be more manageable for the friends and loved ones who do the Steps.
As for the person in recovery who does not want to involve his or her friends or loved ones in the process because: “That is all the past,” “It is embarrassing” “I’ve already put them through enough” etc, their involvement is not optional, it is a part of the recovery process.
Sometimes we hear an alcoholic say that the only thing he needs to do is to keep sober. Certainly he must keep sober, for there will be no home if he doesn’t. But he is yet a long way from making good to the wife or parents whom for years he has so shockingly treated. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 82)
If either the person in recovery or the friends and family are under the impression that all that is needed is to abstain from the addiction or alcohol the person thinking this way is part of the problem instead of being part of the solution.
As each member of a resentful family begins to see his shortcomings and admits them to the others, he lays a basis for helpful discussion. These family talks will be constructive if they can be carried on without heated argument, self-pity, self-justification or resentful criticism. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 127)
Recovery from heavy drug or alcohol use is often not just a recovery process for the individual who is the “recovering person.” Often, it is those close to him or her that also need to adjust the way they think, act etc. also. This is a post that is directed mainly at the loved ones around the person in recovery.
Some people have done things that have hurt the person and have never allowed that person to discuss or process it. Some of the loved ones around the person were victims that adjusted to accommodate the alcohol or drug use so much that those loved ones have had their whole lives changed. Some have suffered the same things that the person recovery struggles to deal with but they do not fall as far or as obviously as the person now in recovery. Sometimes the loved ones around the person are doing everything right and the person in recovery has never taken the time or may have never had the opportunity to sit down and try to see the other perspective.
Whatever the case an open discussion, done with the right mindset and heart may be a huge step in the right direction. It is great if all involved are more focused on themselves and not on others. That also means that each person is focused on him or herself and his or her shortcomings, without “self-pity” or “self-justification”
Giving, rather than getting, will become the guiding principle. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg 128)
If the focus of the group is an honest concern for each other and not self-protection or codependence, then there is a good chance something helpful will be discussed. Let’s discuss those three things: 1) Not speaking out of self-protection, 2) not speaking out of codependence, 3) something helpful being discussed.
Not speaking out of self-protection. Many in recovery have built a world of defensiveness to hide whatever else is going on in the heart and mind. If everyone around this person gets together and does the same thing what really happens is everyone blaming each other for what has taken place.
The other side of this is the “poor me” person that really believe that he or she is is totally responsible for keeping everyone around happy and will agree with whatever you blame on him or her. This defensiveness on the parts of a whole group of loved ones will translate into: “You are the worst person who ever lived and you are the only real problem that all of us have.”
The truth is each person needs to be honest about where he or she is wrong and where it actually was the person in recovery that was wrong. A little reality and truth all around is a must for this type of discussion. This is not only good for all, but even if the person in recovery thinks the whole thing is stupid it is a great example of what it looks like that will help his or her recovery.
Not speaking out of codependence: One of the worst thing that could happen in such discussions is one or more people that blame themselves for everything the addict or alcoholic does. If you were in fact this person’s entire problem, why is that person and not you in recovery. Even if you were, are , or will be in recovery this person’s recovery is totally separate from yours. He or she has his own set of problems and struggles that you may have played a part in, but they are uniquely his or hers.
If you take too much credit from the person in recovery, you give that person a way to avoid the truth or in other words to not work recovery.
Something helpful being discussed: Notice that something helpful is to be discussed. There is no guarantee that the person will respond well or get it right away. All such a discussion is supposed to do is to give such a person a chance to deal with reality and see those around him or her do the same. If you are one of the other participants it is both your way of participation in the person’s recovery process and your process of healing also.
Your goal is to see your REAL “shortcomings” and admit them to the others in the group and hopefully the person in recovery will do the same. But, if not, you have planted a seed that will hopefully be watered throughout recovery and you have had a chance to see and begin dealing with a shortcoming of your own.
The idea here is not blame or codependently taking the blame for that person so that he or she will not feel pain. The focus is the healing of everyone involved and of the group as a whole. This kind of connection with the friends, loved ones, family etc. can be helpful to all and especially for the person in recovery, the attitude of all is what determines how helpful it really is. So if you have been feeling like you need to blame the person in recovery for everything or that you need to not speak of such things because he or she may not be able to handle it remember:
Perhaps they created the impression that he is to be wrapped in cotton wool and placed on a pedestal. Successful readjustment means the opposite. All members of the family should meet upon the common ground of tolerance, understanding and love. This involves a process of deflation. The alcoholic, his wife, his children, his “in-laws,” each one is likely to have fixed ideas about the family’s attitude towards himself or herself. Each is interested in having his or her wishes respected. We find the more one member of the family demands that the others concede to him, the more resentful they become. This makes for discord and unhappiness. (Alcoholics Anonymous pg. 122)
Wade H. Recovery Net 