There Is A Solution - Page 17-24

   The thoughts in this first half of There Is A Solution that caught my attention are around the solution the authors found to stop drinking and unify themselves into a evangelic society. They make it plain there is more to recovery from alcoholism than recovery from say the flu. The explanation for the difference in the solution, is the difference in the illness. Society doesn’t’ generally feel sorry for alcoholics. They just want to get away from them. Society pities anyone unfortunate enough to be associated with an alcoholic. So when someone shows up that actually gives a damn about the alcoholic, and shares the problem, they can have an immediate impact on the sufferer, friends and family. The italicized paragraph on page 18 describes this phenomenon. (“But the ex-problem drinker who has found this solution,…”) Some would say AA is unique in society and nowhere else can you find this kind of fellowship. I don’t think this is necessarily the case. I have seen societies of veterans, cancer survivors, cops, fire fighters, and other groups that band together to help and sustain each other. What makes AA unique is that we all suffered from alcoholism. That is where we connect, where our message has impact, where we can help each other stay sober.