One Day at a Time in Al-Anon:
Would it help my situation to know why the alcoholic drinks to such excess that everything around him is damaged in some way by his compulsion? If he drinks to drown out the pain of shattering childhood experiences, which he does not even identify or remember, how can such pain be located and removed? Certainly not by us; we are amateurs – and emotionally-involved amateurs at that! It would take years and thousands of dollars worth of psychiatry — and even then the outcome would be uncertain. But at least the knowledge that he suffers should keep me from condemning him.
Today’s Reminder:
It is enough for me to know that the unhappy drinker can get help in AA, where so many have found contented sobriety. It is enough for me to know I can overcome my own confusion by using the Al-Anon program.
“Let me conduct myself and my life in such a way that I will have no reason to reproach myself for making a bad situation worse. This, at least, is within my power: to make it better.”