Whether you seek to engage in formal prayer, informal mental conversations, or merely by doing good and putting positive energy into the universe, there is no right or wrong way to pray to your higher power. Once you open up to this idea and implement that spiritual connection, you will experience your long-awaited spiritual awakening, the answer to that pesky spiritual malady we suffer from as alcoholics. Many people are initially turned off to the idea of the program because they believe it preaches religion and God, and many addicts and alcoholics have no desire to pursue a religious answer. But the beauty of the 12-steps is that they are spiritually based as opposed to religious. What that means is that all that is required is the belief in a power greater than yourself. There is no church you must attend or strict practices you must adhere to in organized worship of said higher power, it is a completely individual and personal experience.
I was first introduced to the bedevilments when I joined a Big Book study. The idea of this group was to work through the twelve steps. I assumed that this type of step workshop helped to demystify the twelve steps for some Art Therapy: Create To Recover members who found the steps too religious. Like myself, I knew members who felt daunted at the prospect of getting a sponsor and following suggestions. The BB study offered a supportive atmosphere in the safety of a group.
Chris R. – The Spiritual Malady And Depression, Step 1, 2003
To conclude, it’s not my body — my allergic reaction to alcohol — that’s going to take me back to drinking. It’s really not my mind — the mental obsession — that is the underlying root of what will take me back to drinking. It’s the “spiritual malady”, as manifested by my EGO (selfishness-self-centeredness), that can eventually lead me back to drinking or sometimes even suicide. It simply means we are spiritually blocked off from the Power of God, which enables us to remain sober, happy, joyous, and free. Thankfully, the “spiritual malady” is no longer a “missing piece” of Step One for me. It is a reality of my powerlessness and unmanageability and enables me to see why I so desperately need to seek a Power Greater than myself.
The eight bedevilments on page 52 were an accurate screenshot of our unmanageable lives. This workshop is for newcomers/beginners who want the original, undiluted 12 step program of the 1940’s when recovery rates were per cent. This workshop is also for recovered members who want to work with others. However, it actually describes the sober alcoholic who hasn’t started to sincerely practice spiritual principles in their life. We tend to think the horseman and the bedevilments describe the alcoholic at the end of their drinking.
AA Bedevilments (& The 4 Horsemen Of Alcoholism)
I was the director in the drama of life and managing the world so I could get what I thought I needed to feel ok. Fear and resentment dominated my thoughts and I made decisions based on self which caused me harm and harmed others. When the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous was written and published in 1939, the times and language of those times was incredibly different than modern times. This is one of the reasons that Big Book study groups have become so popular among recovering alcoholics. Apart from dissecting the Big Book so as to have a firmer grasp on the 12 Steps and program and in general, it also is designed to help us decipher the intricate language and wording used from a different time period.
Our capacity to make a decent living had been impaired by mental and emotional instability (4th bedevilment). Despite being physically sober, most of us continued to be unhappy, https://g-markets.net/sober-living/top-10-best-sober-living-homes-in-boston-ma/ frequently plagued by mood swings and negative emotions. (Bedevilments 5, 6, and 7) Some were on medication and continued to suffer from depression and anxiety.
thoughts on “The Big Book’s Answer to Relapse Prevention”
The 164 and More book is sold on this website at the Publisher List Price of $20.00 plus postage. The book may also be sold by Intergroup/Central Offices or recovery book stores at List Price
or slightly higher. But beware of others that sell the book marked up 400% or more.
