A medicine for alcoholism

Talk of "spirituality", with particular reference to its therapeutic value in the cure of alcohol dependency, is not infrequent during conventions held in Europe to study the alcoholism phenomenon.

This topic generally implicates the involvement of the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous which almost 70 years ago in the US devised a specific programme of recovery from alcoholism (universally acknowledged as the programme or the AA 12-step method) based on an ensemble of principles that are essentially spiritual and that are practised as a way of life. These principles not only have the power to eliminate the obsession for drinking but would also lead to long-lasting and complete sobriety.

Many articles have been written on Alcoholics Anonymous and its method (that inspired the modern group therapy and that today is used to cure many other dependencies) is the subject of deep analysis and scrutiny on the part of doctors, psychiatrists, sociologists, clergy, politicians, educators etc.

AA's 12-step programme has been defined as one of the most important discoveries of mankind of the 20th century. The programme consists of a group of principles, spiritual in their nature, which, if practised as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole.

Just as the same AA members often state, the use of spirituality to cure alcoholism is their own invention but it is not exclusive to them.

In a letter, Carl Jung, the famous father of modern psychiatry, wrote in 1961 to Bill W (the co-founder of AA): "In Latin alcohol is called spiritus - and this word is also used to indicate the highest religious experience. Hence it is the same for a religious experience and for the poison that is the most perverse. It is therefore most helpful to use the formula - spiritus contra spiritum".

Dr Jung was referring to an alcoholic who was his patient in the 1930s. Having given up all hope of recovery through conventional medicine and psychiatry, Dr Jung told his patient the only thing that remained for him to try was to become a protagonist of a "Spiritual awakening", in brief an authentic conversion. From this spiritual experience, the patient would have motivations otherwise never obtained by other treatments. These experiences have shown to be of great benefit for the cure of alcoholism.

Another important American psychologist, W. James, wrote a book on the subject - The Various Forms Of Religious Experience and their benefit to cure alcoholism. The intuitions of Dr James were fundamental to the first two members of AA, Bill W and Dr Bob S in the late 1930s when studying the mental condition of the still suffering alcoholic and the necessity of spiritual help. They noticed that all the cases Dr James described had common denominators notwithstanding the diversity in which they manifested themselves:

¤ The first of the common denominators was the "rock-bottom" = All the persons described by Dr James had experienced a breakdown in all basic sections of their lives; no human help could resolve their problems and they were prey to total desperation.

¤ The second point that these alcoholics had in common was their complete admission to defeat in front of alcohol.

¤ The third was that they had found the necessity to believe in a higher power that could restore them to sanity. This higher power could have many different forms and expressed in religious or lay terms.

Some patient alcoholics had this "awakening" in the style of St Paul on his way to Damascus; others had very slow and long, gradual transformation. No matter how the patient had this experience it nevertheless gave the alcoholic a state of consciousness, thus paving the way for freeing himself from the old problems.

Dr James's observations therefore enabled the founders of AA to determine some important elements that form part of the programme of recovery, that is, one has to hit rock-bottom, the complete admission of powerlessness in the face of alcohol, the spiritual awakening, the transformation. The lack of one of these elements would render the recovery of the alcoholic very problematic.

Another very important element of AA that has deep spiritual roots and that characterises AA, differentiating it from "voluntary" groups, is self-help. This is not an AA invention as the theory of self-help had been used by many different cultures (and religions) in ancient times. Self-help had proven the spiritual benefit that one reaps by helping others. St Francis said: "It is by giving that you will receive".

Members of AA noticed that it is by sharing their experiences, strength and hope and by helping each other that they managed to stay away from alcohol and in particular they realised that an alcoholic on the AA programme - recovering - has greater capability to reach and help another alcoholic who is still suffering; in so doing he not only will help the alcoholic still drinking to stop but he will also maintain and strengthen his own sobriety.

The Oxford Group was at the apex of popularity in the 1930s in Europe and the US and it was also from this group that the AA founders derived inspiration. The Oxford Group was a confraternity of persons who applied the original Christian principles into the life of the 20th century. In this group there were people from different religions: Catholics, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists and others. They practised complete honesty, purity, altruism and love; they stressed the importance of self-examination, of confession and contrition, of helping their neighbours; they insisted that all members should practise meditation and prayer. They met in groups where members expressed their experiences. They did not keep any registers of membership nor asked for any membership fees. The organisers were volunteers.

The forefathers of AA frequented this group and knew quite well the mechanisms of the meetings. However, they believed that alcoholics should work with other alcoholics as they could identify better with one another and so they started to meet in specific groups made up of only alcoholics. They realised that the stiffness of rules of the Oxford Group was not suitable for the suffering alcoholic who was not inclined to be coerced or controlled. They hence became autonomous and kept their distance from the Oxford Group.

The fact remains, however, that AA has adapted many of the Oxford Group principles such as sharing of experiences, the taking of a moral inventory, the admittance of defects of character, the making of amends to those they harmed and the forgiveness to those who harmed them, meditation and prayer and service.

Lastly, but probably the most important aspect of Alcoholics Anonymous, is the principle of anonymity which is the spiritual foundation of the fellowship. There is no doubt that anonymity was born out of fear in an era when alcoholism was considered to be a vice and a scourge of society. Alcoholics were considered to be outcasts, degenerate and in the best of hypothesis as mental cases.

It is not surprising that in the beginning those who were successful in recovery would not have liked to publicise their being members of such a fellowship. Apart from this aspect anonymity soon took up a more profound spiritual meaning such as that of equality among members. There are no leaders in AA, only trusted servants. All members are equal no matter of race, sex, religion, political ideals, culture, social position, etc; all were accepted and treated in the same way; nobody is ever expelled, marginalised or judged. All members are addressed by their first name.

The result of this was that anonymity soon acquired the meaning of "renunciation". Most alcoholics are egocentric and this most of the time makes the alcoholic try to be superior to others but the self-centeredness and pride also led to isolation, to indifference to others, to resentment and jealousy.

Recovering alcoholics in AA by practising anonymity, unconsciously at first, practise humility which is the true key of success of the entire AA programme. Anonymity means to do away with protagonists, so typical with practising alcoholics, and to serve and love others in silence, happy in doing so without any compensation except that of remaining sober.

In the beginning of chapter five of the so-called Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, written by the first hundred members of AA in the US, it is written: "Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path..." The only requirement to become a member of AA is a desire to stop drinking. There are miracles in AA - people who were considered hopeless cases, outcasts, marginalised by society, yet they have found a new life in the programme of AA after they have had a "spiritual awakening as the result of these steps".

One thing is certain and that is that thanks to the AA 12-Step method or programme there are over three million recovering alcoholics in over 150 countries all around the globe. These are people who have returned into society enjoying a serene and healthy sober life and being useful to other alcoholics passing on the message to them to attain happiness and serenity.

In Malta, AA exists since 1966 and has regular meetings every day of the week either in English or Maltese language. It has helped many recover from alcoholism and if anyone is interested in the subject, one will be more than welcome to attend any "open" meeting.

¤ More information may be obtained from Alcoholics Anonymous-Malta, PO Box 418, Valletta, by phone on 9947 6707/2123 9264 (Malta); 7984 8595/2155 3086 (Gozo) or by

e-mail 121287@onvol.net.

The article was written by a recovering alcoholic member of Alcoholics Anonymous.