Willing To Go To Any Length
When a prizefighter steps into the ring he knows he must "go the distance" if he is to win or even have a chance of victory.
Alcoholics and addicts are in struggle that is in many ways like the battle a boxer faces. Time and again they step into the ring and are bloodied and knocked unconscious by a foe that is always triumphant. Worse, theirs is a fight that will continue on a daily basis until they find recovery or die. There are no clear-cut bells offering a moment's respite and it transcends 15 rounds.
Why do so few recover and the vast majority seem hopelessly doomed? What is the magic difference and what brings it about?
Simply put, it is the willingness to go to any length to get sober and recover.
There is an extremely easy test that can be employed on an alcoholic or addict that will give better odds than Jimmy the Greek on their chance of sobriety .
Ask them, or better yet, put them in a position to DEMONSTRATE, their willingness to go to any length to get the help they need. If they hem, haw, rationalize, or procrastinate then their odds of recovering are zero.
Harsh isn't it? But it is the truth.
If, however, the suffering addict is at the point where he is willing to try ANYTHING to save himself, his odds go up tremendously.
Asking them to attend an AA meeting is one simple task that can tell you a lot about an individual's chances at any given moment. If they decline or choose not to go for any reason, it is evident they nowhere near properly motivated to change.
The willingness to do anything, absolutely anything necessary to save one's life and return to sanity and health is vital and indispensable to recovery.
Of course this is not a one-time decision that will bring about the resulted change that is so desperately needed. It is an attitude that must be cultivated and maintained constantly.
Any addict, in the depths of self-inflicted agony, trying deperately to make the pain go away, can do a right thing or two. This is not the same as having the magic willingness.
At this point the family and friends of an addict too often unwittingly become part of the problem. They see that an effort is being made and immediately offer exactly the wrong type of support. The well-intentioned "help" they give diminishes the willingness that was brought on by pain.
The program of Alcoholics Anonymous sums up this effect simply in the maxim, "half-measures availed us nothing".
When one has a disease like cancer or diabetes and knows his life is at stake, one accepts surgery, chemo, daily shots of insulin and many other drastic lengths that are available.
Compared to these life-saving prescriptions the proven and effective program of AA seems like little to ask. Perhaps it is DENIAL (one of the predominant symptoms of the disease of addiction) that prevents so many from using it.
Alcoholics and addicts are in struggle that is in many ways like the battle a boxer faces. Time and again they step into the ring and are bloodied and knocked unconscious by a foe that is always triumphant. Worse, theirs is a fight that will continue on a daily basis until they find recovery or die. There are no clear-cut bells offering a moment's respite and it transcends 15 rounds.
Why do so few recover and the vast majority seem hopelessly doomed? What is the magic difference and what brings it about?
Simply put, it is the willingness to go to any length to get sober and recover.
There is an extremely easy test that can be employed on an alcoholic or addict that will give better odds than Jimmy the Greek on their chance of sobriety .
Ask them, or better yet, put them in a position to DEMONSTRATE, their willingness to go to any length to get the help they need. If they hem, haw, rationalize, or procrastinate then their odds of recovering are zero.
Harsh isn't it? But it is the truth.
If, however, the suffering addict is at the point where he is willing to try ANYTHING to save himself, his odds go up tremendously.
Asking them to attend an AA meeting is one simple task that can tell you a lot about an individual's chances at any given moment. If they decline or choose not to go for any reason, it is evident they nowhere near properly motivated to change.
The willingness to do anything, absolutely anything necessary to save one's life and return to sanity and health is vital and indispensable to recovery.
Of course this is not a one-time decision that will bring about the resulted change that is so desperately needed. It is an attitude that must be cultivated and maintained constantly.
Any addict, in the depths of self-inflicted agony, trying deperately to make the pain go away, can do a right thing or two. This is not the same as having the magic willingness.
At this point the family and friends of an addict too often unwittingly become part of the problem. They see that an effort is being made and immediately offer exactly the wrong type of support. The well-intentioned "help" they give diminishes the willingness that was brought on by pain.
The program of Alcoholics Anonymous sums up this effect simply in the maxim, "half-measures availed us nothing".
When one has a disease like cancer or diabetes and knows his life is at stake, one accepts surgery, chemo, daily shots of insulin and many other drastic lengths that are available.
Compared to these life-saving prescriptions the proven and effective program of AA seems like little to ask. Perhaps it is DENIAL (one of the predominant symptoms of the disease of addiction) that prevents so many from using it.
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