Ron D. on the Disease of the Emotions and the Journeyman Alcoholic
About This Speaker Tape
Ron D. shares his journey of over 39 years in sobriety, beginning with his early days in the 1960s hippie revolution and a rapid ascent to national sales manager by age 25. He describes a devastating descent into blackout drinking and the cycle of hundreds of failed attempts to quit before finally finding a solution in Alcoholics Anonymous on September 21, 1976.
A central theme of the talk is the distinction between a drinking problem and the disease of alcoholism. Ron emphasizes that while stopping the drinking solves many external issues, the internal emotional disease—characterized by restlessness, irritability, and discontent—often persists. He shares a personal crisis at four years of sobriety where, despite being active in service, his marriage and emotional health were in shambles, leading him to realize that sobriety is not a linear achievement but a continuous process of working the steps.
Ron delves deeply into the first step, arguing it is a four-part process. He discusses the role of the subconscious mind, ego, defiance, and grandiosity in maintaining unmanageability even in long-term sobriety. He concludes by emphasizing that the goal of the program is to find a way to live comfortably through spiritual surrender and a constant effort to practice the steps, rather than searching for a magic answer.
Discussion
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