Why the Mind of a Chronic Alcoholic Cannot See the Truth – Michael H.

About This Speaker Tape

A "seething cauldron of debate" in 1938, where the verdict for the chronic alcoholic was simple: doomed. Michael H. breaks down the pathology of the "phenomenon of craving," that physical allergy that makes a man a stranger to his own wreckage.

He describes the specific delusion of the alcoholic mind—the ego that whispers you can outfox the bottle by changing the brand or shifting the hour of the first drink. For Michael H., the tragedy is a mental blindness; the alcoholic cannot see the truth about alcohol until they are a trembling, nervous wreck. He pits two stark alternatives against each other: an alcoholic death or a spiritual life.

There is no middle ground, only a "psychic change" and a total surrender to a Higher Power. The only escape from the craving is entire abstinence, a shift in personality that transforms a desperate patient into a specimen of manhood.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:35 Discussion of Dr. S. and the medical community's initial hesitation to accept the findings.
• 2:15 Michael H. discusses the inadequacy of physicians and the need for a 'psychic change' in personality.
• 4:05 The 'phenomenon of craving' and the inability to control the choice not to drink.
• 5:30 Breakdown of the alcoholic classifications: the over-remorseful and those who try to 'outfox' the disease.
• 7:10 Laughter: Discussion of the 'normal' alcoholic who hides their chaos from the doctor.
• 8:45 The 'seething cauldron of debate' and the history of the spiritual solution via Dr. J. and the Oxford Group.
• 10:20 The transformation of a 'trembling, despairing, nervous wreck' into a man of self-reliance.
• 12:10 The two alternatives: an alcoholic death or a spiritual life.
• 13:45 The final plea for newcomers to read the Big Book and the transition to group comments.