step 5 asks me to be exact. so, what is alcoholism? a friend shared this text with me today and it is my best answer this day, today….

‘Hearing the voice of recovery reminds us that we keep coming back to the We Program to take care of our thinking, emotional and spiritual well-being. Pass-It-On: In a flash of clarity I understood. Alcoholism is not simply drinking too much and lying drunk in the street. It can be eruptions of anger, attempts at intimidation and control, unaccountable moodiness and withdrawal. It can manifest itself through returning home at unexplainable hours, acting irresponsibly, and never saying, “I love you.” Through the We Program, I identified the disease and its symptoms. Now I have a better idea of how to deal with it. Through the practice of sharing at what is eating at me, and being teachable, when the the unexpected erupts, instead of reacting, I learned to pause-breathe-and-difuse by way of prayer and meditation. Practicing to pause-and-breathe, give time time,
checking and taking care of my vital signs (The HALT), has empowered me not to contribute to the madness of feeding the disease of attitudes by draining my recovery. Empowered to separate the person from the disease of attitudes is helping me to treat myself and the sick and suffering alcoholic with compassionate understanding and loving-kindness. This is, “Detachment, Forgiveness And Love In Action.” With the help of a loving God as expressed through the We Program, I have finally found the peace that I have longed for all my life. A Double winner shares gratitude, “A.A. Saved My Life, And Al-Anon Saved My Sanity.” They keep reminding us by way of repetition, “As Recovering Alcoholics, We Stay Physically Sober By Not Picking-up The First Drink. As Recovering Al-Anonics, We Protect Our Sanity By Not Picking-up The First Stinking-thinking Of Control.” We are blessed.

For me, alcoholism is a ‘disease of attitudes by draining my recovery.’