You’re probably wondering what a spiritual malady is. Anyone can be spiritually maladapted, but as an alcoholic, we use alcohol to deal with having a spiritual malady. Many people say that alcoholics have a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. When left unresolved, a spiritual malady will continue to lead to restlessness, irritability, and discontentment. It can also lead to other problems, such as alcohol abuse or other addictions. If you are struggling with alcoholism or any other addiction, it is important to seek help from AA or another 12-step program.
- Whenever I am asked to sponsor another alcoholic, I experience a sense of joy.
- The only solution to a spiritual malady is a spiritual awakening.
- However, in keeping with the 10th tradition of AA, the opinions I express in the book do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or positions held by AA as a whole.
And this does not refer to just active alcoholics, it’s referring to the sober state of mind of the dry drunk. The author’s of the book continuously refer to alcoholism as a form of spiritual or soul sickness. Despite still having the occasional struggles with mental health, Bryan strives to be a little bit better a person each day.
A Deep Look into the Spiritual Void
The truth was that I remained angry, frustrated, and miserable. ‘A white-knuckled dry drunk’ would be an honest way to describe what I was like before I surrendered to the suggestions of a sponsor. The practice of Christian Meditation offers a remedy to the spiritual malady.
Once we indulge in the first drink, our judgment and normal concerns are skewed. By taking the 12 steps as directed in the first 103 pages https://ecosoberhouse.com/ of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. The 164 and More book is sold on this website at the Publisher List Price of $20.00 plus postage.
The Spiritual Malady
On page 62 the text explains that “Selfishness-self-centeredness! I want to make clear to members that these thoughts are not definitive treatise on the subjects. Just an attempt to stimulate thought or discussion and provide information based on my study and experience. Today I look further at the disease of alcoholism focusing on it as a spiritual malady. Is describing, essentially is referring to a stark void in our lives that we constantly attempt to fill with outside things such as drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping, or anything we can think to try to feel better.
I am just an agnostic member of AA who believes in the program of recovery. At times, I express my personal opinions about issues that have directly affected my journey. However, in keeping with the 10th tradition of AA, the opinions I express in the book do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or positions held by AA as a whole. Quotations from Alcoholics Anonymous are from the first edition (1939) which is now in the public domain. Any quotations from sources other than the first edition of the Big Book are reprinted with permission. Thankfully, the Big Book study did not push the idea of God.
Genuine Leather Big Book Covers
(Bedevilments 5, 6, and 7) Some were on medication and continued to suffer from depression and anxiety. (3rd bedevilment) The identification with the rest of the bedevilments was plain to see. Writing about the eight bedevilments, we had to admit that drunk or sober, they still dominated our lives to a greater or lesser spiritual malady extent. We certainly didn’t sign up for the Big Book study because we were “happy, joyous and free.” (BB p.133) It was hard to deny the truth once it was down on paper. The bedevilments were accurate screenshots of our unmanageable lives. After coming into the fellowship in 1984, I relapsed regularly for over a decade.
- But in our quest to fill this void with any and everything we can think of, we completely miss that the only thing that can actually fulfill us a spiritual connectedness to something greater than ourselves.
- If you are ready to change your life and live free of addiction, then Find Addiction Rehabs can help.
- However, you choose to interact with that higher power is also up to you.
- If you are seeking drug and alcohol related addiction rehab for yourself or a loved one, the YourFirstStep.org hotline is a confidential and convenient solution.
- These negative higher powers condemned us to keep living in our problems.
Many people are initially turned off to the idea of the program because they believe it preaches religion and God, and many addicts and alcoholics have no desire to pursue a religious answer. But the beauty of the 12-steps is that they are spiritually based as opposed to religious. What that means is that all that is required is the belief in a power greater than yourself. There is no church you must attend or strict practices you must adhere to in organized worship of said higher power, it is a completely individual and personal experience. After completing the first nine steps, I was finally able to come off antidepressants.
The Full Spectrum of Spirituality
In the first list, we listed all the negative higher powers in our lives. These negative higher powers condemned us to keep living in our problems. They were powers that represented all the new ideas and suggestions we received since coming to AA. These new ideas gradually taught us how to live in the solution. The negative powers were defined as behaviors that were harmful to others and ourselves. The organizers made it clear that it wasn’t affiliated with mainstream AA.
