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Clinton News-Record, 1985-07-10, Page 2Pep 2,^UL NTON. *. rWSr +CQRR;- WEDNESDAY, JULY 1.0,1985 11. is coholism —one journe Nine years ago, Bob (not his real name) had hit rock bottom. He was still functioning in society in a relatively acceptable fashion. He had a job and a family but he also had a habit of consuming vast quantities of any kind of booze every day. In fact, Bob was an alcoholic, a fact'hard to believe when confronted by the now easy going man. "I remember the first time I got drunk. I was `11 and, for their anniversary, my parents r received a decanter which dispensed alcohol and six shot glasses went, with it. Even though I knew I'd be caught, I filled all six glasses, with whiskey and poured Bob feels that it wasn't until he was in his early 20s that he became an alcoholic. And that started the cycle so difficult to break. "You probably order a beer for your first drink. I would order four drafts and two whiskeys trying to get feeling good as fast as possible. Of course, I overdid it." Sometimes, before going to a bar, Bob would decide to limit himself to a couple of beers and then head home. He couldn't stick to that decision and always stayed till clos- ing. And I couldn't have cared less about anything. At first, I Would sit in the corner for my first couple of drinks and then I'd be up at the bar loudly telling jokes. "I'm a very happily married man - I can count the number of fights my wife and I have had on one hand since I stopped drink- ing - but I'd flirt with any woman when I was "If the boss came IA I would have given him the finger. I didn' ' care." As with nearly every alcoholic, Bob would maintain little caches of some kind of booze where ever he would spend a longer amount of time. Eventually, he started to drink vodka to continue trying to give the illusion his drinking was under control-, both to himself and his family. "I would buy a pint and guzzle it on the way home after work. I lived about a block away from the liquor store." Sometimes Bob would "come to" after a night of drinking - blackouts are a common. feature of alcoholism- and find himself driv- . ing counti"y roads early in the morning. He gave himself a shock one morning when he found himself driving down a ditch as if he was on the road. "One time I found myself parked on a backroad and I didn't have any idea where I was. I had been driving all night and I could have been just about anywhere.” Around the time he was waking up .to a couple of shots of liquor to steady himself and begin his day, Bob realized he had a pro - blew and tried to restrict his consumption to the weekends. "ft -didn't work," he said with awry grin. He and his wife talked. with their, clergyman and, not long after that, the "miracle" happened. "I came home, drunk and crying and fell through the doorway." The spiritual ex- perience„also known as a complete, sudden personality change, had come to Bob and he changed his life. It's been nine years since Bob had his last drink Dth first two and a half years . urine g or so it was hard, especially to spend s ial time in a bar but the radical tans€ormaUon which so; deeply affected his:kepti;binri from going back to the bottle. Bob has now reached the ideal state for a non -drinking alcoholic. He has reached the state of neutrality: he feels neither the_. obsessive craving nor extreme revulsion for alcohol. Now the genial man can go to a local drinking establishment with friends and as., they down a couple of beers he will happi drink his coffee. Alcoholics Anonymous philosophy to a happy life Alc iholics Anonymous is a philosophy. It's a philosophy to help the abstaining alcoholic replace the negative thinking and actions in his or her life and substitute a more positive outlook and lifestyle without the destructive influence of alcohol., Unfortunately, recovering alcoholics have alcohol dictating the parameters of their lives until the ideal state of neutrality is reached. Alcohol delineates an alcoholic's life, although the negative obsession has been exorcised and in a remarkable number of cases, controlled. In the uncontrollable depths of alcoholism, the obsession is the acquisition and consumption of alcohol. The convoluted Structure of lies necessary to alleviate the alcoholic's fears (and to fill in a life featur- ing blackouts almost every day), the manipulation off people and events to main - of booze and the supply generally prodigious drinking itself fill the ments in religion. The principles are no less chronic drinker's day. than the guidelines by which alcoholics are When an individual breaks the cycle, advised to live their lives. through an experience alternately known as The 12 principles, as set out .in Alcoholics - depending on your point of view - a Anonymous Comes of Age are: spiritual experience or a sudden, complete - One: We admitted that we were powerless personality transformation, the nature of over alcohol - that our., lives had become un - the obsession changes. Instead of the cors- manageable. stant intake of booze, the non -drinking - Two: Came to believe that a Power greater alcoholic is constantly aware of not drinking than ourselves could restore us to sanity. until he or she reaches the ideal state in - Three: Made a decision to turn our will and which the person beT;neutral- not real- our lives over to the care of God as we ly caring about alco her extreme. understood Him (in italics y. When the cycle is ' Token and the - Four: Made a searching and fearless transformation, said to be a "miracle" by moral inventory of ourselves. one alcoholic, takes place, Alcoholics - Five: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to Anonymous helps the individual lay the another human being the exact nature of our foundations of a new life a new life based on wrongs. the organization's 12 principles or steps. • - Six: Were entirely ready to have God These principles fulfill the role of laws in remove all these defects of character. science and mathematics or command- - Seven: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. - Eight: Made a list) of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. - Nine: Made direct amends,to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Turn.to page 3 • WEEKLY WEATHER 1985 1989 JULY 25 18 28 12 2 25 13 29 15 4 27 15 27 16 28 18' 26 12 5 22 16 22 14 6 21 12 17 8 7 26 16 23 5 8 Rain 38mm 28mm Friendly Courtesy Carry Out Service QUALITY SERVICE PRICE STORE HOURS Mon., Tua,, Wad, Sa, a 30am ap m', Thu, e.. F1 7O am ppm h PRICES IN EFFECT UNTIL SATURDAY, JULY 13, 6 P.M. to Normal Femny Requlrement�� Ontario Grown No. 1 New Potatoes 10 Ib. baa 1 9 From the Tropics Bananas .86 KG. • Ontario Grown No. 1 49 Snow White Mushrooms 8oz.pkg. • Prod. U.S.A. Can. No. 1 /� Seedless Green L4, Grapes . 3.28 KG. ■ Ib. Prod. U.S.A...Can. No. 1 Spinach 10 g. Bag Ontario Grown No. 1 Fresh Crisp Cabbage Ontario Grown No. 1 Top Radishes 2 bunches . 79 5 ■ head 79 ■ Ontario Grown No. 1 Cucumbers ■ each Fresh Minced 2.60 KG.1 18 ■ Ib. 11 98 pka. 49 pi pkg. 79 3 95 KG. ■ Ib. 38 3.04 KG. Regular Ground Beef Schneiders 500 g. Side Bacon Ends Maple Leaf 175,g. 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