What Does Spiritual Malady Mean

from the “The Big Book examines the first portion of Step 1, which declares, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol,” from “The Doctor's Opinion” through the end of “More About Alcoholism.” We've talked about it, researched it, and absorbed it “To understand how we're powerless over alcohol physically, turn to page 23 of “Doctor's Opinion.” We studied pages 23–43 to help us understand how we've felt emotionally powerless. Now I'd want to explore a facet of our “illness” that is rarely discussed in meetings these days: “spiritual malady.”

We frequently hear people say things like, “I have a three-fold illness: physical, mental, and spiritual.”

When you ask them to explain what they mean by that statement, they seem to understand that we alcoholics have a problem “An allergy of the body and an obsession of the mind” — that putting any amount of alcohol in my system triggers a want for more. And when I'm stone cold sober, at my best, the thought of taking a drink will occur to me — or sometimes I don't think about it at all, and I come to after having experienced what page 42 refers to as a “blackout.” “A bizarre mental void.” And, of course, the vicious loop of my thoughts luring me back to a drink and my body obliging me not to drink like that continues “It's nearly difficult to stop me from going on an irrational binge when I'm around “normal” people.

It is well acknowledged that the “The portion of our “illness” that leads to the first drink is called “mental obsession,” and it is the first drink that causes the “phenomenon of yearning.” But what about the other half of my story? “What is it about this “illness” that causes the mental preoccupation in the first place? Why do persons who have been abstaining from drinking for a year, two years, five years, ten years, or even twenty years or more in Alcoholics Anonymous return to drinking?

We know that bodily cravings do not drive these people to drink because it has been scientifically shown that alcohol is processed out of the body after a few days of abstinence. Most people's mental preoccupation disappears after they've been in the AA Fellowship for a long. So, why do so many individuals in our fellowship, even when they don't want to, return to drinking after a long time of abstinence? WHAT IS THE THIRD FACET OF OUR ILLNESS THAT CAUSES THE MENTAL OBSESSION WHEN WE ARE NOT DRINKING AND HAVE BEEN AWAY FROM ALCOHOL FOR A LONG TIME?

The “missing piece” of Step 1 appears to be what is referred to on page 64 as the “spiritual malady,” based on a comprehensive examination of our Big Book, as well as extensive experience and practice with our Twelve Steps, as well as active work with other alcoholics.

Let me now try to explain the second half of Step 1: “– that our lives had become out of control.”

For a long time, I believed my life was unmanageable because of all the crazy insane things I did while drinking – automobile accidents, injuring people without meaning to, failed relationships, job losses, family problems, jails, asylums, and so on.

Finally, someone clarified to me that those are not the symptoms of insanity mentioned in the Big Book, nor are they the reasons why an alcoholic's life becomes unmanageable.

Those things, of course, can be characterized as “They're called “unmanageability” because they're unmanageable from the outside. The unmanageability that the 1st Step refers to is the INWARD unmanageability of our lives — the restlessness, irritation, and dissatisfaction that most alcoholics experience even before they take their first drink. This is known by a variety of titles “Inward uncontrollability.” It's also known as “Alcoholism that has gone untreated.” Others use it as well “Page 52 of the Big Book (which I'll examine in a moment) contains the phrase “bedevilments.” This “inward unmanageability” is simply referred to as “the spiritual malady” on page 64.

Our text assures us of this “We straighten out mentally and physically after the spiritual malady is overcome.” After the treatment, the mental and physical aspects of alcoholism are placed into remission “Until I have a spiritual awakening — whether I believe it or not — I'm still in risk of drinking.

• What exactly is this “spiritual malady,” and how may it push an alcoholic back to drinking if left untreated?
• What is the solution to this problem? (By the way, Chapters 4–11 of our Big Book answer both of those topics in great depth.) What is this “spiritual malady” that we alcoholics have, and how can “untreated alcoholism” force an alcoholic to drink again, even if he or she doesn't want to?

Consider three distinct layers. The physical need is the first layer, which is our body's reaction to alcohol when we consume it. The second layer is the mental lunacy that occurs right before the first drink – the mental preoccupation. The third layer is the internal condition that activates the second layer, which then prompts the first — the interior state “Spiritual ailment.” Symptoms of this condition “According to the Big Book, the “third layer” consists of the following:

• “A hundred sorts of dread, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity” are driving him (page 62),

These are just a handful of the signs and symptoms of the disease “The term “spiritual malady” is used throughout our book to characterize this condition. But, in the end, these are only symptoms of the disease “Spiritual ailment.”

The text says on page 62 that “We believe that selfishness, or self-centeredness, is at the basis of our problems.” This “SELFISHNESS-SELF-CENTREDNESS” (or “ego,” as some call it) causes us to react to life situations in the ways described above “Other diseases and addictions beyond alcoholism are also listed as “symptoms.”

If this selfishness-self-centeredness persists in an alcoholic's life — EVEN IN SOMEONE WHO IS NOT DRINKING AND CONTINUES TO ATTEND MEETINGS — and the ego is not smashed and re-smashed by consistent application of all twelve steps, the sober (or sober-ish) person (or sober-ish person) will relapse “Just not drinking”) alcoholic will almost certainly drink again… or, even worse, will continue to live a miserable life as a “undrunk” (also known as a “dry drunk”). This is why we see people who have been in AA for ten years finish up in mental facilities — AND THEY HAVEN'T DRINK A DROP!

Because if I continue to act selfishly — self-centeredly – egotistically, I will continue to experience the symptoms of the disease “Spiritual ailment.” If I keep experiencing this interior uncontrollability, my mind will eventually seek for the solution “It believes that drinking will provide it with a “feeling of ease and comfort.” My ego, on the other hand, can trick me into thinking I'm doing OK. (For example, in Chapter 3, Fred drank when there wasn't any.) “There's a cloud on the horizon.”)

We'll usually tell ourselves and others, “At the very least, I'm not drinking.” I can have a “weird mental blank-spot” — often known as a “sober blackout” — and before it hits me, I'm beating on the bar, asking myself, “What am I doing?” “How did this happen?” says the narrator.

So, if you're suffering from the, ask yourself if you're suffering from it “spiritual malady” – especially if you haven't had anything to drink in a long time. What is the state of your health? “Currently, what is your “inner life”? Are you experiencing any of the above-mentioned symptoms?

• Do you exercise the disciplines and practices of stages ten and eleven (self-examination, meditation, and prayer) on a daily basis?

“Above all, we alcoholics must be free of this selfishness (“the ego”),” reads page 62. We must, or we will perish! That is made possible by God. And it often appears that there is no way to completely eliminate self (ego) without help.”

On page 25, we learn, “There is a way out. Almost none of us enjoyed the self-examination, the lowering of our pride, and the admission of flaws that the process necessitates for its proper completion. But we witnessed how well it worked for others, and we began to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we knew it. When those who had addressed the situation approached us, we had no choice but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools that had been placed at our feet. We've discovered a lot of heaven, and we've been propelled into a fourth level of existence we never imagined.”

This “fourth dimension,” which we learn is the “world of the Spirit” in the 10th Step, leads us beyond the physical, mental, and emotional dimensions of existence — it removes the selfishness (ego) of the individual “Spiritual ailment.” Our “spirit” is not unwell, as the term “spiritual malady” implies. It simply means that we are spiritually cut off from God's power, which allows us to stay sober, happy, joyful, and free.

To summarize, it will not be my body — my allergic reaction to alcohol — that causes me to drink again. It isn't my head — my mental fixation — that is the primary cause of my relapse into drinking. It's all about the “My EGO (selfishness-self-centeredness) manifests a spiritual sickness in me that can eventually lead to alcoholism or even suicide.

Bill W. comments on pages 14 and 15: “Because if an alcoholic does not perfect and expand his spiritual life by work and self-sacrifice for others, he will not be able to withstand the upcoming challenges and low points. If he didn't work, he'd have to drink again, and if he did, he'd have to die. Then faith would truly be dead. It's the same way with us.”

Fortunately, for me, the “spiritual malady” is no longer a “missing component” of Step One. It's a stark reminder of my impotence and uncontrollability, and it helps me understand why I so desperately need to find a Power Greater Than Myself. And until the cause of our alcoholic illness is recognized and a course of action (the Twelve Steps) is pursued to enable God to remove it, it can lie dormant and burn us when we least expect it.

Where is spiritual malady in the big book?

• What exactly is this “spiritual malady,” and how may it push an alcoholic back to drinking if left untreated?
• What is the solution to this problem? (By the way, Chapters 4–11 of our Big Book answer both of those topics in great depth.) What is this “spiritual malady” that we alcoholics have, and how can “untreated alcoholism” force an alcoholic to drink again, even if he or she doesn't want to?

What is a spiritual awakening in recovery?

Religious and spiritual beliefs exist in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can be impacted by factors such as a person's upbringing, family beliefs, and community standards. Spiritual awakenings are defined by some people solely in terms of organized religion. It could be one to which they already belong or one to which they have already renounced. It could also be a particular faith that they discover while in recovery is a wonderful fit for them.

Others have a more open-minded approach to spirituality. Many modern 12-step programs encourage members to identify their higher power in terms that are meaningful to them. They may believe that their higher power is centered on nature, science, love, relationships, or newly discovered self-esteem. They employ this lens to assist them in achieving their own spiritual awakenings.

A spiritual awakening in recovery is described as a natural occurrence by Psychology Today. It recognizes the urge to compensate for painful emotions and troubling life conditions as one of the key reasons people become vulnerable to addiction. People with a history of trauma or mental health problems are more likely to develop a substance addiction disorder. Individuals who are constantly confronted with harsh feelings or events are also at danger. They frequently turn to alcohol or drugs to fill the spaces in their lives that are both empty and painful.

When those substances are removed as a result of sobriety, a natural desire to replace them arises. Many people characterize spiritual awakening in recovery as learning to replace toxic coping methods with healthy, long-lasting ones. It entails evolving into a better version of one's prior self. Instead of self-medicating with narcotics, people in recovery begin to face their emotions head-on. They return to life in a number of ways. These can include mending connections with family and friends, launching a profession, preparing for a return to school, or defining personal goals.

What is spiritual awakening in AA?

A spiritual awakening is defined as a moment of intense clairty, a shift in mind, a “God moment,” or any other moment when a tremendous flow of emotion is followed by a change in self. Former alcoholics and addicts attribute their spiritual awakenings to a plan of action intended to help them change.

What is emotional sobriety?

A concept known as emotional sobriety is one of the cornerstones of alcoholism treatment. The concept is that alcoholics and other addicts who want to stay clean for a long time must learn to control negative emotions that might lead to discomfort, need, and, eventually, relapse. This is a lifetime undertaking that necessitates the development of a completely new way of thinking about life's challenges.

However, the recovery literature also recommends that “first things first” be followed by “don't drink.” Alcoholics are advised not to analyze why they are hooked or how they may have avoided alcoholism, especially in the early stages of recovery: “The maxim is “don't think, don't drink.” Take it one day at a time and do whatever serves to distract the mind from the want to pick up a glass—prayer, exercise, meetings, etc.

When you think about it, these techniques represent two quite distinct types of emotional control. Distraction is unthinking—it entails any and all ways of cognitive detachment from thoughts of alcohol and the fear of wanting. It's a blunt instrument in the recovery toolbox. Long-term emotional sobriety, on the other hand, necessitates a patient, methodical reconsideration of all the people, places, and things that once threw us off kilter—and could again. According to new research, a healthy mind switches between these approaches efficiently when confronted with unpleasant feelings. Researchers are learning how people cope with uncomfortable experiences by researching these systems, and what goes wrong when those skills are missing.

These fundamental concepts of emotional control are taught in recovery programs because addicts do not understand them intuitively. However, many healthy people appear to spontaneously use the procedures. At least, that's the result of some recent studies by Stanford University psychologist Gal Sheppes and colleagues, who looked at how people respond with various types and intensities of unpleasant emotions. The researchers hypothesized that people receive various types of emotional input in one of two ways outlined in recovery literature: either completely blocking it or carefully considering it in order to reconsider it. People would, for example, nip an experience or notion in the bud if it was particularly powerful and frightening. They would just withdraw and pay attention, obstructing negativity from awareness in the same way that recently recovered alcoholics are encouraged to do. This method would prevent powerful negative thoughts from ever taking hold.

People who are confronted with milder negative feelings, on the other hand, are less likely to filter them out. A second cognitive system would manage these emotions, applying more complex processing to these unpleasant feelings in an attempt to make them harmless. However, the negative thoughts and feelings must first be preserved in memory in order to be reappraise and reinterpreted. That is, at least, Sheppes' notion, which he and his colleagues put to the test in a series of lab tests. They expected that healthy people would swiftly divert their attention away from severe emotional experiences, preferring instead to engage in milder, less dangerous activities to dilute their emotional potency.

The researchers enlisted the help of 20 volunteers, who were taught about the two types of emotional regulation—distraction and reappraisal—before exposing them to photos showing unpleasant feelings of various intensities. For example, a low-intensity image would depict a woman holding her head in an unclear state of concern, whereas a high-intensity image might depict a woman in tremendous distress, with blood flowing down her face. The volunteers stared at a series of such images for half a second before narrating out loud for five seconds how they were processing the emotion—whether they were distracting themselves from it or considering how to reinterpret it. The respondents' regulating tactics were described by other volunteers and observers as either distraction or engagement and reappraisal. The individuals also punched a button to indicate which emotional processing method they were using to ensure the results were accurate.

The outcomes were unmistakable. When confronted with a low-intensity photograph, the majority of the volunteers chose cognitive engagement, while the majority chose to distract themselves from a high-intensity photograph, implying that switching methods is a normal and healthy way of dealing with negativity in life. The volunteers were also given a questionnaire by the researchers “At the conclusion of the experiment, volunteers were given a “surprise” memory test, which revealed that, as expected, memory for the emotional photos was harmed when they chose distraction and disengagement. This finding shows that distraction as an emotional regulation approach works by preventing emotional information from entering memory at all.

Even though intense visuals are effective at priming negative emotions, the researchers desired a test that was more realistic. They employed the anticipation of electrical shocks to induce a measured level of anxiety in volunteers in another experiment. They attached electrodes to them and used them to deliver 20 shocks of different intensity. The volunteers were shown a brief written explanation of the forthcoming shock's intensity level just before each shock, giving them time—on average, 12 seconds—to choose and use a technique for reducing their anxiety before being zapped. The volunteers, as before, spoke out about which cognitive method they preferred. The data on shock intensity and cognitive decisions was crunched by the scientists, and the results were essentially the same as before. Volunteers were much more likely to choose a reappraisal strategy, according to a study published in the online edition of Psychological Science in September ( “They were much more likely to try distracting themselves when confronted with an unpleasant but tolerable shock (“this one won't be so bad”), and they were much more likely to try distracting themselves when confronted with a strong and intensely painful shock (“this one won't be so bad”). In short, most persons have the cognitive flexibility to adjust their regulating choices depending on the scenario.

It's hardly surprising that people naturally opt to interact with only mildly unpleasant feelings. The ability to reinterpret emotional events has long been recognized as a useful coping tool, and it is frequently taught as part of cognitive-behavioral therapy. The findings on distraction, on the other hand, contradict a long-held belief that it is critical to interact with severe emotional challenges—and that ignoring or minimizing them is detrimental “It is hazardous to “repress” emotions. This point of view has been rapidly eroding. Evidence is accumulating that, in severe circumstances, some emotional withdrawal might be beneficial. This strategy appears to work for disaster victims, persons suffering from severe, ruminating depression, and, of course, recovering alcoholics.

What do you mean by spirituality?

Spirituality is defined as the awareness of a feeling, sense, or belief that there is something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater total of which we are a part is cosmic or divine in nature.

What are the 4 Horsemen of AA?

For the majority of people, drinking connotes camaraderie, company, and a vivid imagination. It entails a relief from responsibility, boredom, and anxiety. It's a feeling of ecstatic intimacy with friends and a sense of well-being. That was not the case with us during those final days of binge drinking. The former joys were no longer available. They were little more than recollections. We'll never be able to recreate the great events of the past. There was an unquenchable need to enjoy life as we had in the past, as well as a sad preoccupation that some new miracle of control would allow us to do so. There was always the possibility of another try – and another failure.

Every now and then, a serious drinker who is currently dry remarks, “It doesn't bother me in the least.

Feeling much better now.

Work more efficiently.

Having a more enjoyable time.” As ex-problem drinkers, we can relate.