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The real alcoholic may start off as a moderate drinker; he may or may not become a continuous hard drinker; but at some stage of his drinking career he begins to lose all control of his liquor consumption.

Here is the fellow who has been puzzling you, especially in his lack of control. He does absurd, incredible, tragic things while drinking. He is a real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He is seldom mildly intoxicated. He is always more or less insanely drunk. His disposition while drinking resembles his normal nature but little.He may be one of the finest fellows in the world.Yet let him drink for a day, and he frequently becomes disgustingly, and even dangerously anti-social.

He has a positive genius for getting tight at exactly the wrong moment, particularly when some important decision must be made or engagement kept. He is often perfectly sensible and well balanced concerning everything except liquor, but in that respect he is incredibly dishonest and selfish.

As matters grow worse, he begins to use a combination of high-powered sedative and liquor to quiet his nerves so he can go to work. Then comes the day when he simply cannot make it and gets drunk all over again. Then he begins to appear at hospitals and sanitariums.

This is by no means a comprehensive picture of the true alcoholic, as our behaviour patterns vary.But this description should identify him roughly.

Why does he behave like this? If hundreds of experiences have shown him that one drink means another debacle with all its attendant suffering and humiliation, why is it he takes that one drink?

We know that while the alcoholic keeps away from drink, as he may do for months or years, he reacts much like other men.We are equally positive that once he takes any alcohol whatever into his system, something happens, both in the bodily and mental sense, which makes it virtually impossible for him to stop.

These observations would be academic and pointless if our friend never took the first drink, thereby setting the terrible cycle in motion.Therefore, the main problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind, rather than in his body.

Reprinted from the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 21-23, with permission of AA World Services, Inc.
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