C[ear OTLZONS

(Gomplete contentr on Bock Gover) 25e

Tnt cHURcH oF THE [vrNG GoD r . . tohn D, Rockefeller, Jr.

Ltut*oANEw c c o . e o 6 c , 2l C. 5. fewis

ftlvGosPEL . . . . . . . o . . 09 Rufus Jones

Tnr ucroRY oF AN AtcoHottc . e . 4s An Alcoholic Anonymous

SnntsrswAYoF!.lFE o e n e c 6 qg l,ewis &” Dunnlngrfon

Posms – Medik:lions – Articles – Book Reviews

( Alcohol was my master.

The Victory of an Alcoholic An Abolrclic Ano’n1,111e113

OMEONE has said, I think ati olcl scliot,l iricucl asked if he ‘with a great deal of power, rrrighl i:onrr over. He rvas sober. ‘[t “God grant me the serenity n’as ycars sincc I corr]d remeruto accept tlre things I cannct clrange, lrcr his conring to Ncw York jn cor-1l”age to change the tlrings 1 can tiat i:onrliliorr. and wisdom to lcnow the differ- ‘l’hc rloor opr:ucr,l ;ind hr: stoo<l ence.” But an alcoholic is a mar.r in thrre , f rcsh-skinrii:ri aurl glorvirrg. whom neither “courage, sereuity 1 pLrshrd a <lririk across the nor wisrlonr” is presenf. tablr. IIc r.eiuscil it. Di,.appointed My own experience came to me but cLrriou:i, ] rvonderctl rvliai had in this way. I had run out the g<;t irrto tlrc it:lirx’r,. [Jt,.,va.sn’t string to such a point that a doctor hinrsel {. told my wife eight years ago last “CriLuc, what’s all tlris a1;out i” suillrner that I could not live, or if I qurrierl. I rlitl, not with niy sanity. l”or two He lnoketi str:rislit at :rlr. Srnirly, or three years prior to that sad bul snrilirrg’lr’, hi saiil, “.tr’vr ipt lesurnll-ler day rvhen she rva,s told ligion.” this, I had tried desperately to stop I rr.as ;rgirast. lio 1ltat x,as it-rlrinking” lasl sunrnrer ar’: alcohr:f ic cracl;plt ; No wor”ds can tell o{ the loneli- norv, I 5u-r1rrc1.<,tri, a iittle cr’;rckerl ness and despair I {ound in tlrat bit- airr.;ul religion. ter rnorass o{ self-pity” I had been But he clitl r:ri ranting. In a nratoverrvhelned. Alcohol lvas my tr:r o{ fact u,irv h(: tolrl horv trvri nraster, nrcn harl appeared in cr:urt, per- Near the end of that bleak No- suarlirg the jurlge to suslrercl his venrber, I sat drinking in my couunitlncnt. l’ht:v harl toitl of a l<itchen. My rvife was at work. I simpli: rcligior:i iLlca lrnrl a practical rvondered l,r,’hether I dared hirle a pro.grarr of attion. ‘l’hat rvas tu’o {r-rll bottle of gin rrear tlre head of nrr.rnths aqri iLncl thr.’ n’sult. lvas self our bed. I would need it before t’virlcnt. It ri orkcd !

daylight. l le hacl conre to pass his experi^ My mrrsing n,as int<:rlupteri hy encc along to rrr:-il l cared to have the telephone. ‘llhc cheer.r, r’oicc oi it. I u,as shnclied, llut interested. From Clu*tiun. I-aymea,, l\{arch 1945.

46 CLEAR HORIZONS Fall

Certainly I was interested. I had in whose shadow I had lived and to be, for I was hopeless. shivered man.y years. I stood in I had always believed in a power the sunlighr at last. greater than myself. I had often It was only a matter of being pondered these things. I was not willing to believe in a power an atheist. F’ew people really are, greater than rnyself . Nothing more for that means blind faith in the was required of me to make my strange proposition that this uni- beginning. I saw that growth could verse originated in a cipher and start {rom tlrat point. Upon a aimlessly rushes nowhere. But that foundation of con-rplete willingness was as far as I had gone. I rrright build rvhat 1 saw in my friend. Would I have it ? Of course My friend sat before me, and he made the point-blank declaration I would ! ‘1’trrrrs wlLs | (:i)lt1/ili(ted tlrat God that God irad done for him what he could not do lor hirnself . His hu- i:i clrrrciirn.rl ri’itlr rts lrumans rvhen nran rvi11 had failed. Doctors had \\-e rYrrlt llirtt rrrlirLtqil. Al long last pronounced hiru incurable. Society I -‘:Llr, I icl1, I lri:li,,r’t’rl Sca”les of was about to lock hirl up” Like my- 1r’irle ur:ri plcjrrilic,: lell fitm my se1f, he had admitted complete de- t,r,ts. :\ ntu’ t’or”li1 r;r1nt iniu view. feat. Tlien he had, in effect, been ;\t tltc lroslritai In’as separated raised frcrn the dead, sudclenly ir.i.rtrr alcllr,.rl ir..ri,t1rr lasL time. ‘i ltatr rcrri seeme,i wise, for I taken frora the scrap heap to a level of life better than the best he had .”1rr.,lt:r’l ligir:. ol i.lciirium tremens. ever knov,’n ! “l’ir,:re I lrrrrnh’l-, offered rr-ryself It began to look as though re- 1n { ,ori, lLs i tlrel rrrliL’r’.stoo,:l }1im, ligious people were rigl.rt after all. 1r’r r1o u itlr rrrc ls [-Lc r,.’lttltl- 1 placed Here r,vas something at worli in a rrr,vsrl t rt:rt’t’.t.’t’r’t’rl1\’ tttrrlt:r” I I is care human heart which had done the :rrr11 rlilcctilr. I ior rlrLrittr:rl tlre inrpossible” My ideas about uriracles lrist l.irilc tlrxt (r1 rrrlstli l rras wer”e drastically revised right then. rrollring : tLutt u illioLrt llitu I rvas Never mind the n-rttsty past; here Lr.;1. I rntIrii:s:,i’,’ fllcci1 :tt)’ sius sat a miracle clirectly across the :rrri l;ccatrc u’illinc I.) lllrve 111)’ l<itchen table. ncu’-ft rttrtr.l Ii’r’itrrrl 1:tki-” llrctr al’ay, IvIy lriend suggested u,tat theu r()ot :ur(1 l;ranclt. 1 lrL,.’c trol liarl a see[red a novei idea. He said, rlrirrk sirtcc. “Why don’t you choose your o1t/n lV[1. sclr,-rr’,lririlrr] vi,ijted mc, and T conception of Cocl?” frrl1,r,, ai:qLrairiterrl lrinr r’,’itir my prob- That staternent hit me hard. It lcrns anrl rlcilcir-ncit’s. \\’e i,tade a melted the icy intellectual rnountain li;t of peopie I hacl hurt or toward

t946 THE VICTORY OF AN ALCOHOLIC 47

whom I felt resentment. I ex- alirl serenity as I had never known. pressed my entire willingness to There was utter confidence. I felt approach these individuals, admit- lifted up, as though the great clean ting my wrong. I was to right all wind of a mountain top blew such matters to the utmost of my thrortgh arrrl tlrrough. God comes ability. to m()rl nlr:n sr;rrlLtally, but His im- I was to test my thinking by the pact on ]nc \\,.rs srrdden and pronew God – consciousness within. fo”.rrtl. Common sense lrould thus become I’or- l rlonrcrrl I was alarmed, uncommon sense. I was to sit quiet- and ca.llcd rri-y irirnci, the doctor, to Iy when in doubt, asking only for ask if -[ were rtill s;ine. }Ie listened direction and strength to meet my in wonder as I :rll.crl. problems as He would have me. Fina1l1, hr, :ihooh lris head say- Itlever was I to pray {or myself, ing, “Sonri-‘thin.,-1 lras happened to cxcept as my requests bore on my you f dorL’t rurrlcrsranrl. But you rsefulness to others. Then only had betrer lr:urr r:rr tr.i it. .A.nytLilg might I expect to receive. But that is better thai; tlrt: \!”:lv Y()r,1 werr,” would be in great measure. Aitel nrl, tclr:ii-cr: trtr, ,,r”ife irn{ J My friend promised when these abandonr<i rrrrrs(:ivts ivitlr rinthings were doue I would enter tltusiasrn to thc i<lca o I hi:)ping tlpon a new relatiurnship with my othr:r alrrrirolirs tr ;L stlutior of tlrcir Creator; that I would have the prolrlerlrs. ].t rr,irs irrrlr.rnalc, irir triv elements of a u’ay of living which o.lLi businl:,s ;r:,sirci;rtcs :’r.iiraineri answered all my problems. Belief skeptii:al {or rr _\’r:ar :inri ri h;r.ll, rlrrr. in the power of God plus enough ing wlrich I Ir.;rurd ]ittlc x,rtrL. t willingness, honesty and humility lr-as not too t,ell at tirc tinre, ald to establish and maintain thc neu, n’as plarLrrrl lr,r, w’rve” of si:ii-pity order of things, were the essential iilrrl res|r)lt,l, r’lt. ‘I lti. ., ,rirt:lrilr(;. reqnirements. ntarly llrovc rrc l;iLcl< io rlr’inl,r. f Simple, but not easy; a price had soon f oLrnrl tirat rvlrcn lLli other to be paid. It mearrt destruction o{ rrcasrlres {ailecl, worlr *,ith another self-centeredness. I rnust turu in all alcoholic rv,rulil savr thr r.lay. things to the liather of Lights who \\re conrnrcrrccd to nrake many presirles over us all. fast fricnds, ancl a {cllorvship has There were revolutionary and ,{ro\l’n ul) i}nron,q rs in Alcoholics clrastic proposals, but the niomeut -1 nonvnrous of rvhiclr it is a wt-,n- I fully accepted them, the effect rierlul tling tr: fct’l a part. The joy was clectric. ‘llhere was a sense of o{ livinf wc leally, have, even under victory, foliou’ed hy such a peace pressure and difliculty ! I have seen

48 (=LE,AR HORIZONS irall

lrrrndreds ,:f families set their feet Have faith in God, it adds the dai11′ in thc path that really goes some- necessity of helping another alcorr’here: havc seen the nrtist impos- irolic. siblc d.onrestic situations rightcrl; A prayer oftcn used by Alcoferrds arrd lritterness of all sorts holics Anonynrous is the Prayer of r”,,ipecl oltt. 1 iravc seen men come St. Francis : “O l,ord, our Christ, out of :tsylrtius and resume a vital mav we have thy mind and thY place in the lives of their families spirit; make us instruments of thY and communities. Business and peace; where there is hatred, let profcssiorral rtien have regaincd us sow love; rvhere there is injurY, their stanrling. pardon; rvliere there is discorcl. Both science and religion insist union; where there is rloubt, faith ; that the person desiring the trans- where there is desPair, hoPe; {rrrrnation nrList find a n.ew com- ‘vvhere there is darkness, light; and pcllirry; inflncuce. Alcoholics Anon- rvhere there is sadness, jr:y. O di- .yrnous has i:ombined religion and vine Master, grant that we 1’nay fiot science anrl has added: a comfllon so much seek to be consoled as to state n{ being rvhich gives identilica- console ; to be uuderstor:cl, as tci tir.rtt, rttr’l a (,’ll:illtrtirlg ttrw ‘i’tttt’rt st understand; to be loved, as to love; irr helpirrg c;lrli other. for it is in giving that lve receive; “[‘o scicrrct il ad<is tire ner:essity it is in pardoning that rve are paro{ belief in (iorl arr<l the practicc of doned; and it is in rlying that rve praycr” To religio* rvhicli savsi, arc born io eternal 1iie. t\rnert””

“I^ “fi,.

A llleasu,rirug Stick f.lhanah Fretclr .Flow great am I or vou or he? One airsrvel is: lrorv good are rve? Flo'”,r’ r/r.,orl aru I or you or he ?

;\n ausrvcr trow : horv kinil are we ? ‘I’ruc greatness, g()u(lfiess, thc real Christ nrirrtl, .\ r’ule-lor measurit,g thesc : I-lr,rv liind l’ .{. .s “s

God prr:tects those whose minds are taken up with discharging their duty without perplexing themselves with cons-equences’.. 14/ilson -Tlrontas