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I talked about this craving idea earlier, but I think it’s worth focusing on again. The first reading that grabbed my attention early in recovery was “The Doctor’s Opinion” in the AA Big Book. It describes alcoholics and addicts as having a kind of allergy.
This allergy triggers endless craving for more when we put any amount of alcohol or drugs in us. This might not be true when we start our substance abuse career, but the allergy grows in some of us until it’s an addiction. By the way, only alcoholics and addicts call it a career!
This is the main reason we abstain completely, one day at a time. A related AA saying is, “one is too much and 1000 is never enough.” I proved this fact to myself incessantly over the years and keep it at the top of my mind.
I would often drink way more than I planned in a session. I would black out or pass out nearly every weekend during my first few years of drinking. I would aim to have two or three and have six or eight without hardly realizing it.
After reaching a certain point in addiction, we become the hopeless type and cannot stop without help. When we try to quit, we find it is impossible through our willpower alone. That’s when a program of recovery is needed.
This craving notion can be applied to all types of escape including drugs, social media, video games, porn, gambling, food, shitty relationships and on and on. We have come to rely on them to feel better and escape ourselves. We do more and more to stay checked out of reality.
I keep this notion of an allergy close to my heart since I proved it to myself thousands of times. If I was allergic to bee stings, I would not work with beehives! If you find yourself doing more than you want to or can’t stop after you start, then recovery and sobriety are calling to you. It won’t get any better along that path.
Self-Study Questions – Allergy of Craving
Do you often drink more than you plan?
Do you use more drugs than you plan?
Can you have just a couple or a little bit and quit for the night?
Are you trapped in a cycle of drinking or using drugs to escape your feelings, yourself, and reality?
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