NA also works out of the Basic Text of NA, while AA works from The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Both fellowships use the Twelve Traditions to maintain unity, emphasizing personal recovery depends on working the steps and practicing service to others. This proven path works because it addresses the core of addiction—self-centered fear, dishonesty, and resentment—by focusing on personal accountability, spiritual growth, and helping others.

Surviving Alcohol Withdrawal: The Risks and Stages Explained

Is the whole idea of someone being spiritually ill acceptable? These are questions that I have had to struggle with as an agnostic in AA. After completing the first nine steps, I was finally able to come off antidepressants.

• Living by the principles of AA helps maintain spiritual fitness and reduces the influence of spiritual maladies.
• It is the emptiness we feel on such a deep level that we turn to self-medication in order to alleviate the sadness and despair that go hand in hand with.
• Reframe supports you in reducing alcohol consumption and enhancing your well-being.

The Mental Obsession

This connection is believed to restore sanity and address the turmoil caused by alcohol misuse, aligning thoughts, emotions, and beliefs to overcome the spiritual unrest. Adam Vibe Gunton is an American author, speaker and thought leader in addiction spiritual malady aa treatment and recovery. After overcoming homelessness and drug addiction, Adam found his life’s purpose in helping addicts find the same freedom he found. As Founder and Executive Director of the 501(c)3 nonprofit, Recovered On Purpose, and Managing Partner of Behavioral Health Partners, Adam has helped thousands find freedom from addiction all over the world. Professional assistance is often required to tackle spiritual malady and addiction.

Celebrating Our Team: Kimberly McDonough – Program Coordinator

The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) describes alcoholism as a physical, mental, and spiritual disease. One aspect of the physical component of Alcohol Use Disorder alcoholism is the physical allergy to alcohol. In AA literature, the physical allergy is described as an abnormal reaction to alcohol that is experienced by individuals with alcoholism over an extended period while seeking abstinence.

• Connecting to inner and outer worlds and living by one’s values and purpose are also vital.
• The untreated alcoholic/addict is a manifestation of varying degrees of irresponsibility.
• When we have the first sip of a drink, or whiff of a drug, it is then controlling our bodies.
• Especially being alcoholic more often than not, it is our nature to have that “my way or the highway” mentality.

It’s really not my mind – the mental obsession – that is the underlying root of what will take me back to drinking. It’s the “spiritual malady”, as manifested by my EGO (selfishness-self-centeredness), that can eventually lead me back to drinking or sometimes even suicide. For many struggling with alcohol use disorder or alcohol addiction, the only way to overcome these feelings is to embark upon a spiritual program of action fearlessly.

This connection with a power greater than ourselves is not necessarily religious but is about finding a profound spiritual grounding. The symptoms of spiritual malady can vary greatly, yet they are profoundly impactful. Common signs include irritability, restlessness, and a pervasive sense of discontent. These feelings often drive us to seek relief through alcohol, creating a vicious cycle of dependence and escapism. Untreated spiritual malady can lead to a deep sense of dissatisfaction and disconnection, further fueling our addiction. The concept of spiritual disease is deeply embedded in the philosophy of AA.

The Three Components of Alcoholism: Mind, Body, and Spirit

To my amazement, a spiritual mode of living became the solution. It works by focusing on someone else’s problems and not my own—the happiness and contentment from helping someone else overcome the self-centredness of the alcoholic illness. I found the above description in a psychology magazine a few years ago. I can’t remember where it’s from specifically but what struck me was that this is the exact same inner experience of an alcoholic (drinking or not) before finding and growing toward a spiritual solution.

Also in theparagraph we just read, the “Big Book” authors immediately tell us that thepurpose of this book is to show us how to recover from alcoholism. This isa revolutionary statement, because until this book was written, there was nohope for alcoholics. Now, anyone who is willing to follow the directionsthey have provided, CAN RECOVER. It uses the “language of the heart”  rather than intellectual discourse to describe the spiritual malady/emotional disease often said to be at heart of addictive bahaviours. I grew up in beautiful southern California and I find my spirituality in nature and love the outdoors. My recovery is extremely important to me, and I cherish every day I get to spend on this Earth sober.