When skid-row stops skidding : the amazing story of Alcoholics Anonymous WILLIAM J SMITH S.J / When Skid-Row Stops Skidding The Amazing Story Of Alcoholics Anonymous William J. Smith, S.J. No. 93 Published in U. S. A. MAY 12, 1952 By OUR SUNDAY VISITOR PRESS Huntington, Indiana n9 [mcouncil> Nihil Obstat: VERY REV. MSGR. T. E. DILLON Censor Librorum Imprimatur: 4* JOHN FRANCIS NOLL, D.D. Bishop of Fort Wayne When Skid-Row Stops Skidding ^OD makes use of the weak to confound^ the strong; of the ignorant to embarrass the wise. The humble are still a thorn in the side of the proud; and little children still startle their elders with a naive insight into the spiritual life which is uncanny. The Christian world itself, it would seem, is at times the target of a sort of divine irony. Witness the natives of some of the unenlightened nations, steeped in the false religions of Mohammedanism, Buddh- ism and Hinduism. More than once has a delegate from one of these non-Christian countries at the U.N. put to shame the superficial spirituality of a speaker from the so-called more cultured civilizations. Even the beggars of their homelands show forth a deeper faith, a greater reverence, a clearer appreciation of the supernatural than some of the most prominent citizens of the western world. Unorthodox as these races and peoples may be, the spiritual lives they manifest are possible only through the grace of God. Could it be that Our Father in heaven is 4 WHEN SKID-ROW STOPS SKIDDING reading lessons of rebuke to His more fav- ored children of light? The contrast be- tween the moral status of these less-privil- eged peoples,—yes, even of the Russian pop- ulations, with that of our own countrv is something to think about. There is a growing social movement here and elsewhere that might well be thought of in this light. It goes by the nondescript name of Alcoholics Anonymous. If there ever was an organization which drew its membership from the spiritually blind, lame, dumb, deaf and deformed, this is it. From the highways and by-ways of life they come. Men and women whose repu- tations have been ruined, their characters crushed, their lives a seemingly hopeless skein of twisted thoughts, irresponsible attitudes, unexplainable and anti-social ac- tions. Each a victim of an affliction—the devastating scourge of drink—of alcoholism. Most of them have touched the bottom of social disrepute and drunk to the dregs the poisonous effects in disgrace, dishonor and defeat. Derelicts, you would call such people, whether they had their origins on Park Avenue or on Skid Row, or the Bowery. Yet at this moment there are 120,000 of them living lives of honesty, of deep humil- ity, in some instances of heroic effort com- WHEN SKID-ROW STOPS SKIDDING 5 parable to any Christian group whose mem- bers have never strayed from the rigid paths of rectitude. This social and spiritual phenomenon is one of the marvels of the age. “Miracles” of grace happen before our eyes every day as we see some sodden, befogged, utterly beaten creature gradually or quickly trans- formed into a reliable, responsible, God- fearing and God-loving citizen both of heav- en and earth. How or why this seemingly impossible thing works, we have not yet been able to discern. That it does is an un- deniable fact. We have talked with these people; work- ed with them; served them in a limited spir- itual capacity. We have grown not merely to admire and encourage them. We have been compelled by the very earnestness of their endeavors to look upon them as true friends and providential instruments of grace in the restoration of many human lives. The honest AA—honest with himself and honest with others—is an honest-to-God human being. We value our bond of friendship with them. To those who do not understand, to the comfortable and self-satisfied non-alcoholic this plague of drunkenness may be but a disgraceful exhibition of human weakness. Contact with an alcoholic can be a very an- noying personal experience. 6 WHEN SKID-ROW STOPS SKIDDING To the light-hearted looking for a laugh, there is no greater source of highly amusing incident and anecdote. The “drunk joke” is a firmly established bit-part in the reper- toire of the after-dinner speaker. To the nation, however, which must pay the toll of the ill effects of alcoholism, it is a serious social problem. To the family of the unfortunate who has fallen under its sway it is a constant drain on health, harmony and the happiness of home life. To the victim himself it is often the dif- ference between hell and heaven, here and hereafter. It is not given to any man to be the judge of the soul of a fellowman. That is a prerogative of the Supreme Being Him- self. If that dictum be true of ordinary hu- mans, it is doubly true when one attempts to measure the moral responsibilities of the alcoholic. One does not have to be associ- ated with the problem very long to recog- nize symptoms of physical and psychiatric disorder as well as spiritual deficiencies in the lives of those so afflicted. Habitual alcoholism is a pathological condition as much as it is a manifestation of moral deterioration. It is for this reason that the resort to spiritual remedies alone fails so often. It is because this phase of the problem is recognized as a vital factor WHEN SKID-ROW STOPS SKIDDING 7 in the case that Alcoholics Anonymous have been so successful in solving the enigma. AA is neither a “treatment” in the ordin- ary medical sense of the term, nor is it a religion in the traditional concept of a for- mal religious body. It has no rites, liturgy, ceremony or service. It has, as a matter of fact, no rules or regulations. It is simply a program that serves as a basis for a renewed way of life. The prospective candidate is introduced to twelve steps leading to the door of recov- ery. He can take them or leave them. No one has any authority to tell him to do any- thing. But the degree of success in con- quering this problem of drink will depend upon the personal effort he is willing to put into the program. The first and principle aim of Alcoholics Anonymous is to give each member a gold- * en opportunity to achieve sobriety. Once that beach-head is established the triumphs of self-conquest and of self-improvement which gradually follow are such that would never be thought possible. Men with trigger-quick tempers master the art of patience and tolerance. Women who had lost the sense of shame in their lives became modern Magdalenes of modesty and decorum. - Resentments are changed into stepping- 8 WHEN SKID-ROW STOPS SKIDDING stones of self-renunciation and respect for former targets of abuse. Deceit and dishonesty give way to hon- esty and humility. 0 Selfishness is transformed into true love of self and neighbor. The once-apathetic alcoholic finds him- self stirred to an apostolic spirit which he had never before known at any period of his life. An animal’ appetite which had made his life unmanageable is_ so brought under the control of faith and reason that the AA member becomes not merely a good citizen; he develops into a better-than-aver- age creature of God. We pictured the alcoholic, before com- ing into AA, at his worst. We washed to showT the contrast—from the depths to the heights. But there are many who need the AA program, w7ho could profit by it, wdio could find a happy sobriety in it but hesi- tate because they have not yet run the full course of alcoholism to its inevitable last end. These are the men and women who are victims of the strange disease but do not know it or are unwilling to admit it. They still cherish the hope that they can be “social” drinkers. They know7 they have a problem, but it is not that problem. They have never done the things that they hear some alcoholics have done. There WHEN SKID-ROW STOPS SKIDDING 9 are a hundred and one reasons why things go wrong, why their lives are unmanage- able but alcohol is not at the root of it all. Strangely enough this very unwillingness to face up to the problem is one of the common symptoms which is a characteristic of the real alcoholic. In his confused state of mind he thinks if he blames something else or someone else for his condition that this makes it so. Of course, it doesn’t. But it helps him to shy away from the real * fact. Nor is it the amount of liquor a person drinks that marks him or her as an alcoholic. Continuous consumption sooner or later can bring on the condition that is called alco- holism. But an alcoholic does not necessar- ily have to be a heavy drinker. One drink does the job on the real alcoholic. He can’t take the first one. If he does, it means a drunk. Liquor is not a comfort to the alco- holic; it is a compulsion. One is too much; a hundred is not enough. The biggest road-block to his recovery from the unhappiness that plagues him is his refusal to admit the truth. Liquor has him licked but he won’t admit it. There are bankers in AA who for years blamed everything and anything—except alcohol— for their sorry state. There are business executives and lawyers and clergymen and school teachers and rank-and-file workers 10 WHEN SKID-ROW STOPS SKIDDING in it. Many never dreamed that a human being could ever enjoy the serenity and the constancy and the courage that they now possess. They found this pearl of great price in AA. But they first had to take that first step, admit they were powerless over alcohol and were ready to do something about it. • To achieve sobriety and to maintain it, one basic fact must be recognized. No one else can attain it for you. Prayer wall help the alcoholic to help himself. But he, and he alone, must make that first act of the will—he must convince himself that he wrants to quit drinking. No one else in the wrorld can do that for him. The most de- voted wife, the most loyal friend, the most zealous clergyman may hope, pray and plead—but only the victim of this disease can take the first step necessary toward a happy sobriety. The best and easiest way to take the step is to attend a number of AA meetings. Open meetings are held for the public as wrell as for alcoholics. Everyone is welcome. Men and w7omen wiro once wTere powerless to resist the lure of liquor relate their experi- ences before and after joining AA. The stories are as fascinating as they are infor- mative. The “closed” meetings are for alcoholics only. It is here that the real beginnings of WHEN SKID-ROW STOPS SKIDDING 11 recovery are made. It is here that the AA learns to help himself in a way that is unique. He soon finds that the best way to help himself is by helping someone else, there are no musts, dos or donts. AA has a program to offer. It has nothing to sell. The member “sells it to himself” or he will not buy it. Each week one of tjie members or an in- vited guest talks briefly on one of the twelve steps. An open and frank discus- sion follows. Objections, obstacles, difficul- ties, personal experiments, successes and failures are given an airing. The AA member meets on a common ground with his fellow AA. It is the com- mon ground of a mutually shared experi- ence. They talk a common language. Each one understands the other because all have lived through the same or similar circum- stances. They are battling a common prob- lem—a stubborn, ugly problem. By their own efforts and the strength that comes from humble and honest cooperative action they are licking that problem. They are winning the battle of life; building a better way of life. What more can anyone ask? Here is the program that absorbs the interest of every active AA. One hundred fifty thousand enlightened and enthusiastic human beings, in all parts of the world, are revelling in it: 12 WHEN SKID-ROW STOPS SKIDDING The Twelve Steps 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had be- come unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God re- move all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and medita- WHEN SKID-ROW STOPS SKIDDING 13 tion to improve our conscious con- tact with God, as we understand Him, praying only for knowledge of His *will for us and the power to carry that out. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Could anyone look for a simpler or a more effective basis for a new way of life than this? AA is not a religion; it is a pro- gram; but it is built on truths and actions that constitute the very foundation of hu- man life. We non-alcoholics might well not merely stand in admiration of it. We would do well to imitate it. Indeed there is a lesson for the Chris- tian world hidden beneath that title “Alco- holics Anonymous.” A dozen possible points come to mind. We single out but two. Here is an organization definitely out- side the framework of the established Chris- tian order. It is accomplishing a spiritual work that had defied individual Christian effort. In its group spirit and action it puts to shame the less fruitful strivings of many an orthodox, sanctioned group en- gaged in “Catholic Action.” The very least that any honest Christian should do when 14 WHEN SKID-ROW STOPS SKIDDING faced with such a paradox is to be humble enough to ask the question—'“Why?” If we were to hazard a conjecture in re- ply, we would be tempted to say, “It may well be that God is again using the weak, the helpless and the confused to confound the strong, the comfortable and the wise.” This tremendous social movement had its beginnings in the befogged brains of three alcoholic non-Catholics sixteen years ago. Could it be that the modem concept of Christian charity is lacking the fullness of its pristine, apostolic vigor? Social outcasts, like alcoholics, may be fitting subjects of solicitude for the Salvation Army, but Christian “charity’ must be reserved for those of our own class and social status. A comfortable Christian charity indeed that would be! It might be too much to expect any widespread interest in the plight of unre- formed bums and drunks. But v^e would put it dow*n as a callous disregard of basic Christianitv if anv Catholic were to “look 0 4 down his nose” or deliberately refuse en- couragement and cooperation to any indi- vidual or group that shows forth the earn- est efforts toward recovery7 as is evidenced by Alcoholics Anonymous. Some there may be, too, who feel Cath- olics have a monopoly on spiritual perfec- tion. They may look askance at such a WHEN SKID-ROW STOPS SKIDDING 15 movement as this, simply because it is not under clerical supervision. If such there be, we would recall a little incident from the scriptures. “But John answered and said, ‘Master, we saw a man casting out devils in Thy name and we forbade him because he does not follow with us/ “And Jesus said to him, ‘Do not forbid him, for he who is not against you is r ? ?? ror you. Alcoholics Anonymous is not a religion. It is the basis for a new way of life. The member gets only as much out of it as he is willing to put into it for his own recovery. No one else can do the job for him. But if he is willing to take the first step, a new life looms up before him in lustrous colors. It is very difficult to see how any Christian can refrain from commending the move- ment. OUR VEST POCKET SIZE PAMPHLETS Prices subject to change without notice Singie Copy 10c, Any 3 for 25c $5.25 per 100, all prices are postpaid 1 So You Think You're Tough? 2 Why Not Investigate the Catholic Religion? 3 Does It Matter Much What Man Believes? 4 Is One Religion As Good As Another? 5 How To Get Married. 6 Why You Should Be A Catholic. 7 Youth and Chastity. 8 The Bible An Authority Only In Catholic Hands. 9 Catholic Answer. 1 0 Looking For A Happy Ending? 1 1 Don't Kid Yourseif About Drink. 12 Which Is Christ's True Church? 13 Communion Prayers for Every Day. 14 The Catholic Nurse Makes The Holy Hour. 15 What Think You of Christ?—Study of His Divinity. 1 6 Our Daily Bread. 17 Is Papal Infallibility Reasonable? 1 8 Can Our Priests Forgive Sins? 19 Does Confession Make Sinning Easy? 20 Catholic Boy Examines His Conscience. 21 Indulgences: What Are They? 22 Father Quiz Answers Lutheran Slurs. 23 Let Us Know The Pope. 24 Catholic Women In the Home. 25 The Real Presence: Fact or Fiction. 26 The Catholic Press in the World Today. 27 What It Means To Be A Catholic Mother. 28 Are You Sincere? 29 The Catholic Student Makes the Holy Hour. 30 The Holy Eucharist and Reason. 31 Can Indulgences Be Bought? 32 Religion's A B C's for the Educated. 33 Is the Church Woman's Enemy? 34 "This Is My Body." 35 The Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. 36 Catholic Action: What Is It? 37 A Living Wage Today. 38 Did They Leave or Were They Put Out? 39 The Holy Hour (5 forms). 40 Falling In Love. 41 You Ought to Go to Mass. 42 As the Morning Rising. 43 Prayers for the Family. 44 Until Death Do Us Part. 45 Catholic Marriage: How Achieve It? 46 Marriage: Catholic or Mixed? 47 Why Attend Sunday Mass. 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