Sublime

a crowd of people who attracted me because of their seeming poise, health, and happiness. They spoke with great freedom from embarrassment, which I could never do, and they seemed very much at ease on all occasions and appeared very healthy. More than these attributes, they seemed to be happy. I was self conscious and ill at ease most of the time,

The New Testament called it salvation or enlightenment, the Twelve Step Program called it recovery.

we basically come from a post-alcoholic culture. People whose origins are in Northern Europe had only one way of treating distress: with a bottle of alcohol.

got drunk in a paradoxical way that numbs feelings and gives you access to them at the same time,

Then came the insidious insanity of that first drink,

He cannot picture life without alcohol. Some day he will be unable to imagine life either with alcohol or without it. Then he will know loneliness such as few do. He will be at the jumping-off place. He will wish for the end. We have shown how we got out from under. You say, “Yes, I’m willing. But am I to be consigned to a life where I shall be stu

Alcoholism is deeply frustrated desire,