May 29

May 29 – AM

Page 40-41, More About Alcoholism, Chapter 3

Let him tell you about it:  “I was much impressed with what you fellows said about alcoholism, and I frankly did not believe it would be possible for me to drink again.  I rather appreciated your ideas about the subtle insanity which precedes the first drink, but I was confident it could not happen to me after what I had learned.  I reasoned I was not so far advanced as most of you fellows, that I had been usually successful in licking my other personal problems, and that I would therefore be successful where you men failed.  I felt I had every right to be self-confident, that it would be only a matter of exercising my will power and keeping on guard.

“In this frame of mind, I went about my business and for a time all was well.  I had no trouble refusing drinks, and began to wonder if I had not been making too hard work of a simple matter.  One day I went to Washington to present some accounting evidence to a government bureau.  I had been out of town before during this particular dry spell, so there was nothing new about that.  Physically, I felt fine.  Neither did I have any pressing problems or worries.  My business came off well, I was pleased and knew my partners would be too.  It was the end of a perfect day, not a cloud on the horizon.

“I went to my hotel and leisurely dressed for dinner.  As I crossed the threshold of the dining room, the thought came to mind that it would be nice to have a couple of cocktails with dinner.  That was all.  Nothing more.  I ordered a cocktail and my meal.  Then I ordered another cocktail.  After dinner I decided to take a walk.  When I returned to the hotel it struck me a highball would be fine before going to bed, so I stepped into the bar and had one.  I remember having several more that night and plenty next morning.  I have a shadowy recollection of being in an airplane bound for New York, and of finding a friendly taxicab driver at the landing field instead of my wife.  The driver escorted me about for several days.  I know little of where I went or what I said and did.  Then came the hospital with unbearable mental and physical suffering.

May 29 – PM

Page xxvi-xxvii, The Doctor’s Opinion

Though we work out our solution on the spiritual as well as an altruistic plane, we favor hospitalization for the alcoholic who is very jittery or befogged.  More often than not, it is imperative that a man’s brain be cleared before he is approached, as he has then a better chance of understanding and accepting what we have to offer.