“As animals on a treadmill, we have patiently and wearily climbed, falling back in exhaustion after each futile effort to reach solid ground. Most of us have entered the final stage with its commitment to health resorts, sanitariums, hospitals, and jails. Sometimes there were screaming delirium and insanity. Death was often near.” The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 107
The idea of jails, institutions and death may seem extreme and dramatic. More often than not, one or more of these inevitably becomes our end result. This information is based on empirical data and not theoretical commentary.
In our alcoholism and addiction, the unfortunate truth is we drive ourselves into the grave. The situation we are in is dire. If death doesn’t take us, we may try to expedite its arrival on our own volition. Perhaps we are being swallowed by our desperation yet our reliance upon our narcotic balm, our alcohol-based salve, no longer eases our internal wounds. When this happens, we may find ourselves taking actions which propel us toward death at an alarming rate. Our souls may be crying for help yet our behavior is unceasing. At the arrival of this juncture, we may beg for death to take us.
Maybe we start our journey into the world of sobriety due to, initially, a hospital stay or a jail term which causes us to be physically separated from imbibing our item(s) of no-choice. Our travels toward the road which leads us to sobriety may begin by default, as said hospital or jail stay has initiated our physiological split from drugs and alcohol. At this point, we are being given the chance to begin anew. It is during this time when we may be released from our perpetual suffering, not by death for which we beg but by a chance at life, which we see as if we are watching the dawn spread over the eastern horizon.