Article October 23, 2000 Issue

You were there all along

Alcoholism overcome

By Henry Louis Michel

Several years ago I believed that I had to have a drink in order to settle my nerves. All the pain associated with this belief—lost business, lost home and family, and the ultimate disgrace of a criminal indictment—was very real to me. But the pain was an effect of a larger cause. I was totally convinced that I needed alcohol to relieve the tension and pressure of coping with owning and operating a growing small business. I was aware that too much alcohol can lead to intoxication, distorted perceptions, and a propensity for violence, and I experienced these negative effects. But I didn't stop drinking.

There was this statement, however, that helped turn me around. It's guidance from Science and Health, written by Mary Baker Eddy. She writes, "Narcotics quiet mortal mind, and so relieve the body; but they leave both mind and body worse for this submission" (p. 157). What I now understand this to mean is that I was giving this narcotic power over me. I thought it was good because I would relax, but the negative effects of drunkenness were not beneficial. As I learned to see myself in more spiritual terms, I began to perceive that I was standing in the way of my own happiness, and I began to look for a solution.

At first, I thought that taking college courses in ethics and sociology would help me get to the root of my problems and show me how to overcome them. I also felt that the academic environment would place me near others who shared my problems and that I would be enlightened by this experience. Instead, I found myself alone in a crowd of people with the same selfish desires. I needed to direct my thoughts away from the material and toward the divine.

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