DR MARC SIEGEL: The angels behind Alcoholics Anonymous still inspire hope
· Fox News
Alcohol is still something to be worried about. Granted, national data shows a decline coming out of the pandemic, but the overall numbers are still higher than they were in 2018. Not only that, but though Gen Zers and millennials are drinking less, middle-aged adults are drinking more, with an increase in heavy drinking since 2018.
Some of this is because middle-aged adults face increased pressures as they try to manage both aging parents and children who are in adolescence or early adulthood and are just finding themselves. But though drinking may temporarily ease stress, the long-term health risks are significant. A recent study from Colorado determined that older adults are more likely to drink alone, which carries with it additional health risks, including cognitive decline.
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There are an estimated 28 million Americans who suffer from alcohol use disorder, with a substantial portion of them being middle-aged. Not only that, but about 50% of the deaths due to alcohol in the U.S. occur among middle-aged adults.
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Faith-based cures remain highly effective for alcoholism, with none more effective than Alcoholics Anonymous, which was developed in the 1930s by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith after a chance meeting, the kind that the famed psychiatrist Carl Jung called synchronicity, or meaningful coincidence.
They became messengers of God for each other and ultimately, for millions of other alcoholics with their 12-step program based largely on making a spiritual connection.
In my new book, "The Angels Among Us," I devote a chapter to the miracle recovery of Bill Wilson and his consequential friendship with Dr. Bob. Bill is admitted to Towns Hospital in New York City in 1934 for the fourth time because of alcohol intoxication followed by withdrawal. He is in the depths of despair and is not sure if he will survive. And then he experiences the central miracle of his life as he demands that God show Himself.
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"The room lights up with a blinding glare of light. Wilson is seized by an ecstasy he has never known. He stands on a mountaintop with a great wind blowing. He thinks to himself, 'This is not a wind of air. This is spirit. This is the God of the preachers.'
"Bill feels that a great, clean strength is blowing through him, that he is now free."
Bill Wilson tells about his experience to his medical angel, Dr. Silkworth, who is tending to him there in the hospital, who decides he is not crazy, but that a great psychic event has occurred. This changes Bill's life, as the doctor/"angel" advises him to hang on to this experience and to share it.
By meeting other alcoholics where they live, and not speaking down to them, by not preaching, Wilson and later Dr. Bob spread faith, goodwill, and ultimately sobriety.
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In today's world, this lesson remains crucial. It is the in-person exchange of peer-to-peer kindness and caring that gives us all the chance to heal. It doesn't work the same way on social media, and self-destructive behavior (including alcohol addiction) is much more likely to occur in isolation.
There is still a lesson to be learned from Bill Wilson's experience. Doctors can be angels of healing, just as fellow sufferers can.