“Anger and alcohol are more alike than I could have imagined.”
That began a share at an AA meeting. Of course, anger is not bottled; it is an emotion. But it sure acts like something harvested, fermented, and distilled. I use them for the same problems, and they have the same outcomes. And as our AA brother points out, they have the same solution.
The share continued, “I used anger and alcohol to deal with my discontent, irritation and restlessness.
“Anger and alcohol worked in different ways, but they worked. Both were short-term solutions. I took both to extremes. And both left hangovers.
“Let me explain what I mean.
“Anger and alcohol both worked, though in different ways. Alcohol dissolved my bad feelings. Anger did not dissolve the feelings of unease and discomfort; it overwhelmed them. With a burst of anger, I was, for a moment, conscious only of the rage and anger. Nothing else was on my mind.
“And anger and alcohol are short-term. Alcohol dissolved the feelings; anger swamped the feelings. But with either anger or alcohol, the feelings came back. Often more potent than when they started.
“And my anger is like my drinking; I take it to extremes. When I was drinking, I did not stop when I had taken the edge off; I got very, very drunk. I would drink to ease the uneasy feelings of my life, and drink through the point where those were dealt with, and get ‘knee walking’ drunk. In the same way, I don’t become angry enough to overwhelm the restlessness, discontentment or irritation, then calm down. I indulged in temper tantrums that were much greater than the reason for getting angry.
“And the hangover from anger is as bad as any hangover from booze.
He paused for a sip of coffee, then continued, “but most of all, the consequences of anger made my life as unmanageable as alcohol ever did.
“The effects and the outcomes are remarkably similar. So too, is the solution. For both alcohol and anger, the solution is a spiritual awakening. And a spiritual awakening is the result of the Steps. Thanks, I pass.”
What a great insight; alcohol and anger are similar in many ways, including, thank God, the solution.
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