Causes and conditions

With Step 4 we “get down to causes and conditions.”

At a recent meeting, this topic came up and we talked about ’causes.’ The meaning of that word may be plain enough. The conversation revolved around the causes of our drinking and our alcoholism. These were both inside and outside causes, things within us and things that impacted us.

But we did not talk about the meaning of the word ‘conditions.’ Perhaps we should have.

Later, when I got home, I looked up the meaning of the word ‘conditions.’ It was fascinating.

A dictionary meaning of ‘conditions’ includes ‘working order.’ Among other aspects of meaning, the word ‘conditions’ includes the following, ‘the working order of the thing.’