It all begins with this — no recovery is possible without complete and utter honesty. This applies to many other areas as well; working out, better health, better grades, getting a job, etc. At the end of the day, the person has to want to do it themselves. I am amazed at our capacity to be dishonest with ourselves. Take the person that is arrested for Driving Under the Influence after being cut off at more than one bar, and then tells everyone they had nothing to drink at all. That is denial, and it is a denial that will result in death. We must accept that alcoholism is a disease, learn as much as we can, and stay focused on the solution, which is complete abstinence. There is no cutting back on drinking or “controlling” it. Unfortunately, many think they are the exception to this and continue to destroy themselves and everyone around them. Unless you are able to be completely honest about your drinking, you cannot achieve long lasting recovery.
