Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics. It works when other activities fail.
So cooperate; never criticize.
If he does not want to stop drinking, don't waste time trying to persuade him.
...ask him if he wants to quit for good and if he would go to any extreme to do so.
If he does not want to see you, never force yourself upon him.
If he is in a serious mood dwell on the troubles liquor has caused you...If his mood is light, tell him humorous stories of your escapades.
Show him the mental twist which leads to the first drink of a spree.
Show him, from your own experience, how the queer mental condition surrounding that first drink prevents normal functioning of the will power.
… be careful not to brand him as an alcoholic. Let him draw his own conclusion.
Continue to speak of alcoholism as an illness, a fatal malady.
Tell him exactly what happened to you.
...he does not have to agree with your conception of God.
The main thing is that he be willing to believe in a Power greater than himself and that he live by spiritual principles.
He may be an example of the truth that faith alone is insufficient.
To be vital, faith must be accompanied by self-sacrifice and unselfish, constructive action.
Never talk down to an alcoholic from any moral or spiritual hilltop; simply lay out the kit of spiritual tools for his inspection. Show him how they worked with you.
If he is to find God, the desire must come from within.
If he thinks he can do the job in some other way, or prefers some other spiritual approach, encourage him to follow his own conscience.
We have no monopoly on God; we merely have an approach that worked with us.
We find it a waste of time to keep chasing a man who cannot or will not work with you.
To spend too much time on any one situation is to deny some other alcoholic an opportunity to live and be happy.
He may be broke and homeless. Be certain…that he is not trying to impose on you for money, connections, or shelter. Permit that and you only harm him.
When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God's hands were better than anything we could've planned.
Assuming we are spiritually fit, we can do all sorts of things alcoholics are not supposed to do...
An alcoholic who cannot meet them (these conditions), still has an alcoholic mind.
This may seem like tempting Providence, but it isn't.
Be sure you are on solid spiritual ground before you start and that your motive in going is thoroughly good. Think of what you can bring to it (the occasion).
Your job now is to be at the place where you may be of maximum help to others, so never hesitate to go anywhere if you can be helpful... Keep on the firing line of life with these motives and God will keep you unharmed.
After all, our problems were of our own making. Bottles were only a symbol.
