Cunning, Baffling, Powerful

 In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous we see the phrase "... Cunning, baffling, powerful..."  But why is it in the book?   And what does it mean?

My opinion is that the founders put it in the book because they knew the dangers that existed for those of us who are alcoholics and addicts.  They understood that a logical person doesn't make a decision to destroy his or her life with substances just because they are facing a myriad of problems.

But a vulnerable alcoholic or addict – particularly one in new recovery – is subject to succumb to his or her disease when things get tough.  I mean all of us humans look for an easier softer way to resolve our problems.

An easier, softer way for us is to either open a bottle of our favorite beverage or find some other substance that will relieve what we perceive to be intolerable pain.

But after the "... cunning, baffling, powerful..." phrase there are some other words that give us direction. And they are "... without help, it is too much for us..." But some might ask what is this help and where can I find it?   And of course that's where the beauty of the Alcoholics Anonymous program comes in.  It was designed by people like us for people like us.

So when we run into a situation that is overwhelming and our disease is about sneak up on us, what do we do?  The best idea is to do what the program suggests.  We talk to our sponsor.  We go to meetings. We read the literature that is provided for us at the meetings, usually free of cost.  We gather phone numbers from people we meet at the meetings.  We call them when we have a problem.  There's a reason that people call Alcoholics Anonymous a fellowship.  And that's because we have the opportunity to be around people just like us. People who understand our issues and problems and are willing to give of their time and effort to keep us from relapsing and getting back into the messes that brought us to the program in the first place.

There is a solution as we face our cunning, baffling, and powerful disease.  We just need to open our hands and hearts to receive it.

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