12 Promises of Drinking

8.3.25

I don’t have much to say today—for once. But something someone shared at the meeting gave me goosebumps. It was a twist on the 12 Promises from the Big Book. Instead of what we gain in sobriety, these were the “12 Promises of Drinking.”

1. If we are casual with this phase of our development, we will be drunk before we are halfway through.
2. We are going to know a new imprisonment and a new misery.
3. We will relive the past and won’t be able to shut the door on it.
4. We will comprehend the word CONFLICT and we will know PAIN.
5. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we’ll sink even lower.
6. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will deepen.
7. We will gain interest in selfish things and lose interest in our fellows.
8. Self-esteem will slip away.
9. Our whole attitude and outlook on life will suck.
10. Fear of people and economic insecurity will multiply.
11. We will intuitively know how to turn and run from situations which never used to bother us.
12. We will suddenly realize that God would never have done to us what we are doing to ourselves.

Are these extravagant promises?

We think not! They are being fulfilled among those of us who are still drinking—
Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, they will always materialize,
IF WE DRINK FOR THEM.

A sobering reminder of exactly what waits for me if I ever decide to pick up again. I needed to hear that. It was honest, dark, and true.

After the meeting—with some of my favorite women—I came home to clean the house. I hate cleaning, but I love that feeling afterward. Something about the smell of PineSol, deep cleaning, and good music makes everything feel lighter. Like clearing out not just the dust, but the mental clutter too.