The ISM Factor + The Effect Produced

ISM:  Internal Spiritual Maladjustment

 

An Opinion about The ISM Factor and The Effect Produced by Alcohol

 

The dilemma of (self) diagnosing the spiritual disease of alcoholism can be likened to that of navigating a field of icebergs.  With about 10% visible, the most dangerous, problematic portions remain submerged from view, rendering the 90% that is obscured the most lethal portion. 

Treatment professionals, counselors, advocates, workers within the therapeutic community and people affected by our behavior see perhaps 10% of the real problem, or as we like to say "the tip of the iceberg."  They see what happens in relation to the allergy and the obsession for alcohol -- which is to suggest the results of our drinking...

[Remember the tragedy of HMS Titanic...it wasn't the visible portion of the iceberg which sank her.]

...they then focus on the problems related to the 10%.  As such, our recovery is all too often undone by the most deadly aspect, the 90% which remains obscured from view:  the spiritual malady.  We associate the 90% with The ISM Factor.  We believe this is the crux of the problem. 

In our experience, AA has the power to expose and treat the 90% which isn't visible, the spiritual malady, and in the process treats the 10% that is.  

As stated in the Big Book:  "...when the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically."  

ISM = Internal Spiritual Maladjustment, a dilemma characterized by conscious and/or unconscious separation (exacerbated by self-centered fear) from the idea, presence and/or the power of God within an individual; a conscious or unconscious separation from family, friends and or the world about... 

...a separation which manifests in the corruption and deterioration of an individuals system of beliefs and personal values, resulting in a continuous, unending frustration of self-will and an obsessive desire and drive to act, feel and be "normal."

We composed in the first person the following symptomatic description of The ISM Factor in alcoholism which we extrapolated from select works and writings of early AA pioneers who assisted Bill W. with writing the 12 Step essays found in AA's book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions:

Feeling I am different from my fellows -- I don't fit in, I don't belong, I feel apart from, I feel abnormal -- indicates the presence of an internal spiritual maladjustment;

These feelings suggest conscious and unconscious separation* from the idea, the presence and the power of God; conscious or unconscious separation from family, friends and the world about;

*Separation:  to act, feel or be -- isolated, withdrawn, set apart, solitary, disunited. 

This maladjustment presents a sensitive body of emotions influenced by a negative self.  My emotional development is impaired.  My thinking becomes progressively distorted -- dark and negative; 

The God given balance of my instincts for security, survival, ambition, safety, and protection is threatened; 

I exhibit childishness, grandiosity, emotional immaturity and belligerent denial;

The symptoms associated with this maladjustment are manifest in and exacerbated by self-centered fear, and my perception of and reaction to self-centered fear compounds my unmanageability; 

The results of my distorted thinking culminate in the deterioration and corruption of my system of beliefs and personal values, which spirals into a gradual, often imperceptible descent into "spiritual depression;"

I appear of my power and unaided resources incapable of rationally and reasonably overriding my mind and emotions, the results of which I expose and express in obsessive, compulsive, impulsive, and excessive desires and drives in daily living; 

My unrestrained excessive desires gradually develop into demands, resulting in self-defeating behavior that is injurious to myself and others; 

My behavior engages feelings of guilt, remorse and shame; I feel resentment, self pity and fear; 

My self-centeredness exacerbates feelings of separation.  This intensified separation leads me to be consumed with and baffled by feelings of difference, which is to suggest I don’t fit in, belong, or feel a part of; I feel separate from others; I feel abnormal and I often wonder (to myself) "what’s wrong with me, I feel different;"

I am maladjusted to life.  I vacillate between feelings of inferiority and superiority.  I live defensively and guarded.  I feel restless, irritable and discontent with life; I am ill-at-ease and subject to self-delusion.  I seek consciously or unconsciously an effect which will afford me a sense of relief extemporaneously.  Without relief and a solution, I condemn myself to live a continuous, unending frustration of self-will, with an obsessive desire (and drive) to act, feel, and be normal.   

Does that sound familiar to you?  

The longer we live with undetected, untreated alcoholism, the deeper seated our emotional and mental disorders become as the illness of alcoholism progresses.  As a result, there is very little hope for us unless and until we can freely admit and accept the idea we are a real alcoholic -- we are powerless over alcohol, and our life has become unmanageable -- and in turn surrender to the AA "way of life."  Let's take a look at the symptomatic nature of this chronic malady as it progresses into alcoholism.

Symptoms associated with The ISM Factor manifest in most sober alcoholics of our type as follows:

When I say I am an alcoholic, I am suggesting that even though I appear to be adult in years, I remain childish, grandiose, and gravely, emotionally immature;

As a going human concern, my natural state is growing anxiety, depression and fear.  Coupled with an intense desire for excitement, my feeling ill-at-ease is exacerbated by an obsessive, compulsive, impulsive, excessive, controlling, demanding need for attention, acceptance and approval, a condition of being which renders me restless, irritable and discontent with life; 

All of which suggests, spiritually speaking, I am maladjusted to life and -- to a greater or lesser degree -- in full flight from reality.

Dr. William 'Silky' Silkworth, Dr. Harry Tiebout, Rev. Sam Shoemaker and Fr. Ed Dowling, et al, suggest this maladjustment is expressed most significantly within my emotional and mental nature, and appears as such:

Mentally my thought life seems to be governed by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking and self-pity;

All of which drive me to live my life according to motives which are selfish, dishonest, self-seeking, inconsiderate, resentful and frightened;

These motives, left unattended in me, arouse and engage dangerous levels of pride, anger, envy, greed, lust, sloth and gluttony.  As a result I live with an acute awareness of my own person, presence and appearance;

Emotionally I am known to be "sensitive."  I have a strong tendency toward taking everything I see and hear personally!  It has also been suggested I do not like criticism and, strange as this seems, I can't stand praise!  Why?  Simply put, I don't like to be criticized and praise either embarrasses me or I feel it obligates me;

When it comes to suffering emotionally, I find I in fact do not like to suffer, I don't suffer well, and I don't .. suffer ... alone;

Socially I appear to be a bankrupt idealist and brooding perfectionist -- or self-righteous over-achiever feeling superior -- who lives defensively and guarded, in fear of being found out.  As such, I tend to rationalize, minimize, justify and deny my actions while casting blame upon people, circumstances, conditions and events in an effort to avoid detection;

In regards to my fellows, I consciously or unconsciously seek to control the people and conditions surrounding my arena of life.  My response to my fellows is I am quick to anger, slow to virtue, and I get a distinct, succinct delight -- and sometimes twisted pleasure -- out of criticizing and judging most every person I meet;

Personally speaking, my outstanding characteristic is defiance, and rebellion dogs my every step (at first). 

Individually these symptoms are often diagnosed as a variety of mental illness.  However collectively they suggest the presence of an internal spiritual maladjustment in our type alcoholic, a soul-sickness -- an illness of mind and emotion.

An abnormal, unusual, unconscious, extemporaneous effect produced by alcohol; an illusionary sensation of feeling, acting, and being natural, normal, adjusted.

An internal spiritual maladjustment evolves into alcoholism when the aforementioned symptoms are combined with alcohol and an extemporaneous effect takes place in the mind, which is to suggest an illusionary sensation of feeling, acting, and being natural, normal, adjusted. 

The extemporaneous effect produced by alcohol will often be accompanied by the phenomenon of craving. 

After an unpredictable number of drinks, we will consume more alcohol than we desired; we will pass beyond the effect produced by alcohol; we will begin to experience the occurrence of symptoms induced by alcohol; we will find it impossible to control the amount we drink and or we will not enjoy ourselves while trying to control the amount we drink; and we will find we are most often unable to stop when we want to.

As the effect produced by alcohol wanes, symptoms associated with The ISM Factor return unchecked in an exacerbated state.  A conscious (mental obsession) or unconscious (mental craving) desire to recall the original effect produced will take place in the mind, inciting a spontaneous craving for alcohol.  Having taken a drink, engaging the phenomenon of craving and out of control consumption of alcohol, coupled with an obsession to drink like normal drinkers, we drink to the point of losing everything worthwhile in life -- driving us to the brink of insanity, institutionalization, or death.   

Do you "identify"?    

AA co-founder Bill W. suggested, circa 1944, "when sober, half the AA fellowship appear in ordinary life to be normal in every regard -- they are able, intelligent, friendly people -- except for the effect alcohol has on them.  The other half (our type) appear in ordinary life as more or less pronounced neurotic (N.Y.S.J.M. -- 9 May '44)."  The latter we opine suffer to a greater or lesser degree symptoms associated with an internal spiritual maladjustment.  This suggests half the AA fellowship is affected by symptoms related to The ISM Factor when sober, the other half is not.

Would you like to know if an Internal Spiritual Maladjustment is symptomatically manifest within yourself in relation to the illness of alcoholism?  If so, click on 64 Questions©.  If you identify with the 64 Questions©, we want to invite you to attend a Step'n Ahead into Emotional Sobriety weekend workshop.