This isn't a new point for me, but something recently struck me with regard to the gap between the description of alcoholics in the Big Book and the description of alcoholics in meetings.
Check this out (from Chapter Two):
His disposition while drinking resembles his normal nature but little. He may be one of the finest fellows in the world. … He is often perfectly sensible and well-balanced concerning everything except liquor, ... He often possesses special abilities, skills, and aptitudes, and has a promising career ahead of him. He uses his gifts to build up a bright outlook for his family and himself, …
In other words, this is not someone who is dumb, mad, neurotic, disorganised, incompetent, antisocial, traumatised, or otherwise a failed human being. His drinking may cause him to display such characteristics, but these are at odds with his basic disposition.
There are several important points that I learn from this:
(1) Step One's unmanageability describes the problems arising out of being an out-of-control drinker, not the individual's general disposition or life-skill level.
(2) If one happens to have problems in other areas, that's too bad, but it's not alcoholism. Not all alcoholics have such problems; not all people with such problems have alcoholism.
(3) Treating alcoholism requires building a relationship of trust and service with God, and that requires turning anything else going on in one's life over to God, along with the alcoholism. The universal spiritual malady (which varies greatly in manifestation and extent from person to person), essentially the enthronement of self in the place of God, is co-occurring with, not a component of, alcoholism.
(4) The God-based approach to life will coincidentally solve all of the other problems as well.
(5) Any sponsee that is apparently reasonably sensible and well-balanced in their life generally may well be telling the truth. They do not need to be brought down a peg or two or induced to construe themselves as incompetent at living in order to take Step One and then proceed with the programme.
(6) This brings alcoholism down to its two components: the madness of having the first drink and the virtually unstoppable vicious circle once the first drink is taken.