“an extreme example of self-will run riot” (Chapter 5, Big Book)
Surrendering to impulse (rather than asking God for the right action and getting on with it) is a good, and perhaps the prime, example of self-will.
Every time I surrender to an impulse, I am giving one more seat in the assembly to the Impulse Party
Impulses can be overridden at will whilst there is a majority in the assembly for the Higher Values Party.
But all it takes is for the Impulse Party to get one too many seats and acquire a majority, and the ability to override impulses is lost.
This loss can be permanent, if the impulse is to relapse.