“Though we work out our solution on the spiritual as well as an altruistic plane, we favor hospitalization for the alcoholic who is very jittery or befogged. More often than not, it is imperative that a man’s brain be cleared before he is approached, as he has then a better chance of understanding and accepting what we have to offer.” (The Doctor’s Opinion, Big Book)
To track an animal, one might profitably look for the tracks it has left, then follow them.
If they’re worn away by rain or other interference, tracking becomes very hard.
My emotions are the tracks left by my thinking.
The resentment and fear inventories rely wholly on the availability of emotion (resentment and fear).
The conduct and relationship inventories rely in great part on the availability of emotion (guilt and shame).
Alter or erase these, and the inventories are hampered greatly or become entirely impossible.
This is why, to make progress, I must avoid anything that alters or erases emotions.