We have a 3 fold disease.

[Brock]

This is incorrect, we have a 2 fold illness. The spiritual disease stems from resentment & not from alcoholism. The spiritual malady is a human condition & not specific to the alcoholic. It even states this in your own Big Book, but you will be to blind or ignorant to accept this information.

Welcome to e-AA James, it’s a pity your first post is accusing another member of being blind or ignorant, I think we would be better off if you pointed to the area in the book which supports your two fold definition.

Maybe in my old age I am going a little blind, but I am not ignorant, and I read this in the chapter ‘How It Works,’ (I have highlighted a few words) -

Resentment is the "number one" offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.

The way I read that we certainly start off three fold – spiritual, mental & physical, when the spiritual is overcome we “straighten out mentally and physically.” Still three things!

[PaigeB]

That is how I see it too Brock, but I do wish that Jamesrichardson (hope that's not your real name anonymity & all) would discuss his views with the specific back up he has from the Big Book or other conference approved literature. I am always interested in spirituality & humanism.

[tomsteve]

This is incorrect, we have a 2 fold illness. The spiritual disease stems from resentment & not from alcoholism. The spiritual malady is a human condition & not specific to the alcoholic. It even states this in your own Big Book, but you will be to blind or ignorant to accept this information.

disease and malady mean the same thing.
so apparently a one fold illness?

[Roberth]

Hello James My name is Robert and I am a Los Angeles area alcoholic. You are certainly entitled to your opinion. But I did notice you said “It even states this in your own Big Book.” Makes me wonder if you have had a bad experience with AA.
AS for myself I didn’t and still don’t believe every word in the big book. I tried not to run around quoting it likes it was, but through trial and error I have found out that many things in the book are true in similar ways.
My alcoholic actions did corrupted my thinking and I was nowhere close to being n a spiritual path. Whether that is a spiritual disease or just being a butthead makes little different to me. What does make a difference to me it that I no longing had to drink and I am becoming a better person by doing the things the big book suggests.
Call it what you want but it doesn’t change my life experiences and that is all should be sharing anyways.

[Blue Moon]

That is how I see it too Brock, but I do wish that Jamesrichardson (hope that's not your real name anonymity & all) would discuss his views with the specific back up he has from the Big Book or other conference approved literature. I am always interested in spirituality & humanism.

It's all semantics. I've yet to see someone walk into AA who wasn't suffering from spiritual sickness. At that stage, who cares which symptom is cause or effect? "Hey, I'm unable to breathe as my lungs are full of smoke due to my pants being on fire". It's just not worth debating with them whether their lung problem was either causing or resulted from something else, what's required either way is Action.

In all this verbal masturbation, the only point really worth making is being overlooked: the problem is not alcohol. That is the only information the newcomer really needs to know; that if the problem is alcohol, they'd have fixed it already.