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The 12 Bedevilments of Alcoholism: Identifying the Unmanageable Life (1939 Blueprint)

"We were having trouble with personal relationships, we couldn't control our emotional natures, we were a prey to misery and depression..." — Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 52

The Diagnosis: Are You Living the 12 Bedevilments?

In the 1939 Blueprint, the first 100 pioneers identified a specific set of symptoms that plague us when we are disconnected from a spiritual solution. These aren't just "bad days"—they are the technical definition of unmanageability.

  • Social Friction: Trouble with personal relationships.
  • Emotional Instability: Inability to control emotional natures.
  • The Dark Cloud: Prey to misery and depression.
  • Economic Failure: Inability to make a living.
  • Zero Worth: Feeling of uselessness.
  • The Fear Factor: Full of fear.
  • The Void: Unhappiness.
  • Isolation: Inability to help other people.

The Four Horsemen: The Breaking Point

Left untreated, these bedevilments lead directly to the Four Horsemen described on page 151: Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, and Despair. This is where the human spirit breaks, and the need for a Psychic Change becomes a matter of life or death.

Internal Study Resource: To understand why willpower cannot stop this cycle, see our deep dive on The Mental Blank Spot and the reality of The Insanity We Feel.

The 1939 Solution: A Design for Living

The 1939 Blueprint teaches us that we cannot "think" our way out of the bedevilments. We must act our way into a new way of thinking. This requires a fundamental shift—a physical and spiritual reset explained in The Doctor's Opinion.

The Transition: From Bedevilment to Freedom

The 1939 pioneers proved that we do not have to stay trapped in the "4 Horsemen" of terror and despair. When we apply the Program of Action, the 9th Step Promises begin to mirror and then replace the bedevilments. Where there was fear, there is now peace. Where there was uselessness, there is now a maximum service to others.

Next Step in the 1939 Blueprint:
Read The 9th Step Promises: A New Design for Living

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