The Doctor's Opinion (Continued)
J: Prior to this time, in 1935, the world did not understand alcoholism. As Charlie said, it was more or less the nonalcoholics trying to determine what was wrong with the alcoholic. Since the beginning of time, this was one of the greatest problems that has faced Man. We can go all the way back to the Bible. We find many great explanations. Many people have been trying to find out: what is wrong with those people? We go back to Proverbs.
I love Solomon, who is credited with writing Proverbs, (He gives) one of the earliest, one of the greatest descriptions of alcoholism. Seems like somebody might have asked Solomon. Solomon was a great mind, he could solve most problems. But he couldn't handle this one.
C: He was the social worker of that day.
J: He was the social worker of his time. People brought him all kinds of problems. Solomon in Proverbs 23: 29 said, who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has wounds without cause? He said, they that tarry long at the wine.
C: They were all winos in those days. (laughter)
J: Back in those days everybody--they didn't have nothing but wine--everybody was a wino. And he went on to describe (that) he would be as one who lieth down in the midst of the sea. You know, you're tossing around a lot. Or sleeping at the top of a mast. You know the meat of a ship. You will say they have beaten me and I felt it not. You know, the next morning you feel like somebody was beating on you. And he sure knew some of us fellows, because he said, shine eyes shall behold strange women. (laughter) And thy heart will utter perverse things.
Then he made a final statement. It's wisdom is profound. Because in his final statement he says, but still yet, they will rise in the morning and seek it yet again. That description would fit the alcoholics of 1987. It's wisdom. He knew it, and he could describe it, but he didn't understand it. (See the end of this transcription of Tape 1B for a different translation of this passage) None of the great minds down through history understood alcoholism.
