Allergies

My counselor used an example that was very helpful to me in understanding my self. When alcohol, my body chemistry and my spiritual state combine, they create an allergic reaction. Some of this, I firmly believe is genetic (I am convinced alcoholism is passed in our DNA), part is chemical (alcoholics are proven to process alcohol differently than normal people- we are irreparably broken in this way), and part is spiritual. Regardless of the factors, it is an allergy. If I ingest alcohol it creates a series of horrendous effect which I cannot control. My Counselor said try to control alcoholism by willpower is the same as if a person with a peanut allergy decided that they were going to eat peanuts, but this time they were going to try really, really hard not to have the throat swell up and their breathing stop. It's a real puzzle. I cannot "try" my way out of alcoholism. I cannot "will my way through it". It's impossible. Oddly, the solution is to not try. If I don't try, I just let God handle it (and I must say he's been doing a pretty danged could job the last several days!). God's power is a power that surpasses anything I can ever do. I'm sorry that it took me so long to realize the solution to my problem was to not try at all.