When the Obsession Changes Form

I explore a realization that has been unfolding throughout my sobriety: what if alcohol was only one expression of a much deeper appetite?Inspired by the statement on page 64 of the Big Book, “Our liquor was but a symptom. So we had to get down to causes and conditions,” I reflect on the many ways craving can change form after the obsession to drink has been lifted.Recovery, spirituality, service, knowledge, possessions, identity, and achievement all became opportunities to examine the same underlying force from a new perspective.Inspired by a conversation with a friend who described an insatiable hunger that could never quite be satisfied, I explore the difference between craving and a deeper longing that calls us inward.The object of desire may change.The masks may change.But what remains beneath them?