Broken Yet Blessed: The Power of Hitting Rock Bottom

Engineers test things to find out how strong they are. They have destructive and non-destructive testing processes.

Destructive testing pushes the thing till it is destroyed.

If you destructively test the strength of a beam, you pile weight on it until it breaks. If you destructively test an engine, you run it at full speed until it breaks down. The engineers then know the strength and tolerance of the beam or the engine.

Non-destructive testing is more nuanced. You push the thing hard, but stop before it breaks. This gives them a reasonable fix on the breaking point with the added advantage of having the beam or engine still intact.

Alcoholics are like engineers. They have destructive and non-destructive testing processes. Some conduct a destructive test to confirm they have a problem. They destroy their lives, and sometimes, just to be sure, go past that point. They arrive at AA ready to change. The clarity that destructive testing reveals is an advantage as they begin Recovery.

We also see examples of non-destructive testing. For example, alcoholics who have been confronted and threatened with consequences like jail, divorce or treatment before reaching the breaking point.

In the language of AA, they got off the garbage truck before it reached the dump. They saw the dump, but they did not live in the dump. They may not be entirely convinced.

Destructive tests are beyond doubt. They saw the dump and lived in the dump. They are more desperate than someone who has only seen the dump.

Blessed then are the addicts or alcoholics who have been broken, for they know the problem and are desperate for the solution.

Because eventually, every addict and alcoholic finds a bottom.