January 20: The Way That Seems Right

“I’m not that bad.” “I never drink before five.” “I still go to work.” Do any of these sound familiar?

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Solomon isn’t talking about obviously foolish paths. He is talking about the ones that seem right. The ones that make sense in the moment. The ones we can defend.

Denial rarely sounds crazy. It sounds reasonable. It compares you to someone worse. It points to everything you still have: the job, the car, the family. It sets rules, like only beer, only weekends, never alone. Then it quietly breaks those rules and makes new ones.

If you’re unsure whether you belong in recovery, here is a simple, honest test. Try to drink a set amount, say two drinks, every day for a few weeks, and never more. Or try not drinking at all for a month. If you can’t do one of those, that tells you something. Many people run this test and are surprised by the result. Others can’t even bring themselves to try it, which also tells them something.

Step One isn’t asking you to accept a label someone else puts on you. It’s asking you to look at the evidence and stop arguing with it. You don’t have to say “alcoholic” until you’re ready. But you do have to stop telling yourself the way you’re on seems right, when it keeps leading somewhere you don’t want to go.

Denial also hides in comparison. “At least I’m not like him.” But your recovery doesn’t depend on how you measure against the worst drunk you know. It depends on whether alcohol is running your life.

The end of Solomon’s proverb is stark. That’s not to scare you. It’s because love tells the truth. God loves you enough to show you where the road goes before you get there.

One thing today

Write down every rule you’ve ever made about your drinking. Next to each one, write whether you kept it. Look at the list with God.

A prayer

Lord, I’m good at making my way seem right. Cut through my excuses. Show me the truth, and give me the courage to stop arguing with it.

Wondering how God sees drinking itself? Read is drinking a sin? More on Step One.

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