--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men and women drink essentially because…" description: "\"“Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_change_men-and-women-drink-essentially-because_1907762.jpg" --- # Men and women drink essentially because they like the… ![“Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the true from the false. To them, their alcoholic life seems the only normal one. They are restless…” quote by Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_change_men-and-women-drink-essentially-because_1907762.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_change_men-and-women-drink-essentially-because_1907762.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_change_men-and-women-drink-essentially-because_1907762.jpg) > ““Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the true from the false. To them, their alcoholic life seems the only normal one. They are restless, irritable and discontented, unless they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks—drinks which they see others taking with impunity. After they have succumbed to the desire again, as so many do, and the phenomenon of craving develops, they pass through the well-known stages of a spree, emerging remorseful, with a firm resolution not to drink again. This is repeated over and over, and unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery. On the other hand—and strange as this may seem to those who do not understand—once a psychic change has occurred, the very same person who seemed doomed, who had so many problems he despaired of ever solving them, suddenly finds himself easily able to control his desire for alcohol, the only effort necessary being that required to follow a few simple rules.”” [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Alcohol creates a fleeting sense of comfort that masks its harm, leading to cycles of craving, remorse, and attempts at control, until a profound mental shift enables lasting sobriety. **In simple terms:** Alcohol feels good but is harmful; change requires a deep mental shift. Key Takeaway Seek a true psychological transformation for lasting recovery. Themes addiction craving recovery psychic change self‑control Mood reflective hopeful serious Type advice inspirational psychological When to use this quote - rehabilitation programs - support groups - personal therapy - relapse prevention - self‑help strategies Key Concepts behavioral psychology habit formation mindset shift Questions to Reflect On - What inner beliefs keep you tied to harmful habits? - How can you foster a lasting mindset shift? A Different Perspective A mere willpower approach often fails without deeper mental change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-duncan-silkworth/men-and-women-drink-essentially-because-they-like-the-effect-produced-2/) [William Duncan Silkworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-duncan-silkworth/) > [“I actually wanted a drink, besides feeling that I had to have a drink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-actually-wanted-a-drink-besides-feeling-that-i-had-to-have-a-drink/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Unfortunately, he still hadn’t asked for my number, or a date, or my hand in marriage, and my drink was getting low.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-novosel/unfortunately-he-still-hadn-t-asked-for-my-number-or-a-date-or-my/) [Kimberly Novosel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-novosel/) > [Have you not heard it said full oft, A woman's nay doth stand for naught?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/have-you-not-heard-it-said-full-oft-a-woman-s-nay-doth-stand-for/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Faced with armed men and women and stuck in theater seats while things exploded right outside, the audience tended more toward terror than analysis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-kay/faced-with-armed-men-and-women-and-stuck-in-theater-seats-while/) [Elliott Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-kay/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“One had heard and read a great deal about death, and even seen a little of it, and knew by heart the thousand commonplaces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/one-had-heard-and-read-a-great-deal-about-death-and-even-seen-a/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [Relationships are never more important than your own self worth and if you don't have that then any relationship is worthless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/relationships-are-never-more-important-than-your-own-self-worth-and/) Enhance Dreams > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [“I like men and women who don't fit well in the dominant culture, or, as Alvar de Campos calls them, strangers in this place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/i-like-men-and-women-who-don-t-fit-well-in-the-dominant-culture-or-as/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [I never knew a man who deserved to be thought well of for his morals who had a slight opinion of our Sex in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/i-never-knew-a-man-who-deserved-to-be-thought-well-of-for-his-morals/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Hats off to starting a franchise younger than we all did in 'Twilight' and keeping your cool. The 'Harry Potter' men and women had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellan-lutz/hats-off-to-starting-a-franchise-younger-than-we-all-did-in-twilight/) [Kellan Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellan-lutz/) > [“Galton’s gospel of eugenics found fertile soil in Britain, in the intellectual salons of Europe, and in the United States. Beginning in the early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-loconte/galton-s-gospel-of-eugenics-found-fertile-soil-in-britain-in-the/) Joseph Loconte ## More by Alcoholics Anonymous > [“and I actually talked about God, the one who had abandoned me when I was very little, very frightened, and very hurt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/and-i-actually-talked-about-god-the-one-who-had-abandoned-me-when-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“New Year’s resolutions I recycled for a dozen years while my drinking and my life kept getting worse. Alcohol had enslaved me. 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I was full of fear. I was afraid to tell others what I felt lest they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-wondered-how-this-misery-would-end-i-was-full-of-fear-i-was-afraid/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“I tried everything. I moved a thousand miles away from home to Chicago and a new environment. I studied art; I desperately endeavored to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-miles-away-from-home-to-chicago/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Dishonest thinking, prejudice, ego, antagonism toward anyone and everyone who dares to cross him, vanity, and a critical attitude are character defects that gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/dishonest-thinking-prejudice-ego-antagonism-toward-anyone-and/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“We must lose our fear of creditors no matter how far we have to go, for we are liable to drink if we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/we-must-lose-our-fear-of-creditors-no-matter-how-far-we-have-to-go/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“So I continued spinning fantasies, and now alcohol fueled my dreams. I would make great discoveries, win the Nobel Prize in medicine and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/so-i-continued-spinning-fantasies-and-now-alcohol-fueled-my-dreams-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Above all, I am grateful to A.A. for my sobriety, which means so much to my family, friends, and business associates, because God and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/above-all-i-am-grateful-to-a-a-for-my-sobriety-which-means-so-much-to/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) [Explore all 105 Alcoholics Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the true from the false. To them, their alcoholic life seems the only normal one. They are restless, irritable and discontented, unless they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks—drinks which they see others taking with impunity. After they have succumbed to the desire again, as so many do, and the phenomenon of craving develops, they pass through the well-known stages of a spree, emerging remorseful, with a firm resolution not to drink again. This is repeated over and over, and unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery. 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