Pronunciation: ob-SESH-un
Simple meaning
An obsession is a thought, idea, desire, or concern that keeps coming back and becomes hard to dismiss.
Today, people often use the word casually. Someone may say they are obsessed with a song, a hobby, or a favorite food. In Big Book study, the word is much more serious. It points to a mental condition or fixed idea that can overpower ordinary judgment.
Older meaning
Older dictionary definitions often describe obsession as the act of being beset, troubled, or dominated by a persistent idea or influence.
That older meaning matters because obsession is not just strong interest. It suggests something that holds the mind, returns again and again, and may be difficult to reason away.
Why this word matters
In Big Book reading, “obsession” helps explain why a person may return to alcohol even after painful consequences, sincere promises, or clear evidence that drinking has become dangerous.
The word points to the mental side of the problem.
A person may remember what happened last time. A person may truly want to stop. A person may even know that drinking again is risky. Yet the thought can return in a form that seems reasonable, harmless, necessary, or different this time.
That is why “obsession” is an important word to study carefully.
Common misunderstanding
A common misunderstanding is to think obsession means simply “thinking about alcohol a lot.”
In this study context, obsession is more than frequent thought. It can mean a persistent idea that becomes powerful enough to override memory, warning, pain, and common sense.
A useful question is:
Is this word describing ordinary temptation, or is it describing a mental condition that helps explain repeated return to drinking?
Study note
This website works best with a copy of the Big Book in your hand. Look for the word “obsession” in the first 164 pages and nearby discussion, then compare the word’s older meaning with how it is used in context.
Related words
craving
allergy
phenomenon
problem
insanity