Pronunciation: PRAH-blum
Simple meaning
A problem is a difficulty, question, condition, or situation that needs to be understood or dealt with.
Today, people often use the word problem very broadly. A problem can mean anything from a small inconvenience to a serious life issue. In Big Book study, the word can carry more weight because it may point to more than one part of alcoholism.
Older meaning
Older dictionary definitions often describe a problem as a question proposed for solution, a difficult matter, or something that requires careful thought.
That older meaning matters because a problem is not always solved by naming one obvious symptom. A real problem may need to be understood more deeply before a solution makes sense.
Why this word matters
In Big Book reading, “problem” can be an important word because people may use it in different ways.
Sometimes people speak as if the alcoholic’s problem is simply alcohol. That is understandable, because alcohol is the visible and destructive part of the story.
But in Big Book study, the word can also point toward the condition of the alcoholic, the mental return to drinking, the physical reaction after drinking starts, and the spiritual or personal difficulties described throughout the book.
That does not mean alcohol is unimportant. It means the word “problem” may need to be read carefully in context.
Common misunderstanding
A common misunderstanding is to reduce the word problem to only one idea.
A person might say, “The problem is alcohol,” and stop there. Another person might say, “The problem is only spiritual,” and stop there.
In study, it may be more useful to ask:
What problem is being described in this sentence?
Is the text talking about drinking itself, the reaction to alcohol, the mental return to alcohol, the way of living, or the need for a solution?
Study note
This website works best with a copy of the Big Book in your hand. Look for the word “problem” in the Doctor’s Opinion and the first 164 pages. Notice whether the surrounding passage is talking about alcohol, the alcoholic, the mind, the body, spiritual condition, or the proposed solution.
Related words
alcoholic
allergy
craving
obsession
solution