Why Dogs Don’t Become Alcoholics or Addicts
And the reason millions of us love dogs unconditionally
Image credit: Author
Meet Under Dog Jones, the legendary rescue mutt who lives in our small home and who everyone knows in our neighborhood. When I met him just over a decade ago, it was love at first sight. I had just lost my dear father, who returned to the heavens.
Losing people we love is more challenging for us than for them. Lost in a tsunami of emotions. I was sad. My wife and I were unsure if we would have another dog. The children were grown, living independently, and life was simple. But one day, I thought to myself and told my wife, “Let’s go to the pet rescue place and see if we can find a dog.”
Trip to the Rescue Shelter
Within a few hours, we arrived at a local animal shelter. The woman who rescued him named him Pinnochio. I said, “May I take him for a walk to see how we get along?” They said, “Of course.”
With a makeshift leash in hand, we began our first walk together. Everyone’s best guess was that he was shy of a year old. Even though he was a small dog, maybe 12 pounds, I was sure he thought he saw himself as being massive.
Watching him as we walked, I prayed for a new name that would suit him well. Before we returned to the woman who had rescued him, I received a download from the heavens and proudly said, “His name is Under Dog Jones.” We completed the paperwork and began our love affair that day.
Even today, it is hard to know why Under Dog is admired and well-known in our neighborhood. Dog people are funny. When we cross paths, we know the dogs’ names but seldom the master’s.
His personality is magnetic, he is always happy, and his name is easy to remember. I take no credit either way. I only know I love him unconditionally; he makes me, my wife, and everyone else happy.
Unconditional Love Is Selfless
Like all dogs loved by their master, Under Dog Jones wags his tail and radiates unconditional love for all. He never thinks about himself like humans. Therefore, he and other dogs will not become like me or the many I know as alcoholics or drug addicts.
Dogs and other animals don’t fall into the abyss of addiction because they are selfless. Dogs are not cursed or blessed with the same consciousness humans have—human consciousness, when transcendent, is the greatest blessing we achieve.
Sure, dogs can feel fear, anxiety, and depression due to the abandonment or abuse of a broken, torn master. But once loved and fed, they will almost always return to the love that calls us to love them.
Humans Can Be the Problem
Humans are selfish. Every good alcoholic and addict living in 12-step recovery knows what the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says about selfishness.
It emphasizes that selfishness is the root cause of problems in the lives of alcoholics. It describes selfishness and self-centeredness as the core of the alcoholic’s troubles, stating that it leads to resentment, fear, and harmful actions that perpetuate the cycle of addiction.
Chapter 5, How It Works, states: “Selfishness — self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate.”
Our selfish behavior creates conflict and damages relationships, exacerbating feelings of isolation and despair.
The Big Book emphasizes the importance of addressing selfishness to achieve recovery: “Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us! God makes that possible. And there often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid.”
A Higher Power Shows Us the Way
The words underscore the reliance on a Higher Power (as the individual understands it) to help overcome selfishness.
Recovery involves a shift from self-centered thinking to focusing on helping others. Practicing the Twelve Steps, particularly Steps 4 (self-inventory), 5 (confession), 8–9 (making amends), and 12 (service to others), is designed to reduce selfish tendencies and promote selflessness.
The Big Book identifies selfishness as a significant obstacle to recovery and teaches that by seeking spiritual growth and helping others, individuals can transform their lives and achieve freedom from addiction.
12 Steps for All Of Us
I’m convinced everyone can benefit from understanding the universal power of recovery programs worldwide.
Making the twelve steps a spiritual way of living makes us more like dogs and closer to the God of our understanding. Under Dog Jones, a small but spirited rescue mutt, walked into my life when I was drowning in grief over my father’s passing.
His joyful, magnetic personality was a gift from the heavens that healed my heart and taught me profound lessons about love and selflessness. Unlike humans, dogs don’t struggle with addiction or selfishness.
They live in the present, radiating unconditional love without the burden of self-centered thinking. In contrast, humans, as emphasized in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, often suffer from selfishness — the root of addiction and despair.
Overcoming the Addiction to Selfishness
Like alcohol and drugs, selfishness is a drug that is universal. In that regard, we can learn to become less selfish when we see the cost.
Addiction thrives on self-obsession, fear, and resentment. Still, recovery requires a shift toward selflessness, spiritual growth, and service to others. Under Dog Jones reminds me daily of the beauty of a life unclouded by ego or addiction.
Dogs love freely, without expecting anything in return, and their selflessness calls us to love them just as unconditionally. Maybe that’s why they’re so easy to adore — and why their wagging tails hold lessons for healing our human hearts.
I write about the art of human transformation, consciousness, spiritual evolution, transcending suffering, and mental health. Learn about my executive and strategic communications work at www.CliffordJones.com.