Spiritus Contra Spiritum

Jung replied, "His craving for alcohol was the equivalent, on a low level, of the spiritual thirst of our being for wholeness, expressed in medieval language: the union with God." "You see," Jung wrote, "'alcohol' in Latin is spiritus, and you use the same word for the highest religious experience as well as for the most depraving poison. The helpful formula therefore is: spiritus contra spiritum." The phrase spiritus contra spiritum translates into the principle of using spiritual communion against the addiction of alcoholic spirits; substituting God (in whatever form that has meaning for that individual) for alcohol. When the use of alcohol or any other substance is motivated by Dionysus, a man or woman is seeking spiritual communion through these means; when this is the case, it's no wonder that a relationship with God helps bring about sobriety.

LINK - Bill Wilson's Letter To Dr. Carl Jung , Jan 23, 1961

LINK - Dr. Carl Jung's Letter To Bill Wilson, Jan 30, 1961

LINK - From Gods In Everyman by Jean Bolen