Hi Mary, thanks for reading and leaving a comment. I think the point of the essay is that you must define those things for yourself. So rather than seeking a source or “authority” outside of yourself to define that for you, I would encourage you to define that for yourself and to become the authority figure for your own definitions of love.

My problem with AA and other programs like it is that people who are going to AA are usually disempowered in some way — that’s why they seek alcohol — to mask or to forget some sort of internal pain whether it’s mental, emotional, or both. My goal with the essay is to empower people to find authority within themselves, to trust themselves, and to start peeling the layers as to why they seek out alcohol or other forms of dependency.