Interlude: Defining The Adversary
“The disease is outside doing one-armed push-ups just waiting for you, waiting to get you alone, because alone, you lose to the disease.”
— Matthew Perry
In AA, we say alcohol is “cunning, baffling, and powerful.” But many of us add a fourth trait: patient. It waits. It lurks. It rehearses. It trains. It does one-armed push-ups in the car park, just waiting for you to leave the meeting.
That image—made famous by Matthew Perry—is not just poetic. It’s real. And it’s not just addiction. It’s something deeper.
I call it The Adversary.
Not Satan. Not the devil. Those names are too loaded, too cartoonish. The Adversary is the anti-spirit. The force that works in direct opposition to God. If God is love, light, and truth, then The Adversary is distortion, darkness, and despair.
You don’t have to be religious to feel it. You don’t have to believe in God to know that something is pulling you away from your best self. Away from healing. Away from connection. Science can’t explain why alcohol feels like it has a personality. Why it seems to know your weaknesses. Why it waits for the perfect moment to strike—even after 15 years of sobriety.
Just ask Philip Seymour Hoffman. After 23 years sober, he relapsed and died from an overdose Or Dax Shepard, who relapsed after 16 years and spoke openly about the experience, recommitting to therapy and recovery These are not failures. They are reminders. The Adversary is patient. It waits for the moment you’re alone. The moment you’re tired. The moment you think you’ve won.
But naming it gives us power. Naming it allows us to fight.
This book is about recovery through God, AA, and AI. But it’s also about war. A spiritual war. A psychological war. A war against The Adversary. And if you’re reading this, you’re already fighting. You’re already winning.
INTERLUDE
About Jason Bresnehan
Jason is the founder of Evahan, a consultancy dedicated to helping individuals and organizations build both financial and legacy wealth. With over 30 years of leadership across sectors and continents, he brings commercial acumen, strategic insight, and lived experience to every engagement. His work spans business transformation, venture management, and M&A, always grounded in a belief that ideas—shared with clarity, balance, and respect—can improve individuals, families, communities, and society.
A strong advocate for freedom, limited government, and enterprise-driven progress, Jason also draws deeply from his personal recovery journey—an experience that reshaped his life and fuels his commitment to growth, contribution, and principled living. Through writing, speaking, and service, he continues to learn, share, and speak with purpose.
I can be engaged (on a remunerated or volunteer basis) to sit on Boards, Committees, Advisory and Reference Group Panels, and to speak to Business, Community, and Youth groups. I’m also open to providing comment to media on topics where I have relevant experience or insight. Please feel free to make contact.