WHAT ABOUT AA?

This question was very frequently put to patients in the Donwood Institute, and is often asked by the same patients themselves. What is AA?

Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem, and help others recover from alcoholism.

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership. They are self-supporting

AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or insttitution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses or opposes any causes.

Their primary purpose is to stay sober, and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.

My first and important conclusion is that AA works. I can't say for sure that it works for everyone, but there are about one million people, many of whom were hopeless alcoholics caught up in the nightmare of uncontrolled drinking who are leading sober, useful lives in the fellowship of AA.

My second observation is that anybody can stop drinking, but it may only last an hour, or a day or so. The problem is to stay stopped, and to learn to live comfortably-and to this end we need help.

The program of AA is available across the continent, and over one hundred meetings are availablem weekly in Toronto. AA serves as a successful continuing therapy, teaching us a philosophy of life-how to cope with ourselves, and the people and forces around us on a daily basis, one day at a time.

In AA there are knowledgeable people, many with long-term sobriety who can help us with the recovery process, and perhaps one may fill our need for a"sponsor", a special person to whom we can relate, have respect for, trust in, and be close to-especially in the early days, weeks and months. Hopefully in time we, having received this kind of help are prepared to do the same for a new person coming along.

Some pre-judge AA - that it is composed of the worst kind of skid-row drunks - that they are hung up on God and religion, and that they are a bunch of "Bible-thumping" crusaders, etc. etc. There may be a very small percentage of people like this but the large majority represent a cross-section of all society.

I have met doctors, lawyers, cab drivers, laborers, agnostics and atheists, politicians, merchants, salesmen, writers, actors, athletes - fat, thin, black, white, yellow, old and young, bad and good (the good far outnumber the bad) - all kinds are there. Take your choice! Try a few groups until you find one you like - then get busy.

Remember, the "only" requirement for AA emembership is a desire to stop drinking. What have you got to lose? only your life!

ANONYMOUS