The relative success of the A.A. program seems to be due to the fact that an alcoholic who no longer drinks has an exceptional faculty for "reaching" and helping an uncontrolled drinker.
In simplest form, the A.A. program operates when a recovered alcoholic passes along the story of his or her own problem drinking, describes the sobriety he or she has found in A.A., and invites the newcomer to join the informal Fellowship.
The heart of the suggested program of personal recovery is contained in Twelve Steps describing the experience of the earliest members of the Society:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Newcomers are not asked to accept or follow these Twelve Steps in their entirety if they feel unwilling or unable to do so.
They will usually be asked to keep an open mind, to attend meetings at which recovered alcoholics describe their personal experiences in achieving sobriety, and to read A.A. literature describing and interpreting the A.A. program.
A.A. members will usually emphasize to newcomers that only problem drinkers themselves, individually, can determine whether or not they are in fact alcoholics.
At the same time, it will be pointed out that all available medical testimony indicates that alcoholism is a progressive illness, that it cannot be cured in the ordinary sense of the term, but that it can be arrested through total abstinence from alcohol in any form
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Easy Does it..Keep It Simple..Let Go and Let God..
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 to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
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Easy Does it..Keep It Simple..Let Go and Let God..
Through the example and friendship of the recovered alcoholics in A.A., new members are encouraged to stay away from a drink "one day at a time," as everyone in A.A. does. Instead of "swearing off forever" or worrying about whether they will be sober tomorrow, people in A.A. concentrate on not drinking right now - today.
By keeping alcohol out of their systems, newcomers take care of one part of their illness - their bodies have a chance to get well. There is another part. If they are going to stay sober, they need healthy minds and healthy emotions, too. So they begin to straighten out their confused thinking and unhappy feelings by following A.A.'s "Twelve Steps" to recovery. These Steps suggest ideas and actions that can guide alcoholics toward happy and useful lives.
To be in touch with other members and to learn about recovery, new members go to A.A. meetings regularly.
What is an A.A. Meeting?
There are generally two types of A.A. meetings - open meetings and closed meetings.
At "open meetings," speakers tell how they drank, how they came to A.A., and how its program of recovery has helped them. Members may bring relatives or friends, and usually anyone interested in A.A. is also welcome to attend "open meetings."
"Closed meetings" are for alcoholics only. These are group discussions, and any members who want to may speak up, to ask questions and to share their thoughts with fellow members. At "closed meetings," members can get help with personal problems in staying sober and in everyday living. Some other members can explain how they have already handled the same problems - often by using one or more of the Twelve Steps.
The local A.A. meeting directory usually indicates whether a meeting is an open or closed A.A. meeting.
Why is A.A. "Anonymous"?
Over the years, anonymity has proved one of the greatest gifts that A.A. offers the suffering alcoholic. Without it, many would never attend their first meeting. Although the stigma has lessened to some degree, most newcomers still find admission of their alcoholism so painful that it is possible only in a protected environment. Anonymity is essential for this atmosphere of trust and openness.
Anonymity serves two different yet equally vital functions. First, at the personal level, anonymity provides protection for all members from identification as alcoholics, a safeguard often of special importance to newcomers. Secondly, at the level of press, radio, TV, and films, anonymity stresses the equality in the Fellowship of all members by putting the brake on those who might otherwise exploit their A.A. affiliation to achieve recognition, power, or personal gain.
Who Runs A.A.?
A.A. has no real government. Each group or meeting is free to work out its own customs and ways of holding meetings, as long as it does not hurt other groups or A.A. as a whole. An A.A. group or meeting may have officers but these officers do not give orders to anybody. Their job is to see that the A.A. group runs smoothly.
But the individual group is not cut off from the rest of A.A. Just as A.A. members help each other, so do A.A. groups. Three of the means they use to exchange help are the following:
Groups in the same area may set up a central office or "intergroup" office.
Groups everywhere share their experiences by writing to the A.A. General Service Office, in New York City.
Groups in the U.S. and Canada choose representatives to go to the A.A. General Service Conference, held once a year. All these A.A. offices and the representatives at the Conference make suggestions, based on the experiences of many different A.A. groups. But they do not make rules or issue commands to any groups or members.
What Can Families of Alcoholics Do?
A.A. is just for alcoholics, but two other fellowships can help their relatives. One is Al-Anon Family Groups. The other is Alateen, for teenagers who have alcoholic parents.
What A.A. Does Not Do
A.A. does not run membership drives to try to argue alcoholics into joining. A.A. is for alcoholics who want to get sober.
A.A. does not check up on its members to see that they don't drink. It helps alcoholics to help themselves.
A.A. is not a religious organization. All members are free to decide on their own personal ideas about the meaning of life.
A.A. is not a medical organization, does not give out medicines or psychiatric advice.
A.A. does not run hospitals, wards, or sanitariums or provide nursing services.
A.A. is not connected with any other organization. But A.A. does cooperate with organizations that fight alcoholism. Some members work for such organizations - but on their own - not as representatives of A.A.
A.A. does not accept money from sources outside A.A., either private or government.
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Easy Does it..Keep It Simple..Let Go and Let God..
