On July 18, I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that began at 8:00 pm. It was scheduled as an open discussion meeting. I had researched online various times, locations, and types of meetings in the city. The meeting was in a local church named Jonhus church located on 74th street between First and Second Avenue. The meetings themselves were located in the basement of the church. I thought that the meeting would be held in a big, open, spacious room filled with people from what I may have seen an A.A. meeting looks like on television or in movies, but it was not over 40 people came.
While at this meeting I realized that the most impressive success in coping with alcoholism had been achieved by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). The effectiveness of this group in helping individual alcoholics is based on what amounts to a change. Alcoholics are led to this experience through companionship with others like themselves; some of them who have already mastered their problem while others are in the process of doing so. Privacy is an important factor in all-AA meetings no video cameras or any tape recorders are allowed in meeting areas.
The first thing that occurred was the young man gave us a quick history about how in 1935 Alcoholics Anonymous was founded. A stockbroker named Bill and a surgeon Dr.Bob founded the program, both were helpless alcoholics. The two had
initially both belonged to the Oxford Group, a nonalcoholic fellowship headed by an Episcopal clergyman, Dr. Samuel Shoemaker. Dr. Shoemaker and an old friend Ebby together helped Bill to get sober. Working also helped Bill. Dr. Bob however did not have the same initial success, but when he finally met Bill, he told him what he had learned from Dr. Silkworth; that alcoholism was a problem of the mind, emotions and body (Alcoholics Anonymous). Dr. Bob responded well to these ides introduced by Bill, he soon got sober, and never drank again. The two men began work with other alcoholics at the City Hospital in Akron, Ohio, and one patient became sober right away. Together these men made up the first group of A.A., and shortly thereafter groups formed in several different locations.
Then he started talking about the heart of Alcoholics Anonymous, which is in The Twelve Steps. This program is a program of personal recovery. The organization insists that drinkers face up to their shortcomings and the realities of life and when possible, make amends with people that they have hurt in the past. It takes time for an individual to come to terms with their problem, and that by going to meetings and listening to A.A.
members, they too may begin to heal. The one prerequisite for new members is
that they must stop drinking. The organization also concentrates on building up alcoholics self esteem and reassuring them of their basic worth as a human being. Only then, can a new life, an alcohol-free life can begin. The importance of anonymity is also stressed as part of the organization. A person’s identity is not disclosed to outsiders. This support is also available during time of crisis, when a relapse seems likely, and on a year-round basis through meetings that the alcoholic may attend as often as necessary.
He then went into a sort of personal testimony where he talked about his addiction to alcohol, which one key statement he said caught my attention. He knows that the fear and apprehension one feels in entering alcohol treatment is hard, but after he overcame this, he realized that he had to help others with their extensive personal experience with their dependency on alcohol. Then he listed a Preamble of Alcoholics Anonymous. It consisted of Alcoholics Anonymous being 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 a desire to stop drinking.
He then went to explain that there are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA 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. His primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety (AA Forum). He explained that most of the AA meetings are in small groups and made a joke, which enabled the group to become close and hear each other’s problems. He then went to state that Alcoholics Anonymous has also created special groups to deal with teenage and young adult drinkers. It has also established programs to aid nonalcoholic spouses and the children of alcoholics. One example of a teen program would be Alateen this group is for young people whose lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking.
There are no dues or fees for members of Alcoholics Anonymous. A hat was passed at the meeting for voluntary contributions. I guest it was used to offset the cost of rental for meeting places, coffee, etc. He said that another source of income is raised from the sale of books and literature. I asked him, how much can a person contribute? He stated that, “an individual is allowed to, but not expected to contribute, 1000 a year.” However, contributions are not accepted from non-members because the group strives to be fully self-supporting.
It appeared to me that AA is one of the most successful large-scale programs for dealing with alcoholism. According to the AA credo, it is essential for addicts to acknowledge their lack of control over alcohol use and abstain from all alcoholic beverages for the rest of their lives. This approach sees alcoholism as an allergy in which even one drink can produce an intolerable craving for more.
Alcoholics Anonymous sets out to do three things:
1. A.A. members share their experience with anyone seeking help with a drinking
problem; they give person-to-person service or "sponsorship" to the alcoholic
coming to A.A. from any source.
2. The A.A. program, set forth in our Twelve Steps, offers the alcoholic a way
to develop a satisfying life without alcohol.
3. This program is discussed at A.A. group meetings (AA Forum).
The instructor stated at the end that AA conducts different types of meetings. The particular meeting that I attended is an open speaker meeting which are open to both alcoholics and nonalcoholic. In this type of meeting, the members of A.A. share their stories, their problems with alcohol, what brought them there, and how their life has modified since attending A.A. The other type of open meeting is a discussion meeting. A member discusses briefly his or her experiences with alcohol, and then leads a discussion on recovery or another alcohol related problem brought up by someone at the meeting. Closed discussion meetings are the same as open discussion meetings, but are for alcoholics and prospective A.A. members/ people who may have drinking problems only. There are also step meetings, which are normally closed. At these meetings one of the Twelve Steps are discussed.
Alcoholics Anonymous has expanded its locations to include holding meetings in both correctional, and treatment facilities. By doing this, they are able to
extend help to people who are in needed, but unable to go to meetings. Obviously,
people in jail or prison cannot leave to attend regularly scheduled meetings. These meetings also help patients in treatment facilities. They are in treatment and recovering, but also are receiving counseling and/or therapy along with being able to attend meetings. The Alcohol Safety Action Project (A.S.A.P.) and Driving While Intoxicated (D.W.I.) may have Alcoholics Anonymous members conducting informational meetings as part of their programs. These are not regular A.A. group meetings, but informational meetings about A.A. You can tell that A.A. helps people by its voluntary nature; I think that this contributes to its success; however, it is unlikely that this approach, with its insistence on total abstinence could be applied successfully to all alcoholics. This is where I realized that through the participation in these group meetings, the participant is moved from denial of his or her condition to a realistic awareness of the addiction process with its interactions with the participant’s daily life.
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