We hated to admit that we could never drink safely. But in A.A. we finally gave up trying to control our drinking. What once had felt like a “solution” to our problems had become a “problem” beyond what we could ever have imagined. And often we were the last to know.
We discovered that we had an illness called alcoholism – often referred to by the medical community as “Alcohol Use Disorder.”
We found out that many people suffered from the same feelings of guilt, loneliness and hopelessness that we did.
We decided to get honest about what alcohol had done to us. And we shared our experience, strength and hope with others. And we have recovered by helping others do likewise. Without expense and never as reformers, we offer our experience only to those who want our help.
We in A.A. believe alcoholism is a disease that is no respecter of age, gender, creed, race, wealth, occupation, or education. Our experience shows that anyone can be an alcoholic. And, beyond question, anyone who wants to stop drinking is welcome in A.A.
Our sole object in publicity is to offer alcoholics who still suffer from this baffling malady a chance to get well. Individually, on media platforms at the public level, we are an “anonymous” group. We prefer to share about the program of A.A. rather than the “personalities” of the people who may be in it. Understanding that, newcomers are less reluctant about approaching us. If an A.A. member is identified in the media, we use first names only (such as Sofia M. or Ben T.) and only non-identifiable images. This helps to provide members with the security that anonymity can bring.
Whether in person or online — if you have a drinking problem — A.A. may be able to help. (There are no dues or fees.)
For more information about Alcoholics Anonymous visit www.aa.org. And download the Meeting Guide app.
For shared experience of A.A. members finding and maintaining sobriety, visit AA Grapevine https://www.aagrapevine.org/magazine.
SOURCE: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.