ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

Alcoholics Anonymous is not a "booze cure" or a psychological means of controlling one's excessive or obsessive drinking. It is a life-changing program, incepted from the Oxford Group movement during the mid 1930's. A.A. has modified the program for our own uses and affiliation.

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. Newcomers are not asked to accept or follow these Twelve Steps in their entirety if they feel unwilling or unable to do so.
2. They are usually 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.
3. A.A. members 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 is 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.

It is an informal fellowship of alcoholic men and women banded as a group for one purpose only-to help other alcoholics to recover from their illness. An alcoholic who feels and wants to change his/her life can comfortably accept and apply the 12 step program to his benefit. Nothing is asked of the alcoholic approaching us save a desire on his part to get well. There are no fees or dues nor any belief in any particular view. It is a stream lined concept of medicine, psychiatry, religion, and our own experience of drinking and being in recovery, which an alcoholic can accept and live a life free of the obsession to drink.

To do so, requires certain attitudes, willingness, and acts on our parts.

It is a suggestion only program of four distinct phases:

1) Need (admission).
2) Surrender (submission).
3) Restitution.
4) Construction and Maintenance.

Phase #1 - Is covered in Step 1 - "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable" – and there is a need for a change!

Phase #2 - Includes the 2nd through the 7th steps which constitutes the phase of submission or surrender. Since we could not manage our own lives, of ourselves, we found ourselves to be powerless over alcohol; we were encouraged that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Others fellows tell us their experiences and share their deepest feelings with us and they stand, sober, clean-eyed, useful, confident and with certain radiance we envy and really want for ourselves. So, we WANT to believe it!

Of course, some persons could conceivably be a bit more startled at first by the reference to "being restored to sanity," but most of us finally conclude that in hearing of some of the experiences our new friends had during their drinking careers were anything but the actions of a rational person, and when we reflect upon our own actions and deeds prior to our own introduction to A.A., it is not difficult to recognize that we too, were also pretty well left out in the field!

Step #3 - "We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God..."
This is the step, which tells the story as to whether we are going to be in A.A., or around A.A. Yes, we can attend meetings, visit the clubs, attend the social functions, but, unless we really take step #3, we are continuing to make up our own program.

So, here we are, making a decision which in itself is quite an accomplishment for the alcoholic, due to their incapacity to manage their own life due to their obsession - But - to make a decision to turn our life and our will over to the care of God is really asking very, very much of an alcoholic!

Rest assured, that if you are not ready and have not reached your "bottom" or extremity, and if you are not really "hurting more than you ever have," you are not about to take step #3. Another important feature enters here, in that you know now that there is a way out of your dilemma and this is bound to "work" on you as time goes on. You bring your body and mind will follow. At this point - your biggest problem is to overcome FEAR and "Let go and let God in."

Under the spiritual implications of the program it presents no difficulty to be accepted even by atheists and agnostics as we have found that strength can come out of weakness by relying on a individually understood Higher Power. Here this society of men and women understand each other by loosing the clamor of self in our great objective by learning patience, tolerance, honesty, humility and service to subdue our former masters of insecurity, resentment, and unsatisfied dream of power.

Prescription for sobriety consists of:

1. 12 steps practiced in all of our affairs-BB, p, 59-60
2. Trust Higher Power and clean house-BB, p, 98
3. Stay active in service-One day at a time for the rest of our life with a hand shake, smile and a hug as often as possible.

Recovery Guaranteed- Dr. Bob and Bill W.