FAQ
This leaflet is intended for people approaching Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) for the first time. In it we have tried to answer the questions most frequently in the minds of newcomers — the questions which were in our minds when we first approached the Fellowship.
Am I an alcoholic?
If you repeatedly drink more than you intend or want to, if you get into trouble, or if you have memory lapses when you drink, you may be an alcoholic.
Only you can decide. No one in AA will tell you whether you are or not.
What can I do if I am worried about my drinking?
Seek help. Alcoholics Anonymous can help.
What is Alcoholics Anonymous?
We are a Fellowship of men and women who have lost the ability to control our drinking and have found ourselves in various kinds of trouble as a result of drinking.
We attempt — most of us successfully — to create a satisfying way of life without alcohol. For this we find we need the help and support of other alcoholics in AA.
If I go to an AA meeting, does that commit me to anything?
No. AA does not keep membership files, or attendance records. You do not have to reveal anything about yourself. No one will bother you if you don’t want to come back.
What happens if I meet people I know?
They will be there for the same reason you are there. They will not disclose your identity to outsiders.
At AA you retain as much anonymity as you wish. That is one of the reasons we call ourselves “Alcoholics Anonymous.”
What happens at an AA meeting?
An AA meeting may take one of several forms, but at any meeting you will find alcoholics talking about what drinking did to their lives and personalities, what actions they took to help themselves, and how they are living their lives today.
How can this help me with my drinking problem?
We in AA know what it is like to be addicted to alcohol, and to be unable to keep promises made to others and ourselves that we will stop drinking.
We are not professional therapists. Our only qualification for helping others to recover from alcoholism is that we have stopped drinking ourselves, but problem drinkers coming to us know that recovery is possible because they see people who have done it.
Why do AA’s keep on going to meetings after they are cured?
We in AA believe there is no such thing as a “cure” for alcoholism. We can never return to normal drinking, and our ability to stay away from alcohol depends on maintaining our physical, mental, and spiritual health.This we can achieve by going to meetings regularly and putting into practice what we learn there.
How do I join AA?
You are an AA member if and when you say so. The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking, and many of us were not very wholehearted about that when we first approached AA.
How much does AA membership cost?
There are no dues or fees for AA membership. An AA group will usually have a collection during the meeting to cover expenses, such as rent, coffee, etc., and to this all members are free to contribute as much or as little as they wish.
Is AA a religious organization?
No. Nor is it allied with any religious organization.
There’s a lot of talk about God, though, isn’t there?
The majority of AA members believe that we have found the solution to our drinking problem not through individual willpower, but through a power greater than ourselves.
However, everyone defines this power as he or she wishes. Many people call it God, others think it is the AA group, still others don’t believe in it at all. There is room in AA for people of all shades of belief and nonbelief.
Can I bring my family to an AA meeting?
Family members or close friends are welcome at “Open” AA meetings. Discuss this with your local contact.
What advice do you give new members?
In our experience, the people who recover in AA are those who:
(a) stay away from the first drink
(b) attend AA meetings regularly
(c) seek out the people in AA who have successfully stayed sober for some time
(d) try to put into practice the AA program of recovery
How can I contact AA?
Look for Alcoholics Anonymous in your local telephone directory. These telephones are answered by AA volunteers who will be happy to answer your questions, or put you in touch with those who can. If there is no AA telephone service close to you, write or phone the AA General Service Office.
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Our staff are very dedicated to helping people drinking problem. Firstly, most of the time, it is not the drugs or alcohol that is the problem. An alcoholic may end up losing their jobs, and therefore can not become a livelihood, which exposes the family problems that can affect their livelihoods. Most alcoholics have an inherited, genetic predisposition to the problem. Alanon was created to provide support and encouragement to the family and friends of alcoholics and people with addiction problems. Our goal is to explain how we met this problem alcohol and be rejected.
Taking the third step and committing to it, then we are giving us a solid base for the necessary changes can be made and this is the path to freedom from addiction. The bottom line is that … if you have a problem with alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling or some other addiction, there is hope! You are playing a crucial role in this battle together against alcohol dependence should not underestimate what you can do. After all, step 1 is the only one who talks about your addiction. The majority of these alternative programs based on their aid also recognizing that alcoholism and addiction are not diseases. If we compare the cultures of addiction globally, we find radically different social relations that provide static radically different.
Initially based on the action plan Alcoholics Anonymous for the treatment of addiction and recovery from addiction problems related to the 12 steps have been incorporated in many other healing programs such as Overeaters Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous, executioners anonymous work, and much more. ) Is a recovery program in 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous that welcomes everyone with an eating disorder. Addiction Services and the Twelve Steps Program All these services use the famous Twelve Step Program outlined in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More than one hundred men have recovered from alcoholism which was published in 1939. Behavioral problems such as constraint and / or addiction to, gambling, crime, food, sex, hoarding, debting and work are addressed in fellowships such as Gamblers Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Sex Addicts compulsive Anonymous on sex and love anonymous Sexaholics Anonymous. The group called itself the Alcoholics Anonymous and today they have meetings about 90,000 worldwide (Big Book xii). Overeaters Anonymous debuted at Rozanne S. a friend to a Gamblers Anonymous meeting. After AA adopted this concept, many other groups such as "Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Cocaine Anonymous (CA), Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA), Gamblers Anonymous (GA), and Overeaters Anonymous (OA)" decided adopt the model of the disease in their programs as well (Stevens and Smith, 2009).
For me, this is a story of redemption, acceptance and love, and none of this would have been possible without strict adherence to the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve. "Steps one, two and three AA claim, rather simplistic," I can not, he can not let that happen. If you are already in a program of Alcoholics Anonymous, plan ahead for your trip or move. Alcoholics Anonymous meetingsis able to help thousands of people to flee handbags alcoholism. There are Alcoholics Anonymous, where AA members are given a model spiritual healing. This is possible thanks to the brotherhood of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Our staff are very dedicated to helping people drinking problem. "The problem with this is that they do not want to stop drinking alcohol and are very satisfied with the lives they have this time. Alcohol often begins either as a social habit or for a respite from problems and worries. The problem is that personal interventions do not always work. Make it clear to him that whatever happens will be on him, then he has to face the problem head on. Voluntary intervention sometimes works with these people, but in many cases it is not because the person has lost the ability to understand how serious the problem is.
"Steps one, two and three AA claim, rather simplistic," I can not, he can not let that happen. In a good alcoholic anonymous meetings, we invite you to discover the meetings as well as the problems associated with one another. In fact, 45% of those who attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings never return after their first meeting. This is possible thanks to the brotherhood of Alcoholics Anonymous. I read many occasions devotion, and found it a very interesting way to refer to "old school" days when AA and AA pioneers spent a lot of time every day, not only the study of the Bible, but also with the Bible in their devotions quiet times. Anyone who enters a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous worldwide is welcome.