Alcoholics Anonymous Information
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When most people
think of Alcoholics Anonymous and their well-known traditions such as the 12 Traditions, the 12 Steps, and the
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, the one conclusion many of them reach is that with Alcoholics Anonymous help is
always close by and available for people who are concerned about stopping their drinking and reclaiming their
lives.
Indeed, due to the vast number of Alcoholics Anonymous groups located throughout the world, a
person can find an Alcoholics Anonymous organization virtually anywhere in the world.
What is Alcoholics Anonymous and What is Their Early History?
The Early History of Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the
largest self-help organization in the world with meetings virtually everywhere on the planet.
AA was founded by two men in the 1930s in Akron Ohio: Bill Wilson, a stockbroker and Dr.
Bob Smith, a physician.
Both men were alcoholics who discovered that by helping one another and by helping other
alcoholics, sobriety could be achieved and maintained.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide affiliation of men and women from all walks of life who share
their experiences, strengths, and aspirations with one other in the hope that they may solve their mutual problems
and assist others in their quest to recover from alcohol dependence.
In fact, when many people think of Alcoholics Anonymous traditions such as the 12 Steps, the 12
Traditions, and the AA meetings, the one conclusion they reach is that with Alcoholics Anonymous, help is always
close by and available for people who are concerned about their drinking behavior.
Indeed, due to the vast number of Alcoholics Anonymous locations throughout the world, a person can
literally find an Alcoholics Anonymous group almost anywhere in the world.
The only condition for Alcoholics Anonymous membership is a desire to quit drinking alcohol.
Therefore, total abstinence from alcohol is advocated by the organization.
Members make a conscious effort to refrain from drinking and they accomplish this "one day at a
time." Sobriety is achieved through mutual support as members share their hopes, their strengths, and their
experiences. In fact, the Alcoholics Anonymous support groups is one of the more cohesive aspects of the
organization.
| Treatment for alcoholism and drug abuse is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Not
all patients require the "acute care" approach. |
There are no fees or dues for AA membership. Alcoholics Anonymous is self-supporting through
its own member contributions. AA is neither aligned with any religious denomination or sect nor associated with any
political institution or organization.
Moreover, AA does not wish to involve themselves in anything that is controversial and sanctions
nor opposes any causes. The major purpose of AA members is to remain sober and help other alcoholics to attain
sobriety.
The Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Step Program
Alcoholics Anonymous Literature. Part of the recovery program that A.A.
suggests is articulated in the Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps.
Based on the experiences of Alcoholics Anonymous' earliest members, the 12 Steps of Alcoholics
Anonymous represent the documented practices and principles, acquired through trail and error, the early members
established in order to maintain sobriety.
| How do you react to the alcoholic's drinking? Could your reaction be a part of the
overall problem? Have you fallen into "role playing" in the family? Is there anything that you can
do to improve the situation? |
The Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous History - the Early Years. During its first decade, the
early members of Alcoholics Anonymous developed a number of practices and procedures that fostered the continuation
of the informal structure of the organization.
In 1946, in the organization's international journal entitled the Alcoholics Anonymous Grapevine,
the aforementioned principles and guidelines were documented by the founders and early members and became known as
the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Serenity Prayer
Although AA was not responsible for authoring the Serenity Prayer, Alcoholics Anonymous deserves
much of the credit for making the Serenity Prayer popular in the 20th Century.
In fact, the serenity prayer has become so much a part of Alcoholics Anonymous, that it is
sometimes referred to as the "Alcoholics Anonymous prayer" or the "Alcoholics Anonymous serenity
prayer." Having said this, the following is the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference;
Living one day at a time; Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it:
Trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you
forever in the next.
| If the alcoholic's problems have progressed so that he has become a danger to
himself or others, or if his alcoholism has reached the point that he is no longer capable of
looking out for himself, intervention can be a life-saving choice. |
Alcoholics Anonymous Information: Conclusion
Alcoholics
Anonymous is a worldwide affiliation of men and women from all walks of life who share their experiences,
strengths, and aspirations with one another in the hope that they may solve their mutual problems and assist
others in their quest to recover from their alcohol addiction.
When most people think about Alcoholics Anonymous Information and their traditions such as the
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, The Twelve Steps, and The Twelve Traditions, one of the most frequently arrived at
conclusions regarding Alcoholics Anonymous is that help is always close by and available for people who are
motivated to do something positive and healthy about their drinking behavior and their restore their lives from
their alcohol addiction.
| Young people ages 18 to 25 have the highest prevalence of binge (38.7 percent) and
heavy (13.6 percent) drinking, with a peak rate (48.2 percent for binge and 17.8 percent or heavy
drinking) occurring at age 21, according to the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. |
| According to alcohol abuse research, television advertising changes attitudes about
drinking. Young people report more positive feelings about drinking and their own likelihood to
drink after viewing alcohol ads. |
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