Alcoholics anonymous is a fellowship of people who all share in the same dream, that one day they will solve the problems they have in common and help others get sober and recover for alcoholism.
Male or female does not matter; the only pre-requisite is the desire to quit drinking alcohol. Alcoholics anonymous is non secular, is not affiliated with any political party, organization or any other institution. It does not get embroiled in any cause other than fighting alcoholism. The group’s sole purpose is to get sober, stay sober and aid others in accomplishing the same.
On a world-wide basis, alcoholic anonymous has about 2 million people who are recovering alcoholics. Meeting sizes can range from just a handful of people to many hundreds in large cities. AA does not have clinics, nor does it have any medical practitioners or counselors. Everyone in the meeting is recovering from alcohol abuse. AA members are free to decide what they do and how they do it, there is no central authority.
AA welcomes people from all faiths; it welcomes agnostics and atheists, anyone who has a problem with alcoholism. There is no membership, you become part of a group because you choose to join, you are free to come and go whenever you want. There is no-one in command of a meeting, the people in the room only offer suggestions and help; no-one tells anyone what to do or how to do it.
Alcoholics anonymous do not:
* Solicit members
* Have sponsors or engage in sponsor search
* Maintain records of attendance
* Attempt to exercise control over any member
* Make any form of medical or psychological diagnosis
* Offer any religious services
* Provide housing, money, jobs or any form of welfare
AA has a single purpose:
Drug use and the excessive use of alcohol are referred to as “substance abuse” and “chemical dependency.” Alcoholics are introduced to AA and encouraged to attend meetings. Open meetings accept both alcoholics and non-alcoholics, closed meeting are exclusively for those suffering from a drinking problem. People who are drug addicts are only free to join alcoholic anonymous if they are an alcoholic as well as an addict.
Alcoholics anonymous rates it success as being due to the 12 steps of AA. Success seems to be because an alcoholic that no longer drinks has the ability to help those who have uncontrolled drinking problems.
The approach that alcoholics anonymous take is very simple. The pass along their story, tells of their journey from alcoholism to sobriety and invites others to share the experience. At the heart of the program are what AA calls “The twelve steps,” it describes the experience of the founders of the society.
Alcoholics anonymous are but one way of beating chemical dependence. The professionals at Red River Recovery Center can offer similar services for patients as young as 13 and as old as 64.
