Ordered into A.A.?
A Friendly Note to the person being
referred to Alcoholics Anonymous and a
few things that many of us have come to
understand that may be of some use to
you as you approach AA for the first
time.Many of us did not at least
initially recognize ourselves as having
a drinking problem. Many of us made our
first contact with AA at the direction
of the legal system or as a matter of
getting spouses or other family members
"off our backs". Many of us
were, in fact, resistant to the notion
that we would be referred to AA. Many
of us felt that all alcoholics are folks
who hang out on street corners drinking
from brown paper bags, or do not hold
jobs, or shake uncontrollably in the
morning until they drink, etc, etc.
Alcoholism can indeed progress to those
degrees, but certainly those are not
reliable indicators.
From All Walks of Life
Many of us managed to maintain
responsible positions in spite of our
drinking. Many of us felt that we were
too young to be alcoholic. Many of us
thought that we were too intelligent to
be alcoholics. The fact of the matter is
that alcoholism is found in all age
groups from adolescent to senior
citizen, and in all social and economic
levels in our society. There are members
of AA who are doctors, lawyers,
policemen, clergymen, university
professors, and even judges.Many of
us felt that because we did not drink
"hard liquor," or because we
did not drink during the day, or because
we did not drink every day, etc, that we
did not have a drinking problem. The
fact of the matter is that it does not
matter what we drink, or how often we
drink, or what time of the day we start
drinking. What does matter is what
happens when we do drink. Many of us
find that even if we had only intended
to "have a couple," once we
drink even a small amount of alcohol, a
craving for more and more starts, and we
often drink until drunk. Coupled with
that phenomenon of craving was an
obsession to drink again and yet again,
even though we had demonstrated to
ourselves time after time that we would
surely end up drinking more than we had
intended.
Taking Responsibility
In the final analysis each of us must
decide for ourselves whether or not we
are alcoholic or if we even have a
drinking problem. However, many of us
did come to see that regardless or
whether we considered ourselves
alcoholic or not, it was evident that
alcohol was causing problems in our
lives. Those problems included for some
of us automobile accidents, DUI charges,
increased insurance premiums, failed
marriages, strained relationships with
loved ones, lost jobs, etc.Once we
came to that realization it became the
responsibility of each of us to decide
if we really wanted to continue putting
up with those sorts of problems for the
rest of our lives, or if we would rather
address the problem. If you can relate
to any of the above, we hope that you
will give AA a serious try. Many of us
felt that if we were to stop drinking we
would be doomed to a life that was dull
and boring, and that we would no longer
have any "fun." We would
like to assure you that many of us have
found a way of life that is far from
boring, and in fact we have come to find
contentment that we would have not
thought possible. Our best wishes for
you. ~~An A.A. Member~~
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