I was just talking to someone on the phone who needed help with their drinking and they told me they did not like Alcoholics Anonymous. I asked them how many meetings they had been to – none!! Their dislike stemmed from what they had heard and the fact that their father was an alcoholic who attended AA but still died from alcoholism.
AA has got many people well and has kept millions more throughout the world sober. It cannot help those who do not want to be helped and those who cannot let go of their drinking. In the end, alcoholism is an individual and personal illness and it is the only illness for which successful treatment is not medical but is of the self-help variety. AA provides what for many is essential support with the self-help as very few alcoholics can get well on their own.
Desperation
Many people first attend Alcoholics Anonymous when their drinking has reached a desperate point but they are still going for the wrong reasons. Many will attend because they think it will get their family and friends off their backs. It looks as if they are doing something about their drinking. Some will even say they are going to a meeting – but actually be going somewhere for a drink.
I can also remember using Alcoholics Anonymous as a reason not to be sent off to a relative’s house when my family wanted me out of our home – I said I would be far better off going to an AA meeting locally and getting support there than being sent away somewhere. Other people attend AA for the wrong reason thinking that by going they will learn how to control their drinking.
Alcoholics Anonymous – The God Word
Not only do people go to AA for the wrong reason, but once they get there they are very willing to see the reasons why it is not for them. The main reason for this is usually the God word. Although founded in the Bible Belt of America, the AA programme is not religious but it is a spiritual one. As has been said ‘religion is for people who are afraid to go to hell; spirituality is for those who have been there’.
For most people, even the fact that the programme is acknowledged to have a spiritual dimension is off putting enough. However, in order for AA to be able to help you, you only need to be open mind to the possibility that you might be able to find something spiritual within you at some point. It does not have to be ‘now’.
Mix Of People
The other aspect of Alcoholics Anonymous that can put people off is the mix of people there. Alcoholism is an illness which affects people from all backgrounds. The only requirement to attend AA is a desire to stop drinking. When people come into AA they are usually not quite right (to put it mildly – otherwise why would we end up at AA?). Many of us who are further on in recovery are still a bit quirky and eccentric! That is part of the joy of AA – the variety of people there. However, for those looking for an excuse, the fact that some of the people there would not normally be the type you would mix with can be another reason not to stick it out and benefit from the support on offer.
If you have a problem with drinking and a desire to stop and get well and happy. AA can help . You only need to be committed to stopping and getting well and open minded to the possibility that AA may be able to help you. Keep going back . A miracle may occur. If you need more help than that there is always residential alcohol addiction rehab.
The Haynes Clinic is an alcohol and drug rehab clinic. For free and confidential advice, call 01462 851414.
