Are you thinking about leaving your bad habit of drinking behind and live a free, sober, and joyful life? Then come and join hundreds of other individuals who share the same goal at Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has become the hallmark for best practices in recovery from alcoholism and long term sobriety. It’s tried and tested 12 step process has proven to be effective for countless hopefuls who wanted to get rid of their drinking tendency and give their life a new direction. The recovery center has been staying adept and walking at a same pace with the evolving science and psychology of addiction since its inception of almost 80 years ago. Hence, it has been an integral chapter in the lives of many alcoholics who decided to leave their addiction for the greater good.
About Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was created with the motivation to help people who struggle with alcohol addiction and make them become clean and fresh. The rehabilitation center provides a far-reaching global, community-based program that guides men and women to the path of sobriety in a natural manner. People, who enroll in the program, gain support from their peers through daily meetings and discussions related to addiction.
AA is a place of serenity, where men and women come together, share their life experiences, discuss what had led them down to the road of addiction, and learn techniques to recover from alcoholism and stay sober for the rest of their lives. The concepts, which are discussed among the members out here, emphasize on the fact that alcohol addiction is, indeed, a state of mind that can be altered through sheer determination and willpower.
Alcoholics Anonymous was founded by Bill Wilson and physician Doctor Bob Smith in the year of 1935. The center went on to include two more groups in the next 4 years. Bill Wilson soon published a text called ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ which explained the philosophy and methods that were practiced by the recovery center to help out the alcoholics. Today, the very same methodology is known as the famed 12 steps of recovery.
The 12 step practice has been adopted by various other self-help and addiction recovery groups throughout the years. Amongst them, some of the names include Gamblers Anonymous, and Narcotics Anonymous, which cater to other forms of addiction, such as cocaine, heroin, smoking, etc. The process has evolved to a point where many groups have shed the explicitly Christian overtones of the original text. The current practice comprises of rather secular or agnostic philosophies and aims to help out different communities as well.
Alcoholics Anonymous does not have any links to any organization, sect, politics, denominations, or institutions. It is open to anyone and everyone.. However, to join the group, they will to meet the single criterion – an intense desire to quit drinking. People, who choose to enroll their names in the program, do it either voluntarily, or via a court-mandated rehab, or a continuation of therapy of other drug addictions.
Since its inception, Alcoholics Anonymous has expanded to over 115,000 groups across the globe and offers free and low-cost alcoholism treatment to hundreds of thousands of people from all around the world. The high number of individuals, who have recovered from the struggle with addiction, explains the growth of AA and what it has become in the industry today!
How is AA operating during the Coronavirus pandemic?
People struggling with alcohol abuse, alcohol use disorder (AUD), or living in recovery are in a vulnerable state and, therefore, are susceptible to the novel Coronavirus. Hence, the in-person meetings have been strongly discouraged by the organization, during such a time of uncertainty to prevent the spread of the virus among the community.
The 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
AA’s 12 step process comes with a systematically organized set of guidelines, which is designed as the steps towards recovery. These are very flexible and, thus, can be revisited by members at anytime and anywhere. The 12 steps are as follows:
- Step 1: Accepting the truth that we were powerless over alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable due to the same reason.
- Step 2: There is a power greater than us who can help us restore our sanity and restore our control over ourselves.
- Step 3: Made a firm decision to surrender our will and our lives to the care of the higher power as we have come to know about it.
- Step 4: Perform an intense soul-searching and took stock of our lives.
- Step 5: Make a confession to God, ourselves, and another human being, about the exact nature of our wrongdoings.
- Step 6: Being entirely ready and willing to have God remove all defects from our character.
- Step 7: Humbly ask Him to eliminate each of our shortcomings and inadequacies.
- Step 8: Prepared a list of all people who we have harmed and were willing to reconcile with them all.
- Step 9: Made direct amends with such people wherever and whenever except when doing so would harm them or others.
- Step 10: Continue to take stock of our future actions and promptly admit when we are wrong.
- Step 11: Seek to improve our connection with God through intense prayer and meditation as we have come to know him. We pray to gain knowledge of his will for us and the strength to carry it out.
- Step 12: We have had a spiritual awakening as a result of the 12 step process. We commit to carrying the message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in each of our affairs for the rest of our lives.
Success rate
The Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book cites that it has achieved a 50% success rate with 25% remaining sober with a few relapses. So, take your stand and join the 50% who have changed the course of their life for a joyful existence.
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