What is Alcohol Anonymous and How Can it Help Me?

Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A) is a worldwide organization that hosts meetings for people with the desire to stop drinking and/or maintain their sobriety. Established in the 1930’s, Alcoholics Anonymous is based on 12-Step recovery principles that offer a spiritual foundation for personal recovery from the effects of alcoholism. Although it began as anonymous groups for alcoholics, its practices have been proven effective in helping those with other addictions as well.

How Does Alcoholics Anonymous Work?

According to the Great Lakes Addiction Technology Transfer Center, “When individuals struggle to meet their needs within mainstream recovery support groups or when aspects of their experience are difficult to address within mainstream groups, recovering people have sought out others like themselves to share their “experience, strength, and hope” on these issues.

• meetings offer a safe and nonjudgmental place for everyone to share alcohol recovery, support, experiences, and fellowship with others, anonymously and regardless of sex, race, creed, religious beliefs, or the positions they hold in their lives.
• You do not have to be a member to participate in the meetings that are freely available to anyone and offered at designated times, yet, abundantly within communities.
• The Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Steps are a sequence of steps that the recovering person learns to live by with support from others who have had similar experiences.

How Can Alcoholics Anonymous Help You?

Alcohol Anonymous has helped many achieve sobriety.

Although you are not required to share anything you don’t want to, these groups offer a place to learn from others who do. Since the beginning, Alcoholics Anonymous groups have helped millions of people achieve sobriety and maintain it by following the 12 simple steps of recovery relying on a higher power to find peace and serenity while helping others to do the same.

Those who participate in Alcoholics Anonymous are able to express themselves honestly, openly, and in comfort while being able to listen and learn from the experiences and consequences of others who share addictions. Better, yet, those who are sustaining recovery can provide you with greater confidence in knowing recovery is possible and guide you through the changes and 12-Steps to your own recovery.

As you get connected with people in A.A. and where they have come from, it can help you get a better understanding of yourself and maybe where you want to be with a place to reach out and get the aid you need. It’ s a difficult road to walk on, but, Alcoholics Anonymous can help you by making things easier as you build positive, encouraging, relationships knowing these people will have your best interests at heart.