Is Alcoholics Anonymous Right for You?

Jan. 26, 2015 - PRLog -- For many people who may be currently abusing alcohol, and to others who may have recently begun their recovery from alcoholism or have a number of years of sobriety, the idea of attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings has been something to consider. So how do you decide?

AA has been around since the 1930’s. It is a 12-step based fellowship of men and women who wish to detox from alcohol and other mind-altering substances once and for all, embrace a healthier lifestyle and regain their life. The only requirement for membership is a sincere desire to quit drinking.

Before Alcoholics Anonymous was established, doctors, psychiatrists, spouses and other family members were at a loss when it came to helping the sick person “get well.” There were no fancy alcohol treatment centers, no recovery models and no celebrity sightings. Unconventional methods for curing the most advanced cases included electric shock treatment, extended psychiatric holds and institutionalization. Until AA arrived on the scene, the medical community and other professionals had thrown up their hands in frustration after nothing worked to curb the alcoholic’s obsession to drink.

A salesman from Ohio named Bill Wilson is widely credited as the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. No stranger to hospital stays himself after spending a number of years in and out of detox centers and  alcohol treatment centers, he described alcoholism as a threefold disease: a physical allergy, a mental obsession and a spiritual malady. It’s no wonder writer Aldous Huxley referred to him as “the greatest social architect of the 20th century.”

What came next as a result of Bill W’s story is nothing less than a miracle. AA works—if you work it. For this reason, most alcohol and drug treatment centers have adopted the 12-step model. And while it’s success rate is difficult to determine, the fact is millions of people all over the world—in over 170 countries, to be exact—have gotten sober and stayed sober for a significant amount of time, and in many cases, permanently.

So what’s stopping you? Let’s see if we can deconstruct a few thoughts or misgivings you may be experiencing.

It’s intimidating. You’ve been through the detox from alcohol, and you’ve done your time at alcohol rehabilitation. You may have dabbled a bit in the program and gone to a meeting or two... But you don’t know anyone, you stand in the back and maybe even judge them for seeming as if they haven’t a care in the world. Don’t they know you just got out of the rehab center, and you need a friend? You half expect them to break out the s’mores over a fire pit and break into a sing-a-long of “kumba yah.” We can promise this (almost) never happens.

The cliche factor.“Hi, I’m Jim and I’m an alcoholic.” Really? Is this what’s it’s come to? You almost feel bad for them for being so unoriginal. You’d almost feel more comfortable in some depressing residential treatment center in the middle of nowhere than interact with Jim.

I already know everything I need to know about AA. You heard about it every day at the alcohol rehab center. A little more direct experience will disprove ego-driven judgements like this. Try to keep an open mind.

It’s a cult. Technically, it’s not. Cult leaders manipulate vulnerable people into giving up their money, their family and all sense of self. AA does the exact opposite.

I don’t like people. I’m not a “joiner.” Nobody can talk you to go to AA meetings, just like no one can talk you into drinking once you surrender to the first step, admitting you are powerless over alcohol, and your life has become unmanageable.

Sooner or later, even though you may feel resistant, angry and/or completely defeated by your drinking habit, it might not be the worst idea to give it a second thought. All those happy people may be on to something, and becoming a “friend of Bill’s” could be the best thing that’s ever happened to you.

To know more, click here http://www.arctreatment.com/