What Can Aa Do for Problem Drinkers?

Kylie Tennessen-Porter

Butalla

ENG 151-013

14 November 2011

What Can AA Do for Problem Drinkers?

Does Alcoholics Anonymous work? Many people have family members and/or loved ones that have a drinking problem. So what should they do to get help? There are many different abstinence programs; Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as AA, is one of the programs. An analysis of the AA program reveals that the program can be very effective, but only if the alcoholic wants help and gets the help they need.

AA celebrated their 76th anniversary this year. They counted two million members participating in 115,000 groups worldwide, half of them in the U.S. AA started its first meeting in Akron, Ohio, in 1935. Bill Wilson, a businessman, and Bob Smith, a physician, started the association. They were both alcoholics. Bill Wilson achieved sobriety mainly through his association with a Christian movement. Smith was inspired by Wilson, and also stopped drinking (Does Alcoholics Anonymous Work 1).

They were determined to help other alcoholics, so the men published "The Big Book". "The Big Book" explained their philosophy, methods, and principles. One method that became very famous, and still is famous, is the 12-step method. The 12 steps are what a recovering person must go through initially and repeat in order for the process to work. For newcomers, the steps are often grouped into three major categories: trust God, clean house, and help others (Does Alcoholics Anonymous Work 1). The 12-steps is about one getting honest with oneself, accepting responsibilities, understanding character defects, making amends and restitution for harms done, and continuing to practice those principles on a daily basis (Matthew Porter).

Anyone with a desire to stop their addiction can get started in the AA program. Typically, someone decides to go to AA when they have personally hit a bottom; life is bad enough that a solution seems to just present itself. In AA, members meet in groups to help each other achieve and maintain sobriety. Meetings usually consist of reading the 12-steps, celebrating members' sobriety anniversaries, then someone gives a lead or tells a story, and everyone around the room contributes to a discussion. The meeting is then closed with the Lord's Prayer (Porter).

However, AA is not only aimed at problem drinking. Members are supposed to settle in to a new life style that also corrects all character flaws. All members must achieve all these goals without professional help. This means that therapists cannot attend meetings to observe; they may only attend AA if they, too, are alcoholics (Does Alcoholics Anonymous Work 1).

My dad has had a drinking problem since as far back as I can remember. He would drink throughout the day every day. And if he didn't drink, he was moody and not always very nice; he was also like that when he drank. My dad has seasonal depression, which causes him to be depressed during certain times of the year. My dad starts getting depressed during the end of fall until the beginning of spring. The depression led him to drink because he was unhappy and wasn't sure of how else to deal with it. The drinking caused him to lose his license, he was unable to keep a job, and it caused my parents to get a divorce. My dad tried to stopping drinking many times for the sake of his family. He tried many different ways to stop. He went to AA on and off, but never stuck with it. Then he went to a program called Teen Challenge, which is a Christian faith-based solution for life-controlling drug and alcohol problems that is designed to make productive members of society. It is a yearlong program with very effective outcomes for those who complete it. My dad completed the program and stayed sober after the program for a good amount of time. However, it didn't last, and he began drinking again. He went back to a 3-month program that Teen Challenge provided, but did not complete it. My dad was on an up and down roller coaster ride, trying to overcome his drinking problem. He finally realized what he wanted to do. He decided to go back to AA because it was the only thing that worked. However, this time he wanted the help. He saw the results of those who live the program, and he wanted what they had. My dad has now been sober since June 2009, and is still involved in AA. Since then, he has gotten his license back and obtained a job. He is determined to stay on the right track and live a happy, healthy, sober life.

My grandmother also