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Assignment 1
History of Alcohol Anonymous
Alcohol anonymous is a global reciprocated aid organization that helps alcoholics to
achieve sobriety. Initially it recommended members to be anonymous to the public on their
desire to stop abusing alcohols but currently it has more than two million members worldwide
and has become a public affair. It was used in early days to deal with alcohol abuse. The public
opinion on alcoholism was that it was as a result of moral decay while the medical profession
saw it as toxic and incurable condition thus those short of resources found help in charitable
organization while those who had sought for help from psychiatrist who treated them using
belladonna and barbiturates or they were restricted in asylums (Griffith, 103-117).
This group emerged from the Oxford confederacy which was a non denominational
biased movement of the Christians of the first century; the members were not looking for
sobriety but a sense of belonging among people of the same weaknesses. The people believed
that initiating a relationship with God: the higher power they would stop drinking since others
had tried it out and it worked. This group was founded by Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith,
Smith was a psychiatrist who treated Wilson using belladonna as he was an alcoholic. During
one of those therapy sessions Wilson saw a bright flash of light which he believed that God was
intervening in his situation thus he went and recruited his friends to form the group. The efforts
of Wilson were less significant not until Smith recommended for less emphasizes on the
religious aspects but instead emphasized the need to stop alcoholism from a scientific point of
view. While the two attributed their immunity to their faith the Oxford Group pastor summoned
them with claims that they were leaders of an undisclosed group of people that had contradictory
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works, thus in 1937 Smith voluntarily left the group since he felt he did not need it to make an
impact on suffering alcoholics. Wilson then in 1995 clearly acknowledged AA’s stating clearly
that the Oxford Group showed them what to do and they learned what not to do thus become
revolutionists changing peoples’ lives without any material gain. In this group they maintained
anonymity and informal gatherings in the fear that they would get drunk and the people would
loose confidence in them and stop funding the organization (Smith and Bill, 23) it would also
avoid egoism and seeking for fame and affluence. In 1973 by count 40 men were helped to
regain sobriety by the two and the number doubled incorporating the first woman victim two
years later. On account of their continued progress the two wrote a book expressing this, they
titled it as “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have
Recovered from Alcoholism” (Smith and Bill, 23). This book outlined twelve ways to avoid
alcoholism which included admitting, confession, reimbursement of those harmed during
drinking and helping others to avoid it by praying for them to discover it evils just to mention a
few. This organization has over the years helped alcoholics from a Christian perspective but has
never regarded alcoholism as a disease contrary to the medical perspective. Though research on
AA is inconsistence it has been found to cause both behavioral impacts among many alcoholic
victims but has increased its members over the years. In contrast with inpatient and other
behavioral therapies such as CBT it is free of charge and has in modern society incorporated
open forums. Critics of AA say that it uses traditions similar to those used by cults, encourages
biculturalism and also increases deviant stigma among the members. However due to its
anonymity, cost effectiveness and effective change on many alcoholics it is recommended.
Assignment Two
How attending a meeting could effectively help in recovery
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Attending a meeting show that you have admitted that you have a problem of alcoholism
and you are seeking for a solution for it. This meeting comprises of twelve practical steps that
help you through your status and can be closed or opened. In open meeting everybody is invited
irrespective of your category, if alcoholic or not while closed meeting are strictly for alcoholics.
It is flexible and can be held in foreign languages and comprises a mixture of people from
different races and background.
Meetings begin with a prayer an introduction to help persons ease the tension then
experience from long term members of the group sharing their experiences while they were
trying to fight alcoholism and how they got rid of it. This helps to show the alcoholics that they
can change if others have done it and with determination. Often a speaker is invited to give to the
visitors’ insight on how to overcome alcoholism and they are then open forums for people to
discuss their anticipation from these meetings. This helps ensure that there is a common goal to
stop the menace of alcoholism thus encourage a sense of belonging among the victims. Then
follows the twelve steps which stipulate the progressive change of practices you should take to
bring to a close alcoholism.
The twelve steps help one to admit that alcoholism has made his live insurmountable and
out of his control, this will further increase ones desire to gain back the control of his life
(service material from the general service office, 1 of 1). Allow one to belief in the high power
that can restore ones reasoning and sobriety. This will help an individual think about his
alcoholic status and sought for a solution to solve it from the higher power. The third step in a
meeting is to give God control of ones alcoholic problem and make an inventory of ones self.
This is followed by moral inventory of what is right, confession to God of ones shortcomings
and a request for their removal. One should then make a list of people wronged during the
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alcoholics status choose to ask for their forgiveness and also compensate them, then pray to God
that he may give the individual both a contrite and spirit awaken it to avoid alcohol, then
meditate on ones self to help you clear off the guilt in your conscience. This helps you to make
efforts towards discovering the self in you and changing without instigation by someone. It is
thus a source of inspiration and hopes in alcoholics willing to fight the problem. According to the
article on importance of Alcoholic Anonymous meetings (1of 2), it also helps you to reinforce
yourself and take an initiative of change from within. It further helps you to take alcoholism as
an abnormal conduct that can be corrected with the help of behavioral discovery and change
other than as a disease that is fatal. Further it has helped to restore sanity in people who have
been brainwashed with alcohol, controlling there drinking habits and has helped in building of an
ideal society with good role models using just as easy as twelve steps that are practical and cost
effective. Recommendations on personal efforts have also been emphasized for a successful AA
therapy.
References
Bill, W. and Smith, D. Alcoholics Anonymous; the story of how many thousands of men and
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women have recovered from alcoholism. New York, Alcoholics Anonymous Pub, (1955)
http://gsowatch.aamo.info/1939/uslaw.htmhe
Griffith, E. Chapter 8: Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcohol: The World's Favorite Drug 1st
ed. Thomas Dunne Books, ( 2002).).
The Twelve Steps Of Alcoholics Anonymous Service Material from the General Service
Office A.A. World Services, (2002).
http://www.aa.org/en_pdfs/smf-121_en.pdf
Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings The Importance of Alcohol Anonymous Meetings.
(2010) From admin on 19/02/11 www.StopDrinkingAdvice.org
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