For more information goto aa.org.au

Or call the 24 hour AA helpline: 1300 22 22 22

Are you drinking too much? We can help …

If you’d like to speak with someone right now, please call the AA helpline (10am – 10pm every day) on 1300 22 22 22.  All the helpline volunteers are sober alcoholics, and they understand what you’re going through! They can answer your questions, or help you find a meeting. You don’t have to identify as an alcoholic to call us, only have the desire to stop drinking. Here are some questions which might help you decide if you have a problem with drinking.

If you’re wanting help for a friend or family member, you might like to contact AlAnon, which is a 12 step group for supporting friends and families of alcoholics.

What is AA?

Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.

AA is an informal society of more than 2 million recovering alcoholics throughout the world. In Australia, there are about 18,000 members. They meet in over 1,900 local meetings spread around the country. Meetings range in size from a handful in some localities to a hundred or more in larger communities.

AA is nonprofessional – it doesn’t have clinics, doctors, counsellors or psychologists. All members are themselves recovering from alcoholism. There is no central authority controlling how AA groups operate. It is up to the members of each group to decide what they do. However, the AAprogram of recovery has proved to be so successful that almost every group follows it in very similar ways.

AA is not a religious organisation nor is it affiliated with any religious body. It welcomes members of all religions, agnostics and atheists alike. You don’t have to sign up or achieve anything to be a member. You’re a member of a group if you choose to be. You can come and go as you please. No one is “in charge” of a group. We work through the offer of help and suggestion only. No one can tell you what you should or shouldn’t do.

AA works through members telling their stories of what we used to be like, what happened and what we are like now. The AA program, known as The Twelve Steps, provides a framework for self-examination and a road to recovery, free of alcohol.

What AA Does

1. AA members share their experience with anyone seeking help with a drinking problem; they give person-to-person service or “sponsorship” to the alcoholic coming to AA from any source.
2. Our program, set down in our Twelve Steps, offers the alcoholic a way to develop a satisfying life without alcohol.
3. This program is discussed at AA Group meetings:

a. Open “identification” meetings – open to anyone, alcoholic or not. At “ID” meetings, AA members tell their stories; they describe their experiences with alcohol, how they came to AA and how their lives have changed as a result. (Attendance at an open AA meeting is a good introduction to AA, to learn what AA is, what it does and what it does not do.)

b. Open discussion meetings – one member speaks briefly about his or her drinking experience and then leads a discussion on any subject or drinking-related problem anyone brings up.

c. Closed meetings are for members of AA and anyone who has, or thinks they have, a drinking problem. They are conducted in the same way as their equivalent open meetings but, as stated, attendance is restricted to members of AA or people who have, or think they have, a drinking problem.

e. Step meetings – discussion on the Twelve Steps of AA.

f. AA members also take meetings into prisons, hospitals, rehabs and the like.

g. AA members are sometimes asked to conduct informative meetings about AA to hospital staff, Rotary, Apex and similar organisations. Such meetings about AA are not part of AA’s recovery programme.

What AA does NOT do

AA does not:

• furnish initial motivation for alcoholics to recover
• solicit members
• engage in research
• join councils of social agencies
• follow up or try to control its members
• compile a register of members
• make medical or psychological diagnoses or prognoses
• provide drying-out or nursing services, hospitalisation, drugs or any medical or psychiatric treatment
• offer religious services
• engage in education about alcohol
• provide housing, food, clothing, jobs, money or any other welfare or social services
• provide domestic or vocational counselling
• accept any money for its services, or any contributions from non-AA sources
• provide letters of reference to parole boards, lawyers, court officials, etc.

Singleness of purpose and problems other than alcohol

Alcoholism and drug addiction are often referred to as “substance abuse” or “chemical dependency.” Alcoholics and nonalcoholics are, therefore, sometimes introduced to AA and encouraged to attend AA meetings. Anyone may attend open AA meetings. But only those with a drinking problem may attend closed meetings or become AA members. People with problems other than alcoholism are eligible for AAmembership only if they have a drinking problem.

Dr. Vincent Dole, a pioneer in methadone treatment in the US for heroin addicts and for several years a trustee on the US General Service Board of AA, made the following statement: “The source of strength in AA is its single-mindedness. The mission of AA is to help alcoholics. AA limits what it is demanding of itself and its associates, and its success lies in its limited target. To believe that the process that is successful in one line guarantees success for another would be a very serious mistake.” Consequently, we welcome the opportunity to share AA experience with those who would like to develop Twelve Step/Twelve Tradition programs for the nonalcoholic addict by using AA methods.

Is AA for you?

Only you can decide whether to give AA a try. In AA, we don’t diagnose you and tell you if and when you should stop drinking. That’s your decision to make.

Here are some questions which might help you to sort it out for you. See if you can recognise any of these situations in your own life. Remember, there’s no disgrace in facing up to the fact that you have a problem.

About AA meetings

Going to an AA meeting is simple. You find out where and when there is a meeting convenient for you and you just turn up. That’s it. There’s no signing in, no money to pay, no appointment to make. There are no intrusive questions, no obligations. Your privacy and anonymity will be respected. You’ll never be met with a demand to come back to any meeting or indeed to AA. You can go to different meetings as often or as little as you wish.

Many of us had no idea what to expect of our first meeting. For some of us the idea was quite scary, so we were greatly relieved to find that our fears were groundless. AA meetings are relaxed, friendly and open.

What to expect at a meeting

For most of us, going to our first meeting was pretty scary, and we weren’t sure what to expect. We were mostly delighted to find that people were friendly, helpful and non-judgmental, and most importantly, spoke “our” language.

There are different types of meetings – some study the Big Book, or the twelve steps or twelve traditions, some are topic meetings (a different topic each week), still others are “ID” meetings where people just tell their story – how it was, what happened, and how it is now, and in doing so, share their experience, strength and hope. It’s worth trying a few different ones to find one that the right “fit” for you.

The format of most meetings is fairly standard. There will be one or two people hosting the meeting – the chairperson and the secretary. There’s no hierarchy here … anyone with enough sobriety can do a period of time leading meetings. The secretary will introduce themselves, and give a brief introduction to the meeting. Then there may be a reading, and then the chairperson will choose people to share on whatever the topic is. The chosen person then speaks for about 5-10 minutes. There is an important rule in AA that we allow each person to speak uninterrupted. Meetings usually finish with “passing the basket” (each person contributes whatever they like, to cover the costs of the venue, tea and coffee, and the general running of AA), and then everyone stands, holds hands and cites the Serenity Prayer. That can feel a bit weird at first, but it’s kinda lovely when you get used to it.

All meetings are different – if you don’t like your first meeting, try a few more before deciding it’s not for you. Some are more serious than others (mine is, quite frankly, hilarious!), some are very Higher-Power focused and others have a lot of agnostics or atheists. It’s not a religious program, but it is a spiritual one – you’ll learn what that difference is.

It’s good to arrive a little early – there’s almost always tea and coffee and biccies to be had, and usually someone to greet newcomers and make them feel welcome. Let someone know you’re new, and they’ll most likely introduce you around. They’ll probably also give you a “newcomers kit” with some brochures, with space for people to write their phone numbers for if you’re struggling between meetings.

Early on, we were advised in meetings to listen for the similarities, not the differences, because underneath, our stories are all pretty much the same – we drank, we got to the point we couldn’t stop, and life got ugly. Listen for how the other people in the meeting found a way out of this desperate situation, into happy and meaningful lives today.

A Guide for the Beginner

YOU MAKE A START

You have made a decision. You’ve taken Step One and said to yourself; “Yes, I’m one of those people who is powerless over alcohol.” “My life has become unmanageable.” “I can’t stop drinking and I want help.” You have discovered, as it says in the Big Book, that alcohol is cunning, baffling and powerful.

In order to stop drinking, and stay stopped, there are a few simple principles that you will need to apply to your life. These principles are AA’s program of recovery. They can work for you as effectively as they have worked for countless others. Following are some suggestions, which we feel will be of help to you on your path of recovery.

LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME

Alcoholics Anonymous is a “one day at a time” way of living. We try to break life into small pieces we can handle. We stay sober one day at a time, or when necessary, one hour at a time. We do our jobs, one task at a time. We clean up our past, one mess at a time. And we conscientiously try to turn our lives and our will over to the care of a Higher Power, as we understand Him.

In learning to apply the AA principles to our lives, we ask for help from other AA members, from our sponsors, and from our Higher Power, whom most of us come to depend upon for our recovery.

GO TO MEETINGS

All over the Brisbane area, every day of the year – mornings, afternoons and evenings, there is help in the form of meetings for you and for every alcoholic who wants help.

You can find a meeting here. Then take in as many meetings as you can. As one AA member says, “The Big Book is your road map, the meetings are your filling stations.”

GET A SPONSOR

A sponsor is an AA member who serves as a mentor of sorts to a newcomer in the program. A sponsor typically helps a sponsee to work the Twelve Steps; shares his or her personal experience, strength, and hope; and helps the sponsee stay on the recovery track.

A few members may tell you that they got sober without the aid of a sponsor, and they may be telling the truth. However, our AA experience tells us that you will have a much better chance with a sponsor than without one. In AA you will probably find that your sponsor is a vital part of your program of recovery.

Your sponsor will listen to you and give you suggestions; tell you what works form them; point out trouble spots and help you decide what to do about them. In other words, your sponsor helps you to understand the AA program and guides you along the path of recovery.

Though sponsors can’t solve all your problems, they help you face up to them with honesty and courage, and find ways to solve them by using the AA program. You can usually count on sponsors to do their part, and to encourage you to do yours.

HAVE A HOME GROUP

When some of us were introduced to AA through a particular group, we thought we had been assigned to that group and should not go to other meetings. Nothing could be further from the truth. Feel free to visit various groups. But sooner or later you should settle down to a regular meeting that you want to consider your “home group”.

However, having a home group should not keep you from going to other meetings. Attend as many meetings as you feel the need for. And then a couple more! There are many different types of groups available. The home group you choose should be one in which you can get sober, stay sober, and feel you are a part of.

Your home group ought to be the place where you are challenged to keep growing and where you feel you have so many friends you can’t afford to stay away!

Home group membership comes with the right to vote upon issues that might affect the group and might also affect AA as a whole – a process that form the very cornerstone of AA service structure. As with all group conscience matters, each AA member has one vote and this, ideally, is voiced through their home group.

READ THE BOOKS

As soon as you can, we suggest that you read these important books, which explain the AA program of recovery, our history and our Twelve Traditions.

“Alcoholics Anonymous” (The Big Book) (online or buy)

“12 Steps and 12 Traditions” (online or buy)

“AA Comes of Age”

“As Bill Sees It” (The AA Way of Life)

“Dr. Bob and the Good Old Timers”

These books are AA General Service Conference approved literature. We suggest that you read them…and re-read them. They can be a constant source of inspiration and understanding. Many of us begin our “Quiet Times” by reading a chapter or paragraph from one of them. They are the basic source of our program of recovery.

Other AA literature is available and can be found on the literature table at most AA meetings and can be purchased from us also. We feel it can be helpful as you travel the road to happy sobriety.

INCLUDE THE FAMILY

It is said that the average practicing alcoholic affects the lives of at least five other people and that alcoholism is a family illness. We find that the family that gets sick together can often recover together. The best way to do this is to share your program of recovery with them.

Open Meetings: Take your spouse, other members of your family or interested friends to hear the stories of AA speakers and to share in the fellowship of other AA families after the meetings.

Social Events: Groups regularly sponsor special suppers, dances, picnics and other social activities for AA members and their families.

AA Conferences: Weekend conferences at resorts and hotels are held throughout the year and offer activities for AA members and their families. See our events page.

The Al-Anon Family Groups, designed for members of the alcoholic’s family, hold “closed” meetings just as AA groups do. They use AA’s twelve steps of recovery to help them understand the alcoholic and to adjust and improve their own lives. Al-Anon membership is available to the spouse of the alcoholic or other concerned persons. The AlAnon Family Groups have their own organization – separate from AA.

BE A “PART OF”

So now you’ve made a start. If you are like some of us, we think you will find these suggestions will be of help on your journey to a comfortable, happy sobriety.

Remember that you never have to be alone if you use the tools that AA has to offer. Alcoholics Anonymous wants to provide support and guidance to all alcoholics who reach out for help. Our very survival requires that we carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers. We need you. Join us, participate, and become a part of our program of recovery.

(We wish to thank Chicago Central Office and Ventura County Central Service Office for their contribution to this pamphlet.)