Alcoholism Support Group
Alcoholism is the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, even when it is negatively affecting your health, work, relationships and life. If you think alcohol is causing you to lose control, it's time to seek help. Our group is a safe place to vent, check in, get back up if you fall, and reach sobriety.
This from the September 1945 vol. 2 no. 4 grapevine. Reprinted from the Grapevine Digital Archives.
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(Editor's Note: Here is an analysis of the kinds of people who come to A.A. as seen by one of A.A.'s best non-alcoholic friends --a man who works constantly at helping others and who has guided many men and women to contented sobriety in A.A.)
At times, one wonders what happens to the large groups that enter the A.A. meetings. New faces are seen weekly and after a time they fade out of the picture; others remain and stay within the fold three, four, five months; some --altogether too few --continue on and remain faithful to the end.
To a person observing this phenomenon, he would judge the clientele of A.A. to be divided into three groups:
Temporary Sobriety
In the first group would be those individuals who enter with the best of intentions but are only emotionally balanced for the time being. These applicants grasp only a few steps of the program, especially the one that they should go out and help others. Not having learned the "ABC" of the program, in general they go out to sell a product the nature of which they know little about. Hence when someone contradicts their viewpoint either outside or inside a meeting, they become resentful and in their pride, which has been hurt, they reject in toto the program which they once believed would have been their salvation. They may become the severest critics of A.A. Their short-lived sobriety was merely emotional.
Looking for a Rabbit
As pride dominates the heart of the first group, self-centeredness or selfishness is the driving power of the second group. These enter into the program expecting a rabbit to be pulled from the hat in their case so that they will be able to drink in a sane, sociable manner. To use the parlance of the street, they are merely "on the wagon." Selfishness and the love of their neighbor for God's sake cannot be combined and hence they are not willing or anxious to attempt to bring others into the fold because in the belfry of their brain they have the thought they can drink again. After three, four or five months, these individuals begin to miss meetings, find fault with other members and use every possible excuse for not attending with regularity. As a rule, they drop out of the picture, claiming that A.A. has nothing for them, yet a large number, after a long period of drinking, eventually return.
Contented Sobriety
The third group, to my way of thinking, has what is called contented sobriety. Members of this group have a sincere desire to stop drinking because their past life has been revolting to them. They have a firm desire within themselves, with the help of God, never to return to the nightmare of yesterday.
Frequently we hear from speakers that they have had a personality change, yet when we boil it down, this personality change is nothing other than intellectual conviction that selfishness is out in this social world. A new sense of values has come to them, coupled with the conviction that a loving God is at the end of the road. These individuals speak of past transgressions. They smile and laugh or see humor in the things they have done, and what was to them a terrific problem or upset, now provokes their sense of humor. These are the members who do not hurry or race to this one or that one who is drinking and they do not approach a prospect until they themselves first have the program firmly in their minds and are on the straight and narrow path themselves.
In other words, they seek quality rather than quantity in the number of approaches they make. Humility and thankfulness to God are the dominant factors with this group.
Copyright The AA Grapevine, Inc. (Sept. 1945). Reprinted with permission.
_________________________
cheers,
K.
__________________________________
(Editor's Note: Here is an analysis of the kinds of people who come to A.A. as seen by one of A.A.'s best non-alcoholic friends --a man who works constantly at helping others and who has guided many men and women to contented sobriety in A.A.)
At times, one wonders what happens to the large groups that enter the A.A. meetings. New faces are seen weekly and after a time they fade out of the picture; others remain and stay within the fold three, four, five months; some --altogether too few --continue on and remain faithful to the end.
To a person observing this phenomenon, he would judge the clientele of A.A. to be divided into three groups:
Temporary Sobriety
In the first group would be those individuals who enter with the best of intentions but are only emotionally balanced for the time being. These applicants grasp only a few steps of the program, especially the one that they should go out and help others. Not having learned the "ABC" of the program, in general they go out to sell a product the nature of which they know little about. Hence when someone contradicts their viewpoint either outside or inside a meeting, they become resentful and in their pride, which has been hurt, they reject in toto the program which they once believed would have been their salvation. They may become the severest critics of A.A. Their short-lived sobriety was merely emotional.
Looking for a Rabbit
As pride dominates the heart of the first group, self-centeredness or selfishness is the driving power of the second group. These enter into the program expecting a rabbit to be pulled from the hat in their case so that they will be able to drink in a sane, sociable manner. To use the parlance of the street, they are merely "on the wagon." Selfishness and the love of their neighbor for God's sake cannot be combined and hence they are not willing or anxious to attempt to bring others into the fold because in the belfry of their brain they have the thought they can drink again. After three, four or five months, these individuals begin to miss meetings, find fault with other members and use every possible excuse for not attending with regularity. As a rule, they drop out of the picture, claiming that A.A. has nothing for them, yet a large number, after a long period of drinking, eventually return.
Contented Sobriety
The third group, to my way of thinking, has what is called contented sobriety. Members of this group have a sincere desire to stop drinking because their past life has been revolting to them. They have a firm desire within themselves, with the help of God, never to return to the nightmare of yesterday.
Frequently we hear from speakers that they have had a personality change, yet when we boil it down, this personality change is nothing other than intellectual conviction that selfishness is out in this social world. A new sense of values has come to them, coupled with the conviction that a loving God is at the end of the road. These individuals speak of past transgressions. They smile and laugh or see humor in the things they have done, and what was to them a terrific problem or upset, now provokes their sense of humor. These are the members who do not hurry or race to this one or that one who is drinking and they do not approach a prospect until they themselves first have the program firmly in their minds and are on the straight and narrow path themselves.
In other words, they seek quality rather than quantity in the number of approaches they make. Humility and thankfulness to God are the dominant factors with this group.
Copyright The AA Grapevine, Inc. (Sept. 1945). Reprinted with permission.
_________________________
cheers,
K.
My son deserves normal he can't have it, cause I am not risking getting beat up and raped again. WHEN is someone going to arrest him!