ALCOHOLICS Anonymous - the light in the dark world of the alcoholic

Geoff Wijesinghe

I was doing my customary browsing at the bookstore near my house a few days ago, when I came across Webster's New Complete Desk Reference Book.

This collector's gem contains a dictionary, Thesaurus, all purpose speller, English-French and English-Spanish dictionaries, a business dictionary, law, business, computer, real estate, marketing, manufacturing, labour relation and accounting terms and insurance and medical dictionaries.

Turning to the first page, the English dictionary, I found the second word as AA, an abbreviation for Alcoholics Anonymous.

Alcoholics Anonymous was formed in 1935 by a New York stockbroker and an Akron physician, Bob and Bill. Both had deep drinking problems. Both were alcoholics. Prior to his journey to Akron, the broker had worked hard with many alcoholics on the theory that only an alcoholic could help an alcoholic, but he had succeeded only in keeping sober himself.

The broker had gone to Akron on a business venture, which had collapsed, leaving him greatly in fear that he might start drinking again.

He suddenly realized that in order to save himself he must carry his message to another alcoholic. That alcoholic turned out to be the Akron physician.

This physician had repeatedly tried spiritual means to resolve his alcoholic dilemma but had failed. But, when the broker gave him the description of Dr. William D. Silkworth - a New York specialist in alcoholism who is now accounted no less than a medical saint by AA members - on alcoholism and its hopelessness.

Spiritual remedy

The physician began to pursue the spiritual remedy for his malady with a willingness he had never before been able to muster. He sobered, never to drink again up to the moment of his death in 1950. This seemed to prove that one alcoholic could affect another as no nonalcoholic could. It also indicated that strenuous work, one alcoholic with another, was vital to permanent recovery. Hence, the two men set to work almost frantically upon alcoholics arriving in the ward of the Akron City Hospital. Their very first case, a desperate one, recovered immediately and became AA number three. He never had another drink.

This work at Akron continued through the summer of 1935. There were many failures, but there was an occasional heartening success. When the broker returned to New York in the fall of 1935, the first AA group had actually been formed, though no one realized it at the time.

A second small group promptly took shape in New York, to be followed in 1937 with the start of a third at Cleveland. Besides these, there were scattered alcoholics who had picked up the basic ideas in Akron or New York who were trying to form groups in other cities.

By late 1937, the number of members having substantial sobriety time behind them was sufficient to convince the membership that a new light had entered the dark world of the alcoholic. Since then, millions of men and women have been freed from the oft-lethal tentacles of the dreaded disease. But, once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.

Hence, alcoholics who had stopped taking liquor, continue to attend AA meetings in order to insulate themselves from slipping (an AA term) and returning to consuming liquor, which in turn consumes both the body and soul of an alcoholic.

According to research, it has been found that alcoholism is a psychological and physical affliction and that reformed alcoholics who have abstained for many years, have always to be on their guard for a momentary lapse could send them hurling down the Downroad.

From that tiny embryo in 1935, AA has grown enormously and as of 1963, there were over 10,000 groups in more than 80 countries, with a membership of over 300,000. Today, this figure could well have been doubled.

In Sri Lanka, despite many hardships, AA has survived through the efforts of a dedicated band of alcoholics.

Committing crimes

The main thrust of the AA programme to rid one of alcoholism is a spiritual programme taking one day at a time. Alcoholism is the cause of many broken homes, of men and women losing jobs, of committing crimes to find money for liquor, which in many cases lead to gambling, womanising and prostitution.

The 12 Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous are not only beneficial for practice by alcoholics, but also many of us to help get rid of the common human weaknesses of arrogance, jealousy, egoism, dishonesty, selfishness.

They are:

ONE - Our common welfare should come first, personal recovery depends upon AA unity.

TWO - For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority, a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants, they do not govern.

THREE - The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking.

FOUR - Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or AA as a whole.

FIVE - Each group has but one primary purpose, to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

SIX - An AA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the AA name to any related facility our outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

SEVEN - Every AA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

EIGHT - Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but out service centres may employ special workers.

NINE - AA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service board of committees directly responsible to those they serve.

TEN - Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the AA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

ELEVEN - Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films.

TWELVE - Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.