| Whether your drinking alcohol has cost you a job, a | | | | mandate generally relapse within the year. Various |
| relationship, your health or your freedom, an Alcoholics | | | | studies have been done to determine the overall |
| Anonymous session can be extremely helpful. The | | | | effectiveness of AA, with mixed results. Early studies |
| meetings will help you stay away from alcohol one | | | | in the 1960s found that those who attended meetings |
| drink at a time, one day at a time. At the sessions, | | | | actually partied more afterwards. |
| you'll hear both sad and inspirational stories and you'll | | | | By contrast, a 1998 NIAA study and a 2001 |
| learn coping mechanisms. | | | | Department of Veteran Affairs study both found that |
| It helps more than you think to air your thoughts and | | | | the best addiction treatment is AA. In the latter study, |
| feelings, especially with a group of strangers who | | | | 45% of the men who went through a 12-step AA |
| won't judge you or hold anything against you. At AA | | | | program were abstinent after 1 year, compared to |
| meetings, you'll find a strong support system of peers | | | | 36% of those receiving cognitive/behavioral therapy. |
| all struggling with the same dilemma, which is recovery | | | | Of course, AA is not for everyone. For instance, |
| from alcoholism. | | | | staunch atheists aren't likely to embrace any treatment |
| Alcoholics Anonymous was started based on the | | | | model with religious overtones. |
| premise that the alcoholism "disease" can be cured by | | | | According to the Alcoholics Anonymous website, there |
| acknowledging powerlessness over alcohol | | | | are four types of drinkers in need of their assistance: |
| consumption and accepting help from a higher power. | | | | The first type includes those who are binge drinking |
| AA claims that it has no single denomination and that | | | | daily or weekly and are spending a lot of money on |
| they simply refer to a "higher power" as being God, | | | | booze but feel there's no problem. The second type |
| Allah, Buddha, Fate, etc. | | | | are those who are experimenting with "control |
| The idea that there is some higher purpose to life can | | | | mechanisms," like switching to wine only or drinking to |
| help many recovering alcoholics out of their life slump. | | | | cure a morning hangover. |
| The group is run entirely by alcoholics and recovered | | | | The third type includes those who have lost friends, |
| alcoholics, with rotating members in various leadership | | | | jobs and relationships and have digressed into a |
| roles. Many people find a sense of purpose by helping | | | | constant state of self-pity and powerlessness. The |
| others, which is also a focal point of the group. | | | | last type is comprised of those who seem beyond |
| You may be wondering, "How effective is Alcoholics | | | | help. |
| Anonymous?" Generally speaking, the real determining | | | | They may have hallucinations, alcohol related accidents |
| factor is your own determination. If you really want to | | | | and blackouts. Whatever the case may be, these |
| start over and live a healthy life, free from alcohol | | | | people can all find recovery from alcoholism at AA, if |
| addiction, then you likely will. | | | | they truly want it. |
| However, those who attend AA meetings by | | | | |