Preamble of Alcoholics Anonymous

  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 contribution.

  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.

'Alcoholism' Disease

  ...The explanation that seems to make sense to most A.A. members is that alcoholism is an illness, a progressive illness, which can never be cured but which, like some other diseases, can be arrested. Going one step further, many A.A. members feel that the illness represents a combination of a physical sensitivity to alcohol and a mental obsession with drinking, which, regardless of consequences, cannot be broken by willpower alone...

The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

A. A. Members Sharings

  Life as a child for me was full of loneliness and fear with no sense of belonging or being loved and wanted at home. I soon discovered the comfort I was seeking within my peers in the neighborhood...

  ...And then we were introduced to a cigarette, alcohol and other forms of drugs. To me, it gave a sense of being an adult; that I was doing something that is no kid’s stuff. The initial years flew by and soon I was proclaimed a nuisance by the neighborhood...

  ...And finally one day in the year 1991, I found myself living on the streets, begging. But even then my false pride would not allow me to stoop and ask for forgiveness and help. Truly enough, I could hear a cry within me. It was a voice of a helpless weak man wanting to live a good life. With no hope, I waited for death to come...

FAQs for Newcomer

This article is intended for people approaching Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) for the first time. In it we have tried to answer the questions most frequently in the minds of newcomers-the questions which were in our minds when we first approached the Fellowship.

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1. AM I AN ALCOHOLIC?

If you repeatedly drink more than you intend or want to, if you get into trouble, or if you have memory lapses when you drink, you may be an alcoholic.Only you can decide. No one in A.A. will tell you whether you are or not.

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2. WHAT CAN I DO IF I AM WORRIED ABOUT MY DRINKING...

What does A. A. do and doesn't do?

  Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who once had a drinking problem. It is nonprofessional, self-supporting, nondenominational, apolitical, and available almost everywhere. There are no age or educational requirements. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem.

Is A. A. for You?

  We who are in A. A. came because we finally gave up trying to control our drinking. We still hated to admit that we could never drink safely. Then we heard from other A.A. members that we were sick. (We thought so for years!) We found out that many people suffered from the same feelings of guilt and loneliness and hopelessness that we did. We found out that we had these feelings because we had the disease of alcoholism. We decided to try and face up to what alcohol had done to us. Here are some of the questions we tried to answer honestly. If we answered YES to four or more questions, we were in deep trouble with our drinking. See how you do. Remember, there is no disgrace in facing up to the fact that you have a problem.

Regular meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous in South Marathwada Region