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Alcoholism (Aa )

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Alcoholism (Aa )
Shaniqua McIntosh
Jan 2, 2012

Alcoholics Anonymous
Alateen/al-anon

What is Alcoholics Anonymous?

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international movement created to help alcoholics to recover and live better, alcohol free lives. It was found by Bill Wilson and Robert Holbrook Smith in 1935. Robert Holbrook Smith was a doctor who struggled with an alcohol problem since his teens that tried unsuccessfully for many years to get rid of. His alcoholism had a progressing negative impact on his life such as his profession and family life. It even got to the point where he could not stay ‘calm’ or be productive in his work place without a drink in his system. This lead him and his wife to constantly seek help which, after much delay, he found in Bill Wilson. Bill Wilson was a part of the Akron Oxford Group that Smith joined in efforts to sober up. Bill Wilson saw how damaging alcoholism was to his life and spoke to fellow alcoholics to try to help them. He helped Smith to finally give up drinking once and for all and has helped thousands of alcoholics to recover and remain sober.

The Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous developed a twelve step program written by Bill Wilson to help the movement to stabilize and grow. The traditions provide guidelines for relationships between the twelve-step groups, members, other groups, the global fellowship and society. The twelve traditions include: * The group’s welfare comes first; personal recovery depends on the group’s unity. * The one who truly governs the group is not its leaders but God. They are only trusted servants and God may express himself through their conscience. * The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop drinking * Each group should be autonomous/independent except in matters affecting other groups or AA as a whole. * The sole purpose of each group is to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers * No AA group should



Bibliography: Dr. Bill’s Nightmare Alcoholics Anonymous: the story of how many thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism (4th edition) Bill W: A Biography of Alcoholics Anonymous Francis Hartigan 2001 Alcoholics Anonymous Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions www.al-anon.alateen.org

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