What is Alcoholism?
As A.A. sees it, alcoholism is an illness. Alcoholics cannot control their drinking, because they are ill in their bodies and in their minds (or emotions), A.A. believes. If they do not stop drinking, their alcoholism almost always gets worse and worse. |
What are the symptoms?
Not all alcoholics have the same symptoms, but many- at different stages in the illness- show these signs: They find that alcohol can make them feel self confident and at ease with other people; often want “just one more” at the end of a party; look forward to drinking occasions and think about them a lot; get drunk when they had not planned to; try to control their drinking by changing types of liquor, going on the wagon, or taking pledges; sneak drinks; lie about their drinking; hide bottles; drink at work (or at school); drink alone; have blackouts (that is, cannot remember the next day what they said or did the night before); drink in the morning, to relieve severe hangovers, guilty feelings and fears; fail to eat and become malnourished, get cirrhosis of the liver; shake violently, hallucinate, or have convulsions when withdrawn from liquor. |
What is A.A.?
Alcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship of men and women who help each other to stay sober. They offer the same help to anyone who has a drinking problem and wants to do something about it. Since they are all alcoholics themselves, they have a special understanding of each other. They know what the illness feels like- and they have learned how to recover from it in A.A.
A.A. members say that they are alcoholics today- even when they have not had a drink for many years. They do not say that they are “cured.” Once people have lost their ability to control their drinking, they can never again be sure of drinking safely- or in other words, they can never become “former alcoholics” or “ex-alcoholics.” But in A.A. they can become sober alcoholics, recovered alcoholics |
Too young?
Coming into A.A. as young people, we found that there were common challenges to face. In the beginning, we often feel we are too young to be alcoholics. Some of us didn’t drink for a long time; others didn’t drink hard liquor, stumble around, or forget what we did or said when drunk. Being young in the everyday world we face peer pressure, stressful relationships with our parents, and parties being a way of life. In A.A., we often feel different because we may be the youngest person in our group, and some have even had an uninformed older member discourage us by saying things like “I spilled more booze than you drank.” These are hard realities for young people in A.A. On the other hand though, by sticking with it and finding younger and older members to help us, we found a solution to our drinking problems. In A.A. we’ve found a way of life that helps us deal with everyday stress and peer pressure; and that life is better and more fun without alcohol.
We also see that we develop closer relationships the longer we stay sober. To us, it doesn’t matter how old you are, how much, where, or what you drink. What matters is how alcohol affects you. You are the best judge of whether or not you have a problem. And you know this from your gut — whether you feel guilty, lonely, ashamed, or whether alcohol is interfering in your life. If drinking is causing you trouble and you want to stop but can’t seem to do it on your own, give Alcoholics Anonymous a try—try it for 90 days, and if your life doesn’t get better, at least you’ll better understand your options. All of us felt strange about going to A.A. But we now see that A.A. saved our lives—and is the best thing that ever happened to us. We also now know that there are many members who are our age—in fact, approximately 10% of A.A. members are under the age of 30.
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“What is Alcoholism;” “What are the symptoms;” and “What is A.A.?” from “A Brief Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous.” Pamphlet; Copyright 1972, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., New York, NY.
“Too Young?” Copyright 2007Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. New York, NY
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