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Trudge the Road of Happy Destiny
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 A.A. membership; we are self supporting through our own contributions. A.A. 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. (Copyright © The AA Grapevine, Inc.)
A LITTLE HISTORY
In the late fall of 1934, a broken down stock speculator by the name of William “Bill W.” Wilson was paid a visit by an old childhood friend named Edwin “Ebby’’ Thacher. Ebby’s history with Bill was much storied as he and Bill adventured through life as consummate drinking partners. Bill, who at the time of Ebby’s visit, was in the grips of alcoholism, was in poor health and unemployable. Ebby wanted to visit Bill because he had some exciting news that he wanted to share with him. The news that Ebby brought to Bill was that he had, by applying a few simple spiritual principles, found a way to stay sober and live a useful productive life. This news was to change Bill’s life forever. In December of 1934 Bill W. checked into Towne’s Hospital in New York City and was separated from alcohol and he remained that way until his death in 1971.
Bill learned from Ebby that in order to stay sober he would have to carry this message to others. He immediately commenced to do this to no avail. After five months of attempting to sober up others he had no success. Discouraged by his lack of success it was Bill’s wife Lois that pointed out to Bill that although no one else got sober Bill still was. This experience allowed Bill to discover one of the primary building blocks of sobriety: the principle of “carrying the message to the still sick and suffering alcoholic.” This action helped keep Bill sober.
In the Spring of 1935, Bill was on an important business trip to Akron, Ohio. Had the trip been successful Bill would have been in a position to make quite a sum of money and to procure himself a top executive position. The business trip was a failure and Bill was dejected. Bill knew he needed another alcoholic to talk to. After a series of phone calls Bill was put in contact with an Akron, Ohio surgeon and physician who too suffered from the illness of alcoholism. Not too certain that he wanted to talk, he grudgingly
agreed to speak to Bill. They spoke for over five hours and both came to the agreement that they were on to something special. On June 10, 1935 Alcoholics Anonymous was born.
MY JOURNEY
I grew up in a hardworking, educated professional household. My father had a thriving dental practice in a small steel/military town in South Central Pennsylvania. To say that alcohol was a focal point in family activities would be an understatement. Both my father and mother grew up in large, blue-collar families where drinking alcohol was the norm. I am certain that my childhood environment laid the groundwork for my own drinking career. I had my first negative experience at the age of five, a not so healthy benefit of an alcoholic grandmother. It was not a pleasant experience.
I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about how I felt emotionally as a child growing up. I believe from a very young age that there was something amiss in my wellbeing. I never quite felt like I fit in, measured up or was comfortable in my own skin. I have discovered in my journey of recovery that many others I have met along the way felt the same as I did. At the age of fourteen I discovered alcohol in a different way than I had experienced it at the age of five. All the uncomfortability that had plagued me since an early age melted away. I had arrived and life was great.
At fourteen, sixteen, eighteen, twenty and twenty-one I got arrested for alcohol-related legal violations. It wasn’t until my last arrest at the age of twenty-one that I was asked an obvious and very simple question; “Do you think you might have a problem with alcohol?” There are times in the life of all people that we experience moments of clarity. The question was asked at the right time, by the right person and I acknowledged, for the first time, that alcohol ruled my life. I was referred to counseling and the walls of denial began to soften. After five weeks of counseling, that my therapist informed me that he believed I needed more than he could offer. He informed me that there existed a local facility that works more intensely with alcoholics. He said to me that this place had an international reputation of being one of the best organizations in the world in helping people overcome alcohol problems. He instructed me to take a week to think about my decision and to let him know what I wanted to do. Another moment of clarity; I told him yes. And in September 1977, I arrived in the admissions’ office of the world-renowned treatment facility “Chit Chat Farms,” Wernersville, PA. It was there that I was introduced to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. I have not had a drink since September 11, 1977.
THE PROGRAM OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
AA is an experience. It is based on thirty-six spiritual principles: the Twelve Steps, the Twelve Traditions and the Twelve Concepts. Many people are familiar that AA is a Twelve Step program; however, few really know what they are. To simplify this mystery let me briefly explain. Step one lays out the problem. Steps two and three give us the solution, and the remaining steps; four through twelve; provide the successful program of action needed to live one day at a time that frees the alcoholic from the deadly obsession to drink alcohol. It is important that one also understands that AA is less about not drinking, but more about “right living.” When the program is properly applied to living problems; the recovered alcoholic knows and lives in the solution and drinking as an option disappears. It is a “One Day at a Time” way of living that promises a life of freedom from alcohol and permits the alcoholic a way of living that eliminates the internal “dis-ease” which has plagued them to evaporate. Now the Twelve Traditions were designed to provide unity within the program of AA. They provide guidelines that allow for conformity within the fellowship. The Twelve Concepts were created to allow the Fellowship to live in concert with the world.
THE FUTURE OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
For the past seventy-seven years, AA has functioned as a world-wide society with one primary purpose; to carry the message of recovery to the still sick and suffering alcoholic. The Twelve Step model has been so successful that there are now over two-hundred Twelve Step programs addressing a multitude of problems. The future of AA is strong. Bill W. once wrote that AA should never fear change but rather embrace that change which would benefit AA. Over the last several years; AA has embraced the Internet as a vehicle in delivering its life changing message. AA can now be found by anyone with an internet accessible device and an internet connection to meetings offered on a worldwide basis. On-line meetings now fill the internet making access to AA available twenty-four hours a day, three-hundred and sixty-five days a year. Whether it is in person or on-line meeting, AA is strong and as vital as ever. Every AA’er knows that it is their responsibility to secure and adhere to AA’s responsibility pledge which states: “I am responsible. When anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA to always be there, and for that, I am responsible.”
(Disclaimer: Although I have been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for over 44 years, I do not represent or speak for the organization of Alcoholics Anonymous as a whole. The opinions expressed in this article are mine based on my research and experience in the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.)
