Some Frequently Asked Questions
What is AA?
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 contributions. 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
Copyright the AA Grapevine, used by permission
Is AA for you?
Only you can decide whether you want to give AAa try. We came to AA when we finally gave up trying to control our drinking. We still hated to admit that we could never drink safely. We heard from other AA members that we were sick. 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.
Answer YES or NO to the following questions:
1 - Have you ever decided to stop drinking for a week or so, but only lasted for a couple of days?
Most of us in AA made all kinds of promises to ourselves and to our families. We could not keep them. Then we came to AA AA said: "Just try not to drink today." (If you do not drink today, you cannot get drunk today.)
2 - Do you wish people would mind their own business about your drinking-- stop telling you what to do?
In AA we do not tell anyone to do anything. We just talk about our own drinking, the trouble we got into, and how we stopped. We will be glad to help you, if you want us to.
3 - Have you ever switched from one kind of drink to another in the hope that this would keep you from getting drunk?
We tried all kinds of ways. We made our drinks weak. Or just drank beer. Or we did not drink cocktails. Or only drank on weekends. You name it, we tried it. But if we drank anything with alcohol in it, we usually got drunk eventually.
4 - Have you had to have an eye-opener upon awakening during the past year?
Do you need a drink to get started, or to stop shaking? This is a pretty sure sign that you are not drinking "socially."
5 - Do you envy people who can drink without getting into trouble?
At one time or another, most of us have wondered why we were not like most people, who really can take it or leave it.
6 - Have you had problems connected with drinking during the past year?
Be honest! Doctors say that if you have a problem with alcohol and keep on drinking, it will get worse -- never better. Eventually, you will die, or end up in an institution for the rest of your life. The only hope is to stop drinking.
7 - Has your drinking caused trouble at home?
Before we came into AA, most of us said that it was the people or problems at home that made us drink. We could not see that our drinking just made everything worse. It never solved problems anywhere or anytime.
8 - Do you ever try to get "extra" drinks at a party because you do not get enough?
Most of us used to have a "few" before we started out if we thought it was going to be that kind of party. And if drinks were not served fast enough, we would go some place else to get more.
9 - Do you tell yourself you can stop drinking any time you want to, even though you keep getting drunk when you don't mean to?
Many of us kidded ourselves into thinking that we drank because we wanted to. After we came into AA, we found out that once we started to drink, we couldn't stop.
10 - Have you missed days of work or school because of drinking?
Many of us admit now that we "called in sick" lots of times when the truth was that we were hung-over or on a drunk.
11 - Do you have "blackouts"?
A "blackout" is when we have been drinking hours or days which we cannot remember. When we came to AA, we found out that this is a pretty sure sign of alcoholic drinking.
12 - Have you ever felt that your life would be better if you did not drink?
Many of us started to drink because drinking made life seem better, at least for a while. By the time we got into AA, we felt trapped. We were drinking to live and living to drink. We were sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Did you answer YES four or more times? If so, you are probably in trouble with alcohol. Why do we say this? Because thousands of people in AA have said so for many years. They found out the truth about themselves — the hard way.
But again, only you can decide whether you think AA is for you. Try to keep an open mind on the subject. If the answer is YES, we will be glad to show you how we stopped drinking ourselves. Just call.
[ Note: in San Antonio, you may contact AA 24 hours a day at 210-828-6235. You'll find telephone numbers for the entire USA and Canada by clicking here . ]
AA does not promise to solve your life's problems. But we can show you how we are learning to live without drinking "one day at a time." We stay away from that "first drink." If there is no first one, there cannot be a tenth one. And when we got rid of alcohol, we found that life became much more manageable.
Who is a
beginner?
We cannot say who is a beginner or who is not. That assessment is up to you and your sponsor. We do, however, offer some suggestions below.
We suggest that you are a beginner when :
1- You're new to AA and have just begun attending meetings
2- You're returning to AA and want to get off on the right foot
3- You have accumulated sober time, but wish to go back to basics
4- Your sponsor says you are
5- You say you are
6- You think it's time to take the cotton out of your ears & stick it in your mouth
What is a closed meeting?
"In support of AA's singleness of purpose, attendance at closed meetings is limited to persons who have a desire to stop drinking. If you think you have a problem with alcohol, you are welcome to attend this meeting. We ask that when discussing our problems, we confine ourselves to those problems as they relate to alcoholism".
The above is excerpted from the 1987 AA General Service Conference statement
About our meeting
Although attendance has grown since it's inception (March, 03), the meeting attendance is still small enough to be very comfortable. The meeting itself is a little bit longer than most and lasts 75 minutes, longer if the Leader thinks it is in the Group's best interest and the Group agrees.
Everything we do is designed to help the beginner feel comfortable and a part of the group. About one-third of the attendees have a year or less in sobriety, the rest have a year or more. The newcomers draw upon the experience of the others, but everyone is encouraged to share their experience, strength and hope.
Emphasis is on discussion of the first three Steps (of the Twelve Steps) in the program of recovery, and of beginner related topics. It is a closed meeting and we ask that all in attendance respect our Tradition of anonymity. Who you see there, what you here there, let it stay there
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