Alcoholics Anonymous

"An illness of this sort--and we have come to believe it an illness--involves those about us in a way no other human sickness can.  If a person has cancer all are sorry for him and no one is angry or hurt.  But not so with the alcoholic illness, for with it there goes annihilation of all the things worthwhile in life." 
  

"The feeling of having shared in a common peril is one element in the powerful cement which binds us.  But that  in itself would never have held us together as we are now joined.  The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism."  

 "We are average Americans.  All sections of this country and many of its occupations are represented, as well as many political, economic, social and religious backgrounds.  We are people who normally would not mix.  But there exists among us a fellowship, a friendliness, and an understanding which is indescribably wonderful."

We of Alcoholics Anonymous, know thousands of men and women who were once just as hopeless as Bill. (Bill Wilson)  Nearly all have recovered.  They have solved the drink problem.

Here lies a Hampshire Grenadier
Who caught his death
Drinking cold, small beer.
A good soldier is ne'er forgot
Whether he dieth my musket
Or by pot. (pot of ale)

"By March, 1976, when this edition went to the printer, the total worldwide membership of Alcoholics Anonymous was conservatively estimated at more than 1,000,000, with almost 25,000 groups meeting in over 90 countries."

The spark that was to flare into the first A.A. group was struck at Akron, Ohio, in June 1935, during a talk between a New York stockbroker and an Akron physician.

We are not an organization in the conventional sense of the word. There are no fees or dues whatsoever. The only requirement for membership is an honest desire to stop drinking. We are not allied with any particular faith, sect or denomination, nor do we oppose anyone. We simply wish to be helpful to those who are afflicted.

"We of Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book." 

Awareness is the key but it's action that opens the door...