Information for professionals who help people affected by alcoholism.
We are always seeking to strengthen and expand our communication with those whose work brings them into contact with problem drinkers. Whether you work in healthcare, human resources, the legal sector, Corrections, or any other profession, we are here to support your clients and colleagues on their path to recovery. We can;
A.A. is not in the business of education, research, medicine, counselling, treatment, or funding. We are concerned solely with the personal recovery and continued sobriety of individual alcoholics. A.A. members are available to help the people you work with in every part of Aotearoa New Zealand and can provide information about A.A. upon request. If you are working with someone you think will benefit from what A.A. has to offer, get in touch.
Since denial of the problem is symptomatic of alcoholism, alcoholics tend to be evasive when questioned about their drinking, and some health care professionals may not recognise that alcoholism may be contributing to their symptoms. Most alcoholics will resist any suggestion that alcoholism is involved and may be equally resistant to the suggestion of Alcoholics Anonymous as a last recourse. Rationalisation and denial are part of the alcoholic’s illness. Initial rejection of A.A. is part of the denial mechanism. A.A. members, having broken through their denial and faced the harm in their drinking, are particularly suited to helping others break through their denial.
We asked health professionals working in the field of alcoholism in Aotearoa to talk candidly about the role A.A. plays in helping their clients. This aligns with the A.A. public relations policy which states, “There is never need to praise ourselves. We feel it better to let our friends recommend us.”
You don’t need a referral to attend A.A. There is no need to book an appointment, phone ahead or let anyone know you’re coming – simply find a meeting and the person can turn up. If the person would like to speak to an A.A. member before attending their first meeting, they can call us on 0800 229 6757 or email [email protected] and we will put them in touch with someone in their area.
A.A. members also have found that recovery involves abstinence from alcohol, and that abstinence on a long-term basis requires fundamental changes in relationships with oneself, with others, and with some power greater than oneself. That is because it is the experience of Alcoholics Anonymous members that an alcoholic can never safely drink again.
We are not professional therapists. Our only qualification for helping others to recover from alcoholism is that we have stopped drinking ourselves. We have the ability to help problem drinkers because we are living proof that recovery is possible – we’ve done it. We in A.A. believe there is no such thing as a cure for alcoholism. We can never return to normal drinking, and our ability to stay away from alcohol depends on maintaining our physical, mental, and spiritual health. This we can achieve by going to meetings regularly and putting into practice what we learn there. In addition, we find it helps us to stay sober if we help other alcoholics.
The Twelve Steps are the core of the A.A. programme of personal recovery from alcoholism. They are not abstract theories; they are based on the trial-and-error experience of early members of A.A. They describe the attitudes and activities that these early members believe were important in helping them to achieve sobriety. Acceptance of the Twelve Steps is not mandatory in any sense. Experience suggests, however, that members who make an earnest effort to follow these Steps and to apply them in daily living seem to get far more out of A.A. than do those members who seem to regard the Steps casually. It has been said that it is virtually impossible to follow all the Steps literally, day in and day out. While this may be true, in the sense that the Twelve Steps represent an approach to living that is totally new for most alcoholics, many A.A. members feel that the Steps are a practical necessity if they are to maintain their sobriety.
The purpose of all meetings is for A.A. members to “share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.” Meetings are typically listed as ‘open’ or ‘closed’.
Open meetings are available to anyone interested in Alcoholics Anonymous’ programme of recovery from alcoholism. Non-alcoholics may attend open meetings as observers.
Closed meetings are for A.A. members only or for those who have a drinking problem and “have a desire to stop drinking.”
In Aotearoa New Zealand there are around 500 meetings a week. A.A. meetings happen in all kinds of venues from church halls and community centres to schools and treatment centres. A.A. is not affiliated with the organisations who own and operate these premises – we simply rent a convenient and affordable space so that we can meet. There are also many online meetings which can be accessed from anywhere. Find a meeting.
The chair usually opens the meeting with the A.A. Preamble and a few remarks. Some call for a moment of silence and/or recite the Serenity Prayer. The chair will often ask if there are any people new to A.A. attending the meeting who would like to introduce themselves. It isn’t mandatory to identify yourself but it might be helpful if you are attending your first meeting. Many meetings begin with a reading from A.A. literature and members will then be asked to share. If you are asked to share it is entirely up to you whether you do or not. If you are attending A.A. as an observer or are there supporting someone else, only those with a desire to stop drinking may participate by sharing. Many meetings close with members joining in a moment of silence followed by a prayer, or perhaps by reciting the Responsibility Statement or other A.A. text. After the meeting people gather and talk. Some may introduce themselves to you and offer their help or share their experiences getting sober.
A.A. is not a religious society, since it requires no definite religious belief as a condition of membership. The A.A. programme of recovery from alcoholism is undeniably based on acceptance of certain spiritual values. The individual member is free to interpret those values as he or she thinks best, or not to think about them at all. Some alcoholics, when they first turn to A.A., have definite reservations about accepting any concept of a Power greater than themselves. Experience shows that, if they will keep an open mind on the subject and keep coming to A.A. meetings, they are not likely to have too difficult a time in working out an acceptable solution to this distinctly personal problem.
Sometimes a referral source, such as a court or probation officer, asks for proof of attendance at A.A. meetings. Groups cooperate in different ways. There is no set procedure. The nature and extent of any group’s involvement in this process is entirely up to the individual group, however most groups are happy to sign a court card or similar. It is the responsibility of the person who is referred to attend a meeting, ask if the group is happy to sign the proof of attendance and to then return this proof themselves.
Everything you need to know about what A.A. does and doesn’t do, and how we can help.
How bringing A.A. to alcoholics in treatment settings helps to strengthen sobriety.
Information on starting A.A. groups in correctional facilities.