Each September, around Recovery Month, Alcoholics Anonymous reminds Australians who are struggling with their drinking to know that they are not alone, and that recovery is possible.
For someone whose drinking has become a problem, asking for help can be one of the hardest steps to take. Alcoholics Anonymous provides a fellowship where people can meet others who have faced similar experiences and share their experience, strength and hope.
George’s* message this month is just one of many similarly difficult, but rewarding, stories of recovery.
“I went to good schools and grew up in a working-class family with strong morals. I was clever enough but struggled to focus, the result of underlying issues and trauma from being adopted. I found alcohol at 14 and drank on weekends. Over time I became extremely anti-social, violent and caused personal damage, including shoplifting, car stealing and breaking and entering.
Due to an increasing urge to let the anger out I turned more and more to alcohol. When I received a driver’s licence, my behaviour continued until I had been charged for 5 drink-driving offences by the time I was 21 and a magistrate threatened to send me to jail for 1-2 years if I did nothing about my drinking (rightly so!).
I had lost my job because I had started coming to work drunk or missing work altogether. My girlfriend called me a loser and left. I had no car, no money, no job and no prospects whatsoever.
On the advice of that magistrate, I approached a lawyer and a doctor who both encouraged me to go to Alcoholics Anonymous. I had been trying to stop or moderate my drinking for a few years. I had even gone to “DUI school” to learn why I shouldn’t drink. I had engaged a drug and alcohol counsellor who gave me a drinking diary however none of that changed my behaviour.
After the GP visit, I also visited a psychiatrist who helped me to check into a local detoxification unit. Whilst there, I learned that I suffered from an illness. Up until that point, I thought I was just a bad egg or that I was just plain stupid. I wanted to change but I just couldn’t find the way out. People kept telling me that if I just didn’t drink, then I would be okay, the problem was I didn’t know how to stop.
I was introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and after a 12-month struggle to stop, I eventually was able to stop drinking and my life turned around 180 degrees. By all standards, I have been afforded a wonderful life thanks largely to being introduced to AA.
I have enjoyed a successful business career with banking, legal and other businesses, operating with great integrity within global corporations. I have been married for over 20 years and we have raised two wonderful children. We have incorporated strong, spiritual and principled living in our home, with good old-fashioned morals, support, encouragement and love.
We are regular members of society who contribute significantly to helping others find a way out from their drinking. I have not re-offended nor have I shown any anti-social behaviour since stopping drinking. Eventually I returned to study and completed a Master’s Degree with a distinction average.
Without the helping hand of AA, I could never have stopped drinking, much less had a full and successful life. The tremendous transformation was as much a surprise to me as it was to my family, former friends and former work colleagues. I am almost unrecognisable from the extremely unwell person who sought help in 1993.”
This also provides an opportunity to challenge the misinformation that can surround alcoholism and addiction. AA encourages anyone concerned about their own drinking, or the drinking of someone close to them, to learn more about the support AA offers.
While recovery looks different for everyone, AA members support one another in living without alcohol, one day at a time. Meetings provide an opportunity to listen, ask questions and connect with people who have found a way to live without drinking.
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*George is not his real name.
About us:
AA is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength and hope with each other to recover from alcoholism and help others achieve sobriety. AA is non-professional, self-supporting and non-denominational. There are no dues or fees for AA membership. The Fellowship is available to anyone who has a desire to stop drinking. AA meetings are available in communities throughout Australia, as well as online.
Australians can contact Alcoholics Anonymous Australia via the 24-hour Helpline on 1300 22 22 22 or find information about local and online meetings through the AA Australia website at www.aa.org.au.
Contact details:
Alcoholics Anonymous Australia
24-hour Helpline: 1300 22 22 22
Meetings and information: aa.org.au
Neil Schafer
Ph: +61 403 227 667 [email protected]
