Alcoholics Anonymous Goals and Purpose

Alcoholics Anonymous dates back to the 1930s when two guys suffering from their alcohol dependence decided they would do whatever they could to help each other in recovering and staying sober. These two fellows were Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson, often referred to as Bill and Bob, and little did they realize the impact that their 12 step program would have the future of alcoholism recovery.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) conduct their meetings in a group setting which enables support from all members who are at different levels of recovery. This is especially helpful for newer members to see that recovery is possible and there is a life after alcohol.

AA also offers two very valuable resources to their support system and that is:

• the availability of group member’s telephone numbers
• the sponsor program

At each meeting there is a list of members and their contact information of those that are available for help day or night. The resources on the list are those that have already completed the 12 steps of AA.

Once the alcoholic feels comfortable with the AA program, they have the option to obtain a sponsor. A sponsor will help a recovering alcoholic throughout their healing. Sponsors are also alcoholics that have also completed the 12 steps of AA. The sponsor will get to know and understand the person they are sponsoring and this will help them to be able to assist with any problems or cravings to drink.

One of the most important foundations of AA is the 12 step program. The 12 step program is a set of goals and milestones that allows the recovering alcoholic to feel a sense of accomplishment when each step is completed. The 12 steps provide the foundation on what future sobriety will be based upon.

The 12 step method that Bill and Bob put together was largely influenced by the Oxford Group which involves self-reflection, surrender to God, admission of character defects, and compensation for harm done to other people in order to recover from behavioral illnesses including addictions.

There are many 12 step programs for all kinds of addiction which usually encourage religion or at least spirituality. For this reason, atheists, agnostics, and non-Christians are often turned off from 12 step programs due to their strong Christian roots. However, a sense of spirituality greatly aids the recovery process.

Although there is treatment for alcoholism, there is no cure, which makes recovery is a life long process. The alcoholic could relapse and drink again at any time and this is why the support of groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous is so vital. They help the alcoholic realize that there is a life to live without alcohol

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