Self Help Groups

Self Help Groups

Alcoholics Anonymous was started in 1935 by two men, Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson. Wilson had ruined his promising Wall Street career because he was constantly drunk. While he was in the hospital for alcoholism, Wilson was convinced of the existence of a higher power that helped him give up drinking. A year later, his urge to drink returned and he sought out another alcoholic's (Bob Smith) help to remain sober. Smith and Wilson co-founded the program on June 10, 1935. Wilson eventually wrote a book entitled Alcoholics Anonymous describing the 12-step program. Some of the ideas of the program are abstaining from alcohol one day at a time, helping with work within AA, and having contact with your fellow AA members. Members are encouraged to find a sponsor, normally a former alcoholic.
AA groups have no membership fees, although some groups typically collect $1 per meeting to pay for things such as the room rentals, literature, and refreshments, although no on is turned away for lack of funds. There are both open and closed meetings - anyone is allowed to attend open, while closed are limited to those who have a desire to stop drinking. In a typical meeting, the chairperson calls the meeting to order and begins with a short prayer, followed by a reading from the "Big Book”, or other AA literature. Announcements then follow, celebrating newcomers, visitors, and members' anniversaries of sobriety. At most meetings, chairpersons and attendees with take turns sharing their personal experiences with alcoholism.
Narcotics Anonymous is another 12 step program, modeled off Alcoholics Anonymous. It is the second largest 12-step program in existence. NA emerged from the Alcoholics Anonymous program of the later 1940s, and was co founded by Jimmy Kannon. Meetings were first started in Los Angeles in the early 1950s. Initially, many drug users found sobriety through open AA meetings, however, closed meetings are only able to be attended by those with a...

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