Info Concerning Alcoholics Anonymous
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If a person is looking for info concerning Alcoholics Anonymous, a good place to start would be
an examination of the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.
What is AA and What are the Conditions for Membership?
Alcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide organization of men and women from all
walks of life who share experiences, strengths, and aspirations with one other in the hope that they may solve
their mutual problem and assist others in their quest to recover from alcohol dependence.
The only condition for Alcoholics Anonymous membership is a desire to quit drinking alcohol. Therefore, total
abstinence from alcohol is advocated by the organization.
Members make a conscious effort to refrain from drinking and they accomplish this "one day at a
time."
In Alcoholics Anonymous, sobriety is achieved through mutual support as members share their hopes, their strengths,
and their experiences.
There are no fees or dues for AA membership. Alcoholics Anonymous is self-supporting through
its own member contributions.
AA is neither aligned with any religious denomination or sect nor associated with any political
institution or organization.
Moreover, AA does not wish to involve themselves in anything that is controversial and neither
sanctions nor opposes any causes. The major purpose of AA members is to remain sober and help other alcoholics to
attain sobriety.
In 1998 in the United States, 1,668 drivers from the ages of 16 to 20 were involved
in alcohol-related fatal motor vehicle crashes. Another 21,000 were involved in alcohol-related
accidents that
resulted in injury. |
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
Part of the recovery program that A.A. suggests is articulated in the Twelve
Steps.
Based on the experiences of Alcoholics Anonymous's earliest members, the 12 Steps represent
the documented practices and principles, acquired through trail and error, the early members established in
order to maintain sobriety.

| Research studies have demonstrated that the following family-related antecedents are
correlated to the start of substance abuse: relationships with peers who use drugs, neurotic
traits, conduct disorders, high levels of stress and conflict, psychological depression, economic
instability, high sensation-seeking, low academic performance, sexual or physical abuse in
childhood, juvenile delinquency, low self-esteem, antisocial behavior, parental use of drugs and
alcohol, dysfunctional family behaviors and interactions, coercive behavior with family members,
poor family management, inadequate mother-infant bonding and nurturing, and genetic propensity
toward substance abuse. |
The Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous
During its first decade, the early members of Alcoholics Anonymous developed a number of practices
and procedures that fostered the continuation of the informal structure of the organization.
In 1946, in the organization's international journal entitled the Alcoholics Anonymous Grapevine,
the aforementioned principles and guidelines were documented by the founders and early members and became known as
the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Info Concerning Alcoholics Anonymous: Conclusion
As mentioned above, if a person is looking for info concerning Alcoholics
Anonymous, perhaps the best place to gain a basic understanding of Alcoholics Anonymous would be to study
the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.
| Long-term excessive drinking increases the risk of developing certain types of
cancer, especially cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and the voice box. In addition, research
has demonstrated that women who drink two or more drinks per day slightly increases their risk for
developing breast cancer. Heavy, long-term drinking, moreover, may also increase the risk for
developing cancer of the rectum and of the colon. |
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