We who are members of A.A. joined because we have finally stopped trying to control our drinking. It was painful to get drunk and not be able to drink normally. Later we heard from A.A. members that we were sick. We had known this about ourselves for years. In A.A. we realized that many others were suffering from guilt, loneliness and hopelessness just like us. We realised that we were depressed by these feelings because we were alcoholics.
The majority of the community agree that for us, alcoholism is a physical compulsion coupled with an obsession. We have gone through a dark and desperate journey to the realisation that our own strength and willpower cannot keep us sober.
Today we are willing to accept that alcoholism is a disease. It is a progressive disease that we can keep symptom-free. We can live sober.
We have the support of Alcoholics Anonymous, where we can count on each other. We have similar experiences with alcohol, so our peers understand what we are going through and can support each other in what we have not been able to do on our own. Join us and decide for yourself if we can help you.
If you keep drinking more than you want to, if you get into trouble because of your drinking, or if you have memory loss when you drink, you may be an alcoholic. Only you can decide that.
These 12 questions can help you decide
1. Have you ever decided not to drink for, say, a week, but your resolution only lasted a few days?
We have made many, many promises to ourselves and our families. We were unable to keep them. In A.A. we were told "Try not to drink today! If you don't drink today, you won't get drunk."
2. Do you ever wish your environment would leave you alone about your drinking, stop nagging you about what to do?
In A.A., no one tells anyone what to do. We just talk about our own drinking, how much trouble alcohol has caused us and how we stopped.
3. Have you ever switched from one drink to another in the hope that the new drink wouldn't get you drunk?
We tried many things. We got our drink high. We only drank beer. We avoided the hard drinks. We only drank on the weekends. Everything you can imagine, we tried everything. Still, if we drank anything with alcohol in it, we usually got drunk.
4. Have you needed a "morning pick-me-up" in recent years?
Do you need a drink to start the day or to make your shakes go away? If so, it may be a sign that you're not just drinking 'for company'.
5. Do you envy people who can drink without getting into trouble?
A recurring thought for most of us from time to time: why are we not able to quit drinking like most people?
6. Have you had any problems with alcohol in the past year?
Doctors say that if you have a problem with alcohol, but you keep drinking, your problem will only get worse, never better.
7. Has your drinking caused conflicts at home?
Before we came to A.A., most of us used to say that people and problems at home and work caused our drinking. We couldn't see that our drinking was making it worse. Drinking never solved any problems anywhere.
8.
Many of us have topped up a few drinks at home or on the road before going to a party, thinking we won't get enough there.
9. Do you ever prove to yourself that you can stop drinking when you want to, but you still get drunk against your will?
Many of us fool ourselves into thinking that we drink because we want to drink. Later, in A.A., we realised that once we started drinking, we were unable to stop.
10. Did you miss work or school because of drinking?
Many of us called in sick many times when we were truthfully hungover or drunk.
11. Have you ever had a "movie break"?
We call it a "movie break" when we can't remember hours or days spent drinking. When we came to A.A. we learned that such "lapses" could be a sign of alcoholism.
12. Have you ever felt that your life would be better if you didn't drink?
Many of us started drinking because it made our lives easier, at least for a while. By the time we got into A.A., we felt trapped. We drank to live, and we lived to drink. We became patients of alcohol, and we were tired of being sick and tired.
If you answered YES four or more times, you probably have a problem with alcohol.
Why are we saying this? Because thousands of A.A. members have experienced it.
Only you can decide if you have an alcohol problem and if you need A.A. If your answer is YES, we will be happy to help you and show you how we stopped drinking. Contact us by phone or email or come to one of our meetings.
Contact us!
Contact us:
Phone: +36 1 251 00 51 (every day from 15-18 h, otherwise leave a message)
Mobile: +36 30 749 2221
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
