By Patrick Braggs
Media Release

Mangaluru, Dec 8: A self help fellowship group called ‘Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)’ is organizing its second international convention in Mangaluru on January 25, 26 and 27, 2018. 

It will also celebrate its 60th anniversary of its formation during the convention. The aim of A A International Convention is to create awareness among the general public about the dreadful disease called alcoholism and to find the way to regain hope to lead a good life. 

A A is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. 

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A A membership. A A is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution. The group does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposing any causes. The primary purpose of A A members is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. A A members place principles before personalities, thereby maintaining anonymity. 

Not every person who drinks becomes an alcoholic. There are many categories among alcohol consumers. The first are social drinkers who drink on rare occasions but stop with the first drink. The second group called drunkards drink heavily once in a while, on a particular day, but are not compelled nor have the urge to have a drink the next day. The third category called addicts who drink almost every day but not before completing their daily responsibilities. They drink only before having their dinner. The last category is of alcoholics who drink at any time of the day for any reason and consume any brand available to them.   

Alcoholism is declared as an illness by Word Health Organization in 1956. The syndrome called alcoholism can only be described but cannot be defined. This is a syndrome of mental obsession to drink and later the physical allergy takes over inducing the urge to drink more alcohol. The rationality of an alcoholic stops working the moment he has his first drink. The third part of the illness is a hidden malady called spiritual bankruptcy. This is a progressive disease and ends up in epilepsy, hallucination or premature death. 

An alcoholic shuns reality and seeks refuge in alcohol. An alcoholic cannot imagine life either with or without alcohol. Drinking is only the outer manifestation of an inner problem of deep seated emotional disorder. Alcoholism cannot be cured but can be arrested. It can be controlled only through abstinence by accepting the A A program thus leading to a life of sobriety. In A A, the members who have recovered from this malady of alcoholism, guide the new comers to keep away from the first drink and help them to tackle their problems and lead a life free from alcohol.  

Alcoholism is an age old problem. Many countries, organizations, institutions and social workers have failed to find a solution for alcoholism. A A has a program to help suffering alcoholics to find a remedy for their problem only if they have ‘The Desire To Stop Drinking’.  It then becomes the business of A A to help alcoholics to avoid relapses and attain sobriety through the simple spiritual program which is derived from all religions, along with help from medicine and some principles of psychology. The program enables to keep away from the first drink one day at a time.

A A was born in 1935 in the city of Akron USA. The co-founders of A A were Bill W a stock broker and Dr Bob a surgeon who were alcoholics and suffered immensely. They met each other by sheer chance and the duo found a way to get over this malady of alcoholism. Ever since then the fellowship of A A slowly spread in more than 120 countries and at present more than 40 lac members are leading a life of sobriety by staying away from that first drink. In 1957, a Mangalurean Harry M got the AA message through a recovering alcoholic from Canada. Out of the first five recoveries in India, four were from Dakshina Kannada District. 

A A groups started in Mumbai and later Vittal Pai took the lead to form General  Service Office (India) of A A in Mumbai and served as its chairman for seven years (May 5th  1957 is considered as the day of the first A A Meeting). The A A message reached Mangaluru in 1958 through late Jimmy M and Charles D’sa. At present many A A groups are functioning every day in Mangaluru, Bengaluru, Malenad, Davangere, Mysuru, Udupi, Uttara Kannada and other places all over India and the number of members runs in thousands. 

In spite of the great increase in the size and the span of the fellowship, at its core it remains simple and personal. Each day somewhere in the world, recovery begins when one alcoholic talks with another alcoholic, sharing experience, strength and hope.