NT

Panaji, Oct 1:  Avoid the first sip of alcohol. For it is the first sip that causes the craving for more and more. Alcoholism is a slow progressive disease and there is no cure for it. The only way to avoid it is to refuse the first drink.

This message was sought to be driven home by various members of the organization Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), as it celebrated its 32nd anniversary in Goa at a special function at the Don Bosco Oratory, Panaji. AA also celebrates its golden jubilee or 50 years in India this year.

Deputy inspector general (DIG) of police Ujjwal Mishra, who was the chief guest, said Goa is an eye-opener because although alcohol is abundantly and openly available here, alcoholism and drunkenness is much less in Goa as compared to many other Indian states. He said it strengthens the feeling that if something is abundantly available, it is a dampener. The solution to anything is not in banning it. Mishra commended AA for their spirit of devotion and the anonymity with which they conducted their work. He said it is a great achievement that AA is self-supporting and does not collect any fees at a time when society is full of greed and avarice.

In sharing his “drunkalog,” an AA member Nolasco said that he was born into a good family with many talents; good sportsman, good singer and good at studies. But he was an introvert and suffered from an inferiority complex. At weddings, he did not even have the courage to ask girls to dance with him. Then someone suggested trying a drink. It worked. He got the courage to ask a girl to dance with him and enjoyed a good dance. Since then alcohol became his support and over time, his dependence on alcohol grew by leaps and bounds. His drunkenness caused a lot of suffering to him and to his family.

When he first joined AA, they told him he was not a bad man, not a mad man but only a sick man. “In AA, I found love and a language of the heart. AA is now my weapon,” said Nolasco, who has remained sober for several years now.

Said another AA member Maria, “I found love, care, affection and acceptance in AA. With the love and support of AA, I could carry on with my life outside the fellowship.” She recounted her years of hard drinking and how much pain and anguish it caused to herself and her family. When with the help of AA she managed to stay sober for one full day, she felt “like a bird out of a cage.” I found my God and love in AA, said Maria, who has stayed sober for the last 24 years.