The 12 step process addresses two primary barriers to sobriety. The first is your lack of accountability. You need to assume personal responsibility for the life you have. This includes successes and failures. It means facing all of the horrible things you have done and said while intoxicated. The second is your reluctance or fear to reconnect with people. Yet you will find it makes all the difference in the world knowing you are not alone. Whether you find your support and inspiration in fellow AA members or in a higher being, knowing you are not alone keeps you looking forward to sobriety.
Conservative: Teenagers brought up from this type of family are most likely to stay away from alcohol. Lessons on how to behave properly inside the house and in public is time and again reminded during meal time where everybody is present. They talk about achievements in school and how the kids have become good individuals. With the parents’ guidance, the kids tend to stay away from alcohol in a positive way. There is an almost zero incidence of teenage drunk driving in this style of upbringing.
Take care of drunk friends and strangers: Make sure that the group assigns who will be the one that will take care of drunken folks on the way home. No person should be subject to caring for those who have alcohol-induced symptoms while making sure they get home safe.
Thankfully, almost everyone has a cell phone with them while driving these days. This allows you to call 911 if you spot a suspected drunk driver. When you see someone possibly driving drunk, do not hesitate to call 911. Be prepared to give the operator a description of the vehicle, as well as its license plate number. Tell them where you are so that an officer can find the person.
Alcoholics often tell themselves a similar lie. “I’ll go out and have a good time and drink all I want and get it out of my system, then I’ll stop.” Then the drinker goes out and ties on a good one. But after the effects wear off, he or she is right back at it again. The same is true of the gambler who says he or she will stop after a big win or lucky streak. Even if he or she does manage to win, the gambling doesn’t stop, in fact, it usually gets worse. Obviously, the cure for a drinking problem isn’t more drinking and the cure for compulsive gambling isn’t more gambling.
Perhaps you’ve heard it before; “an alcoholic won’t quit until they hit bottom.” They must reach this point on their own. If you find a few AA meetings to attend, you will hear story-after-story of how people finally hit bottom.
Before now, an alcohol addict without the financial acumen often gets help in prison, state hospital or other non-profit/religious organizations. Those that have the funds can afford to consult a psychiatrist or get help in a private health center. alcoholics anonymous offers hope for those that don’t have the money as they can join the group and get help to stay off alcohol. NOt only is it affordable, but you must also consider the aisistance you get in dealing with the problem of addiction.
When I walked into a meeting after going through detox at a local hospital, I felt so alone, confused, and helpless. But within that first hour, I began to feel some hope as I could see that there was a new way of life, and the others in the room who had found sobriety were happy. They were kind, non-judgmental and willing to help me. They told me I didn’t have to drink again if I didn’t want to.