Stay Sober! 2nd International ‘Alcoholic Anonymous’ Convention in City from Jan 25 – 27
Mangaluru: If you or someone you love has a problem with alcohol, Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) organization would like to help you! The members of AA are recovering alcoholics themselves and are committed to helping other alcoholics achieve sobriety. Alcohol will inevitably destroy the alcoholic, one way or another. It’s a simple message, but one that needs to be said. AA are men and women who finally gave up trying to control their drinking. They hated to admit that they could not drink safely or socially. They found that many people suffered from the same guilt, loneliness, and hopelessness that they did. In AA they found that they had these feelings because they had the progressive and fatal illness of alcoholism. If you know someone who needs help with a drinking problem, you need to contact one of the AA members or attend the forthcoming AA Convention in Mangaluru Those people are not alone. They will assist you (or your friend) to attend an AA meeting with them. The only requirement for attending the meeting is a desire to stop drinking. The meetings are anonymous and they are free.
But only you can decide whether you want to give A.A. a try – whether you think it can help you. The present members who are in A.A. came because they finally gave up trying to control their drinking. Addressing the media persons during a press meet, Dr Rohan Colaco-Chairman, General Service Board of Alcoholic Anonymous India said, “A self help fellowship group called “Alcoholics Anonymous ( AA)” is organizing its IInd International Convention at St Agnes special School Grounds, Bendore-Mangaluru on 25, 26 and 27 January 2018. On the same occasion, the 60th Anniversary of the Formation of A A in India and Mangaluru will be celebrated. 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; We are self-supporting through our own contributions. A A is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. The primary purpose of A A members is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety ( This is the preamble of A A). A A members place principles before personalities. Thereby maintaining anonymity.” added Dr Colaco.
He further said, “Not every person who drinks becomes an alcoholic, there are many categories of alcohol consumers. The first is social drinkers who drink on rare occasions but stop with the first drink. The second group called drunkards they 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 alcoholics who drink at any time of the day for any reason and consume any brand available to them. 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.”
The inauguration of the Convention will be held on 25th January 2018 at 5.30 pm at St Agnes Special School Ground-Bendore, Mangaluru, which will be graced by Rev Dr Aloysius Paul D’souza- Bishop of Mangaluru, along with MLA J R Lobo; Dr M R Ravi- CEO-Zilla Panchayat; and Fr Antony Serrao-Parish Priest, St Sebastian Church, Bendore-Mangaluru. The ceremony will be presided over by Dr Rohan Colaco.
About Alcoholic Anonymous (AA):
A A was born in 1935 in the city of Akron USA. The co-founders of A A were Bill.W. a stockbroker 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 lakh members are leading a life of sobriety by staying away from that first drink. In 1957 a Mangalorean Harry.M. got the A A 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, Malanadu, Davangere, Mysore, Udupi, Uttara Kannada and many other places all over India and the number of members runs in thousands.
‘Alcoholism’ is declared as an illness by Word Health Organization in the year 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 activating the urge to drink more alcohol. The rationality of alcoholic stops working after 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 either 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 newcomers, 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 a little help from medicine and some principles of psychology. The program enables to keep away from the first drink one day at a time.
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