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Alcoholics Anonymous Guide
Alcoholics Anonymous is an organization that supports recovering alcoholics. Although Alcoholics Anonymous is a centralized organization with a main office and official website, there are over one hundred thousand sub-groups worldwide in over 150 countries, and each one is fundamentally autonomous. Groups meet in various venues and get together in a wide variety of numbers, from only a few to several hundred individuals. Alcoholics Anonymous started organizing meetings in 1934, when it was founded by Dr Bob Smith and Bill Wilson. Until that point, alcoholics either had to hire an expensive psychiatrist or be admitted into a private mental hospital. Those without much money sought help in rescue missions, churches, public hospitals, or even in prisons. Alcoholics Anonymous was the first North American approach to strictly helping alcoholics. It was also one of the first American organizations to integrate religious principles with medical knowledge into public forums where people discussed their everyday experiences and supported each other mutually. The founders of Alcoholics Anonymous credited their ideas as coming from the Oxford Group (a Christian group promoting a belief in divine guidance), which worked to create a conversion experience that could be used to convert alcoholics from alcohol to sobriety.
In 1934, when Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson founded the organization, Alcoholics Anonymous started organizing meetings immediately. Until then, alcoholics did two of these: either they hired a psychiatrist or they let themselves be admitted into a private mental hospital. Hiring a psychiatrist was expensive, so the alcoholics who don't have money asked assistance from public hospitals, rescue missions, churches, or even in prisons.
Alcoholics Anonymous was the first in a lot of things, being in itself the first approach of North America to help alcoholics. It was also one of the first American organizations to incorporate religious concepts and ideas into treatment. People shared their experiences with each other and each of them showed support to another. The founders of the organization based their ideas from a Christian group called Oxford Group. Having said that, Alcoholics Anonymous aims to help alcoholics convert alcohol to sobriety.
Today, the groups under this organization is not connected to any political or religious organization. Its goal is mainly to help people stay sober. You get an instant membership to this group by an alcoholic, mixed with the desire to quit the habit. You don't need to pay any fee. All you need is the right goal - avoiding alcohol one drink at a time, and getting the needed support from people.
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