Who Benefits from Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings?

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Alcoholics Anonymous is one of the longest-standing alcohol recovery support groups. It began in the 1930s as a religious organization and gradually grew into the multinational organization that has been helping people recover from alcohol issues for over 75 years.

Many people benefit from Alcoholics Anonymous meetings: the alcoholics themselves, other alcoholics, their friends and family and the community they live in.

What is Alcoholics Anonymous Based On?

Alcoholics Anonymous is based on the use of the 12 steps to recovery. These 12 steps form the foundation of all Alcoholics Anonymous groups. Each of the 12 steps has its own benefits. The 12 steps are:

1. Admit that you are powerless and have a problem with alcohol,
2. Believe in a higher power that can restore sanity to your life,
3. Decide to turn your life over to the higher power,
4. Inventory yourself and know the wrongs that you have committed,
5. Admit to the higher power, yourself, and one other person, the wrongs you have committed,
6. Become ready to have god remove these wrongs and the defects that caused them,
7. Ask god to help you remove your shortcomings and defects,
8. Make a list of the wrongs you have committed and the people you harmed,
9. Make amends to those people as long as doing so does not hurt them further,
10. Continue to strive to take responsibility for your actions and admit any wrongdoing,
11. Meditate and pray, trying to get closer to the higher power,
12. Have an awakening because of these steps and help others to do the same.

It is said that the process of completing these 12 steps is cathartic. It teaches the alcoholic how to live without drinking. Just the process of completing them is considered a benefit of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

How you benefit from Alcoholics Anonymous

Most people agree that Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are beneficial for a variety of reasons. A few of the commonly quoted reasons are:

• Interaction – it is a place where alcoholics can interact with each other.
• Sharing – by sharing stories, it helps alcoholics to not feel all alone.
• Learning – they teach each other new ways to deal with the consequences of alcoholism.
• Mutual support – you benefit from the support and commiseration of others.

Since its founding, Alcoholics Anonymous has centered on the idea of one recovering alcoholic helping another find a path to sobriety. This peer-to-peer structure fosters connection, acountability and shared understanding. The relationship is often mutually beneficial, strengthening the sobriety of the person offering support while encouraging and guiding the person working toward recovery.

How other alcoholics benefit

Alcoholics benefiting each other is nothing new. By joining Alcoholics Anonymous, you actually benefit other alcoholics.

Your story and experiences might help someone who is struggling with their own issues. By sharing your information with them, you could be helping them on the path to sobriety.

If you decide to stay with the organization, you have the opportunity to become a sponsor. This means you help other alcoholics by being there for them, encouraging them and supporting them when they need it.

You could also become a speaker or a group leader. By continuing the traditions of the organization, you make sure the organization continues to help other alcoholics.

How your friends and family benefit

Your friends and family benefit from Alcoholics Anonymous meetings because your participation supports your sobriety. Living with an alcoholic often leads to stress and dysfunction. Some examples include:

• Verbal conflicts and arguing, which are a common side effect of the defensiveness that comes with a drinking problem,
• Physical violence, which is a far too common problem in relationships with alcoholics, especially against spouses and children
• Psychological and emotional damage to everyone around the alcoholic
• Increased chance of children developing substance abuse problems in the future
• Confusion of marital and work rolls when someone has to pick up the slack for the alcoholic
• Lack of communication
• Problems coping with the adversity of all types, and in every situation.

There is also evidence that children are especially susceptible to psychological and emotional problems, even if they are not directly involved with the alcoholic. Using a program like Alcoholics Anonymous to get sober greatly lessens the effects of your alcoholism on others.

Steps eight and nine of the twelve-step program require that you make a list of those your alcoholism has hurt, and do your best to make amends. As you maintain sobriety and develop healthier coping skills, your relationships become more stable, trustworthy and positive.

How your community benefits

Alcohol abuse has several negative effects on the communities in which it takes place.  These effects can be far-reaching, including:

• Traffic accidents caused by intoxication from alcohol abuse- more than half of all traffic fatalities are alcohol related.
• Violent crime- more than half of rapes are perpetrated by persons under the influence of alcohol, alcoholics are thirty times more likely to commit suicide and three times more likely to commit assault, murder, or abuse a significant other or child.
• Increased healthcare costs- medical treatment for alcohol related issues is estimated to cost over one-hundred billion dollars every year, and fetal alcohol syndrome continues to be a major contributor to poor health in newborns.

This is not a complete list.  However, it serves to illustrate just how much of an impact alcohol abuse has on the community.

Participating in the twelve-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous can lessen the impact of alcohol abuse, supporting the individual in recovery while also benefiting their loved ones and the broader community.