Alcoholics Anonymous proposed the 12-step program to help those recovering from alcoholism. The first step states, "We admitted we were powerless over our addiction---that our lives had become unmanageable," according to 12Step.org. There are support systems to help you master this first step.
Sponsor
Part of joining Alcoholics Anonymous is linking up with a sponsor. The sponsor is another alcoholic trying to refrain from alcohol. AA sponsors were proposed by Clarence Snyder in 1944 in his "AA Sponsorship Pamphlet." According to Snyder, "The acceptance of an opportunity to take the AA plan to a sufferer of alcoholism entails very real and critically important responsibilities. Each member, undertaking the sponsorship of a fellow alcoholic, must remember that he is offering what is frequently the last chance of rehabilitation, sanity or maybe life itself." Especially in the early period of recovery, an alcoholic needs the support and advice of and conversation with his sponsor.
Self-Evaluation
The website 12Step.org offers free worksheets to help you delineate the problems alcoholism has caused. These worksheets are designed to help you by asking you to list such things as how your alcoholism damaged your relationships, writing the things other people have told you about how you hurt them, writing about memory lapses, talking about illnesses caused by your addiction and writing about fits of anger. These questions are not designed for other people, but for yourself.
Meetings
AA support group meetings also are tools to help you. Not only are they an opportunity to talk about your own experiences with alcoholism, but also an opportunity to listen to other people talk about their difficulties. The idea is that knowing other people are going through the same types of problems as you are can help you put your life in perspective. The other people who attend the meetings act as a support group, especially at the beginning of the 12 steps. According to AA's pamphlet "This is A.A.," "We have but one primary purpose: to stay sober ourselves and to help others who may turn to use for help in achieving sobriety."
