THE WORK of ALCOHOLICS ANONYMUUS
By William J. Murdoch
Doe, sick in mind, body, and soul. He
has been here before and deep down in-
side he knows he will be here again. He is
alone and frightened, mired deep in the
slough of despair and despondency. He is
an alcoholic, recovering from the ravages
of another siege of the bottle.
Two strangers enter the room. John
Doe is not surprised, for at this stage he
expects almost anything. For all he knows
he may have killed someone and these
men are police officers.
But his visitors are not policemen. They
smile and introduce themselves as George
Smith and Bill Jones. A mutual friend
told them he was in the hospital and they
stopped in to see how he was feeling.
They talk of one thing and another, and
then the conversation switches to drink-
ing. George tells of the shame, disgrace,
and unhappiness he has brought upon him-
self and his family through his drinking.
He goes into detail, telling of his utter
helplessness against the habit, and reveal-
ing how he had tried cure after cure
and had found no permanent relief.
But he tells this with a smile, as though
1t’s all in the past.
John Doe rather likes this man, George
Smith. He knows what he's talking about.
He's sympathetic. He understands that
sometimes a man gets drunk without
meaning to, that often he intends to take
only one drink but ends up in a protracted
orgy.
And then Bill Jones tells a story that is
much the same. He speaks of the jobs,
the friends, the opportunities, the love he
has lost through his attachment to drink.
He lists the numerous devices and methods
he practiced in an effort to curb his al-
coholic appetite, and he adds that they
all fell far short of accomplishment. But,
like his friend, he manages to smile
about 1t.
“That's how 1t used to he,”” he says.
“I’ve been sober for three years now.”
“And I haven't had a drink m two
years,” George adds. ‘What's more, I'll
never drink again.”
John Doe looks from one visitor to the
other, wondering.
“Have you ever wished you could stop
drinking?’ George asks casually. “For
good?”
“Yes!” John Doe replies instantly and
fervently.
have sought out John Doe—a man they
never saw before—to help him to save
himself from the curse which is fast re-
ducing him to the status of a mad beast.
They have nothing to sell, no fees to col-
lect, no dues to assess. They bring a gift,
the deliverance of the victim from the al-
cohol habit through divine aid.
As formulated by its founder, Alcoholics
Anonymous offers a comparatively simple
program through which John Doe can
free himself from alcoholic slavery. Briefly,
it is as follows:
First, John Doe must admit that he is
an alcoholic—that he can never hope to
take one or two or half a dozen drinks and
stop there. He must acknowledge a com-
plete lack of control over his life in this
respect.
Next, he must believe that all hope for
future happiness and freedom lies with a
Being greater than he.
Then, after acknowledging his mortal
weaknesses and shortcomings, he must
seek the help of God through prayer and
spiritual contact, so that he can be given
the strength to carry out God’s will. He
must try to make amends to all those per-
sons injured in the past by his selfishness
and thoughtlessness.
Finally, having received God’s help, he
must in turn aid other victims of the al-
cohol habit, and he must try to carry the
spirit of this program into other phases of
his life.
And it works. The program 1s a success.
Founded only a few years ago by an
eastern man, himself an alcoholic who mn
utter desperation turned to God for the
solution to his problem, the movement has
spread until today there are local units of
Alcoholics Anonymous established in cities
scattered throughout the Last and Middle
West. Itis difficult to estimate the number
of persons whose lives have been changed
by this organization, for not only are new
branches springing up almost constantly,
but many individuals, having read or
heard of the A. A. creed, successfully
practice it without benefit of organized
fraternity. Unofficial estimates, however,
place the organized membership total at
6,000.
®
Perhaps the greatest single factor re-
sponsible for the almost unbelievable ex-
pansion of the A. A.’s sphere of influence 1s
the ex-drinker’s knowledge that in order
to help himself he must help others.
Members of A. A. realize that in finding
new recruits for their army they are sub-
stantially increasing their own strength.
And more often than not, the recruit is
willing to listen to the story the A. Als
tell because he knows he is talking to men
whose experiences have been the same as
% This notched stick is the log of one of the boats of a torpedoed ship which was carrying supplies
to Iceland. The stick was used by Chief Mate H. J. Bjerrejaard to mark off the twenty days that
he and other survivors drifted about in Arctic waters before being rescued. The notched stick also
recounts the grim tale of three of the six who died and were buried at sea. Would a log kept by
alcohol’s victims show a less tragic result?
And then is unfolded the first chapter
of the amazing story of Alcoholics Anony-
mous, for George Smith and Bill Jones are
members of that organization and they
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