First, the person who attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings admits that their drinking has become out of hand. The admission of a problem is the first step toward recovery. Second, the person who joins Alcoholics Anonymous, however informally, finds solace that he or she is not alone. Suddenly the individual is surrounded by caring, compassionate, and supportive persons who share similar stories and who completely withhold judgment. In fact, one of the things I noticed most as an outsider attending the meeting was that no one commented on the stories being shared with the group. No one offered advice. The only advice members are willing to give is "Keep coming back." Other slogans like "It works if you work it" help solidify the core tenets of the group in a person's mind. Therefore, a third goal of attending Alcoholics Anonymous is that the group seems to encourage commitment and discipline. Even...
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