"alcoholics anonymous" news and stories

Alcoholics Anonymous first began by the meeting of two men, Dr. Bob and Bill W. -- anonymity is a basic tenet of AA, thus the abbreviated names -- who offered one another moral support. Dr. Bob's last drink was on June 10, 1935, making this year's AA convention in San Antonio, Texas, a 75th anniversary celebration for the organization, which now boasts 2 million members. The birthplace of the two men's determination to help themselves and others is considered Akron, Ohio, which just celebrated the anniversary over the weekend with Founder's Day events, including a motorcade to the grave site of Dr. Bob.

For those of you closer to New York City who would also like to conduct some sort of pilgrimage, you can visit 182 Clinton Street in Brooklyn, the former home of AA founder Bill W. and where early NYC AA meetings were conducted. Later a clubhouse was established at 334 1/2 West 24th Street in Manhattan, with headquarters also located at 30 Vesey Street. AA groups now exist all over the world to help people from all walks of life recover from alcoholism.

AA members focus on a 12-step and 12-traditions program that helps them deal with their illness one day at a time. According to the group, one drink is too many and a thousand is not enough.

Proving that alcoholism isn't just about men or women on skid row with a panhandling bucket, Bill W. had worked in Manhattan as a stockbroker.

Aside from willpower and peer pressure, there are few things that can actually dissuade someone who really wants to drink from drinking. That's why AA has a 12-step program, not a 1-step one. But some scientists in Australia have just announced that they have a drug that may stop people from drinking. The compound blocks the production of a chemical called orexin that induces euphoria. So far, the compound has only been tested on rats, but it was remarkably successful in stopping the compulsion to drink alcohol in rats that had developed/were forced to develop an addition to it. In fact, they completely stopped drinking it when offered.

The theory is that the pleasurable effects of drinking, or the perceived pleasure that triggers the orexin system, are what drive the cravings and taking that away eliminates the reason for the craving to exist. Presumably, the drinker would still feel the effects of the alcohol, but there would no longer be any type of "high." Scientists also think that a similar treatment could be developed to treat other addictions, such as binge eating.

Obviously, it still has a long way to go before something like this will be available to the public, but it certainly sounds like it could help some people eliminate a step or two if they have a drinking problem.

Source