The Response Winter 2020-2021 - 12

FEATURE

There is Help, Hope and
Healing in Recovery
by Yvonne Stroman, Council on Chemical Abuse, Community Program Specialist

inety meetings in 90 days has long been suggested by clinicians and therapists in the drug and alcohol
field. It is an important step for someone to begin their recovery journey as part of their maintenance
to stay alcohol and drug free. Ninety meetings in 90 days simply means, this is a way to get in the
habit of living life sober - without the use of alcohol and/or other drugs. If one is to refrain from engaging
in behaviors that result in negative consequences, one must replace it with something positive and beneficial.
Alcoholics Anonymous began in 1935 in Akron, Ohio as the outcome of a meeting between two men who
identified themselves as hopeless alcoholics. They believed that there was strength in helping each other stay
sober and denying themselves a drink of alcohol one day at a time. They extended their support to others who
too, had identified themselves as hopeless alcoholics and thus Alcoholics Anonymous meetings began to occur
in homes, church basements, offices, and hospitals.
Today, an A.A. presence can be found in approximately 180 nations worldwide, with membership estimated
at over two million, according to its website. There are more than 118,000 A.A. groups around the world and
A.A.'s literature has been translated into languages as diverse as Afrikaans, Arabic, Hindi, Nepali, Persian,
Swahili, and Vietnamese, among many others. There are 60,143 groups in the United States alone. The
creation of Alcoholics Anonymous and the idea that one alcoholic could indeed help another alcoholic stay
sober is the foundation set forth in the birth of many other 12-step self-help and mutual aid support groups.

THE RESPONSE // WINTER 2020-2021

The Response Winter 2020-2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Response Winter 2020-2021