Gratitude is the hinge that keeps my sobriety swinging, says ex-serviceman

"I attended my first Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meet on December 18, 2008. Had I missed (it), I would have remained an alcoholic. Gratitude is the hinge that keeps my sobriety swinging,” said a 59-year-old ex-IAF serviceman. 

Speaking during the 59th anniversary of the AA in Jayanagar on Sunday, the ex-serviceman said he was hospitalised 13 times for alcoholism. Though each time I took a solemn oath to not drink again, I could not leave it, he added. 

“My intelligence and qualification couldn’t help me get rid of drinks but the 12 steps of AA helped me out,” the member added. 

Several members of AA took the opportunity to narrate their struggles against addiction to a packed audience. A 30-year-old recovering alcoholic reminisced about the days when he hit rock bottom. 

“Having had enough, I decided to commit suicide and went to a railway station. While waiting for the train and drinking one last time before impending death, I got to know about AA, which helped me live on,” he recollected. 

Dr Manasa S, consultant psychiatrist at Victoria Hospital, termed it a unique and one-of-a-kind event. 

Speaking of the AA’s drive to help people get out of drinking, she said: “I have observed AA since my days as a prison psychiatrist. They were actively involved in helping prisoners to get out of it. I like their result-oriented approach to the problem.” IPS officer Arun Chakravarthy J said methods such as de-addiction and rehabilitation programmes did not work for a lot of people suffering from absenteeism due to alcohol. 

Recollecting his days as the director of BMTC, he said stickers about AA distributed to the 44 bus depots brought results. 

A woman addicted for 13 years spoke of the impediments on the road to recovery. “Our conservative society attaches greater social stigma for drinking women. Coming from a traditional background only made things tougher for me,” she said. 

The fellowship has over 120 groups in the city which meet regularly, where members speak about their experiences. Members said the desire to get out of the “illness” was the only prerequisite to being a member and added it was free of charge.