Welcome to Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.

In Graaff-reinet, weekly AA meetings are being held at the Assembly Café in Caledon Street at 18:00 on Mondays.

If you have an alcohol problem, contact 082 578728, 073 074 0055 or 073 0906958 to find out more about these weekly get-togethers.

1. Alcoholism is an illness, not a weakness of character. Most alcoholics are very strongwilled people. This strong will, accompanied by a false impression that they can control their drinking, makes the strong will more of a problem than an asset.

2. As it is an illness, there should be no stigma attached to being an alcoholic. Alcoholics need help, not condemnation.

3. An alcoholic who carries on with heavy drinking through life always end up insane or dying prematurely. Alcohol has devastating effects on the brain, liver and spleen to name just three organs. It causes, or aggravates, self-centredness, anger, resentment and fear.

4. There is hope, however, for the alcoholic who really wants to stop drinking but cannot.

It is extremely difficult to stop drinking permanently without help. But there is help in the form of the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Founded in 1935, millions of alcoholics have become (and remained) sober through the AA programme.