AA Facts

Cheri Gallegos

11/18/04

You will be read about alcoholism and drug addiction. In the time you read this you will hear some true facts about alcoholism and drug addiction, and one of my personal experiences.

Here are a few facts I have picked up in the six months that I have spent in A.A (alcoholics anonymous) One: alcoholism is a disease. Two: there is an estimated 10.5 million people in the country that are suffering from alcoholism. Three: one of ten people who drink will become an alcoholic. Four: Alcoholics Anonymous is a program, which helps people deal with and recover from alcoholism.

When I was first told that I was an alcoholic, I denied it. I just couldn’t live with the fact that there was a chance of me being an alcoholic. I kept denying it until my good friend took me to an A.A meeting. For the first two weeks that I went to meetings, I stood in the back of the room and hid behind people until one day I sat in the middle of the room. That was when I admitted to myself that I was in fact an alcoholic and an addict. (This is the hardest thing to do in the program.) Ever since then I have gone to meetings weekly, and from that I am six months sober. Now I am able to live my life the way it should be lived.

I chose to write my essay on alcoholism and drug addiction because I know a lot about the subject and I think people should be educated on it. If I were teaching this to someone, I would first explain the facts that are stated in the first paragraph. Then I would tell them about my first experience which is explained in the second paragraph. Finally I would take them to an A.A. related meeting so that they can see how serious alcoholism can be. The only other thing I could do is hope they would use what they learned and try to teach it to someone else.