An year off bubbly, Alcoholics Anonymous drinks to its health

Ahmedabad, September 17: They aren’t saying hic, hic, hurray, but guess why the Ahmedabad chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is celebrating.

AA, a voluntary group that helps alcoholics overcome their addiction, completed one year this month and the chapter held a meeting on Sunday to share their experiences of the past year. It’s ironical that the group is thriving in what is known to be ‘‘the driest State of them all.’’

AA, which works on the ideology of sharing experiences, strengths and hopes with one another, started with a strength of five members here. Now, there are around 35 members in the group, with members keeping their identity a secret.

One of the founding members of the Ahmedabad chapter said their main goal was to help people get over alcohol addiction and that they welcome people from all classes and religions.

‘‘We work on the simple principle of being honest to our selves. All Alcoholics Anonymous members take a vow every morning that they will not drink that day and try to adhere to their promise,” he added.

The members meet twice a week and share their experiences and problems in countering alcoholism. Apart from Ahmedabad, AA also has its chapters in Idar, Vadodara, Surat, Vapi and Daman in Gujarat.

Ahmedabad Newsline