How AA helped them chuck the bottle

Nanu, 32, a salon owner from Ahmedabad, finally overcame the biggest challenge of his life - kicking his 20-year-old addiction to liquor. He is one of those bravehearts from this ‘dry state'.

"What started as a recreational drinking session with my friend at the age of 14, became an addiction. I could not think of a single day without my regular dose of alcohol which I used to start taking from early morning till late in the night. I did not care about my family and society," recounts Nanu.

But joining Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) changed his life within three years. Nanu was one of the participants at Friday's convention of AA held at Gandhinagar.

AA is a US-based fellowship of men and women, who come on a common platform and share their experiences and problems regarding alcohol addiction. "Ahmedabad has around 80,000 alcoholics or even more but only 14 have approached us to help them quit alcohol," says Pushan of AA. "We know there are many alcoholics who need serious help despite Gujarat being a dry state. We have to encourage them to help themselves kick this habit."

Another AA member Devendra, 43, recounted how liquor ruined his life. "In front of my own eyes, I saw my thriving business getting ruined. I used to drink 15 quarters a day. What started with big brands of alcohol ultimately lead me to drink country liquor." "Here it is available 24x7. Prohibition is only fuelling the problems, making it more attractive for the people," he said. Devendra quit the habit 18 years ago after getting in touch with AA.

Puja Pushkarna, a clinical psychologist at Apollo Hospitals, said, "On an average, we get two to three cases of serious alcoholism from the city for counselling sessions. Habitual drinkers do not approach us either due to fear of stigma attached to it and even if they arrive there is a police fear for them."

Pushkarna, who is working in this field for the last 10 years, said, "Serious alcoholism cases have seen a jump of 10-15 per cent in Ahmedabad. AA has certainly helped in the recovery programme."

Times of India