Alcoholics Anonymous and Mutual Aid
Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous (AA/NA/CA) are 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 and addiction.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no fees for fellowship membership and it is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organisation or institution. The organisation does not wish to engage in any controversy and neither endorses nor opposes any causes. The primary purpose is to stay sober and help other addicts to achieve sobriety.
Twelve step is an informal society of more than 2 million recovering addicts throughout the world. Meetings range in size from a handful in some localities to a hundred or more in larger communities.
AA is non-professional – it doesn’t have clinics, doctors, counsellors or psychologists. All members are themselves recovering from alcoholism. There is no central authority controlling how AA groups operate. It is up to the members of each group to decide what they do. However, the AA program of recovery has proved to be so successful that almost every group follows it in very similar ways.
AA is not a religious organisation, nor is it affiliated with any religious body. It welcomes members of all religions, agnostics and atheists alike. You don’t have to sign up or achieve anything to be a member. You’re a member of a group if you choose to be. You can come and go as you please. No one is “in charge” of a group. It works through the offer of help and suggestion only. No one can tell you what you should or shouldn’t do.
AA works through members telling their stories of what we used to be like, what happened and what we are like now. The AA program, known as The Twelve Steps, provides a framework for self-examination and a road to recovery, free of alcohol.
The same principle exists for both NA and CA as above.
Mutual aid groups like smart recovery are run from Aspire, led my mentors or peers in recovery. For more information contact 03000 212270.
In Doncaster there are a number of meetings held at Rosslyn House. Please contact Rosslyn House on 03000 212270 for dates and times. For regional and online meetings and help please contact 0800 9177 650 or visit the Alcoholics Anonymous website
About Aspire
Aspire is a partnership organisation set up by Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) and registered charity The Alcohol & Drug Service (ADS).
We pride ourselves on being innovative and forward thinking, and work closely with the recovery communities we serve to provide flexible, responsive services, which offer the best possible recovery outcomes for all our service users.
