MYTH
I can’t be an alcoholic, because I can drink a lot.
FACT
Some of our stories….are about young people who had large capacities for alcohol. They
are also alcoholics.
MYTH
AA members want to drink all the time. They’re miserable and grumpy.
FACT
Most of us are very comfortable not drinking. We also have a lot more fun than we ever
had before.
MYTH
I can take one drink and get away with it.
FACT
While many of us could sometimes take just one drink and not drink again that night or
the next day, sooner or later we’d get drunk again.
MYTH
If the party was a real success then naturally nobody can remember it.
FACT
Most people do not have blank spots in their memory or “blackouts”. Getting this
wasted is not normal, and blackouts are a symptom of alcoholism.
MYTH
AA makes you give up drinking for the rest of your life.
FACT
AA doesn’t “make” us do anything, and we don’t swear off drinking forever. We just
stay away from one drink – the next drink – for one day at a time. Just for today, we’re
not drinking. Who knows about tomorrow?
MYTH
I’m a bad weak – willed drinker.
FACT
We learned that alcoholism is an illness, not a moral weakness. Like most other
illnesses, it can strike anyone. Alcoholism can’t be cured; it can only be arrested.
MYTH
I know I have a problem. But I can beat it.
FACT
If you are like us, the chances are you can’t beat it alone. Alcoholism is a progressive
illness; and if an alcoholic keeps on drinking, the illness will always get worse.
MYTH
AA is for bums and old people.
FACT
The illness of alcoholism strikes people of all ages, races, and economic situations. AA
can and does help people from all walks of life.
MYTH
AA means people telling me what to do.
FACT
To join AA, all we had to do was decide we wanted to be members. No forms to sign.
No dues to pay. “The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.” We
also found there are no musts in AA. People give us suggestions on how to stay sober,
which are based on their own experience.
MAKE YOUR OWN ASSESSMENT….
1. DO you lose time from school or work because of drinking?
2. DO you drink to lose shyness and build up self – confidence?
3. IS drinking affecting your reputation?
4. DO you drink to escape from study or home worries?
5. DOES it bother you if somebody says maybe you drink too much?
6. DO you have to take a drink to go out on a date?
7. DO you ever get into money trouble over buying liquor?
8. Have you lost friends since you’ve started drinking?
9. DO you hang out now with a crowd where stuff is easy to get?
10. DO your friends drink less than you do?
11. DO you drink until the bottle is empty?
12. HAVE you ever had a loss of memory from drinking?
13. HAS drink driving ever put you into a hospital or gaol?
14. DO you get annoyed with classes or lectures on drinking?
15. DO you think you have a problem with alcohol……
