As part of the outreach for November Alcoholics Anonymous Awareness Month, the Zurich Intergroup contacted 11 area churches, four of which agreed to post a simple ad with A.A. contact information in their church publications. The PI committee received responses from seven of the 11 churches indicating that they had received the communication and were pleased to have the A.A. contact information.
This was the initial objective, simply to let the local area churches know that there is an active English-speaking A.A. community in Zurich that is willing and able to help those who want help with their drinking. The PI committee next met with one of the four churches that had agreed to post the A.A. ad and agreed to write the article for the monthly publication. The Zurich Intergroup hopes that this will lead to further contact with the church and perhaps the setting up of an A.A. awareness workshop open to the congregation. The article follows:
November is Alcoholics Anonymous Awareness Month!
English-speaking A.A. in Zurich
My name is James, and I am a recovering alcoholic living in Zurich. An American by birth, I started drinking in my teens for fun and recreation. By my 30th birthday, however, my drinking was no longer fun or recreational. It had become a necessity. When I wasn’t drinking, I was thinking about drinking. I thought about it all the time.
My life still appeared to be normal. Others might even have said I didn’t drink excessively. But deep down I knew I had a problem. I knew I drank differently from normal drinkers. I felt ashamed and I kept it secret. I was terrified that anyone should know.
Over time, it got worse…and more difficult to hide. My work began to suffer, and things got tense at home. I tried to control it, but couldn’t. Eventually, I tried to stop altogether, but I could never stay stopped for long. I became increasingly desperate. I felt like the world was closing in on me, and I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. I felt fearful and alone.
One day a friend suggested I contact A.A. I knew of A.A., but I resisted the idea. I still couldn’t admit that I had a problem. I wanted to stop, but I was terrified at the idea of living life without alcohol. Whatever solution A.A. might have, I didn’t believe it would work for me.
Finally I went to a meeting. What I found was something more wonderful than I had imagined, and considerably less scary. I found ordinary people, just like me, good people from all walks of life who had lost their ability to control their drinking, and wanted to quit. I saw that they were able to stay sober and happy without alcohol. I saw that they had found a new purpose and a new direction. I wanted what they had. I learned that they could help me, and that I was no longer alone.
If you think you may have a drinking problem and would like to stop, there is a solution, and it is not so difficult. Start by contacting us or by attending one of our 10 English-speaking meetings a week in Zurich. A list of the meetings can be found at www.aazurich.org. Or call the 24/7 A.A. Zurich hotline 076 401 93 91 for more information.
Editor’s note: this article has been published in accordance with our ArenA Editorial Policy.
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