We are all story tellers and that innate ability has helped many of us share about ourselves and uncover truths, as well as assist others find keys to their own recovery.

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Love and Tolerance.

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The functional alcoholic (not in recovery) is still attempting to control his own life and manage his secret addiction. He is a willing subject of King Alcohol. Therefore he hasn’t hit “bottom.” He is not ready to consider getting help even though he suspects he drinks too much and too often.

Why all this insistence that every A.A. must hit bottom first? The answer is that few people will sincerely try to practice the A.A. program unless they have hit bottom. ~ Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions 2011, p 24

In other words, the functional alcoholic is able to maintain denial of the problem. In fact, only those closest to him have any idea that he is held captive in the grips of alcoholism. You may have a family member or coworker who is a functioning alcoholic and not be aware of it.

In practical terms, here is an example of the behaviors of a functioning alcoholic:

• Preoccupation with the next time they can drink
• Only willing to eat where alcohol is available
• One drink always leads to a craving for the next, and the next
• Habitually drink before going out for meals or to the bar
• Increasing memory lapses or black outs
• Surround themselves with heavy drinkers
• Reputation for being able to ‘hold their liquor’ better than most
• Reluctant to leave an unfinished drink
• Cannot imagine life without alcohol
• Setting drinking limits and breaking them
• Exhibit personality changes when drinking
• Able to be dry for periods of time, then quickly increasing consumption again
• % of alcoholic content becomes increasingly important in drink choice
• Quickly become defensive if confronted about their drinking habits

PS: Are there other behaviors that you would add to the list?

How many of the above behaviors does it take to qualify as a functional alcoholic? Any 3 should be a red flag.

The solution is multifaceted and starts with carrying this message to the sick and suffering alcoholic no matter where he/she is, nothing has a more profound affect than one alcoholic talking to another about our problems with this disease. Family members, law enforcement persons, doctors, clergy and counselors can appeal to us and try to reason with us about the devastating consequences of our actions, but with little success. The experience, strength and hope of another alcoholic can start a path to recovery better than any other means.

My story is one of hope. It starts with how my defects of character developed within me, how I used alcohol and drugs to numb the pain, how my life was unmanageable and my powerlessness over addiction. The solution I found in the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is a story that anyone who wants to change their life and become useful productive members of their community can follow and succeed.

The elimination of my drinking has only been a beginning; the relationship and partnership with my spouse, the participating in my children’s lives and my contributions to my community has changed my life.

It is my belief that the retelling of our experiences, what we have leaned from them and how we have changed our lives in recovery is key to helping others. What I am about to do is share “how I became what I used to be like, what I used to be like, what happened, and what I am like now”.

I invite you to share your stories and do what our co-founders Bill W. and Dr. Bob found to be the most successful treatment for recovery, work with others.

Consider the following:

• Alcohol dependence and abuse cost the US approximately $220 billion in 2005. For the sake of comparison, this was greater than the amount of money spent to combat cancer ($196 billion) and obesity ($133 billion).
• An estimated 43% of US adults have had someone related to them who is presently, or was, an alcoholic.
• 6.6 million Minors in the US live with an alcoholic mother or father.
• About 14 million US residents battle an alcohol addiction.
• Greater than 50% of grownups in the US have had knowledge of someone in their immediate family with an alcohol problem.
• Around a quarter of all children experience some form of alcoholism in their families before they turn 18
• 40% of alcoholism is passed down through the gene pool, while the other 60% stems from unknown circumstances.
• 500,000 US Children ages 9-12 are addicted to alcohol.
• Studies show that the offspring of alcoholics have a greater chance of becoming alcoholics themselves than those whose parents are clean.

In the book Alcoholics Anonymous Chapter 2, There Is A Solution, It says:

“But the ex-problem drinker who has found this solu­tion, who is properly armed with facts about himself, can generally win the entire confidence of another al­coholic in a few hours. Until such an understanding is reached, little or nothing can be accomplished.”

Furthermore it says,” helping others is the foundation of our recovery.” And in the 12 Steps of recovery it says “… we tried to carry this message to other alcoholics and practice these principles in all of our affairs.”

If our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. Then I believe it is incumbent on me to carry the message of hope in writing as well as in meetings. From the depths of my heart there is an intuitiveness that inspires me to share what I have to come to believe as the result of the 12 Steps and our book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

The enormity of the problems alcoholics experience, both physically and mentally, and the quantity of human beings who have this disease has grown significantly over the last decade. As we understand more about it and learn the devastating long-term effect on the family as well, it is more urgent to get the message to as many as possible. Not only, that “There Is A Solution”, but that no one is better suited the help an alcoholic with recovery than another alcoholic.  If we are to arrest this disease and prevent it from further debilitation of our families we must take action. We can stop the spread of alcoholism within our own families. It can end with us. What greater gift could we give our children?

Statistics cited are from the NIAAA and NCADD articles and research studies.

Our founders stressed that we had to seek out others afflicted with our disease and tell them how we did it; our hands always have to open to receive newcomers. “Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help others achieve sobriety” according to the pre-amble of Alcoholics Anonymous.

There is also the suggestion that an alcoholic has to hit bottom and want help. It is believed that we can’t help someone who doesn’t want it. An addict cannot be forced to quit, seek help or change their life unless they are willing. We say the three requirements to stay sober are willingness, honesty and open-mindedness, without them we may be sober for a period time, but we will drink again. Of course with AA, there is also the spiritual component: we have to find a Power greater than ourselves.

What is the “tipping point”? Where do we draw the line? Do we let someone find his or her bottom, or do we intervene? When is it OK to step in and try to help someone who is obviously self-destructing? Do they have to be institutionalized? Do we wait until they have a near death experience? I was taught that our principles in recovery teach us to love our fellows, and to me love is not looking away and waiting to be asked for it.

In the chapter I referred to earlier it is explained to us that we are to involve the family, approach the alcoholic and relate stories about us that he or she can identify with and offer a solution. We are not to cram it down their throats, but open the conversation, let them know that they are not alone and that there is a solution.

Personally, I have been conducting meetings at the county jail for men incarcerated because of criminal activity relating to drugs or alcohol. They don’t ask me to come and speak to them; the Sheriff’s Dept. and the Courts have mandated that they be part of a recovery program during their incarceration. Does this insure their sobriety after they are released, absolutely not? It does expose them to a different way of living as told to them by people just like them who are free and have changed their life.

I believe we need to more pro-active in helping others. It is the 21^st century and we are way past going around to hospitals and asking the local psyche doctor if he has any patients suffering from alcoholism who we can talk to. The general population is aware of AA, NA and all the others; it is time to educate them about who we are and what we do because that is not as well known.

I don’t know if Amy Winehouse could have been saved by an intervention; but I do know this she died without one.

The word Alcoholism can be a tough term to deal with but nobody is too young (or too old for the matter) to have a problem with alcohol abuse. Teens can have an especially difficult time recognizing a developing drinking problem. However, make no mistake; teens are just as susceptible to alcoholism as adults are.

That is because alcoholism is an illness that does not discriminate when it comes to age, race or social standing. It does not matter what you drink or how long you have been drinking. What truly matters is what drinking does to you and Alcoholics Anonymous is there to help anyone who decides to stop drinking; no matter your age.

Only you can decide whether or not you have a drinking problem. Answer “Yes” or “No” to the following questions, which have been specially geared towards teens, to get a better insight into whether or not alcohol abuse is becoming a problem in your life:

- Are your grades starting to slip or are you goofing off at work because of alcohol?

- Do you drink because you have problems?

- Do you ever have loss of memory due to drinking?

- Do you think it’s “cool” to drink in social situations?

- Have you started to drink in the morning before school or work?

- Have you ever been in trouble because of drinking?

- Do you get drunk when you drink, even when you don’t mean to?

The Primary purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety; regardless of age. If you need help or if you’d like to talk to someone about your drinking, you can contact Alcoholics Anonymous by looking in your local phonebook or visiting www.AA.org

The age of the kids who attended the party ranged from 16 to 20. Each of them admitted to being at the party and being involved in underage drinking. Under thee terms of their plea deals, the records of the kids will be wiped clean after attending 5 AA or NA meetings with a limited time frame. The teenagers are also required to perform 16 hours of community service.

Taylor Meyer’s mother, Kathi Meyer was present during the trial and silently watched as the young adults were sentenced. The brother of one of Taylor Meyer’s close friends is said to have provided the kids with a bottle of rum.

That young man, Brian Zuzick was only 19, however he has been charged with procuring alcohol for a minor and if convicted can face up to a year in prison along with a hefty fine.

Around 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, the LAPD ordered Tommy Lee’s personal pilot, David Martz, to land his helicopter after they observed him flying erratically directly underneath an LAPD police chopper observing a structural fire.

After asking the helicopter to land, police, who intended to give David Martz a field sobriety test found that both Tommy Lee and his pilot were no where to be found. After looking for the pair for over 10 minutes in the airport, authorities found Martz and Tommy Lee in nearby hotel, drinking vodka.

Since Tommy Lee was only a passenger in the helicopter, he was apprehended and then quickly released. Although David Martz finally took the field sobriety test, the results of the test were not released. LAPD never charged David Martz. However, the LAPD did release a statement noting that their investigation will be forwarded to the Federal Aviation Administration which will then decide if they will take action against Martz.

In a statement released by her publicist, Lohan states, “I have made a proactive decision to take care of my personal health. I appreciate your well wishes and ask that you please respect my privacy at this time.”

The 22-year-old starlet checked herself into L.A.’s Laurel Canyon Wonderland Center after an all-night drinking binge led to her being found early the next morning passed out in a hallway at a party hosted by Prince at the Beverly Wilshire.

According to the facility’s Web site, the Wonderland Center is a “residential treatment and detoxification facility providing services for alcohol, substance abuse and relapse-prevention programs.”

In a July 26 letter to Lohan, the CEO of Morgan Creek Productions, James G. Robinson, said Lohan was “discourteous, irresponsible and unprofessional” and was acting “like a spoiled child.” Being late to movie sets, skipping meetings with casting directors, and filling water bottles with Vodka at 19, this girl definitely needs to get her sh*! straight.

More and more celebrities are being admitted into rehabilitation for Alcohol and Narcotic Abuse these days more than ever. Why is it that these celebs can’t take control over their actions? If I were lucky enough to be as financially set as some of these rehab-a-holics are, I certainly wouldn’t be found passed out in a hallway.

Though many do argue that Lohan’s childhood fame, is the root of her current issues, I think its nothing more than an excuse. Hopefully she can get herself under control and get back into the spotlight where she definitely has alot of potential to becoming a respectable actress.

Underage alcohol consumption is more likely to kill young people than all illegal drugs combined!

Some negative effects of underage drinking are as follows:

• Drinking and Driving
• Sexual Assault
• Suicide
• High-Risk Sex

Parents’ drinking behavior and favorable attitudes about drinking have been positively associated with adolescents’ initiating and continuing drinking. Children who were warned about alcohol by their parents and children who reported being closer to their parents were less likely to start drinking.

Here are some general tips for parents and other adults:

• When you talk with your teens about drinking, listen to them and respect what they say.
• Make clear your expectation that your teens will not drink.
• Teach your children about the dangers of underage drinking.

Underage drinking can be hard to deal with as a parent. Teens like to do NOT what their parents tell them, but rather what they see their friends and peers at school doing in order to fit in or to be ‘cool’. Being open with your child about the risks involved with underage drinking is important in your parental duties and can help your child to better understand what exactly it is that they are getting themselves involved with.