Alcoholics Anonymous® is a 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. • The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. • A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. • Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. Copyright © by AA Grapevine, Inc.; reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2017 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All rights reserved. Stories on pages 13 and 16 are reprinted, with permission, from AA Grapevine, Inc. Mail address: Box 459 Grand Central Station New York, NY 10163 www.aa.org 12M – 2/18 (PAH) A.A. and the Armed Services Who has a drinking problem? Few individuals in the armed services (or any other walk of life, for that matter) like to admit they’re having trouble with alcohol. For most people, the word “alcoholic” is a deadly term, conjuring up images of weak-willed skid-row type people unable to hold a job, or any other type of person they’re proud not to be. Their image of the “alcoholic” is so different from how they see themselves that they have a good excuse to go on drinking. Every member of Alcoholics Anonymous understands this type of thinking, because almost every member once entertained the very same thoughts. They’ve learned that denying there’s a problem is part of the disease of alcoholism. From the beginning, A.A. members have regarded alcoholism as an illness — a physical allergy coupled with a mental obsession. It’s important to understand that alcoholism is not determined by where you drink, when you started drinking, how long you’ve been drinking, with whom you drink, what, or even how much. The true test is in the answer to this question: What has alcohol done to you? If it has affected your relationships with your family, friends, for- mer or present command, or employers; if it has affected your health; if it determines or affects your nondrinking moods or your state of mind; if you are in any way preoccupied with alcohol; if you have little control over when you take a drink, or once you have a drink, have little control over how much you drink — then the likelihood is that you have a problem. This pamphlet will acquaint you with some men and women in the armed services from many backgrounds who want you to know how they came to grips with their common problem — alcoholism — and how fruitful their lives have become since they became sober members of Alcoholics Anonymous. 5 These stories — in fact, all A.A. stories — illus- trate that alcoholism comes in many different forms and in a variety of disguises. There is no such thing as being too young to be an alcoholic, or too old, or too different, or too special. In the stories that follow, you will learn how men and women in the armed services came to Alcoholics Anonymous and found that it worked as well for them as it has for hundreds of thou- sands of others who suffered from the same problem — drinking. They learned to change their lives, not by themselves, but through shared experience with other A.A. members. What is A.A.? Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellow- ship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. It is nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost every- where. A.A. is not a religious society, since it requires no definite religious belief. The A.A. pro- gram of recovery from alcoholism is undeniably based on acceptance of certain spiritual values. The individual member is free to interpret those values as he or she thinks best. There are no age or education requirements. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem. 6 Who is an A.A. member? Any man or woman — as the typical stories in this pamphlet will show — can be an A.A. member. The illness called alcoholism can strike a per- son of any rank, any age, any race, any social or educational background. The blackouts and the shakes, the loneliness and the fears are the same. To begin with, these shared experiences of active alcoholism make up a bond among all members of Alcoholics Anonymous. “I know what you’re going through,” every one of them can say to a newcom- er. “I’ve been there. I remember what it felt like.” If, after reading their stories, you have addi- tional, specific questions, other A.A. members answer these in the final section, “What’s it like to be in the military — and in A.A.?” Many A.A. meetings are held at Armed Services bases, and others can be found in neigh- boring communities. For those too far afield to attend meetings, there is support through cor- respondence, worldwide web-based meetings, and a publication called Loners-Internationalists Meeting. For information, see www.aa.org. 7 Personal Stories U.S. Army “I was an alcoholic, one of those ‘guys who couldn’t drink.’” I am an alcoholic and I am a Soldier. I have been an Army officer for 25 years and have been sober for the last 18. I am a third generation military officer. Alcohol was part and parcel of the military lifestyle I wit- nessed in my youth. My father spent many years in Vietnam. When he returned I enjoyed observ- ing the crazy parties with the colorful flight suits and free flowing booze. It seemed like fun to me! My siblings were older than I and started to “party” before me. I wanted what they had. When I was 13 I snuck some gin to the bus stop after school, and my friends and I drank it. I liked the smooth, comforting effects of alcohol and the escape it provided. I had a new vehicle to com- panionship and the “in crowd.” I was one of “the brains” and did well academically. Alcohol let me hang out with the cool kids and all the other party- ers. I started a double life that would last for six- teen years. My father called me a “street angel and a house devil.” I was an altar boy, Eagle Scout and in the top of my class in high school. But my drink- ing started to cause problems. My junior year we got drunk during lunch on our way back to school. I was driving and rear ended a car at a red light. My friend severely cut his forehead when his head went into the windshield. I was caught drinking on a Scouting trip and was almost expelled from Scouting. I got a DWI when I was a senior. Each time I was in trouble my mother and others would point to my academic and community service record and call my trouble the result of experimen- tation. On the other hand, my dad said I was “one of those guys that just can’t drink.” I would spend 9 the better part of the next two decades trying to prove him wrong. I won an Army ROTC college scholarship and college became a struggle for survival. My life revolved around drinking and chasing girls and I quickly lost my scholarship. My drinking led to arrests, cadet punishment and an investigation into my suitability for commissioning. I was found “unfit for active duty” and commissioned into the Army Reserves. A pattern emerged that carried me through the final seven years of my drinking. I stopped long enough to successfully complete the Officers’ Basic Course and performed well enough that I was eventually placed on active duty. The hard- drinking military lifestyle fit me well. I was sta- tioned in Korea. Heavy drinking was accepted. People moved frequently making it difficult to get identified as a problem drinker. My behavior at a party got me referred to the Army’s alcohol treatment program. I was introduced to A.A. It didn’t stick. In Desert Storm I saw horrific scenes. I obeyed orders and did not drink. I planned to continue this after the war but my resolution failed. My bottom rapidly approached. I transferred to Washington, DC. More car accidents and another DWI. My last drunk. The Army would no longer tolerate my drinking. My lawyer said A.A. would help with the judge. I didn’t think I had a drinking problem but I was lonely and had nowhere else to spend my free time. I thought soldiers could not have a drinking problem. It was such a part of our culture and my identity. Thankfully, I went to enough meetings and heard sober fighter pilots and even a retired lieutenant general talk about being sober A.A.s. Six months in, I had a moment of clarity. I was an alcoholic, one of those “guys who couldn’t drink.” I found a USAF major to be my sponsor. A.A. carried me until I realized I was an alcoholic and needed to work the Steps, which I did, and had a powerful spiritual experience. A.A. became my life. I moved to Ft. Bragg and joined the Airborne. I was one of the “cool guys,” but without alcohol. I was worried about the wreckage of the past and my security clearance. My sponsor said the Army was more worried about “the guys that are still 10