FEATURE: A long road to beating booze

Those imagining a room full of depressed down-and-outs would have been surprised at the cross-section gathered at the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Clive last weekend.
There were family men, business women, health professionals, the grey-headed and fashionable elite, all crammed into the St Francis Church hall.
It was impossible to tell the AA members from the general public. That's the tricky thing about alcoholism _ it can affect anyone.
Yet each speaker, an AA member, had a similar story about how alcohol had almost ruined their lives.
``I used to get woken up in jail, rehab, wake up in the gutter,'' said one.
``The depression was overwhelming me, but I had nothing to be sad about,'' said another.
``I just had to drink to feel normal.''
``My life was just one whole list of deceit.''
``A court order was out, I had no access to my kids.''
Many spoke of denial. How they thought their drinking was normal. Some drank alone at home, some drank everyday, others were binge drinkers.
Beer, gin, vodka, wine, it didn't matter.
Despite the heavy nature of the discussions, there was a lot more laughter than tears because those sharing their stories had come out the other side.
The road to recovery was not easy, they said. Some had relapsed and were on their second go.
``You get to go to a fair few funerals in this place,'' said one member.
For the most part, they spoke of surviving, getting their life back on track and achievements since turning the corner to sobriety.
They credited the AA 12-step programme and the fellowship of the group for recovery. ``This is the only place I can get recovery, not from family, not from friends, only in this room.''
One member has been attending meetings since 1985. Another, who has been sober for 16 years, said he no longer came to meetings to talk about his drinking, but to help others in their recovery.
The AA programme advanced complete abstinence because it believed alcoholism was like a disease, and ``once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic''.
It seemed like a drastic move, given many people do and can drink responsibly. But one member said it was impossible for alcoholics to drink normally. Those who thought they had recovered and tried to drink normally soon fell off the wagon, he said.
AA's underlying Christian element may also act as deterrent. The organisation was not linked to any religious denomination, but the Twelve Steps were about recognising a higher power.
The higher power does not have to refer to a Christian God. Alcoholics succumbed to the power of alcohol and so their recovery depended on finding something higher and more powerful, which could be the AA group itself.
AA was a non-professional, self-supporting, voluntary group. There were between 120 and 150 members in Hawke's Bay who attended some of the 10 meetings in Wairoa, Napier and Hastings each week.
Its informal arrangement meant the onus to attend meetings was on the individual.
There were no managers, medical professionals or counsellors. No rules, regulations, fees or membership records. And most importantly, no drink.