DECEMBER I7, 1956

$6.00 A YEAR VOL. LXVIIX NO. 25

A.A.’s Auxiliory For z5 years Ann Smith’s husband Ed s-to-r male, Al-Anon 6nds its membergradually increased his liquor intake until ihip running roughly ro-to-r female. Bethe was drinking up to two 6fths a day. ter than half the members join Al-Anon “He was one of those alcoholics,” says at an earlier stage than Ann Smith did, Ann, “who had to go to the end of the i.e., while they still have active alcoholic line.” As Ed settled into the role of alco- mal”. ot their hands. One such recruit holic, Ann played the alcoholic’s wife: “I was Grace T., a schoolteacher brought in bathed myself in pity. I nagged. I turned by Ann. “I’ve never seen anyone,so close the children against him. I was extremely to flying apatL,” says Ann. “She’d had to self-righteous. I was convinced that Ed quit-teiching school; she was doing her was doing this to me deliberately.” Fired children more harm than good. Well, now from his job, Ed threw a monumental Grace has been going to my group for two drunk one Christmas season, came to years. Her husband is still drinking, hard’ in January and called Alcoholics Anon!- er than ever, and nobody knows it better mous. Paradoxically, that was when Ann’s than Grace. But I’ve never seen such a troubles really began. Where she had for- chanse in a person. She’s as calm as a cow. merly lost her husband to the neighbor- She’s-told hir three kids that their daddy hood bar, she now Iost him io A.A’ is a sick man and not responsible for what As Ed progressed through A.A.’s twelve he does, and that You love PeoPle no self-improvement steps (sample: “[We] matter what they do-and she’s sold them admitted to God, to ourselves. and to on it. And she’s sold herself. She runs her another human being ttre exact nature of household, she’s teaching again, and she’s our wrongs”) and became an enthusiastic patient. Some day, she is sure, her husconvert, Ann found her life was losing band will join A.A.” what meaning it had held before. Playing “He’ll Come Around.” Al-Anon ex’ nursemaid to a drunk had been a full- pects members to rush out at any hour of time responsibility, the focus of her exist- ine day or night to bolster wavering memence, but Ed’s new purpose all brrt lefi bers or shepherd its new ones. Al-Anon her out in the cold. Where once Ed had weekly m.eiiogs are apt to be subdued, been out drinking with his cronies, now devoted to testimony casuai affairs largely’condition he was sitting up nights with nelv cronies, about a family;s before and hetping to keep them from drinking, “I after A.A. and Al-Anon’ wai suddenly jealous of Ed,” she says’ -cause, Atthough Al-Anon’s influence occasion- “He had a and he rvas burning ally teadJ an alcoholic into A.A., this is with it.” Soon she found herself guiltily iniidental lo its purpose. Many members vearnins for the bad old pre-A.A. days’ deliberately concial from their alcoholic iUen e,-nn was saved by joining Al-Anon, mates thaf they belong to Al-Anon. They a kind of ladies’ auxiliary to A.A’ do so in the belief that their problem is “Colm os o Cow.” AI-Anon has nearly unique and should not be confused with r,ooo national chapters and rz,ooo,mem- the alcoholic problem. “You’ve got to bers. It exists because of one hard fact: take your eye off the alcoholic’s problem the average alcoholic, apart from what hl and pul it on yourself,” says one group does to himself, cuts a devastating swath chairman. “Don’t pour his bottle down through his surroundings. The nation’s the sink. Let him drink. One day he’ll d-ooo.ooo alcoholics have in one way or come around, But in the meantime you another impaired the lives of an esti- .: O. helping yourself and others.” mated zo million nonalcoholics, most of them relalives. Al-Anon bars active alcoholics. but is open to almost anybody who might have suffered from themwives oi husbands of reformed, unreformed, or backsliding alcoholics; remote relatives and friends of alcoholics; people whose lives were indirectly upset by alcoholism, and who want the comforts of grouP theraPY. ” W’h.t.u. A.A. membership is roughly