TALK ABOUT ALCOHOLICS

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30469, 17 June 1964, Page 18

TALK ABOUT ALCOHOLICS

Public Meeting To Be Held

A member of Al-anon, a group comprising members of the families, relatives, and close friends of alcoholics, will address a public meeting to be held in the Brevet Memorial Centre on Saturday evening. The meeting is being organised by Alcoholics Anonymous. Al-anon believes that knowledge and understanding in a family are the keys to building a better life with an alcoholic. To achieve the better life, it is important to understand the nature of the disease of alcoholism, and members of Al-anon discuss problems at weekly meetings. The purposes of Al-anon include: to help to solve problems caused by alcoholism in the home; to share the experience, strength, and hope of others in similar circumstances; to provide a more wholesome environment for the whole family, including the alcoholic, drunk or sober.

A member of Al-anon said that a family struggling to live with a drinking alcoholic could find life most distressing and depressing unless the nature of the disease was understood. Many members had a drinking alcoholic in the family, but by understanding the disease, discussing problems, and finding out how others’ had dealt with them, were able to make an almost normal family life for their children.

The public meeting will also be addressed by the original member in New Zealand of Alcoholics Anonymous and other members. An area meeting of representatives of Alcoholics Anonymous from throughout the South Island will be held on Saturday afternoon.