Alcoholics Anonymous

“Woke up in the living room with a bottle of vodka”

400,000 people in Austria are addicted to alcohol.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Alexander Heinl)

There are 400,000 people in Austria who are pathologically addicted to alcohol. Many of them go to Alcoholics Anonymous, and one sixth manage to stay dry permanently. At the end of July, a meeting festival takes place in Wels with 3000 participants. The "Krone" spoke to two of them.

Karin is 67; an attractive woman, short reddish hair, eloquent. Karin is a (dry) alcoholic. She doesn't need any help herself, at least that's how it looks - a deceptive image. Because alcoholics are never cured. "I couldn't cope with my life when I was 14 and started drinking. I joined Alcoholics Anonymous when I was 29," says the deputy team spokesperson for the organization, which is organizing a German-speaking country meeting in Wels from 26 to 28 July - to listen to people who all have the same problem. "Our recovery program is the same worldwide: a spiritual twelve-step program. But we are not a religious community," explains Richie, another sufferer.

"I'm sober again, but this incident has shown me how important such meetings are."
 Around 2000 Alcoholics Anonymous members regularly attend such meetings. Four percent of the population have an alcohol problem. There is a meeting every day in Linz. One sixth of all alcoholics manage to stay dry permanently. Karin has more or less managed it too. "I was sober for 15 years, then I didn't go for six months because I thought I knew everything they were saying. Then I woke up in the living room with the blinds closed and a bottle of vodka. That went on for six months. Now I've been sober again for 20 years. This incident showed me how important such meetings are. There is no better program than Alcoholics Anonymous. I don't have this friendship anywhere else," says the 67-year-old humbly - knowing that there is no cure, but there is encouragement.

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Sich dem Problem stellen

"I saw problems everywhere, I was easily depressed. Alcohol helped me to deal with that. Stopping drinking is one thing. But changing something in your life is crucial." I pay Richie my greatest respect. He is now 58 and has been sober for 22 years. Richie has faced up to his problem and stopped "washing it down" with vodka. He talks about it and encourages others to do the same. 

"Krone" editor Vera Lischka

(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

There are 21 Alcoholics Anonymous groups in Upper Austria alone. Too many? Certainly not. Because every session can help. You just have to have the courage to go. It's not like winning a competition where you get a medal or a trophy at the end. This victory is much more important. Because it's a victory over yourself.