European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 17, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                From the cover service office in new York. Outside the United states the numbers Are 40,55 a groups and 895,000 members of those overseas groups 313 Are stretched widely across Europe from Finland to Malta. There arc As Many a meetings in new York City As in All of Europe said Barry a spokesman for a in Europe. A in Europe we have to work a Little harder to maintain our sobriety a Glenn . A began in 1935 when a new York businessman on a trip to Akron Ohio sought another alcoholic to help him stay sober. He was directed to a local Doc Tor with a drinking problem. The two men noticed that their ability to remain sober was closely related to giving help and encouragement to other alcoholics. The result was the creation of a. The primary purpose of a is to help alcoholics achieve sobriety and stay sober. A can t solve All problems for alcoholics but As one person put it at a recent a meeting in Ger Many a my worst Day sober is better than my Best Day  if a were a religion its Bible would be alcoholics Anonymous or More commonly known As a the big  the big Book explains the history and. Philosophy of a and its 12 Steps which Are considered the Core of a. A a it a our guide to living Quot Glenn said of the big Book. His own copy is As worn and marked with passages As any Bible belonging to a Baptist preacher. It contains guidelines for alcoholics that Glenn de scribes As a a simple program for complicated people a but its not  the 12 Steps include such soul searching items As a. A we admitted we were powerless Over alcohol a that our lives had become unmanageable. A came to believe that a Power greater than our selves could  to sanity. A admitted to god to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. A made a list of All persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them  although its roots arc in the United states a has spread to 134 countries because alcohol has no respect for boundaries Glenn said. American soldiers helped introduce a to Europe after world War ii and the program really took off during the 1960s. A where a has been allowed to Start its growth has been phenomenal a Barry said. A if people see their friends get better generally they want it. I done to see How it can to grow a because of its simplicity a should flourish in countries where communism has fallen Barry said. There Aren t any dues or fees involved. Basically All you need is two people talking to each other to form a group a you can be poorer than dirt and Start get Ting healthy Quot Barry said. There is an a group in Moscow that began a year ago with Vryn a Book explaining the basics of the program. Barry predicts that a will soon a take off in Russia. A meetings also arc held in Iran Kuwait saudi Arabia a bomb shelter in Israel and the tent City in  Here americans at a meetings in Europe Don t resemble their counterparts in the United states. The average group in Europe is 85 percent military with Ages ranging from 18 to 44. And despite the military draw Down in Europe a membership is going Strong Barry said. A was strange As it sounds As the military Popula lion decreases our population is increasing Quot Barry said. Why the military is growing less tolerant of Ulco hoi abuse and is quicker to Force service members to seek treatment. The Way Barry sees it it s unfortunate that More service members Are being identified As problem drinkers but that also Means 1 More people Are receiving needed treatment sooner and 2 Early intervention might help prevent some Soldier or airman from winding up on skid Row. An alcoholic test Hie Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore asks the following questions to decide whether a patient is alcoholic 1. Do you lose time from work because of drinking 2. Is dunking making your Home life unhappy 3. Do you drink because you Are shy with people 4. Is drinking affecting your reputation 5. Have you Ever Felt remorse after drinking 6. Have you gotten into financial difficulties As a result of drinking 7. Do you Tum to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking 8. Does your drinking make you careless of your family s welfare 9. Has your ambition decreased since drinking 10. Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily. 11. Do you want a drink the next morning 12. Does drinking cause you to have. Difficulty sleeping 13. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking 14. Is drinking jeopardizing your Job or business 15. Do you drink alone it 16. Have you Ever had a Complete loss of memory As a result of drinking 17. Do you drink to escape from worries or trouble. 18. Has your physician Ever treated you for drinking 19. Do you drink to build up your self Confidence 20. Have you Ever been to a Hospital or institution on account of drinking the Johns Hopkins Hospital has determined that if you answered yes to any one of the questions there is a definite warning that you May be an alcoholic if you answered yes to any two chances Are that you Are an alcoholic if you answered yes to three or More you Are definitely an  on drinking the military Hasni to always been so Tough on Alco hoi said Vince a Soldier who also asked that his real name not be used. In his younger Days Vince would show up for morning formation reeking of alcohol but he never got in trouble because everyone knew he had been out drinking the night before with the colonel and the sergeant major. In those Days Vince said he might have lost his driving privileges on Post of nailed with a Dpi. A now you can kiss your career goodbye Quot said Vince who joined a a year ago after being admitted for a six week inpatient treatment facility. With service members and supervisors at the same a meeting the possibility exists that someone could be turned in to his command As a problem Drinker. But that does no to seem to bother military a members because of their policy toward anonymity. A who you see Here and what you hear Here when you leave Here let it stay Here Quot is the a policy Glenn quoted. And for military members the saying includes a when you come in rank is out the  uniforms arc Seldom seen at a a  native front. German alcoholics take a More practical View toward a said Joachim a 0crman who attends Ger Mao and English speaking a meetings. Joachim said germans also have More trouble accepting the spiritual aspect of a than their american counterparts. German society still seems reluctant to accept the idea that alcohol is a disease even though the number of alcoholics in German has in. Creased the past 10 years from 1.5 million to 2 million Joachim said. Joachim attends two a meetings weekly. He secs one big difference Between americans and germans americans tend to be More concise when they speak at meetings. The average american talks five minutes and talks about his alcohol addiction. Germans talk As Long As 15 minutes and tend to talk about topics such As family life instead of  cause whether its in English auf Deutsch or Enes Pano a works and its members swear by it. A it s like brushing my Teeth or shaving. Its a part of my life a said Joachim who said he has been with out a drink for almost four Yean. And he plans to keep on going to a meetings As Long As he needs to which Mearis a i will go As Long As i  it works openness and understanding Are keys to the sue Cess of a. A. A a a a a if you re not an alcoholic its hard to understand its Power Over you a Vince said. And a does no to judge. A person can talk about his a a slips without fear of criticism from his Peers. At a recent a meeting Gus shared with the group How he a a slipped the previous week and smoked hash. But he also was upbeat because he achieved the fifth step an experience he described As a very positive very positive. It was  Comer that Candor is admired by professional Counselor. A a a a. A. A i think professional group leaders would envy that and would love to know How to produce that openness and the groups in be seen where that works its just a Beautiful thing a said or. Milton Cambridge a psychologist at the alcohol and drug control office in bad or Cugnach Germany. A they just speak from the heart and that a what  people can say a they in a not the Only person struggling with this problem a Cambridge said. Although there is no affiliation Between a and the military substance abuse Counselor Taylor Hep per refers some of his clients to a and will go with them to help them get  said its a Good sign when one of his clients is willing to attend a and that there Are fewer relapses among clients who attend a. A once they leave the professional Arena a can r be a lifetime support system for them and its very very powerful a Cambridge said. A Baa is probably the most effective form of therapy available for alcoholics and that a Why All professional counselling agencies have aligned themselves with  said Barry a millions arc recovering in our a Fellowship just from talking to each  calling for help How to Contact a in Germany a in Stuttgart Call 07141-862352 Frankfurt 069-597-4265 Heidelberg 06221-301513 Lahr 07821-37977. A for Baum older Pitburg Hahn Kaiserslautern Lan Stuhl Pir Masens Ramstein Sembach Span Dahlem Vogel Weh and Zwic Brucken Call 0631-99616. A if your area is not included Here people at those numbers can help find a local group. Page 4 a sunday january 17, 1993