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Depressives Anonymous
Molestors Anonymous
Neurotics Anonymous
One of the grandaddies of the self-help movement is Alcoholics Anonymous, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. Founded in the United States by two alcoholics struggling to remain sober, the organization today boasts chapters in 115 countries-including its newest addition the Soviet Union.
Besides helping recovering alcoholics and their families through its sister organization, Al-Anon, AA has also become the model for numerous other self-help programs. The AA approach is based on a 12-step program in which participants learn to admit their powerlessness over a certain problem, be it alcohol or something else. They come to believe that there is a Power greater than themselves that can help restore them to sanity and they make a decision to turn themselves over to that Power.
Among the many groups patterned after AA are:
Batterers Anonymous
Cocaine Anonymous
Debtors Anonymous
Depressives Anonymous
Divorce Anonymous
Emotional Health Anonymous
Emotions Anonymous
Emphysema Anonymous
Families Anonymous
Fundamentalists Anonymous
Gamblers Anonymous
Homosexuals Anonymous
Impotents Anonymous
Marriage Anonymous
Messies Anonymous
Molestors Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous
Neurotics Anonymous
Overeaters Anonymous
Parents Anonymous
Pill Addicts Anonymous
Prison Families Anonymous
Rape Anonymous
Sex Addicts Anonymous
Sexaholics Anonymous
Smokers Anonymous
Survivors of Incest Anonymous
Workaholics Anonymous
Copyright The Washington Post Company May 17, 1988