Alcohol Awareness Initiative / Macomb County, Michigan

To whom it may concern:

The Macomb Intergroup Association Inc. is a non-profit service center that supports Macomb County Alcoholics Anonymous.  As the only A.A. Central Office in Macomb County, we interact with the various Groups, Districts and Areas of A.A. providing the necessary liaison between A.A. and the Macomb County professional community.

Persons convicted of alcohol related offenses are being increasingly mandated to Alcoholics Anonymous.  The Macomb Intergroup receives approx-imately two hundred (200) calls a month from “court ordered” people seeking information about A.A. meetings.

A U. S. Department of Justice Special Survey on driving under the influence of alcohol, DUI, states, “three fourths of all DUI offenders have previously been convicted of a crime.  About half have had previous DUI convictions.”  The high rate of repeat DUI offenders indicates that current rehabilitation programs may be deficient.

Clinical research reports abstinence rates of 26% to 50% for A.A. members after one year.  Long-term abstinence rates are reported as substantiantially higher among A.A. members compared to “professionally treated alcoholics.”  Programs that “bridge” treatment and A.A. are reported to be very “successful.”

The Macomb Intergroup proposes an Alcohol Awareness Initiative to transition mandated attendees from the courts into Alcoholics Anonymous.  The primary purpose of the initiative is long-term recovery through involvement in A.A.  We also hope to reduce the punitive nature of mandated A.A. attendance.

Alcohol Awareness Initiative

Transition from the Courts to A.A.

1. Remove Resentment
2. Provide Motivation
3. Educate and Inform
4. Assist and Support

Promote Acceptance

The goal of the proposed Initiative, long term abstinence, is achieved through a combination of proven programs and Alcoholics Anonymous.

The proposal deals with the following major alcohol abuse issues:

1. Legal:  jail, fines, driving privileges, divorce

2.  Medical:  health, injuries

3.  Psychological:  individual and family counseling

4. Alcoholics Anonymous:  introduction, “Back to Basics,” sponsorship

“death or to live on a spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face.”

Those who chose inactivity remain half alive, some chose death for by their demise  it may be the first time in their lives they have  scored a perfect 100%

The proposed initiative will consist of two four-week sessions.

The first phase will encompass the consequences of continued alcohol abuse with an introduction to Alcoholics Anonymous.  This will be accomplished by having professions from the legal, medical, and counseling communities give two-hour lectures on how alcohol abuse impacts their professions.  The fourth session will have an A.A. member relate his or her personal story in an open A.A. Speaker meeting.

The second phase is “Back to Basics.”  Back to Basics is a program that takes the “newcomer through the entire 12 Steps of A.A. in four two-hour sessions.  Back to Basics is used by the Henrico County Virginia Mental Health Department for the inmates of the Henrico County Jail system.  It condenses the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step program and presents the A.A. principles in a classroom format.  This overview of A.A. has lowered the one year recidivism rate among inmates from 70% to 15%.

Upon conclusion of the eight sessions, individuals will receive a certificate of completion.  During Back to Basics, they will receive temporary sponsors, A.A. members familiar with the court ordered attendee’s issues.  Directories to A.A. meetings and various pieces of A.A. literature will also be made available.  Community service within the A.A. community can be arranged to provide further reinforcement of A.A.’s commitment to 12-Step work.

We request that you consider diverting ten to twelve individuals to our program for a feasibility study.  We also request a meeting with you at your earliest convenience.

The first twelve, now that’s a Twelve and Twelve

Sincerely,

General Manager

Macomb Intergroup Association, Inc.

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