12-steps are here for you

To the editor:

(re: “Finding help when it’s needed most,” Sept. 5)

I am fairly new to Riverdale, and I enjoy reading The Riverdale Press.

Thanks for the piece about the opioid crisis here. However, I was taken aback by John Saunder’s comment about Alcoholics Anonymous and people who relapse: “If they couldn’t stay sober, they’re kicked out of the program.”

The only requirement for membership to AA is a desire to stop drinking. In my more than 40 years of recovery in that 12-step program, I have seen many people relapse — sometimes repeatedly — but they are always welcomed back.

And AA — and its sister programs like Narcotics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous, etc., also encourage people to reach out for other help, as needed, be it outpatient, inpatient, some kind of therapy, prescribed medication, etc.

Expanded services are clearly, as the story said, desperately needed to help those who suffer from addiction. I hope you will let readers know that 12-step programs are also there for anyone who wants them.

Linda Dahl Vogl

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