Plymouth’s strong history of recovery from alcoholism was on full display today as professionals gathered for an emotional and eye-opening Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Awareness Day.
Hosted at the Jan Cutting Centre on Scott Road, the event was led by representatives of AA in Plymouth and aimed to raise awareness of the work done by local AA members to help individuals break free from alcohol dependency.
On Thursday, 17th July, you can help preserve democracy by voting in your Plymouth referendum for a Mayor.
AA Public Information Liaison Officers regularly give talks and offer support to professionals in services ranging from probation and hospitals to courts, the armed forces and beyond. The awareness day offered a rare and powerful insight into what that support really means. Lord Mayor Kathy Watkin said:
“Its good to see some of the service carried out by the local members of AA, the level of commitment in helping other alcoholics is amazing.“
Throughout the event, attendees heard directly from members of AA who shared deeply personal accounts of their journeys into recovery, stories of addiction, survival and renewed hope. Their raw and honest experiences gave professionals a clearer understanding of how AA’s unique peer-led approach saves lives in Plymouth every day.
Harry, a local AA member now sober for 23 years, said:
“I never ever could have imagined an end to my living alcohol-induced nightmare for even a day or a week, let alone several years. Drinking started off as fun for me, just like it was for many of my teenage friends at the time, but even back then, I knew that my drinking was not the same as it was for
my friends. I always went too far, I could never stop once I started and no matter how many times I promised that I wouldn’t do it again, I would always find an excuse or a valid reason in my mind, to start drinking again, kicking off another world of chaos and adding to my ever- increasing problems.
"By my early 30s, my day-to-day life was a living hell: it wasn’t just the amount of alcohol that I was consuming, it was also my mental health that was getting a battering on a daily basis. I could not understand why I didn’t feel any better when I put the drink down. I had high levels of anxiety, depression, fear and self-loathing, and that was without the alcohol, so I always went back to it, which provided a temporary relief but of course it then added to the ongoing problem.
"I was fortunate enough to have a friend who had recovered from this seemingly hopeless condition, by attending meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous in Plymouth. He took me along to meetings, where I was able to identify with people from a large range of different backgrounds and ages, who had once felt and behaved just like me.
"Through the help and support of these men and women, who encouraged me to work a simple program of recovery, I haven’t had to return to that hopeless state in years. I enjoy my life now, thanks to the help and support from AA in Plymouth, and the last thing that I now want to do is to die. I also enjoy trying to encourage newer members in getting active in AA, and this is anyone who has had enough of that destructive cycle of drinking and wrecking their lives”
AA meetings are available every day of the week across Plymouth, offering people of all backgrounds a safe space to seek help. With anonymity at its core, AA allows individuals to share openly and receive support without judgement.
Organisers hope that professionals who attended the awareness day will now be better equipped to refer and support those who may be suffering in silence with alcohol-related struggles.
For more information or to request a talk from AA Plymouth’s Public Information team, email: pi.plymouth@aamail.org
Sign up for free below to get notified the moment we have further updates on this breaking story.