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Melissa Meehan

New way Aussies struggling with alcohol can find help

Round-the-clock Alcoholics Anonymous meetings offer Australians support any time of day or night. (Tracey Nearmy/AAP PHOTOS)

Australians battling the bottle can now find round-the-clock support through online Alcoholics Anonymous meetings available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Born out of COVID-19 lockdowns and other rules banning face-to-face meetings, Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as AA, has taken their support platform online. 

At first it was out of necessity, but the online shift has helped reach thousands of people who may have previously been unable to attend meetings in person.

AA member Samantha, not her real name, says alcoholism doesn't stop because someone goes on holiday or they live remotely. 

"Online meetings ensure that anyone, anywhere, at any time can access support," she told AAP.

Stressed
The shift to online meetings has allowed thousands more people to access help for alcohol issues. (Alan Porritt/AAP PHOTOS)

Face-to-face meetings are still held across Australia, but the ability to log into a meeting 24/7 means those in recovery never feel alone - and all you need is an internet connection.

"With online meetings, they can access meetings all around the world, and there's hundreds, if not thousands of meetings going on at any one time," she said. 

"It's actually opened our world up in respect to that sort of connection and support."

Bottle shop
Measures have been put in place to ensure meeting attendees remain anonymous, one participant says. (Con Chronis/AAP PHOTOS)

Samantha, who has been an AA member for 16 years, emphasised the importance of anonymity and security measures to maintain the community's safety while online, and says measures are in place to ensure this.

She said online meetings have significantly increased AA's reach and support, though exact membership numbers remain difficult to quantify.

AA is an informal society of more than two million recovering alcoholics across the world, with around 18,000 members in Australia.

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