Why does AA tell alcoholics that they cannot be in a relationship?

Answer by  lauryn (194)

An alcoholic needs to focus on themselves, their needs, and their recovery process. When people are involved in relationships, it's easy to focus on the other person and their needs without thinking about what your own needs are. It is easy for the alcoholic to transfer their dependency on alcohol to dependeancy on the other person in the relationship.

Answer by  Laura47 (138)

AA would like for their participants to be able to take responsibility for their own actions before entering a relationship. They tell alcoholics they should not be in a relationship until they have attained a certain number of goals, managed to get their lives back in order, and don't need a relationship as a crutch.

Answer by  sarah72 (61)

Participants in AA need to take important steps in working on their own self-being, and should work on a positive sense of self before they can commit to finding a healthy relationship. Relationships can also be a great stressor, and being in a relationship could cause a potential relapse in an AA participant.

Answer by  Nancy (578)

Trying to stay sober and break away from booze is tough enough, but when you add a relationship along the way, the focus is then taken away from recovery.

Answer by  mcymom (67)

If you have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, you need to take care of that before you can have a healthy relationship with another person.

Answer by  AvrilBey (474)

Addiction breeds codependency and it is important that a person in recovery learn to deal with the realities of the illness by themselves and stay reliant on their own strength.