AA Springs up in Jasikan - Nsuta

Alcoholics Anonymous is slowly but steadily spreading into more nooks and crannies in Ghana. After being planted in Wa, Upper West, AA has been embraced in Jasikan, a town in the Volta Region, about 180 km north-east of Accra, the capital of Ghana.

Professionals and other friends of alcoholics are showing a growing interest in setting up appropriate types of support systems which could benefit Ghanaians who have gone through detoxification, medical treatment and counseling. One such friend is Father Kofi Appiah, Director of the Diocesan Formation and Counseling Centre in Jasikan. After visiting an AA meeting of the Black Star Group in Accra , Fr. Kofi invited two of its members to come to Jasikan-Nsuta to start an AA group.

Without hesitation, the Black Star Group quickly dispatched two of its long-serving, recovering alcoholics, with much experience under their sleeves, to go and share their experiences, strengths and hopes with their still suffering brothers in Jasikan District. Chris D. and Sammy A. packed bag and baggage on 28 May, 2009 and headed toward Jasikan. The journey started just a day after Sammy A. had landed in Accra after spending four days in Johannesburg , South Africa attending an AA conference.

A tiring but interesting journey took us across the acclaimed Adomi Bridge , one of the legacies of the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. After enjoying mountainous greenery, we arrived in a beautiful and serene Jasikan where our host, Fr. Kofi Appiah, met us on arrival at the main lorry park. He drove us straight to the Diocesan Formation and Counseling Centre, the place purported to taste the first AA meeting held in the upper part of the Volta Region. The meeting took place the following day with nine alcoholics and two wives present.

Because it was the first AA meeting held in Jasikan-Nsuta, we divided the session it into two: an introductory, formation meeting followed by a sharing meeting. The Big Book readings were interpreted by Sammy A. into the Ewe language spoken in the Volta Region. Chris D. then took the group through some of the medical tenets of alcoholism, and described it as a disease with no known cure. A brief background of AA was given, including the experiences of Bill W. and Dr. Bob. Mention was made of the various types of AA meetings before Sammy A. painstakingly interpreted the AA Preamble, How it Works and the Promises into a down-to-earth Ewe that brought about smiles and the nodding of heads by the participants. Beginning with Sammy D., the participants then took turns sharing their experiences with alcohol. The participants were full of life and hope and immediately began to discuss among themselves about organising the next AA meeting.

An interesting development took place during the meeting. After hearing the participants share their stories, a visiting Catholic priest promptly confirmed that he was probably an alcoholic. He shared his experiences and was in full appreciation of the AA programme. He wondered why such an important and greatly needed organisation such as AA was not better known in Ghana . He promised to take steps to help establish an AA meeting in his town, and wanted assistance from us in getting started.

Fr. Kofi Appiah, who is also a counselor in alcohol and drug addiction was full of appreciation for our coming to Jasikan-Nsuta. He believed that our presence would motivate the group to start an AA meeting and to return to productive lives while enjoying “The Promises” as found in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Wives at the meeting seemed to appreciate the fact that their husbands were suffering from a disease and had not chosen “to destroy themselves”. The wife of a professional teacher said that she was relieved to learn that her husband was suffering from a disease that could be arrested. She could not hide her happiness when she realized that there was still hope of bringing her husband back to sanity and sobriety. She pledged to renew her commitment and support for her husband.

It was thought that it may be useful to introduce Al-Anon to the family members of alcoholics in Jasikan.

Submitted by
Chris D.