| Recovery in Russia | |
Author and inspirational speaker Shelly Marshall, who has been helping people in recovery for more than 30 years, visited Russia this fall and shares her observations on the state of alcoholism recovery efforts in the former Soviet Union.
From Russia...
In Order To Make Good Cup of Tea, One Needs to be Honest, Moral and Upright.This above is an old Russian Proverb and although it doesn’t stem from the 12-step Recovery movement in Russia, it certainly could. It seems that the stereotypes that many thought would interfere with Russian recovery should be buried along with the old regime.
You see when professionals and lay people first began carrying the 12 steps to the former Soviet Union, many speculated that Russians are basically secretive -- they concealed things (had to because of a repressive and brutal government) and they stole (property that belongs to all the people can be “borrowed” by all the people) and so the 12 step program of honesty wasn’t going work, or at least not the same as for Westerners.
Not a Glum Lot
Well, I’m glad to report after visiting Moscow this November, 12-step groups (AA, NA, Al-Anon, Nar-Anon, Emotions Anonymous and even now Gambler’s Anonymous) are alive and well and they really know how to make a great cup of tea!Although us alkies and addicts in recovery are known for our laughter and mirth at seemingly tragic events, our Slavic brothers and sisters, again contrary to the stereotype of the stoic and stern Russky, can match any Westerner’s sense of buffoonery.
When given my “tour” of the AA Russian Service Office (RSO), located adjacent to a police station, we came to a hall with two doors, “Drunk’s have a choice,” my guide explained, There” and she pointed to the police entrance, “or with us!”
Olya M. who works in the AA RSO says that God is trying to tell the slippers in Russia something. She leafed through a book that came from the first Moscow publication of the Big Book. The first few chapters are repeated 10 times!!! She laughed, “God knows we don’t get it the first time around!”
Continued Growth
I noticed a mini museum of AA memorabilia from around the country. I saw a bottle from Pskov carved out of wood by sober alkies with the likeness of Christ, a Serenity Prayer candle from Ekaterinburga, a huge medallion carved from wood from Tomsk, and a Camel from Poland. When I asked what the dolls from Chernigov represented that featured a Babushka carrying an old man, Olya quipped, “You don’t recognize co-dependency?”At the Old World center I attended a meeting with visitors from Poland, Germany, and Ohio, not to mention the outlying cities of Moscow. The visitor from Ohio was a clown. Really! She was traveling with a troupe visiting children in the hospitals and said, “I’m the only sober clown in the group!”
Constantine, the backbone of the RSO, was interpreting for the lady who passed out balloons and stuck a clown nose on Olya instructing her, “You can’t give it to your son, its for you!” As always, Russians go way out of their way to make it pleasant for their foreign guests and they even entertain clowns when the occasion arises!
In addition to the jocularity that holds true to form for alcoholics, both from the new world and the old, steps toward sobriety continue steadily.
250 Groups
The Russian Opinion of AA Service newsletter reports that the group in Mangnitagorsk celebrated 8 years in October, that the “Optimist’ group in Omsk celebrated 5 years in November, The “Rebirth” group in Ekaterinburga is celebrating 7 years, and of course the Beginners groups (First group in Russia) celebrated 13 years in August.They report that there are almost 250 groups in 100 regions from coast to coast and that in 1999 alone, 30 new groups formed nationwide.
There is now an email group in Russian and traveling groups too! A sober crowd from St Petersburg formed an “AA Forum on Wheels,” piled into cars and from April 30 to May 9, 2000 traveled across boarders to support isolated and outlying meetings. They traveled to Latvia, the Urals, to the River Volga and held AA meetings every night.
Anotole B from Rostovsky said, “Every city was a new “high” for us. I rode in a different car with a different group of folks everyday so it was always fresh.” The group wants to make a yearly “AA Forum on Wheels” trek and invite you to participate. Contact Sergey mars@infopac.ru if you are interested.
One Day at a Time
Two young men from Krasnoarsky, Siberia came for addiction counseling training in Moscow. They have had a recovery group going for the better part of a year and are hungry for experience. Although the young men had stopped drugs over a year ago, both had continued drinking until just recently. We had long talks about alcohol being a drug, a conclusion they had both already arrived at.I gave Dema his 3 month chip (donated from groups in the U.S.) and presented Andre with his a 30 day medallion. They beamed. Andre, was so overjoyed about the token from me and the U.S. groups that he rummaged through the basketful, reading each carefully with his limited English. He found a 24-hour chip and knowing that we have a 24 hour program, proudly presented it to me!
Andre had no idea he was giving a beginner’s chip to a person with 31 years! And yet what a loving reminder from my Higher Power that I only have a daily reprieve. This chip from the young man in Siberia is now my most treasured chip -- above and beyond the gold plated, diamond studded medallions that have come my way through the years.
If you want information about the Rusky AA groups contact Constantine or Olya in the central office at aarus@online.ru and if you want information on any of the other 12 step groups contact Irene at the 12-step Clearinghouse (called the library) at bibilioteka@nan.ru who keeps a current list of all 12 step groups in the country.
Be sure if you go there to have them brew you some tea -- because in order to make a good cup of tea you need to be honest, moral, and upright and you’re going to get a really good cup of tea from these Sober Slavs!
Shelly Marshall
Day-By-Day.org
Previous Features
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday
Friday | Saturday | Sunday
