DR. Sam Parker of Kings County Suggests "Criteria for A.A. Work in Hospitals

Experience has proved that A.A. is an invaluable aid in the rehabilitation of hospitalized alcoholics. All hospitals should be encouraged to develop wider cooperation with A.A. in planned programs of handling alcoholics. To avoid disappointments and friction, both A.A. and physicians should understand that such a program must be based upon definite objectives in order to achieve some success. The hospital, on the one hand, must not make the error of exploiting A.A. to get rid of its cases indiscriminately, and A.A. members, on the other hand, should not be misguided to assume a missionary responsibility for any kind of alcoholic between four walls. The experience of A.A. has demonstrated that the alcoholic must have something to work with in order to make progress. Medical experience can teach us that there must be certain criteria in the choice of hospital material for successful cooperation with A.A. The occasional difficulties between hospitals and A.A. can be traced to a disregard of these criteria by either the hospital or A.A. members.