Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

What is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Alcoholics Anonymous is a voluntary, 12-step recovery program, a worldwide fellowship of men and women from all walks of life who meet together to attain and maintain sobriety. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership. The program is focused on taking positive action using the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, to heal their spirit and get their lives back in order.

• The Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 12-step recovery program is a free treatment program for people suffering from alcohol abuse and addiction.
• AA program participants follow a set of recovery steps to achieve and maintain abstinence from alcohol. Many people use a sponsor to help them through the process.
• The program uses a spiritual approach that includes a belief in a higher power. Members define that higher power in their own way—it does not have to be God.
• Meetings are often held in public spaces such as churches or schools. Some meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend while others are only for alcoholics or prospective AA members.
• Becoming a member is free. The only requirement is a desire to stop drinking.
• You must be an alcoholic to join AA, but anyone can attend open meetings.

Alcoholics Anonymous has helped millions of people since it was founded in 1935, but exactly how does A.A. help people stop drinking? By taking the 12 steps and working the principles of the steps into all parts of their lives, A.A. members find they can develop the tools to live and remain sober. To stay in touch with other members and to learn about recovery from alcoholism, new members go to A.A. Meetings regularly.

The History of Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was originally founded on the principles of the Oxford Group, a Christian-based self-help group. Initially, founder Bill Wilson was struggling with drinking problems and could not stay sober on his own. It was suggested that Wilson pay more attention to helping others with drinking problems to try and stay sober. Wilson traveled to Akron, Ohio, where he met Dr. Robert Smith, who was having trouble remaining sober. Wilson worked with Smith for 30 days until he gave up drinking on June 10, 1935, which became the official anniversary date of Alcoholics Anonymous

For a while, Dr. Smith and Wilson worked under the umbrella of the Oxford Group. However, they broke away from the Oxford Group and the roots of Alcoholics Anonymous were planted and the History of Alcoholics Anonymous had begun. Although Dr. Smith and Wilson kept several elements of the Oxford group, such as holding informal gatherings, going through steps and helping others, they made many changes. The addition of AA’s 12 steps, AA meetings, sponsorship and being of service to other alcoholics, has helped AA become recognized as the grandfather of all 12-step support groups.

Since its inception in 1935, AA has helped millions of people worldwide recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. Additionally, a long list of 12 step programs helping those who suffer from other addictions and compulsions, patterned after the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous have grown over the years.

What are the 12 Steps A.A.?

The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from alcoholism. The 12 steps are:

Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Step 3: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Step 4: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Step 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Step 7: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Step 8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Step 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Who Needs AA?

Alcoholics Anonymous and the other support groups are helpful because addicts often lack the necessary social supports to actually overcome their addiction. Addiction is a very difficult thing to overcome, and it’s especially difficult to overcome on your own. Unfortunately, it’s really hard for a lot of addicts to find social supports because drugs and drug users have a very harsh stigma surrounding them.

Because of the stigma that surrounds drugs and drug users, most addicts aren't able to openly communicate about their addiction. This creates a number of barriers in seeking treatment.

They may not be open to their families, for fear of being rejected or losing privileges. This means that they may not have the financial means necessary to seek help for their addiction.

They may not be open and honest with their friends about their addiction. This will make it much more difficult for someone to actually understand where they stand with their addiction and how severe it is. If a drug addict can't express themselves, they often end up living a life of deception that prevents them from fully understanding their addiction and deciding when they need help.

Drug addicts usually have to keep their addictions hidden from work and school, which can make it difficult for them to attend their studies or their work on a consistent basis.

What Happens at an AA Meeting?

 An A.A. meeting may take one of several forms, but at any meeting you will find alcoholics talking about what drinking did to their lives and personalities, what actions they took to help themselves, and how they are living their lives today.

 Meetings are often facilitated by a group leader, though this leader doesn't actually have a different status than anyone else in the group. They may be the individual who organized the support group, or the person who owns the building that the group is hosted in.

AA meetings are often held in public, accessible places with ample parking, such as churches, office buildings, coffee shops, parks, beaches, and restaurants. They’re also often held at people’s homes and places of business.

Types of Meetings

There are a variety of AA meeting types including Book Study meetings, Step Study meetings, Tradition Study meetings, Discussion meetings and Speaker Meetings among others. There are also Open meetings (alcoholics and non-alcoholics welcome) and Closed meetings (alcoholics and prospective alcoholics only). There are Women only meetings and Men only meetings. Meetings generally last one hour, but many meetings last longer. Meetings are held 24 hours a day, 7 days a week The type of meeting, meeting format, readings and structure of each meeting are determined by the meeting founders and long-term members of each meeting. You can view a directory of worldwide AA meetings here.

AA Rules

Nobody is ever required to participate, give their name or identify themselves as “alcoholics” (though many do). AA programs want members to feel comfortable with sharing and growing together. But they also recognize that everyone does this at his or her own pace.
The program focuses on abstinence. This means resisting the urge to drink and take other psychoactive or illicit substances. However, prescribed drugs such as antidepressants and other medications are permitted while in the AA program.

What Are Sponsors?

A sponsor is a fellow AA member who has made some progress in the recovery process. The sponsor shares his or her experience in the recovery program on a person-to-person basis with another alcoholic who is working on sobriety through AA.
The sponsorship aspect of the program can provide continuous, individual support for both the sponsor and the person being sponsored. This person is your personal connection to the program. They can offer phone support outside of meetings for any questions or concerns about relapse.

How to Join AA

Becoming a member of AA is as simple acknowledging that you have a drinking problem and deciding that you want to be a member. If you have checked out the meetings and found the program to be helpful, you can simply consider yourself a member.
However, AA is an organization specifically for alcoholics, though open 12 step meetings welcome people struggling with any kind of substance abuse problem. Alcoholics Anonymous is free 12 step program, which requires no monetary or social obligation.

What Should I Know Before Attending a Meeting?

•  Try to find out more about your local AA groups. Age, gender, and socioeconomic background are all factors that can provide comfortable common ground for new members.
•  Keep an open mind. Everyone is there for the same reason: to stop drinking. You may find that this shared struggle unites the group in a unique and powerful way.
• Don’t give up. If you go to a meeting and have a negative experience, try another meeting! Each gathering is different, and just because one meeting didn’t work out for you doesn’t mean AA won’t help you.

What is the success rate of AA?

AA’s 2014, more than 2 million people worldwide were estimated to be members of Alcoholics Anonymous. A Membership Survey provided the following statistics about the fellowship:
• 27 percent of AA members stay sober for less than a year.
• 24 percent of AA members stay sober between one and 5 years.
• 13 percent of AA members stay sober between 5 and 10 years.
• 14 percent of AA members stay sober between 10 and 20 years.
• 22 percent of AA members stay sober 20 or more years.
• The average length of AA member sobriety is nearly 10 years.

Alternatives to the 12 Steps of AA

For people who are not comfortable with the spiritual aspect of the program or the AA 12 steps of recovery, there are alternative 12-step programs that are also free to attend.
Many non-12-step programs are not religious. They use a self-help group approach but incorporate scientific research and focus on self-reliance. Some people who attend non-12-step groups also may go to AA or Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

Find an AA Meeting

To find a local AA meeting, contact your local AA office, use the AA worldwide website, or use our AA meeting finder.