What to Know About Alcoholics Anonymous AA

They work well for newcomers seeking motivation and guidance. Speaker meetings feature one member, often with significant recovery time, sharing their journey of addiction and recovery. AA members, often referred to simply as “members,” are individuals from various walks of life who have acknowledged their alcohol use disorder and are committed to quitting drinking. Members attend AA meetings to discuss their struggles, receive support, and offer support to others, creating a nurturing and empathetic community dedicated to achieving and maintaining sobriety.

Bill W.’s 1955 Reminder: AA Must Stay True to Its Single Purpose

We also offer online exhibits and a timeline of A.A. The General Service Office Archives is dedicated to exploring A.A. Since formally opening in 1975, it has served both members of the A.A. The GSO Archives helps individuals with an interest in discovering A.A.’s roots and its growth around the world.

Big Book Meetings

He based his principles on that work and on his meetings with Smith, whom he also helped to achieve sobriety. In many ways, Wilson was ahead of his time. He believed strongly that alcoholism affected the body, mind, and spirit. Although the organization grew slowly in those early days, it also grew steadily. A central office or intergroup is an A.A. Service office that involves partnership among groups in a community — just as A.A.

History of the General Service Office

The final step involves experiencing a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps and trying to carry this message to other alcoholics, while also practicing these principles in all aspects of life. Examine AA’s success rates and find out why it remains a cornerstone in the journey to recovery for many. AA offers various support to those who struggle with alcohol addiction. These options include online meetings and the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous that serve as a guide to recovery. AA meetings provide participants with community and peer support to help them overcome their drinking problems.

• Some AA members gain a sense of purpose by showing up to meetings early and making coffee for everyone.
• Then, in March 1941, The Saturday Evening Post featured an excellent article by about A.A by Jack Alexander.
• Then, they start earning annual medallions.
• After 9 months, members receive yearly medallions on their sober anniversary to commemorate multiple years in the program.
• We do not impose our experience with problem drinking on others, but we do share it when we are asked to do so.
• Liberty magazine published an article about A.A.

This flyer presents basic information on Alcoholics Anonymous both for those who think they may have a drinking problem and for those who come in contact with them. To help you decide whether you might have a problem with drinking, we’ve prepared these 12 questions. All the great faiths are represented in our Fellowship and many religious leaders have encouraged our growth. There are what is alcoholic anonymous even atheists and agnostics among us.

Join others on the road to recovery

Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about their drinking problem. Members participate by going to meetings at their local groups. But there are many opportunities for service in A.A., and most of us have found that volunteering to do service improves the quality of our recovery.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions ASL – Tradition Eight

Once AA managed to help 500 people achieve sobriety, it attracted a more national audience. By 1950, the organization could boast of having helped 500,000 people overcome their dependence on alcohol. Ultimately, AA’s effectiveness is subjective and varies from person to person.

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions ASL – Tradition Two

The Serenity Prayer is commonly used in AA meetings as a tool for reflection and guidance. It was called the AA prayer in the 1940s.75 Often recited at meetings, it emphasizes the concepts of acceptance, courage, and wisdom, which align with the principles of the AA program. The prayer encourages individuals to accept things they cannot change, to find the courage to make changes where possible, and to seek the wisdom to distinguish between the two. A.A.’s Twelve Steps are a set of spiritual principles. When practiced as a way of life, they can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to recover from alcoholism.

• AA meetings serve as a space where individuals discuss recovery from alcoholism, with flexibility in how meetings are conducted.
• Participating in a group helps ensure that when a person reaches out for help, A.A.
• And yet, these vital services were still in the hands of an isolated board of trustees.
• After Dr. Bob’s death in 1950, Sister Ignatia continued to work at Cleveland’s Charity Hospital.
• Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith founded AA in 1935, two recovering alcohol addicts.
• Alcoholics Anonymous helps guide addicts to understand that their immediate problem is alcohol.

• We are not reformers and we are not allied with any group, cause, religious denomination or ethnic background.
• Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) is an international program focused on supporting people during alcohol recovery, with a goal of helping them achieve and sustain sobriety.
• The bottom line is that the information in the Big Book and the program of recovery used in AA and other 12-Step groups is not going to cause harm.
• We offer the skills and support for lifelong sobriety.

Let the General Service Office know of any experiences or challenges your group faces or has solved. This sharing is combined and shared when requested, so we all can learn from each other. Combining your AA experience with the structured and supportive environment of Design for Recovery can enhance your path to sustained sobriety. Some people may benefit from a combination of AA and professional alcohol treatment, including addiction medicine and therapy.

How Many People Are in Alcoholics Anonymous?

Research suggests that individuals who attend meetings consistently are more likely to achieve and maintain sobriety. AA is not heroin addiction allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Is to carry its message of recovery to the alcoholic seeking help. Almost every alcoholism treatment tries to help the alcoholic maintain sobriety. Regardless of the road we follow, we all head for the same destination, recovery of the alcoholic person. Together, we can do what none of us could accomplish alone.