Questions and Answers
About Alcoholics Anonymous
everal million people have probably heard or read about Alcoholics
Anonymous since its beginnings in 1935. Some are relatively familiar
with the program of recovery from alcoholism that has helped more
than 2,000,000 problem drinkers. Others have only a vague impression
that A.A. is some sort of organization that somehow helps drunks
stop drinking.
This pamphlet is designed for those who are
interested in A.A. for themselves, for a friend or relative, or
simply because they wish to be better informed about this unusual
Fellowship. Included on the following pages are answers to many of
the specific questions that have been asked about A.A. in the past.
They add up to the story of a loosely knit society of men and women
who have one great interest in common: the desire to stay sober
themselves and to help other alcoholics who seek help for their
drinking problem.
The thousands of men and women who have come into
A.A. in recent years are not altruistic do-gooders. Their eagerness
and willingness to help other alcoholics may be termed enlightened
self-interest. Members of A.A. appreciate that their own sobriety is
largely dependent on continuing contact with alcoholics.
After reading this pamphlet, you may have questions
that do not seem to be answered fully in this brief summary. A.A.
groups in many metropolitan areas have a central or intergroup
office, listed in the telephone book under "Alcoholics
Anonymous." It can direct you to the nearest A.A. meeting,
where members will be glad to give you additional information. In
smaller communities, a single group may have a telephone listing. If
there is no A.A. group near you, feel free to write direct to Box
459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163. You can be sure that
your anonymity will be protected.
Alcoholism and
Alcoholics
Not too long ago, alcoholism was viewed as a
moral problem. Today, many regard it primarily as a health problem.
To each problem drinker, it will always remain an intensely personal
matter. Alcoholics who approach A.A. frequently ask questions that
apply to their own experience, their own fears, and their own hopes
for a better way of life.
What is alcoholism?
There are many different ideas about what alcoholism
really is.
The explanation that seems to make sense to most
A.A. members is that alcoholism is an illness, a progressive illness,
which can never be cured but which, like some other diseases, can
be arrested. Going one step further, many A.A.s feel that the
illness represents the combination of a physical sensitivity to
alcohol and a mental obsession with drinking, which, regardless of
consequences, cannot be broken by willpower alone.
Before they are exposed to A.A., many alcoholics who
are unable to stop drinking think of themselves as morally weak or,
possibly, mentally unbalanced. The A.A. concept is that alcoholics
are sick people who can recover if they will follow a simple program
that has proved successful for more than one and a half million men
and women.
Once alcoholism has set in, there is nothing morally
wrong about being ill. At this stage, free will is not involved,
because the sufferer has lost the power of choice over alcohol. The
important thing is to face the facts of one's illness and to take
advantage of the help that is available. There must also be a desire
to get well. Experience shows that the A.A. program will work for
all alcoholics who are sincere in their efforts to stop drinking; it
usually will not work for those not absolutely certain that they
want to stop.
How can I tell if I am really an alcoholic?
Only you can make that decision. Many who are now in
A.A. have previously been told that they were not alcoholics, that
all they needed was more willpower, a change of scenery, more rest,
or a few new hobbies in order to straighten out. These same people
finally turned to A.A. because they felt, deep down inside, that
alcohol had them licked and that they were ready to try anything
that would free them from the compulsion to drink.
Some of these men and women went through terrifying
experiences with alcohol before they were ready to admit that
alcohol was not for them. They became derelicts, stole, lied,
cheated, and even killed while they were drinking. They took
advantage of their employers and abused their families. They were
completely unreliable in their relations with others. They wasted
their material, mental, and spiritual assets.
Many others with far less tragic records have turned
to A.A., too. They have never been jailed or hospitalized. Their
too-heavy drinking may not have been noticed by their closest
relatives and friends. But they knew enough about alcoholism as a
progressive illness to scare them. They joined A.A. before they had
paid too heavy a price.
There is a saying in A.A. that there is no such
thing as being a little bit alcoholic. Either you are, or you are
not. And only the individual involved can say whether or not alcohol
has become an unmanageable problem.
Can an alcoholic ever drink 'normally' again?
So far as can be determined, no one who has become
an alcoholic has ever ceased to be an alcoholic. The mere fact of
abstaining from alcohol for months or even years has never qualified
an alcoholic to drink "normally" or socially. Once the
individual has crossed the borderline from heavy drinking to
irresponsible alcoholic drinking, there seems to be no retreat. Few
alcoholics deliberately try to drink themselves into trouble, but
trouble seems to be the inevitable consequence of an alcoholic's
drinking. After quitting for a period, the alcoholic may feel it is
safe to try a few beers or a few glasses of light wine. This can
mislead the person into drinking only with meals. But it is not too
long before the alcoholic is back in the old pattern of too-heavy
drinking — in spite of all efforts to set limits for only
moderate, social drinking.
The answer, based on A.A. experience, is that if you
are an alcoholic, you will never be able to control your drinking
for any length of time. That leaves two paths open: to let your
drinking become worse and worse with all the damaging results that
follow, or to quit completely and to develop a new pattern of sober,
constructive living.
Can't an A.A. member drink even beer?
There are, of course, no musts in A.A., and no one
checks up on members to determine whether or not they are drinking
anything. The answer to this question is that if a person is an
alcoholic, touching alcohol in any form cannot be risked. Alcohol is
alcohol whether it is found in a martini, a Scotch and soda, a
bourbon and branch water, a glass of champagne — or a short beer.
For the alcoholic, one drink of alcohol in any form is likely to be
too much, and twenty drinks are not enough.
To be sure of sobriety, alcoholics simply have to
stay away from alcohol, regardless of the quantity, mixture, or
concentration they may think they can control.
Obviously, few persons are going to get drunk on one
or two bottles of beer. The alcoholic knows this as well as the next
person. But alcoholics may convince themselves that they are simply
going to take two or three beers and then quit for the day.
Occasionally, they may actually follow this program for a number of
days or weeks, Eventually, they decide that as long as they are
drinking, they may as well "do a good job." So they
increase their consumption of beer or wine. Or they switch to hard
liquor. And again, they are back where they started.
I can stay sober quite a while
between binges; how can I tell
whether I need A.A.?
Most A.A.s will say that it's how you drink,
not how often, that determines whether or not you are an
alcoholic. Many problem drinkers can go weeks, months, and
occasionally years between their bouts with liquor. During their
periods of sobriety, they may not give alcohol a second thought.
Without mental or emotional effort, they are able to take it or
leave it alone, and they prefer to leave it alone.
Then, for some unaccountable reason, or for no
reason at all, they go off on a first-class binge. They neglect job,
family, and other civic and social responsibilities. The spree may
last a single night, or it may be prolonged for days or weeks. When
it is over, the drinker is usually weak and remorseful, determined
never to let it happen again. But it does happen again.
This type of "periodic" drinking is
baffling, not only to those around the drinker, but also to the
person still drinking. He or she cannot understand why there should
be so little interest in alcohol during the periods between binges,
or so little control over it once the drinking starts.
The periodic drinker may or may not be an alcoholic.
But if drinking has become unmanageable and if the periods between
binges are becoming shorter, chances are the time has come to face
up to the problem. If the person is ready to admit to being an
alcoholic, then the first step has been taken toward the continuing
sobriety enjoyed by thousands upon thousands of A.A.s.
Others say I am not an alcoholic. But my
drinking seems to be getting worse.
Should I join A.A.?
Many members of A.A., during their drinking days,
were assured by relatives, friends, and doctors that they were not
alcoholics. The alcoholic usually adds to the problem by an
unwillingness to realistically face the facts of drinking. By not
being completely honest, the problem drinker makes it difficult for
a doctor to provide any help. The amazing thing, in fact, is that so
many doctors have been able to penetrate the typical problem
drinker's deceptions and diagnose the problem correctly.
It cannot be emphasized too often that the important
decision — am I an alcoholic? — has to be made by the drinker.
Only he or she — not the doctor, the family, or friends — can
make it. But once it is made, half the battle for sobriety is won.
If the question is left to others to decide, the alcoholic may be
dragging out needlessly the dangers and misery of uncontrollable
drinking.
Can a person achieve sobriety all alone by reading A.A.
literature?
A few people have stopped drinking after reading Alcoholics
Anonymous, the A.A. "Big Book," which sets forth the
basic principles of the recovery program. But nearly all of those
who were in a position to do so promptly sought out other alcoholics
with whom to share their experience and sobriety.
The A.A. program works best for the individual when
it is recognized and accepted as a program involving other people.
Working with other alcoholics in the local A.A. group, problem
drinkers seem to learn more about their problem and how to handle
it. The find themselves surrounded by others who share their past
experiences, their present problems, and their hopes. They shed the
feelings of loneliness that may have been an important factor in
their compulsion to drink.
Won't everyone know I am an alcoholic if I come into A.A.?
Anonymity is and always has been the basis of the
A.A. program. Most members, after they have been in A.A. awhile,
have no particular objection if the word gets around that they have
joined a fellowship that enables them to stay sober. Traditionally,
A.A.s never disclose their association with the movement in print,
on the air, or through any other public media. And no one has the
right to break the anonymity of another member.
This means that the newcomer can turn to A.A. with
the assurance that no newfound friends will violate confidences
relating to his or her drinking problem. The older members of the
group appreciate how the newcomer feels. They can remember their own
fears about being identified publicly with what seems to be a
terrifying word - "alcoholic."
Once in A.A., newcomers may be slightly amused at
those past worries about its becoming generally known that they have
stopped drinking. When alcoholics drink, news of their escapades
travels with remarkable speed. Most alcoholics have made names for
themselves as full-fledged drunks by the time they turn to A.A.
Their drinking, with rare exceptions, is not likely to be a
well-kept secret. Under these circumstances, it would be unusual
indeed if the good news of the alcoholic's continuing sobriety did
not also cause comment.
Whatever the circumstances, no disclosure of the
newcomer's, affiliation with A.A. can rightfully be made by anyone
but the newcomer, and then only in such a way that the Fellowship
will not be harmed.
How can I get along in business,
where I have to make a lot of
social contacts, if I don't drink?
Social drinking has become an accepted part of
business enterprise in many fields these days. Many contacts with
customers and prospective customers are timed to coincide with
occasions when cocktails, highballs, or cordials seem the
appropriate order of the day or night. Many now in A.A. would be the
first to concede that they had often transacted important business
in bars, cocktail lounges, or hotel rooms or even during parties in
private homes.
It is surprising, however, how much of the world's
work is accomplished without the benefit of alcohol. It is equally
surprising to many alcoholics to discover how many recognized
leaders in business, industry, professional life, and the arts have
attained success without dependence on alcohol.
In fact, many who are now sober in A.A. admit that
they used "business contacts" as one of several excuses
for drinking. Now that they no longer drink, they find that they can
actually accomplish more than they used to. Sobriety has proved no
hindrance to their ability to win friends and influence people who
might contribute to their economic success.
This does not mean that all A.A.s suddenly avoid
their friends or business associates who drink. If a friend wants a
cocktail or two before lunch, the A.A. will usually take a soft
drink, coffee, or one of the popular juices. If the A.A. is invited
to a cocktail party being given for business reasons, there will
generally be no hesitation about attending. The alcoholic knows from
experience that most of the other guests are concerned with their
own drinks, and are not likely to care particularly what anyone else
happens to be drinking.
While beginning to take pride in the quality and
quantity of work on the job, the newcomer to A.A. is likely to find
that the payoff in most lines of business is still based on
performance. This was not always apparent in the drinking days. The
alcoholic may then have been convinced that charm, ingenuity, and
conviviality were the chief keys to business success. While these
qualities are undoubtedly helpful to the person who drinks in a
controlled manner, they are not enough for the alcoholic, if only
because the latter, while drinking, is inclined to assign to them
far more importance than they deserve.
Will A.A. work for the person
who has really 'hit bottom'?
The record shows that A.A. will work for almost
anyone who really wants to stop drinking, no matter what the
person's economic or social background may be. A.A. today includes
among its members many who have been on skid row, in jails, and in
other public institutions.
The down-and-outer is at no disadvantage in coming
to A.A. His or her basic problem, the thing that has made life
unmanageable, is identical with the central problem of every other
member of A.A. The worth of a member in A.A. is not judged on the
basis of the clothes worn, the handling of language, or the size (or
existence) of the bank balance. The only thing that counts in A.A.
is whether or not the newcomer really wants to stop drinking. If the
desire is there, the person will be welcomed. Chances are, the most
rugged drinking story the new member could tell will be topped by an
amazing number of people in the group, with similar backgrounds and
experiences.
Do alcoholics who are already sober
ever join A.A.?
Most men and women turn to A.A. when they hit the
low point in their drinking careers. But this is not always the
case. A number of persons have joined the Fellowship long after they
have had what they hoped was their last drink. One person,
recognizing that alcohol could not be controlled, had been dry for
six or seven years before becoming a member. Self-enforced sobriety
had not been a happy experience. Rising tension and a series of
upsets over minor problems of daily living were about to lead to
further experiments with alcohol, when a friend suggested that A.A.
should be investigated. Since then, this person has been a member
for many years, and says there is no comparison between the happy
sobriety of today and the self-pitying sobriety of yesterday.
Others report similar experiences. While they know
that it is possible to stay grimly sober for considerable periods of
time, they say that it is much easier for them to enjoy and
strengthen their sobriety when they meet and work with other
alcoholics in A.A. Like most members of the human race, they see
little point in deliberately doing things the hard way. Given the
choice of sobriety with or without A.A., they deliberately choose
A.A.
Why is A.A. interested
in problem drinkers?
Members of A.A. have a selfish interest in offering
a helping hand to other alcoholics who have not yet achieved
sobriety. First, they know from experience that this type of
activity, usually referred to as "Twelfth Step work,"
helps them to stay sober. Their lives now have a great and
compelling interest. Very likely, reminders of their own previous
experience with alcohol help them to avoid the overconfidence that
could lead to a relapse. Whatever the explanation, A.A.s who give
freely of their time and effort to help other alcoholics seldom have
trouble preserving their own sobriety.
A.A.s are anxious to help problem drinkers for a
second reason: It gives them an opportunity to square their debt to
those who helped them. It is the only practical way in which
the individual's debt to A.A. can ever be repaid. The A.A. member
knows that sobriety cannot be bought and that there is no long-term
lease on it. The A.A. does know, however, that a new way of life
without alcohol may be had simply for the asking, if it is honestly
wanted and willingly shared with those who follow.
Traditionally, A.A. never "recruits"
members, never urges that anyone should become a member, and never
solicits or accepts outside funds.
The Fellowship of A.A.
If the newcomer is satisfied that he or she is an
alcoholic and that A.A. may be able to help, then a number of
specific questions about the nature, structure, and history of the
movement itself usually come up. Here are some of the most common
ones.
What is Alcoholics Anonymous?
There are two practical ways to describe A.A. The
first is the familiar description of purposes and objectives that
appears earlier:
"Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men
and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each
other that they may solve their common problem and help others to
recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a
desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A.
membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions.
A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics,
organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any
controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary
purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve
sobriety."
The "common problem" is alcoholism. The
men and women who consider themselves members of A.A. are, and
always will be, alcoholics, even though they may have other
addictions. They have finally recognized that they are no longer
able to handle alcohol in any form; they now stay away from it
completely. The important thing is that they do not try to deal with
the problem single-handedly. They bring the problem out into the
open with other alcoholics. This sharing of "experience,
strength and hope" seems to be the key element that makes it
possible for them to live without alcohol and, in most cases,
without even wanting to drink.
The second way to describe Alcoholics Anonymous is
to outline the structure of the Society. Numerically, A.A. consists
of more than 2,000,000 men and women, in 150 countries. These people
meet in local groups that range in size from a handful of
ex-drinkers in some localities to many hundreds in larger
communities.
In the populous metropolitan areas, there may be
scores of neighborhood groups, each holding its own regular
meetings. Many A.A. meetings are open to the public; some groups
also hold "closed meetings," where members are encouraged
to discuss problems that might not be fully appreciated by
nonalcoholics.
The local group is the core of the A.A. Fellowship.
Its open meetings welcome alcoholics and their families in an
atmosphere of friendliness and helpfulness. There are now more than
97,000 groups throughout the world, including hundreds in hospitals,
prisons, and other institutions.
How did A.A. get started?
Alcoholics Anonymous had its beginnings in Akron in
1935 when a New Yorker on business there and successfully sober for
the first time in years sought out another alcoholic. During his few
months of sobriety, the New Yorker had noticed that his desire to
drink lessened when he tried to help other drunks to get sober. In
Akron, he was directed to a local doctor with a drinking problem.
Working together, the businessman and the doctor found that their
ability to stay sober seemed closely related to the amount of help
and encouragement they were able to give other alcoholics.
For four years, the new movement, nameless and
without any organization or descriptive literature, grew slowly.
Groups were established in Akron, New York, Cleveland, and a few
other centers.
In 1939, with the publication of the book Alcoholics
Anonymous, from which the Fellowship derived its name, and as
the result of the help of a number of nonalcoholic friends, the
Society began to attract national and international attention.
A service office was opened in New York City to
handle the thousands of inquiries and requests for literature that
pour in each year.
Are there any rules in A.A.?
The absence of rules, regulations, or musts is one
of the unique features of A.A. as a local group and as a worldwide
fellowship. There are no bylaws that say a member has to attend a
certain number of meetings within a given period.
Understandably, most groups have an unwritten
tradition that anyone who is still drinking, and boisterous enough
to disturb a meeting, may be asked to leave; the same person will be
welcomed back at any time when not likely to disrupt a meeting.
Meanwhile, members of the group will do their best to help bring
sobriety to the person if there is a sincere desire to stop
drinking.
What does membership in A.A. cost?
Membership in A.A. involves no financial obligations
of any kind. The A.A. program of recovery from alcoholism is
available to anyone who has a desire to stop drinking, whether he or
she is flat broke or the possessor of millions.
Most local groups "pass the hat" at
meetings to defray the cost of renting a meeting place and other
meeting expenses, including coffee, sandwiches, cakes, or whatever
else may be served. In a large majority of the groups, part of the
money thus collected is voluntarily contributed to A.A.'s national
and international services. These group funds are used exclusively
for services designed to help new and established groups and to
spread the word of the A.A. recovery program to "the many
alcoholics who still don't know."
The important consideration is that membership in
A.A. is in no way contingent upon financial support of the
Fellowship. Many A.A. groups have, in fact, placed strict
limitations on the amount that can be contributed by any member.
A.A. is entirely self-supporting, and no outside contributions are
accepted.
Who runs A.A.?
A.A. has no officers or executives who wield power
or authority over the Fellowship. There is no "government"
in A.A. It is obvious, however, that even in an informal
organization, certain jobs have to be done. In the local group, for
example, someone has to arrange for a suitable meeting place;
meetings have to be scheduled and programmed; provision has to be
made for serving the coffee and snacks that contribute so much to
the informal comradeship of A.A. gatherings; many groups also
consider it wise to assign to someone the responsibility of keeping
in touch with the national and international development of A.A.
When a local group is first formed, self-appointed
workers may take over responsibility for these tasks, acting
informally as servants of the group. As soon as possible, however,
these responsibilities are, by election, rotated to others in the
group for limited periods of service. A typical A.A. group may have
a chairperson, a secretary, a program committee, a food committee, a
treasurer, and a general service representative who acts for the
group at regional or area meetings. Newcomers who have a reasonable
period of sobriety behind them are urged to take part in handling
group responsibilities.
At the national and international levels, there are
also specific jobs to be done. Literature has to be written,
printed, and distributed to groups and individuals who ask for it.
Inquiries from both new and established groups have to be answered.
Individual requests for information about A.A. and its program of
recovery from alcoholism have to be filled. Assistance and
information have to be provided for doctors, members of the clergy,
business people, and directors of institutions. Sound public
relations must be established and maintained in dealing with press,
radio, television, motion pictures, and other communications media.
To provide for the sound growth of A.A., early
members of the Society, together with nonalcoholic friends,
established a custodial board - now known as the General Service
Board of Alcoholics Anonymous. The board serves as the custodian of
A.A. Traditions and overall service, and it assumes responsibility
for the service standards of A.A.'s General Service Office at New
York.
The link between the board and the A.A. groups of
the U.S. and Canada is the A.A. General Service Conference. The
Conference, comprising about 92 delegates from A.A. areas, the 21
trustees on the board, General Service Office staff members, and
others, meets for several days each year. The Conference is
exclusively a consultative service agency. It has no authority to
regulate or govern the Fellowship.
Thus the answer to "Who runs A.A.?" is
that the Society is a uniquely democratic movement, with no central
government and only a minimum of formal organization.
Is A.A. a religious society?
A.A. is not a religious society, since it requires
no definite religious belief as a condition of membership. Although
it has been endorsed and approved by many religious leaders, it is
not allied with any organization or sect. Included in its membership
are Catholics, Protestants, Jews, members of other major religious
bodies, agnostics, and atheists.
The A.A. program of recovery from alcoholism is
undeniably based on acceptance of certain spiritual values. The
individual member is free to interpret those values as he or she
thinks best, or not to think about them at all.
Most members, before turning to A.A., had already
admitted that they could not control their drinking. Alcohol had
become a power greater than themselves, and it had been accepted on
those terms. A.A. suggests that to achieve and maintain sobriety,
alcoholics need to accept and depend upon another Power recognized
as greater than themselves. Some alcoholics choose to consider the
A.A. group itself as the power greater than themselves; for many
others, this Power is God — as they, individually, understand
Him; still others rely upon entirely different concepts of a
Higher Power.
Some alcoholics, when they first turn to A.A., have
definite reservations about accepting any concept of a Power greater
than themselves. Experience shows that, if they will keep an open
mind on the subject and keep coming to A.A. meetings, they are not
likely to have too difficult a time in working out an acceptable
solution to this distinctly personal problem.
Is A.A. a temperance movement?
No. A.A. has no relation to temperance movements.
A.A. "neither endorses nor opposes any causes." This
phrase, from the widely accepted outline of the purpose of the
Society, naturally applies to the question of so-called temperance
movements. The alcoholic who has become sober and is attempting to
follow the A.A. recovery program has an attitude toward alcohol that
might be likened to the attitude of a hayfever sufferer toward
goldenrod.
While many A.A.s appreciate that alcohol may be all
right for most people, they know it to be poison for them. The
average A.A. has no desire to deprive anyone of something that,
properly handled, is a source of pleasure. The A.A. merely
acknowledges being personally unable to handle the stuff.
Are there many women alcoholics in A.A.?
The number of women who are finding help in A.A. for
their drinking problem increases daily. Approximately one-third of
present-day members are women; among newcomers, the proportion has
been rising steadily. Like the men in the Fellowship, they represent
every conceivable social background and pattern of drinking.
The general feeling seems to be that a woman
alcoholic faces special problems. Because society has tended to
apply different standards to the behavior of women, some women may
feel that a greater stigma is attached to their uncontrolled use of
alcohol.
A.A. makes no distinctions of this type. Whatever
her age, social standing, financial status, or education, the woman
alcoholic, like her male counterpart, can find understanding and
help in A.A. Within the local group setup, women A.A.s play the same
significant roles that men do.
Are there many young people in A.A.?
One of the most heartening trends in the growth of
A.A. is the fact that more and more young men and women are being
attracted to the program before their problem drinking
results in complete disaster. Now that the progressive nature of
alcoholism is better appreciated, these young people recognize that,
if one is an alcoholic, the best time to arrest the illness is in
its early stages.
In the first days of the movement, it was commonly
thought that the only logical candidates for A.A. were those men and
women who had lost their jobs, had hit skid row, had completely
disrupted their family fives, or had otherwise isolated themselves
from normal social relationships over a period of years.
Today, many of the young people turning to A.A. are
in their twenties. Some are still in their teens. The majority of
them still have jobs and families. Many have never been jailed or
committed to institutions. But they have seen the handwriting on the
wall. They recognize that they are alcoholics, and they see no point
in letting alcoholism run its inevitable disastrous course with
them.
Their need for recovery is just as compelling as
that of the older men and women who had no opportunity to turn to
A.A. in their youth. Once they are in A.A., the young people and the
oldsters are rarely conscious of their age differentials. In A.A.,
both groups start a new life from the same milestone - their last
drink.
Group Meetings
The local group meeting is the center and heart of
the A.A. Fellowship. It is, in many ways, a unique type of gathering
and one that is likely to seem strange to the newcomer. The questions
and an swers that follow suggest how the A.A. meeting functions and
how the newcomer fits into the group picture.
How does a person join A.A.?
No one "joins" A.A. in the usual sense of
the term. No application for membership has to be filled out. In fact,
many groups do not even keep membership records. There are no
initiation fees, no dues, no assessments of any kind.
Most people become associated with A.A. simply by
attending the meetings of a particular local group. Their introduction
to A.A. may have come about in one of several ways. Having come to the
point in their drinking where they sincerely wanted to stop, they may
have gotten in touch with A.A. voluntarily. They may have called the
local A.A. office fisted in the phone book, or they may have written
to the General Service Office, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New
York, NY 10163.
Others may have been guided to a local A.A. group by a
friend, relative, doctor, or spiritual adviser.
Usually, a newcomer to A.A. has had an opportunity to
talk to one or more local members before attending the first meeting.
This provides an opportunity to learn how A.A. has helped these
people. The beginner gets facts about alcoholism and A.A. that help to
determine whether he or she is honestly prepared to give up alcohol.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.
There are no membership drives in A.A. If, after
attending several meetings, the newcomer decides A.A. is not for him
or for her, no one will urge continuation in the association. There
may be suggestions about keeping an open mind on the subject, but no
one in A.A. will try to make up newcomers' minds for them. Only the
alcoholic concerned can answer the question "Do I need Alcoholics
Anonymous?"
What is an 'open' meeting?
An open meeting of A.A. is a group meeting that any
member of the community, alcoholic or nonalcoholic, may attend. The
only obligation is that of not disclosing the names of A.A. members
outside the meeting.
A typical open meeting will usually have a
"leader" and other speakers. The leader opens and closes the
meeting and introduces each speaker. With rare exceptions, the
speakers at an open meeting are A.A. members. Each, in turn, may
review some individual drinking experiences that led to joining A.A.
The speaker may also give his or her interpretation of the recovery
program and suggest what sobriety has meant personally. All views
expressed are purely personal, since all members of A.A. speak only
for themselves.
Most open meetings conclude with a social period
during which coffee, soft drinks, and cakes or cookies are served.
Wat is a 'closed' meeting?
A closed meeting is limited to members of the local
A.A. group, or visiting members from other groups. The purpose of the
closed meeting is to give members an opportunity to discuss particular
phases of their alcoholic problem that can be understood best only by
other alcoholics.
These meetings are usually conducted with maximum
informality, and all members are encouraged to participate in the
discussions. The closed meetings are of particular value to the
newcomer, since they provide an opportunity to ask questions that may
trouble a beginner, and to get the benefit of "older"
members' experience with the recovery program.
May I bring relatives or friends
to an A.A. meeting?
In most places, anyone interested in A.A., whether a
member or not, is welcome at open meetings of A.A. groups. * Newcomers,
in particular, are invited to bring wives, husbands, or friends to
these meetings, since their understanding of the recovery program may
be an important factor in helping the alcoholic to achieve and
maintain sobriety. Many wives and husbands attend as frequently as
their spouses and take an active part in the social activities of the
local group.
(It will be recalled that "closed" meetings
are traditionally limited to alcoholics.)
* Consult the group for local
custom.
How often do A.A. members
have to attend meetings?
Abraham Lincoln was once asked how long a man's legs
should be. The classic answer was: "Long enough to reach the
ground."
A.A. members don't have to attend any set
number of meetings in a given period. It is purely a matter of
individual preference and need. Most members arrange to attend at
least one meeting a week. They feel that is enough to satisfy their
personal need for contact with the program through a local group.
Others attend a meeting nearly every night, in areas where such
opportunities are available. Still others may go for relatively long
periods without meetings.
The friendly injunction "Keep coming to
meetings," so frequently heard by the newcomer, is based on the
experience of the great majority of A.A.s, who find that the quality
of their sobriety suffers when they stay away from meetings for too
long. Many know from experience that if they do not come to meetings,
they may get drunk and that if they are regular in attendance, they
seem to have no trouble staying sober.
Newcomers particularly seem to benefit from exposure
to a relatively large number of meetings (or other A.A. contacts)
during their first weeks and months in a group. By multiplying their
opportunities to meet and hear other A.A.s whose drinking experience
parallels their own, they seem to be able to strengthen their own
understanding of the program and what it can give them.
Nearly all alcoholics, at one time or another, have
tried to stay sober on their own. For most, the experience has not
been particularly enjoyable — or successful. So long as attendance
at meetings helps the alcoholic to maintain sobriety, and to have fun
at the same time, it seems to be good sense to be guided by the
experience of those who "keep coming to meetings."
_______
* Consult the group for local
custom.
Do A.A.s have to attend meetings
for the rest of their lives?
Not necessarily, but — as one member has suggested
— "Most of us want to, and some of us may need to."
Most alcoholics don't like to be told that they have
to do anything for any extended period of time. At first glance, the
prospect of having to attend A.A. meetings for all the years of the
foreseeable future may seem a heavy load.
The answer, again, is that no one has to do
anything in A.A. There is always a choice between doing and not doing
a thing — including the crucial choice of whether or not to seek
sobriety through A.A.
The primary reason an alcoholic has for attending
meetings of an A.A. group is to get help in staying sober today
— not tomorrow or next week or ten years from now. Today, the
immediate present, is the only period in fife that the A.A. can do
something about. A.A.s do not worry about tomorrow, or about "the
rest of their lives." The important thing for them is to maintain
their sobriety now. They will take care of the future when it arrives.
So the A.A. who wants to do everything possible to
insure sobriety today will probably keep going to meetings. But
attendance will always be on the basis of taking care of present
sobriety. As long as the approach to A.A. is on this basis, no
activity, including attendance at meetings, can ever resemble a
long-term obligation.
How will I be able to find the time for
A.A. meetings, work with other alcoholics,
and other A.A. activities?
During our drinking days, most of us somehow managed
to minimize the importance of time when there was alcohol to be
consumed. Yet the newcomer to A.A. is occasionally dismayed to learn
that sobriety will make some demands on time, too. If the beginner is
a typical alcoholic, there will be an urge to make up "lost
time" in a hurry — to work diligently at a job, to indulge in
the pleasures of a homelife too long neglected, to devote time to
church or civic affairs. What else is sobriety for, the new member may
ask, but to lead a full, normal life, great chunks of it at a time?
A.A., however, is not something that can be taken like
a pill. The experience of those who have been successful in the
recovery program is worth considering. Almost without exception, the
men and women who find their sobriety most satisfying are those who
attend meetings regularly, never hesitate to work with other
alcoholics seeking help, and take more than a casual interest in the
other activities of their groups. They are men and women who recall
realistically and honestly the aimless hours spent in bars, the days
lost from work, the decreased efficiency, and the remorse that
accompanied hangovers on the morning after.
Balanced against such memories as these, the few hours
spent in underwriting and strengthening their sobriety add up to a
small price indeed.
Can newcomers join A.A.
outside their own community?
This question is sometimes raised by persons who seem
to have perfectly valid reasons for not wanting to risk identification
as alcoholics by any of their neighbors. They may, for example, have
employers who are totally unfamiliar with the A.A. program and
potentially hostile to anyone who admits the existence of a drinking
problem. They may wish desperately to be associated with A.A. as a
means of gaining and maintaining sobriety. But they may hesitate to
turn to a group in their own community.
The answer to the question is that a person is free to
join an A.A. group anywhere he or she may choose. Obviously, it is
more convenient to join the nearest group. It may also be the most
straightforward approach to the individual's problem. The person who
turns to A.A. for help is usually, but not always, pretty well
identified as a drunk. Inevitably, the good news of this person's
sobriety is bound to spread, too. Few employers or neighbors are
likely to resent the source of their worker's or friend's continued
sobriety, whether it centers in a local A.A. group or one located
fifty miles away.
Few people these days are fired from their jobs or
ostracized socially because they are sober. If the experience of many
thousands of A.A.s is a reliable guide, the best approach for the
newcomer is to seek help in the nearest group before beginning to
worry about the reactions of others.
If I come into A.A., won't I miss
a lot of friends and a lot of fun?
The best answer to this is the experience of the
hundreds of thousands of men and women who have already come into A.A.
In general, their attitude is that they did not enjoy real friendships
or real fun until they joined A.A. Their point of view on both has
changed.
Many alcoholics discover that their best friends are
delighted to see them face up to the fact that they cannot handle
alcohol. No one wants to see a friend continue to hurt.
Naturally, it is important to distinguish between friendships and
casual barroom acquaintanceships. The alcoholic is likely to have many
acquaintances whose conviviality may be missed for a while. But
their place will be taken by the hundreds of A.A.s the newcomer will
meet - men and women who offer understanding acceptance, and help in
sustaining sobriety at all times.
Few members of A.A. would trade the fun that comes
with sobriety for what seemed to be fun while they were
drinking.
The Recovery Program
Upon attending only a few meetings, the newcomer is
sure to hear references to such things as "the Twelve Steps,
"the Twelve Traditions, " "slips, " "the Big
Book, and other expressions characteristic of A.A. The following
Paragraphs describe these factors and suggest why they are mentioned
frequently by A.A. speakers.
What are the 'Twelve Steps'?
The "Twelve Steps" are the core of the A.A.
program of personal recovery from alcoholism. They are not abstract
theories; they are based on the trial-and-error experience of early
members of A.A. They describe the attitudes and activities that these
early members believe were important in helping them to achieve
sobriety. Acceptance of the "Twelve Steps" is not mandatory
in any sense.
Experience suggests, however, that members who make an
earnest effort to follow these Steps and to apply them in daily living
seem to get far more out of A.A. than do those members who seem to
regard the Steps casually. It has been said that it is virtually
impossible to follow all the Steps literally, day in and day out.
While this may be true, in the sense that the Twelve Steps represent
an approach to living that is totally new for most alcoholics, many
A.A. members feel that the Steps are a practical necessity if they are
to maintain their sobriety.
Here is the text of the Twelve Steps, which first
appeared in Alcoholics Anonymous, the A.A. book of experience:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that
our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves
could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over
to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of
ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human
being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these
defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our short-comings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and
became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever
possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we
were wrong promptly admitted it.
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.
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.
What are the 'Twelve Traditions'?
The "Twelve Traditions" of A.A. are
suggested principles to insure the survival and growth of the
thousands of groups that make up the Fellowship. They are based on the
experience of the groups themselves during the critical early years of
the movement.
The Traditions are important to both oldtimers and
newcomers as reminders of the true foundations of A.A. as a society of
men and women whose primary concern is to maintain their own sobriety
and help others to achieve sobriety:
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal
recovery depends upon A.A. unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate
authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group
conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
3. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a
desire to stop drinking.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters
affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose — to carry
its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
6. An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend
the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest
problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary
purpose.
7. Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting,
declining outside contributions.
8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever
non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
9. A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may
create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they
serve.
10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside
issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public
controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction
rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at
the level of press, radio, and films.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our
traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before
personalities.
What are 'slips'?
Occasionally a man or women who has been sober through
A.A. will get drunk. In A.A. a relapse of this type is commonly known
as a "slip." It may occur during the first few weeks or
months of sobriety or after the alcoholic has been dry a number of
years.
Nearly all A.A.s who have been through this experience
say that slips can be traced to specific causes. They deliberately
forgot that they had admitted they were alcoholics and got
overconfident about their ability to handle alcohol. Or they stayed
away from A.A. meetings or from informal association with other A.A.s.
Or they let themselves become too involved with business or social
affairs to remember the importance of being sober. Or they let
themselves become tired and were caught with their mental and
emotional defenses down.
In other words, most "slips" don't just
happen.
Does A.A. have a basic 'textbook'?
The Fellowship has four books that are generally
accepted as "textbooks." The first is Alcoholics
Anonymous, also known as "the Big Book," originally
published in 1939, revised in 1955 and 1976. It records the personal
stories of 42 representative problem drinkers who achieved stable
sobriety for the first time through A.A. It also records the suggested
steps and principles that early members believed were responsible for
their ability to overcome the compulsion to drink.
The second book is Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions, published in 1953. It is an interpretation, by Bill
W., a co-founder, of the principles that have thus far assured the
continuing survival of individuals and groups within A.A.
A third book, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, published
in 1957, is a brief history of the first two decades of the
Fellowship.
The fourth is As Bill Sees It (formerly titled The
A.A. Way of Life, a reader by Bill). This is a selection of Bill
W.'s writings.
These books may be purchased through local A.A. groups
or ordered direct from Alcoholics Anonymous, Box 459, Grand Central
Station, New York, NY 10163.
What is 'the 24-hour program'?
"The 24-hour program" is a phrase used to
describe a basic A.A. approach to the problem of staying sober.
A.A.s never swear off alcohol for life, never take pledges committing
themselves not to take a drink "tomorrow." By the time they
turned to A.A. for help, they had discovered that, no matter how
sincere they may have been in promising themselves to abstain from
alcohol "in the future," somehow they forgot the pledge and
got drunk. The compulsion to drink proved more powerful than the best
intentions not to drink.
The A.A. member recognizes that the biggest problem is
to stay sober now! The current 24 hours is the only period the
A.A. can do anything about as far as drinking is concerned. Yesterday
is gone. Tomorrow never comes. "But today," the A.A. says,
"today, I will not take a drink. I may be tempted to take a drink
tomorrow - and perhaps I will. But tomorrow is something to worry
about when it comes. My big problem is not to take a drink during this
24 hours.
Along with the 24-hour program, A.A. emphasizes the
importance of three slogans that have probably been heard many times
by the newcomer before joining A.A. These slogans are: "Easy Does
It," "Live and Let Live," and "First Things
First." By making these slogans a basic part of the attitude
toward problems of daily living, the average A.A. is usually helped
substantially in the attempt to live successfully without alcohol.
What is the A.A. Grapevine?
The Grapevine is a monthly pocket-size magazine
published for members and friends who seek further sharing of A.A.
experience. The only international journal of the Society, the
Grapevine is edited by a staff made up entirely of A.A.s.
Single copies of the magazine are usually available
each month at meetings of local groups, but most readers prefer to
receive their copies on a regular subscription basis. In the U.S. the
cost of annual subscription is $15.00, slightly more - in Canada;
single copies are $1.50.
Why doesn't A.A. seem to work
for some people?
The answer is that A.A. will work only for those who
admit that they are alcoholics, who honestly want to stop drinking —
and who are able to keep those facts uppermost in their minds at all
times.
A.A. usually will not work for the man or woman who
has reservations about whether or not he or she is an alcoholic, or
who clings to the hope of being able to drink normally again.
Most medical authorities say no one who is an
alcoholic can ever drink normally again. The alcoholic must admit and
accept this cardinal fact. Coupled with this admission and acceptance
must be the desire to stop drinking.
After they have been sober a while in A.A., some
people tend to forget that they are alcoholics, with all that this
diagnosis implies. Their sobriety makes them overconfident, and they
decide to experiment with alcohol again. The results of such
experiments are, for the alcoholic, completely predictable. Their
drinking invariably becomes progressively worse.
Newcomers'
Questions
A.A. has but one primary purpose, although it may
indirectly be responsible for other benefits. The following are
questions that are occasionally asked by newcomers to the Fellowship.
Will A.A. help me financially?
Many alcoholics, by the time they turn to A.A. for
help with their drinking problems, have also accumulated substantial
financial problems. Not unnaturally, some may cherish the hope that
A.A. may in some way be able to help them with more pressing financial
obligations.
Very early in A.A. experience as a society, it was
discovered that money or the lack of it had nothing to do with the
newcomer's ability to achieve sobriety and work his or her way out of
the many problems that had been complicated by excessive use of
alcohol.
The absence of money — even with a heavy burden
of debts — seemed to prove no hindrance to the alcoholic who
honestly and sincerely wanted to face up to the realities of a life
without alcohol. Once the big problem of alcohol had been cleared
away, the other problems, including those related to finances, seemed
to work out, too. Some A.A.s have made sensational financial comebacks
in relatively brief periods. For others, the road has been hard and
long. The basic answer to this question is that A.A. exists for just
one purpose, and that purpose is in no way related to material
prosperity or the lack thereof.
There is nothing to prevent any member of a group from
staking a newcomer to a meal, a suit of clothes, or even a cash loan.
That is a matter for individual decision and discretion. It would,
however, be misleading if an alcoholic gets the impression that A.A.
is any sort of moneyed charity organization.
Will A.A. help me straighten out
my family troubles?
Alcohol is frequently a complicating factor in family
life, magnifying petty irritations, exposing character defects, and
contributing to financial problems. Many men and women, by the time
they turn to A.A., have managed to make a complete mess of their
family lives.
Some newcomers to A.A., suddenly aware of their own
contributions to chaos, are eager and enthusiastic about making amends
and resuming normal patterns of living with those closest to them.
Others, with or without cause, continue to feel bitter resentments
toward their families.
Almost without exception, newcomers who are sincere in
their approach to the A.A. recovery program are successful in mending
broken family lives. The bonds that reunite the honest alcoholic with
family members are often stronger than ever before. Sometimes, of
course, irreparable damage has been done, and a totally new approach
to family life has to be developed. But generally, the story is one
with a happy ending.
Experience suggests that the alcoholic who comes to
A.A. solely to keep peace in the family, and not because of an honest
desire to stop drinking, may have difficulty achieving sobriety. The
sincere desire for sobriety should come first. Once sober, the
alcoholic will find that many of the other problems of daily living
can be approached realistically and with very good chance of success.
Does A.A. operate hospitals
or rest homes for alcoholics?
There are no "A.A. rest homes or hospitals."
Traditionally, no professional services or facilities are ever offered
or performed under A.A. sponsorship. By adhering to the tradition of
avoiding services that others are prepared to render, A.A. thus avoids
any possible misunderstanding of its primary purpose, which is to help
alcoholics searching for a way of life without alcohol.
In some areas, service committees made up of
individual A.A. members have made arrangements with local hospitals
for the admission of alcoholics who are sponsored by A.A.s as
individuals, not as representatives of the Fellowship as a whole.
In other areas, individual A.A.s or groups of A.A.s
have established rest homes that cater primarily to newcomers to the
recovery program. Because of their special understanding of problems
confronting the alcoholic, the owners or managers of these homes are
often able to help the newcomer during the first crucial period of
sobriety. But these homes have no connection with A.A. beyond the fact
that they may be operated by persons who achieved their own sobriety
through A.A. As a movement, A.A. is never affiliated with business
enterprises of any description.
Does A.A. sponsor any social activity
for members?
Most A.A.s are sociable people, a factor that may have
been partially responsible for their becoming alcoholics in the first
place. As a consequence, meetings of local A.A. groups tend to be
lively affairs.
A.A. as a fellowship has never developed any formal
program of social activities for members, since the sole purpose of
the movement is to help alcoholics get sober. In some areas, members,
entirely on their own individual responsibility, have opened clubrooms
or other facilities for members of the local group. These clubs are
traditionally independent of A.A., and great care is usually taken to
avoid direct identification with the movement.
Even where no club exists, it is not uncommon for
local groups to arrange anniversary dinners, picnics, parties on New
Year's Eve and other special occasions, and similar affairs. In some
large cities, A.A.s meet regularly for lunch and sponsor informal
get-togethers over weekends.
What do medical authorities think of A.A.?
Also see pamphlet: "A.A. as a Resource
for the Health Care Professional"
From its earliest days, A.A. has enjoyed the
friendship and support of doctors who were familiar with its program
of recovery from alcoholism. Doctors, perhaps better than any other
group, are in a position to appreciate how unreliable other approaches
to the problem of alcoholism have been in the past. A.A. has never
been advanced as the only answer to the problem, but the A.A.
recovery program has worked so often, after other methods have failed,
that doctors today are frequently the most outspoken boosters for the
program in their communities.
Some measure of the medical profession's attitude
toward A.A. was suggested in 1951 when the American Public Health
Association named Alcoholics Anonymous as one of the recipients of the
famed Lasker Awards in "formal recognition of A.A.'s success in
treating alcoholism as an illness and in blotting out its social
stigma."
A.A. is still new (or unknown) in some communities, and not all
doctors are familiar with the recovery program. But here are excerpts
from comments on A.A. by leading medical authorities:
In 1967, the American Medical Association stated that membership
in A.A. was still the most effective means of treating alcoholism
and quoted Dr. Ruth Fox, an eminent authority on alcoholism and then
medical director of the National Council on Alcoholism: "With
its thousands of groups and its 300,000 recovered alcoholics [now
upwards of 2,000,000], A.A. has undoubtedly reached more cases than
all the rest of us together. For patients who can and will accept
it, A.A. may be the only form of therapy needed."
"I have the utmost respect for the work A.A. is doing, for
its spirit, for its essential philosophy of mutual helpfulness. I
lose no opportunity to express my endorsement publicly and privately
where it is of any concern."
Karl Menninger, M.D.
Menninger Foundation
"Perhaps the most effective treatment in the rehabilitation of
the alcoholic is a philosophy of living which is compatible with the
individual and his family, an absorbing faith in himself which comes
only after he has learned to understand himself, and a close
association with others whose experiences parallel his own. The
physician's cooperation with Alcoholics Anonymous is one way of
obtaining these things for his patient."
Marvin A. Block, M.D., member of the
American Medical Association's Committee
on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
What do religious leaders think of A.A.?
Also see pamphlet:
"Members of the Clergy Ask About A.A."
Probably no lay movement of modem times has been more
richly endowed than A.A. with the support of the clergy of all the
great faiths. Like the doctors, mankind's spiritual advisers have long
been troubled by the problem of alcoholism. Many of these advisers
have heard honest people make sincere pledges to abstain from alcohol
they could not control - only to see them break those pledges within
hours, days, or weeks. Sympathy, understanding, and appeals to
conscience have been of little avail to the clergy in their attempts
to help the alcoholic.
Thus it is perhaps not surprising that A.A. - although
it offers a way of fife rather than a way of formal religion - should
be embraced so warmly by representatives of many different
denominations. Here is how some of them have referred to A.A. in the
past:
The Directors Bulletin, a Jesuit periodical
published at St. Louis, Mo.
"Father Dowling of The Queen's Work staff
had exceptional opportunity to observe the Alcoholics Anonymous
movement.
"He found that the keystone of the A.A. therapy includes
self-denial, humility, charity, good example, and opportunities for
a new pattern of social recreation. All denominations are
represented in the movement. Readers can be assured that no article
or book on the movement is one-tenth as convincing as is personal
contact with an individual or group of A.A.s whose personalities and
homes and businesses have been transformed from chaos into sound
achievement."
The Living Church (Episcopal)
"Basis of the technique of Alcoholics Anonymous
is the truly Christian principle that a man cannot help himself
except by helping others. The A.A. plan is described by the members
themselves as 'self-insurance.' This self-insurance has resulted in
the restoration of physical, mental, and spiritual health and
self-respect to hundreds of men and women who would be hopelessly
down-and-out without its unique but effective therapy. "
Who is responsible for the
publicity about A.A.?
The A.A. tradition of public relations has always been keyed to
attraction rather than promotion. A.A. never seeks publicity but
always cooperates fully with responsible representatives of press,
radio, television, motion pictures, and other media that seek
information about the recovery program.
At national and international levels, news of A.A. is made
available by the Public Information Committee of the General Service
Board. Local committees have also been organized, to provide the media
with facts about A.A. as a resource for alcoholics in their
communities.
A.A. is deeply grateful to all its friends who have been
responsible for the recognition accorded the movement. It is also
deeply aware of the fact that the anonymity of members, upon which the
program is so dependent, has been respected so faithfully by all
media.
It should also be noted that within A.A., at A.A. meetings and
among themselves, A.A. members are not anonymous.
A New Way of Life
A way of life cannot truly be described; it must be
lived. Descriptive literature that relies upon broad, inspirational
generalities is bound to leave many questions unanswered and many
readers not fully satisfied that they have come upon the thing they
need and seek. At the other extreme, a catalog of the mechanics and
details of a program for living can portray only part of the value of
such a program.
A.A. is a program for a new way of life without
alcohol, a program that is working successfully for hundreds of
thousands of men and women who approach it and apply it with honesty
and sincerity. It is working throughout the world and for men and
women in all stations and walks of life.
Perhaps this pamphlet has answered the main questions,
spoken and unspoken, that you may have concerning A.A. Perhaps there
are other questions that can be answered, as those in this pamphlet
have been, solely on the basis of A.A. experience with the problem of
alcoholism. If you have such questions, feel free to get in touch with
an A.A. group in or near your community. Or write to General Service
Office, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS®
is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience,
strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common
problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
• The only requirement for membership is a desire
to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we
are self-supporting through our own contributions.
• A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics,
organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any
controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes.
• Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics
to achieve sobriety.
Copyright © by The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.;
reprinted with permission
A.A.
Fact File | Is
A.A. for You? | A
Newcomer Asks... | A
Message to Teenagers... | 44
Questions | Do
you think you're different? | Is
there an Alcoholic in your Life | Information
on Alcoholics Anonymous | Information
for Professionals | Anonymity
Letter to Media | About
A.A. | U.S./Canada
Central Offices, Intergroups and Answering Services | International
General Service Offices | A.A.
Press Releases | Fellowship
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