Alcoholics Anonymous

By far the largest addiction recovery organization in the world, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global organization dedicated to assisting individuals in their journey to overcome alcohol addiction. Its mission is to help members achieve and maintain sobriety. Meetings are free of charge and widely accessible.  

www.aa.org

Alcohol

Theistic (non-specific)

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded in 1935 in Akron, Ohio by Bill Wilson, a New York stockbroker, and Dr. Bob Smith, an Akron surgeon. Both men had struggled with alcoholism and found that sharing their experiences and supporting each other was crucial to their recovery. This partnership formed the basis of AA’s peer-support model.

In 1939, AA published its foundational text, Alcoholics Anonymous, commonly referred to as “The Big Book.” The book outlines the twelve-step program and includes personal stories of recovery. This publication helped spread AA’s message and principles more widely. The organization grew rapidly, with new groups forming across the United States and eventually internationally. AA established key practices such as regular meetings, sponsorship, and the principle of anonymity to protect members’ privacy and encourage open sharing.

Today, AA is present in approximately 180 countries worldwide, with an estimated membership of over two million. There are more than 123,000 A.A. groups globally, and AA’s literature has been translated into over 100 languages. As of December 31, 2020, there were 69,812 AA groups in the U.S. This widespread presence means you’re likely to find a nearby AA meeting even if you move or travel.

AA staunchly insists it is not a religious program but rather a spiritual one. The former is technically accurate while the latter is distinctly disingenuous. The core tenants of the AA program, the twelve steps, make multiple references to God, adding the modifier “as we understood Him” to establish that they are not referring to any particular religion. The Big Book makes hundreds of direct references to God as a supernatural being capable of forgiving moral transgressions and removing addictive urges.

By contrast, during AA meetings attendees will hear it stated that God can be “anything greater than oneself”, whether that be a supernatural force, the AA group itself, Mother Nature, or the universe itself, just to name a few commonly given examples. However, this is an inaccurate representation of the program’s core text and tenets, seemingly done to appeal to a wider and more modern audience. Given that the program requires a belief in a supernatural God, it’s more accurate to classify AA as a theistic program than a spiritual one.

Alcoholics Anonymous by Bill Wilson, also known as “The Big Book” 

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 shortcomings.
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.

Alcoholics Anonymous promotes total abstinence from alcohol and other mind-altering substances. Even the use of prescription psychiatric medications is frowned upon.

Although sponsorship is never mentioned in The Big Book, it has been a core practice of the program almost from the beginning. Members are strongly encouraged to work the twelve step program with a sponsor. Sponsors are fellow alcoholics and AA members with significant sober time who provide guidance, support, and accountability as more junior individuals navigate their recovery journey. 

Anonymity ensures that members feel safe to share their experiences without fear of judgment or breach of confidentiality. It also helps reduce stigma and emphasizes that the focus is on recovery, rather than personal identity.

AA encourages members to participate in service work, both within the organization and in their communities. This includes taking on roles such as meeting chairperson, organizing events, or helping newcomers.

AA emphasizes the individual’s responsibility in their recovery process. Members are encouraged to take proactive steps, including working the twelve steps, attending meetings, and reaching out for support when needed.

In-person: https://www.aa.org/find-aa 

Online: https://aa-intergroup.org/meetings/