ABOUT A.A.

Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) began in 1935 when two men—Bill W. of New York and Dr. Bob of Akron—met and discovered that by sharing their experience, strength, and hope, they could stay sober and help others do the same. From that first meeting, the fellowship of A.A. grew rapidly, spreading across the United States and, eventually, the world.

At the heart of A.A. are the Twelve Steps, a set of spiritual principles that offer a path to recovery from alcoholism. Alongside them are the Twelve Traditions, which guide how groups function—emphasizing unity, anonymity, and service over rules, leaders, or outside affiliations.

A.A. has no dues, no fees, and no requirements other than a desire to stop drinking. It is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, or institution. Its sole purpose is to carry the message of recovery to the alcoholic who still suffers.

Today, A.A. is present in over 180 countries, with more than 2 million members worldwide. Meetings come in many forms—speaker, discussion, literature-based, step studies—but all share the same goal: to provide a safe and supportive space for alcoholics to recover, one day at a time.

As the Big Book reminds us:

“We are people who normally would not mix. But there exists among us a fellowship, a friendliness, and an understanding which is indescribably wonderful.”

(Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 17)

“The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it.” p. 83

12 Steps

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.

12 TRADITIONS

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 nonprofessional, 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.