Alcoholics Anonymous® is a fellowship of people 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 AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA 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.
If you or someone you know has a problem with drinking you are welcome at any meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. There are no obligations, nothing to sign, and anonymity is the foundation of all of our traditions.
How AA works
Members use the Twelve Steps to maintain sobriety. Groups use the Twelve Traditions to stay unified.
AA’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.
The Twelve Traditions apply to AA as a whole. They outline how AA maintains its unity and relates itself to the world around it.
The book Alcoholics Anonymous describes the AA program of recovery. It also contains stories written from a wide range of members who have found recovery in AA
Who Are AA members?
We are people who have discovered and admitted that we cannot control alcohol. We have learned that we must live without it to live normal, happy lives.
We are not anti-alcohol and we have no wish to reform the world. We are not allied with any group, cause or religious denomination. We welcome new members, but we do not recruit them.
We do not impose our experience with problem drinking on others, but we do share it when we are asked to do so. We know our own sobriety depends on connecting with other alcoholics.
Informational Pamphlets
These pamphlets are produced by AA World Services (more here)
The Basics
- This is AA
- A Newcomer Asks…
- A Brief Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous
- AA at a Glance
- Information on Alcoholics Anonymous
- Problems other than Alcohol
For Professionals
- AA as a Resource for the Health Care Professional
- AA as a Resource for Drug & Alcohol Court Professionals
- A Message to Correctional Professionals
- Members of the Clergy Ask About Alcoholics Anonymous
- Is There an Alcoholic in the Workplace?
- If You Are a Professional, A.A. Wants to Work With You
Contacting the General Service Office
AA General Service Office Website
AA World Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 459
New York, NY 10163
(212) 870-3400