There are no dues or fees for A.A. Membership; we are self supporting through our own contributions. 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 to help alcoholics anonymous other alcoholics achieve sobriety. A fifth experiment randomized convicted drunk drivers to AA, to outpatient treatment, or to a no treatment condition; the study did not report drinking outcomes, but found no differences in recidivism for drunk driving 26 (result not shown).
Is Alcoholics Anonymous for You?
Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as the “Big Book,” presents the A.A. Program for recovery from alcoholism. First published in 1939, its purpose was to show other alcoholics how the first 100 people of A.A. Now translated into over 70 languages, it is still considered A.A.’s basic text.
- And other twelve-step programs are effective for increasing abstinence.
- You can also contact local community centers, churches, or healthcare facilities for more information on AA and other 12-Step meetings near you.
- It also contains stories written by the co-founders and stories from a wide range of members who have found recovery in A.A.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.6.
- This may stem from the criterion being used to judge effectiveness.
- 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.
Big Book ASL – Appendix II – Spiritual Experience
AA meetings serve as a space where individuals discuss recovery from alcoholism, with flexibility in how meetings are conducted. Has been helping alcoholics recover for more than 80 years. A.A.’s program of recovery is built on the simple foundation of one alcoholic sharing with another. If your drinking is out of control, A.A. A.A.’s primary purpose is to help alcoholics to achieve sobriety. Fortunately, there are many different types of meetings for people from different backgrounds or with similar situations.
- This paper was presented as the plenary address to the American Society of Addiction Medicine 43 by the 2007 recipient of the R.
- It’s based on one alcoholic helping another.
Long-term recovery effectiveness
Meetings may cater to specific demographics, but they generally welcome anyone who desires to stop drinking. AA is self-supporting, with donations from members covering expenses, and it operates through an “inverted pyramid” structure, where individual groups function autonomously. The organization does not accept outside contributions and relies heavily on literature sales. The third trial randomized VA outpatients to an intensive 12-step referral condition or to standard AA referral 24, finding significantly what is alcoholism higher rates of total abstinence (from alcohol and drugs) at both the 6- and 12-month follow-ups for the intensive referral condition (Figure 4c). Higher AA/NA involvement in the intensive referral condition fully mediated the condition effect on abstinence, but AA participation predicted abstinence regardless of condition.
Your General Service Office (G.S.O.), the Grapevine and the General Service Structure
This was the case in Walsh’s hospital inpatient treatment vs. AA study 23 and in the aftercare arm of Project MATCH 22, and arose because the patients in =https://ecosoberhouse.com/ the non-AA/non-TSF conditions also had attended 12-step-based inpatient treatment, which in turn engendered strong participation in AA. Thus, AA attendance levels were high in the inpatient hospital condition in the former study, and in the CBT and MET conditions among the Project MATCH aftercare subjects. In fact, CBT and MET aftercare patients attended more meetings than the TSF outpatients, and the aftercare patients overall attended twice the number of meetings at every follow-up compared to the outpatients 22, see pp.191–192. Results are shown using figures, with the percentage abstinent from alcohol along the y axis and the AA exposure along the x axis.