Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous (known commonly as "A.A." or "AA") is a world-wide fellowship of alcoholics whose primary purpose is to stay sober and carry the message of recovery from alcoholism through the Twelve Steps. A.A. is the original twelve-step program and has been the source and model for all subsequent and separate ones, such as Gamblers Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Sexaholics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, and Al-Anon/Alateen.

Beliefs about alcoholism

There is no official creed of A.A. belief about alcoholism, since individual members are free to believe whatever they wish based on their own experiences. Even the core twelve step program is presented to members as suggested rather than mandatory. While AA literature states that "our twelve steps are only suggestions", many more traditionally-minded members claim that today's decreased emphasis on "Step Work" has resulted in a drastic decline in AA's success rate. In the early days of AA, say critics of today's meeting-centered brand of Alcoholics Anonymous, the 12 Steps were mandatory and attendance at meetings were optional. They claim that during this time, AA experienced 75-90% success rates of recovery{{fact}}. In recent years however, the Fellowship has shifted its views greatly and now many veteran AA members advise newcomers that meetings are mandatory while placing less emphasis on "working the steps". Some blame this lessened emphasis on The Twelve Steps for a first-time sobriety success rate of approximately 5%, according to an internal study conducted by AA Intergroup in 1988. Other estimates put overall success rates however somewhere between 5 and 10%. Given that AA's membership is by definition, anonymous, and its administrative body, AA Intergroup has historically lacked both the resources and the will to keep extensive records on its members, claims of success rates then and now are hard to substantiate with reliable data.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Many A.A. members share similar views on alcoholism and most would agree with the following statements:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Alcoholism has no cure. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. There is no way to make a "normal" drinker out of an alcoholic. Nor is there anyway to make a non-alcoholic into an alcoholic. Alcoholics who do not drink can recover and function in normal society, but should they drink again, their active alcoholism will re-emerge quickly and be as debilitating as before. This is true even in cases where alcoholics have remained sober for many years before relapsing.
• Alcoholism is a progressive illness. Over time, alcoholics who continue to drink will get worse. Those who keep drinking will often die from alcohol-related causes or be institutionalized (prison, hospital or asylum).
• The first drink does the damage. Once an alcoholic takes a drink, a powerful craving for more alcohol sets in. This makes moderation or controlled drinking nearly impossible. Thus the A.A. approach of abstinence. Without the first drink, the craving cannot occur. Much of the A.A. program is intended to help the alcoholic stay stopped, thereby preventing the compulsive drinking cycle from starting.
• The desire to stop drinking needs to come from the alcoholic. This often happens as a result of the alcoholic realizing that his or her life has become unmanageable and that excessive drinking is the cause. A.A. members call this "hitting bottom" - a potentially life-changing moment when the alcoholic perceives an urgent need for major personal change.