A Brief Guide To AA

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ALCOHOLICSANONYMOUS is a fellowship of menand women who share their experience, strengthand hope with each other that they may solvetheir common problem and help others to recoverfrom alcoholism.

The only requirement for membership is adesire to stop drinking. There are no dues or feesfor A.A. membership; we are self-supporting

through our own contributions.

A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination,politics, organization or institution; does not wishto engage in any controversy; neither endorsesnor opposes any causes.

Our primary purpose is to stay sober and

help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.

Copyright by The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.;

reprinted with permission

Copyright 1972Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

475 Riverside DriveNew York, NY 10115

Mail address: Box 459Grand Central StationNew York, NY 10163

www.aa.org

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A Brief Guide toAlcoholics Anonymous

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Alcoholism is recognized as a major health prob-lem. In the U.S., it is the third greatest killer,after heart disease and cancer and it does notdamage alcoholics alone. Others are hurt by itseffects in the home, on the job, on the high-way. Alcoholism costs the community millions ofdollars every year. So whether or not you everbecome an alcoholic yourself, alcoholism still canhave an impact on your life.

We have learned a great deal about how toidentify and arrest alcoholism. But so far no onehas discovered a way to prevent it, because

nobody knows exactly why some drinkers turninto alcoholics. Doctors and scientists in thefield have not agreed on the cause (or causes)of alcoholism.

For that reason, A.A. concentrates on helpingthose who are already alcoholics, so that they can

stop drinking and learn how to live a normal,happy life without alcohol.

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What is alcoholism?

As A.A. sees it, alcoholism is an illness. Alcoholicscannot control their drinking, because they are illin their bodies and in their minds (or emotions),A.A. believes. If they do not stop drinking, theiralcoholism almost always gets worse and worse.

Both the American Medical Association andthe British Medical Association, chief organiza-tions of doctors in those countries, also have saidthat alcoholism is an illness.

What are the symptoms?

Not all alcoholics have the same symptoms, butmany at different stages in the illness showthese signs: They find that only alcohol can make

them feel self-confident and at ease with otherpeople; often want just one more at the end of aparty; look forward to drinking occasions andthink about them a lot; get drunk when they hadnot planned to; try to control their drinking bychanging types of liquor, going on the wagon, or

taking pledges; sneak drinks; lie about theirdrinking; hide bottles; drink at work (or inschool); drink alone; have blackouts (that is, can-not remember the next day what they said or didthe night before); drink in the morning, to relievesevere hangovers, guilty feelings and fears; fail toeat and become malnourished; get cirrhosis ofthe liver; shake violently, hallucinate, or have con-vulsions when withdrawn from liquor.

What is A.A.?

Alcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowshipof men and women who help each other to stay

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sober. They offer the same help to anyone whohas a drinking problem and wants to do some-

thing about it. Since they are all alcoholics them-selves, they have a special understanding of eachother. They know what the illness feels like andthey have learned how to recover from it in A.A.

A.A. members say that they are alcoholicstoday even when they have not had a drink for

many years. They do not say that they arecured. Once people have lost their ability tocontrol their drinking, they can never again besure of drinking safely or, in other words, theycan never become formeralcoholics or ex-alco-holics. But in A.A., they can become sober alco-holics, recoveredalcoholics.

How does A.A. help the alcoholic?

Through the example and friendship of therecovered alcoholics in A.A., new members areencouraged to stay away from a drink one day ata time, as the A.A.s do. Instead of swearing offforever or worrying about whether they will besober tomorrow, A.A.s concentrate on not drink-ing right now today.

By keeping alcohol out of their systems, new-comers take care of one part of their illness their bodies have a chance to get well. Butremember, there is another part. If they are goingto stay sober, they need healthy minds andhealthy emotions, too. So they begin to straightenout their confused thinking and unhappy feelings

by following A.A.s Twelve Steps to recovery.These Steps suggest ideas and actions that canguide alcoholics toward happy and useful lives.

To be in touch with other members and tolearn about the recovery program, new membersgo to A.A. meetings regularly.

What are A.A. meetings?

Alcoholics Anonymous is established in over 180countries. The people in each group get together,

usually once or twice a week, to hold A.A. meet-ings, of two main types:

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(1) At open meetings, speakers tell howthey drank, how they discovered A.A., and how

its program has helped them. Members maybring relatives or friends, and usually anyoneinterested in A.A. is also welcome to attendopen meetings.

(2) Closed meetings are for alcoholics only.These are group discussions, and any members

who want to may speak up, to ask questionsand to share their thoughts with fellow mem-bers. At closed meetings, A.A.s can get helpwith personal problems in staying sober and ineveryday living. Some other A.A.s can explainhow they have already handled the same

problems often by using one or more of theTwelve Steps.

Who belongs to A.A.?

Like other illnesses, alcoholism strikes all sorts ofpeople. So the men and women in A.A. are of allraces and nationalities, all religions and no reli-gion at all. They are rich and poor and just aver-age. They work at all occupations, as lawyers andhousewives, teachers and truck drivers, waitress-

es and members of the clergy.

A.A. does not keep a list of members, butgroups do report how many people belong toeach one. From these reports, total A.A. member-ship is estimated at over 2,000,000.

Does an alcoholic have to go all theway down before A.A. can help?

A.A. was started in 1935 by a New York stock-

broker and an Ohio surgeon, who had both beenhopeless drunks. At first, most A.A. membersalso had been seriously ill; their drinking hadsent them to hospitals, sanitariums, or jails. Butmore and more people began to hear about A.A.,and soon many alcoholics found they did nothave to let their illness do that much damage.

They could recover in A.A. before their health

had been totally wrecked, while they still hadtheir jobs and their families.

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Are there any young people in A.A.?

The pamphlet Young People and A.A. gives thepersonal stories of ten who joined when theywere under 30. The cartoon pamphlets TooYoung? and A Message to Teenagers tell howsome teenage alcoholics found A.A. Many youngpeople like these are cheerfully staying sober andtaking part in A.A. activities.

Who runs A.A.?

A.A. has no real government. Each group is freeto work out its own customs and ways of holding

meetings, as long as it does not hurt other groupsor A.A. as a whole. The members elect a chairper-son, a secretary, and other group officers. Theseofficers do not give orders to anybody; mostly,their job is to see that the meetings run smoothly.In the average group, new officers are elected

twice a year.But the individual group is not cut off from the

rest of A.A. Just as A.A. members help each other,so do A.A. groups. Here are three of the meansthey use to exchange help:

(1) Groups in the same area set up a central

office or intergroup office.(2) Groups everywhere share their experi-

ences by writing to the A.A. General ServiceOffice, in New York City.

(3) Groups in the U.S. and Canada choose rep-resentatives to go to the A.A. General Service

Conference, held once a year.All these A.A. offices and the representatives at

the Conference make suggestions, based on theexperiences of many different A.A. groups. Butthey do not make rules or issue commands to anygroups or members.

What does it cost to belong to A.A.?

Newcomers do not pay any fees for membership.And members do not pay dues.

But money is needed for some purposes: rent-ing the meeting hall, buying coffee and other

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refreshments, buying A.A. books, pamphlets,and magazines. So a basket is usually passed

around during the meeting, and members putin whatever they can afford or wish to give.Groups also contribute money to support centraloffices, the General Service Office, and otherA.A. activities.

In return for the A.A. help that members giveto other alcoholics, these members are neverpaid. Their reward is something much better thanmoney it is their own health. A.A.s have foundthat helping other alcoholics is the best way tostay sober themselves.

What can the families of alcoholics do?

A.A. is just for the alcoholics, but two other fellow-ships can help their relatives. One is Al-AnonFamily Groups. The other is Alateen, forteenagers who have alcoholic parents.

What does A.A. NOT do?

1. A.A. does notrun membership drives to tryto argue alcoholics into joining. A.A. is for alco-

holics who want to get sober.2. A.A. does notcheck up on its members to

see that they dont drink. It helps alcoholics tohelp themselves.

3. A.A. is nota religious organization. All mem-bers are free to decide on their own personal

ideas about the meaning of life.4. A.A. is nota medical organization, does not

give out medicines or psychiatric advice.

5. A.A. does not run any hospitals, wards, orsanitariums or provide nursing services.

6. A.A. is not connected with any other organi-

zation. But A.A. does cooperate with organiza-tions that fight alcoholism. Some members workfor such organizations but on their own notas representatives of A.A.

7. A.A. does notaccept money from sourcesoutside A.A., either private or government.

8. A.A. does notoffer any social services, doesnot provide housing, food, clothing, jobs, or

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I HE&E A" AC#H#IC I" #& IFE?

I A.A. F#& #?

HE A.A. !E!BE& !EDICAI#"A"D #HE& D&G

4. In local libraries, you may find copies ofthese A.A. books:

AC#H#IC A"#"!#

AC#H#IC A"#"!# C#!E #F AGE

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5. The A.A. Grapevine (monthly magazine)may be obtained from your local A.A. office or bywriting for information to:

Box 1980Grand Central Station

New York, NY 10163

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THE TWELVE STEPS

OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

1. We admitted we were powerless overalcoholthat our lives had become unmanage-able.

2. Came to believe that a Power greaterthan ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and ourlives over to the care of God as we understood

Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moralinventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to

another human being the exact nature of ourwrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God removeall these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our short-comings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed,and became willing to make amends to themall.

9. Made direct amends to such peoplewherever possible, except when to do sowould injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inventoryand when we were wrong promptly admittedit.

11. Sought through prayer and meditationto improve our conscious contact with God, aswe understood Him, praying only for knowl-

edge of His will for us and the power to carrythat out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as theresult of these steps, we tried to carry thismessage to alcoholics, and to practice theseprinciples in all our affairs.

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THE TWELVE TRADITIONS

OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

1. Our common welfare should come first;personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.

2. For our group purpose there is but oneultimate authoritya loving God as He mayexpress Himself in our group conscience. Our

leaders are but trusted servants; they do notgovern.

3. The only requirement for A.A. member-ship is a desire to stop drinking.

4. Each group should be autonomousexcept in matters affecting other groups or

A.A. as a whole.5. Each group has but one primary pur-

poseto carry its message to the alcoholicwho 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 ofmoney, property, and prestige divert us fromour primary purpose.

7. Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain

forever non-professional, but our service cen-ters may employ special workers.

9. A.A., as such, ought never be organized;but we may create service boards or commit-tees directly responsible to those they serve.

10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion

on outside issues; hence the A.A. name oughtnever be drawn into public controversy.

11. Our public relations policy is based onattraction rather than promotion; we needalways maintain personal anonymity at thelevel of press, radio, and films.

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation ofall our traditions, ever reminding us to placeprinciples before personalities.

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A.A. PUBLICATIONS Complete order forms available from

General Service Office of ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS,

Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163

BOOKS ___________________________________________________________________

AC#H#IC A"#"!# (regular, portable, large-print and abridged pocket edi-tions)

AC#H#IC A"#"!# C#!E #F AGE+E*E E$ A"D +E*E &ADII#"

(regular, soft-cover, large-print, pocket and gift editions)E$E&IE"CE, &E"GH A"D H#$EA BI EE I (regular & soft cover editions)D&. B#B A"D HE G##D #DI!E&$A I #"DAI &EFECI#"

BOOKLETS___________________________________________________________________

CA!E # BEIE*EI*I"G #BE&A.A. I" $&I#": I"!AE # I"!AE

PAMPHLETS ___________________________________________________________________

F&E%E" AKED %EI#" AB# A.A.A.A. &ADII#"H#+ I DE*E#$ED

!E!BE& #F HE CE&G AK AB# A.A.H&EE AK # !EDICA #CIEIE B BI +.AC#H#IC A"#"!# A A &E#&CE F#&

HE HEAH CA&E $FEI#"AA.A. I" #& C#!!"II A.A. F#& #?I A.A. F#& !E?HI I A.A.I HE&E A" AC#H#IC I" HE +#&K$ACE?D# # HI"K #'&E DIFFE&E"?A.A. F#& HE BACK A"D AF&ICA" A!E&ICA" AC#H#IC

%EI#" A"D A"+E& #" $#"#&HI$A.A. F#& HE +#!A"A.A. F#& HE "AI*E "#&H A!E&ICA"A.A. A"D HE GA/EBIA" AC#H#ICA.A. F#& HE #DE& AC#H#IC"E*E& ## AEHE JACK AEA"DE& A&ICE#"G $E#$E A"D A.A.A.A. A"D HE A&!ED E&*ICEHE A.A. !E!BE&!EDICAI#" A"D #HE& D&GI HE&E A" AC#H#IC I" #& IFE?I"IDE A.A.

HE A.A. G$G..&.!E!# # A" I"!AEHE +E*E C#"CE$ I&AEDHE +E*E &ADII#" I&AEDE' BE F&IE"D +IH #& F&IE"DH#+ A.A. !E!BE& C##$E&AEA.A. I" C#&&ECI#"A FACIIIEA !EAGE # C#&&ECI#" $FEI#"AA.A. I" &EA!E" FACIIIEB&IDGI"G HE GA$

IF # A&E A $FEI#"AA.A. !E!BE&HI$ &*EA !E!BE&'-EE *IE+ #F AC#H#IC A"#"!#$BE! #HE& HA" AC#H#"DE&A"DI"G A"#"!IHE C#-F#"DE& #F AC#H#IC A"#"!#$EAKI"G A "#"-A.A. !EEI"GA B&IEF GIDE # A.A.A "E+C#!E& AK+HA HA$$E"ED # J#E; I HA$$E"ED # AICE

(Two full-color, comic-book style pamphlets)

## #"G? (A cartoon pamphlet for teenagers)I &E BEA II"G I" A CE(An Illustrated pamphlet for inmates)

VIDEOS___________________________________________________________

A.A.A" I"IDE *IE+A.A. *IDE# F#& #"G $E#$EH#$E: AC#H#IC A"#"!#I &E BEA II"G I" A CECA&&I"G HE !EAGE BEHI"D HEE +A#& A.A. GE"E&A E&*ICE #FFICE,

HE G&A$E*I"E A"D HE GE"E&A E&*ICE &C&E

PERIODICALS __________________________________________________________

HE A.A. G&A$E*I"E ()A *IA () D 09


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A Declaration of Unity

This we owe to A.A.s future:

To place our common welfare first;

To keep our fellowship united.

For on A.A. unity depend our lives,

And the lives of those to come

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A Brief Guide To AA

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