“The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.”
– Alcoholics Anonymous Third Tradition
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help other recover from alcoholism.
If you are you are concerned about someone’s drinking, interested in seeing how Alcoholics Anonymous can help in your profession or are a member of the media/press, you’ll find several resources below that can help assist with any questions you may have. Just click on the appropriate tab, or scroll down for more resources.
If you have any further questions or concerns regarding Alcoholics Anonymous, please contact us at info@area78.org.
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. It is nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere. There are no age or education requirements. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem.
Alcoholics Anonymous has many A.A. members and service committees who are available to provide professionals with information about Alcoholics Anonymous. A.A. has a long history of cooperating but not affiliating with outside organizations and being available to provide A.A. meetings or information about A.A. upon request. A.A. communicates with professionals such as: doctors or other health care professionals, members of the clergy, law enforcement or court officials, educators, social workers, alcoholism counselors, therapists, or others who deal with problem drinkers in the course of their work. To contact A.A., please Click HERE.
January 2021
A Note of Thanks and a
Request for Continued Cooperation.
Anonymity Letter to Media from the
General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous
From time to time we reach out to our friends in the media to thank them for helping us observe our long-standing tradition of anonymity for members of Alcoholics Anonymous.
First, we’d like to express our thanks. From the beginning of A.A. over 85 years ago, we’ve recognized that word-of-mouth is not enough to carry the A.A. program’s message of hope and recovery to the many people still suffering from alcoholism. We’ve needed help – and the media has been a vital part of this effort. Today we estimate that there are more than 2 million successfully recovering members of Alcoholics Anonymous in more than 180 countries, and much of this growth can be attributed to the willingness of journalists and media professionals around the world to take an interest in our Fellowship.
Second, we invite your ongoing cooperation in maintaining the anonymity of A.A. members. The principle of anonymity is at the core of our Fellowship. Those who are reluctant to seek our help often overcome their fear if they are confident that their anonymity will be respected. In addition, and perhaps less understood, our tradition of anonymity acts as a healthy guardrail for A.A. members, reminding us that we are a program of principles, not personalities, and that no individual A.A. member acts as a spokesperson of our Fellowship.
If an A.A. member is identified in the media, we ask that you please use first names only (e.g., Sofia M. or Ben T.) and that you not use images in which members’ faces may be recognized. This helps to provide members with the security that anonymity can bring.
Again, we thank you for your continued cooperation — in helping to carry our message to those in need of it and for helping keep the focus on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous rather than any personalities.
If you would like to know more about A.A. you are welcome to visit the “Press/Media” section of aa.org. We hope you will take a moment to watch a brief video on why anonymity remains a vital principle in Alcoholics Anonymous. Our Fellowship does not comment on matters of public controversy, but we are happy to provide information about A.A. to anyone who seeks it.
Sincerely,
Public Information Committee of Alcoholics Anonymous
Contact: publicinfo@aa.org
More resources
Basic AA Text
Basic text used to describe the fellowship and program of AA. Currently available in the General Service Conference-approved Fourth Edition, the Big Book contains the stories of the co-founders, as well as many members of diverse backgrounds who have found recovery in the worldwide Fellowship.
12 STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
A.A.’s Twelve Steps are a group of suggested principles, that if practiced to the best of one’s ability, can arrest the obsession to drink and allow the sufferer to live happy, joyous and free.
THE TWELVE TRADITIONS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (Short Form)
A.A.’s Twelve Traditions apply to the life of the Fellowship itself. They outline the means by which A.A. maintains its unity and relates itself to the world about it, the way it lives and grows.