Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous

Nickname	AA
Formation	1935; 89 years ago (1935)
Founders	Bill Wilson Bob Smith
Founded at	Akron, Ohio
Type	Mutual aid addiction recovery twelve-step program
Headquarters	New York, New York
Membership (2020)	2,100,000
Website	aa.org

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global peer-led mutual aid fellowship begun in the United States dedicated to abstinence-based recovery from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]} AA's twelve traditions, besides stressing anonymity, establish it as free to all, non-professional, unaffiliated, and non-denominational as well as apolitical with a public relations policy of attraction rather than promotion.^[2][3][8] In 2020 AA estimated a worldwide membership of over two million, with 75% of those in the US and Canada.^[9][10]

AA dates its founding to 1935 with Bill Wilson’s (Bill W.) and Bob Smith’s (Dr. Bob) first commiseration alcoholic-to-alcoholic. Meeting through AA's immediate precursor the Christian revivalist Oxford Group, they and other alcoholics there helped each other until forming in 1937 what became AA. The new fellowship—at first only white and male, though this was neither intentional or for long—published in 1939 Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism. Known as “the Big Book", it is also the origin of AA's name.^[11][12][13]

The Big Book debuted AA's suggested—but not required—twelve steps as a continuing sobriety program of prayer, reflection, admission, better conduct and atonement, all to produce a "spiritual awakening" followed by taking others—usually sponsees—through the steps. Integral to the steps is divining and following the will of an undefined God—"as we understood Him" or a “ higher power"—but differing practices and beliefs, including those of atheists, are accommodated.^[8]

To keep sobriety as its primary purpose, and to remain what Wilson called a “benign anarchy”, AA instituted its twelve traditions in 1950 to ensure membership to all wishing to stop drinking with no dues or fees required. Members are advised not to use AA for material gain or to increase public prestige. All memberships are to be kept anonymous, especially in public media, but for broken anonymity, no consequences are prescribed. The traditions have AA steering clear of hierarchies, dogma, public controversies, while other outside entanglements or acquisition of property are to be avoided. To stay independent and self-supporting, the traditions would have AA groups accepting outside contributions from no one.^[14][15]

For all demographics, a 2020 scientific review found clinical treatments increasing AA participation via AA twelve step facilitation (AA/TSF) had sustained remission rates 20-60% above well-established treatments. Additionally, 4 of the 5 economic studies in the review found that AA/TSF lowered healthcare costs considerably.^{[a][17][18][19]} Regarding the disease model of alcoholism, despite scattered allusions in AA literature an otherwise receptive AA has not endorsed it. Its association with AA, as well as a good deal of its broader acceptance, stems from many members propogating it.^[20]

With AA’s permission other recovery fellowships such as Narcotics Anonymous and Al-Anon have adopted and adapted the twelve steps and traditions.^[21]

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