What to Know About Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
In This Article
What is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)?
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a fellowship of men and women who currently have or have had a drinking problem in the past. AA is self-described as “nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere.”
The primary purpose of AA is to carry its message of hope to those struggling with alcohol abuse. People do not need to be over 21 to participate in AA groups. The only requirement for members is the desire to overcome their addiction to alcohol.
Who Can Join AA?
Open AA meetings welcome anyone interested in the program or learning about alcoholism. However, closed meetings are only available to its members.
Only people who have a drinking problem are eligible to join AA. The only qualification for membership is the desire to stop drinking.
Open vs. Closed AA Meetings
Alcoholics Anonymous offers two types of meetings—open and closed meetings. Anyone can attend an open meeting, but closed meetings are for members only.
Each AA program has guidelines for who counts as a member, and meetings are usually closed unless otherwise stated.
- Closed meetings: protect members’ anonymity and allow them to speak openly with shared expectations of privacy
- Open meetings: allow attendance from the public; this might include visitors in the community or members of the media
Open meetings tend to include a formal speaker who shares their story. These meetings are also an excellent opportunity to learn more about AA and other 12-step programs, regardless of whether or not you want to participate in one.
Sponsored
Online Therapy Can Help
Over 3 million people use BetterHelp. Their services are:
- Professional and effective
- Affordable and convenient
- Personalized and discreet
- Easy to start
Answer a few questions to get started
What is The Success Rate of AA?
Some data show AA’s success rate is between 5 and 12 percent.2 The findings tend to vary greatly and are controversial.
According to Alcoholics Anonymous, their success rate is 50 percent, with 25 percent of members remaining sober after relapsing.
Meanwhile, a study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) found that AA’s success rate was 50 percent at the first and third-year follow-up. The success rate for AA members of more than 20 years was 22 percent.
NIAAA’s study also revealed that the highest success rate was for people who participated in formal treatment and AA.
Sponsored
Get Professional Help
BetterHelp can connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor.
Answer a few questions to get started
What to Expect at an AA Meeting
People from all walks of life attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, which are informal gatherings held worldwide. As long as they’re in an open AA meeting, attendees don’t need to self-identify as alcoholics.
Meetings usually last about an hour to an hour and a half, with none longer than that. This is what you can expect:
- The meeting begins with a short prayer (usually a shortened version of The Serenity Prayer)
- The chairperson welcomes attendees
- The members read the 12 steps of AA and other AA doctrines
- Following the official AA meeting, attendees often mingle with one another
During mingling, people can get to know other members and exchange phone numbers with those who can provide support when it’s most needed. They can also ask questions that didn’t seem appropriate or didn’t arise during the meeting.
What Should You Do at A Meeting?
Attendees do not need to do anything at a meeting other than be respectful of others in attendance. Nobody is forced to share, donate money, or participate in prayers.
Alcoholics Anonymous encourages meeting attendees to “take what you can use and leave the rest.” Anyone who wants to change their behavior towards alcohol is encouraged to have an open mind and try a meeting.
What Are AA Chips?
People can choose to share their stories, and some receive AA chips. An AA chip or Sobriety Token is a coin commemorating the length of time a person has remained sober.
Attendees are also invited to pick up “A Desire to Stop Drinking Chip,” also known as the “24-Hour Chip” or the “Surrender Chip.” This chip symbolizes the commitment to remain sober for 24 hours.
The 12 Steps of AA
Alcoholics Anonymous is a 12-step program. This means members accept and are guided toward recovery by 12 specific steps.
AA’s Twelve Steps include:
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Decided to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs.
- We’re entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when doing so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and, when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening from these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and practice these principles in all our affairs.
Sponsored
Phone, Video, or Live-Chat Support
BetterHelp provides therapy in a way that works for YOU. Fill out the questionnaire, get matched, begin therapy.
Answer a few questions to get started
Alcoholics Anonymous Online
Alcoholics Anonymous allows people to attend meetings online. These meetings are accessible through the AA site or the Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous.
People you might find at an online AA meeting include:
- Physically disabled people
- Deaf people
- Those who are geographically limited
- Military members
- Those who cannot find a nearby meeting during a convenient time of day
- Parents who cannot find childcare for their young children
You do not need to be unable to attend an in-person meeting to participate in an online AA meeting.
If you or a loved one has questions about alcoholism treatment, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline for free at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). The helpline is open 24/7 for those in need of a referral.
Summary
Alcoholics Anonymous is a support group that focuses on helping people who struggle with alcohol. AA is self-described as “nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere.”
Anyone interested in the program or alcoholism can join an open AA meeting. However, only members are allowed to join closed meetings. You must have a drinking problem to be a member of AA.
AA uses a 12-step program to help alcoholics recover from alcoholism and maintain sobriety. These steps involve a spiritual journey of self-discovery.
For more information about Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., visit their website.
What's Next?
Sponsored
Get matched with an affordable mental health counselor
Find a TherapistAnswer a few questions to get started
- “Alcoholics Anonymous : What Is A.A.?” Alcoholics Anonymous, 2019.
- Kaskutas, L. “Alcoholics Anonymous Effectiveness: Faith Meets Science.” Journal of Addictive Diseases, 2009.
- “Alcoholics Anonymous : Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.” Alcoholics Anonymous.
- Wnuk, M. “The Beneficial Role of Involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous for Existential and Subjective Well-Being of Alcohol-Dependent Individuals? The Model Verification.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022.
- Kelly et al. “Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs for alcohol use disorder.” The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020.
- Mendola, A., Richard G., “Addiction, 12-Step Programs, and Evidentiary Standards for Ethically and Clinically Sound Treatment Recommendations: What Should Clinicians Do?.” AMA Journal of Ethics, 2016.
