Alcoholics

Anonymous
The only requirement for membership is a desire to
stop drinking…one day at a time.
 When drinking becomes a problem…
1 /13 adults in the US abuse alcohol or are alcoholics
Alcohol abuse
Alcoholism
Problem drinking
Binge Drinking
Life is unmanageable
Blacking out
Tried to stop before
 What is A.A.?
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 others to
recover from alcoholism.

There are no dues or fees for 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 wish to engage in any controversy;
neither endorses nor opposes any causes.
Our primary purpose is to stay sober
and help other alcoholics to achieve
sobriety.
History
Bill Wilson a successful stockbroker
Chronic drinking led to problems with job, wife
health
Was admitted several times to Towns Hospital for
treatment.
Bill W. has a “spiritual experience” and stops drinking
Wants to go to his hotel bar but makes a call instead
Starts getting together at people’s homes
Since 1935, in over 150 countries over 2,000,000
members.
Who refers to AA
Treatments centers
Doctors
Corrections
Agencies
Counselors
Hospitals
Detox Facilities
Friends and Family
 Types of Meetings
Open Discussion: Open to the public
Closed Discussion: Must have the desire to stop drinking
Beginner Meetings: Not just for newcomers
Speaker: One person tells their story
Step Meetings: Focus on specific Step, or go 1-12
Big Book: Read chapters of the BB and discuss
Literature Study: Discussion of AA literature
Women/Men’s: Gender Specific
LGBT Meetings: Open to everyone
Online Meetings: Discussion that is like an online chat
Why it works….
Common Bond Community
Mutual Support
Helpers and Helpees (Sponsors)
Personally Identify
Experiential Knowledge
Constant availability
Feeling of social acceptance
Life-long process of recovery
What does it mean to be in recovery?
• Gradual healing from personal or family
emotional injuries caused by our drinking.

• Regaining or finding something lost such as

the love of our families and friends.

• Rehabilitation from an addiction.

• A change of attitudes and behaviors that can

bring about a major change in our lives.

• Retaking possession and control of our lives.

 The Twelve Steps
A program for recovery
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of “God” as we understood it.
4. Admitted to “God”, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
5. Were entirely ready to have “God” remove all these defects of character.
6. Humbly asked this “God” to remove our shortcomings.
7. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
8. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them
or others.
9. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
10. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with “God” as we
understood it, praying only for knowledge of its will for us and power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to
alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
 Simply Put
1. SurrenderAdmitted that we couldn’t control things
2. Hope Believed there is a greater power that could help
3. Commitment Made a choice to let go
4. Honesty Looked at how we have acted and what it did
5. Truth Told or Higher Power and someone else about it
6. Willingness Made a choice to let go of the way we were
7. Humility Now that we’re open, we asked our God to remove it
8. Reflection Who did we hurt
9. Amendment Asked them to forgive us and made things right
10. Vigilance Make sure the first 9 steps are part of our daily lives
11. Attunement If we saw that we weren’t acting that way, changed it
12. Service Helped out others..because it keeps us aware
How to best serve your clients…
Recommendations:
• All meetings are different. Get to know the meetings around you so
that you can direct clients.
• Use AA as an additional resource for your clients to get free round
the clock support.
• Encourage clients to get phone numbers
• Encourage clients to go early to meetings
• Encourage family members to go to ALANON or ALATEEN.
• Take what fits and leave the rest.
• Encourage rather than promote.
• One day at a time!

Awareness, Awareness, Awareness

 The Twelve Traditions
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority-a loving God as He may express Himself in
our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
3. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose-to carry its message to the alcoholic who 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 of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
7. Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ
special workers.
9. A.A., as such ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly
responsible to those they serve.
10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn
into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain
personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before
personalities.
 Framework of Resources rather than an Agency
Many, many meetings

Many groups
Each with a service rep
Groups in the same are
set up a central office
“Intergroup”
Delegates go to • Publish uniform
• A.A. offices and reps at the
Conference make the Service literature and public
suggestions, based on the Conference information resources.
experiences of many
different A.A. groups. General Service • Help new groups get
Board started.
• But they do not make rules
or issue commands to any • Publish an international
World Grapevine
groups or members. magazine called
Service Publishing
Grapevine.
Get More Information
 Resources
Alcoholics Anonymous web page: www.aa.org
• Literature
• Videos
• Guidelines
• Meeting Locators

Local Intergroup (North Jersey: www.nnjaa.org)

• Meeting schedules
• “Night calls” phone line

The Sober Recovery Community: www.soberrecovery.com

• Chat rooms
• Discussion threads
• Online meetings
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
World Services
475 Riverside Drive, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10115
(212) 870-3400
 References
A.A. Grapevine. (1972). A brief guide to alcoholics anonymous. AA World Service Inc.
New York: NY.
Alcoholics Anonymous World Service Inc., (2002) Alcoholics anonymous: The story of
how many thousands of men and woman have recovered from alcoholism (4 th
edition). New York: Author
Alcoholics Anonymous World Service Inc., (1981) The twelve steps and twelve
traditions. New York: Author
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders (4th ed. Text Revision). Washington, DC: Author
General Service office of AA. (1956). AA fact file. AA World Service Inc. New York:
NY.
Gladding, S. T. & Newsome, D. W. (2010). Clinical mental health counseling in
community and agency setting. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Lewis, J. A., Lewis, M. D., Daniels, J. A. & D’Andrea, M. J. (1998). Community
Counseling: Empowerment strategies for a diverse society (2nd Ed.). Pacific
Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Wilson, B. (1962). A.A. service manual combined with twelve concepts for world . A.A.
World Services, Inc.. New York: NY.
X. Alice. (2003). Recovery and alcoholics anonymous. I.C.E.R Inc. Retrieved on April
12, 2010 from www.giftanonymous.com.