What Is A.A.?
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.
Since the book Alcoholics Anonymous first appeared in 1939, this basic text has helped millions of men and women recover from alcoholism. 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.
A.A.’s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in their nature, which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole.
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.
Learn more at http://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/what-is-aa.
Information For Professionals
Professionals who work with alcoholics share a common purpose with Alcoholics Anonymous: to help the alcoholic stop drinking and lead a healthy, productive life. We can serve as a source of personal experience with alcoholism as an ongoing support system for recovering alcoholics.
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.
Learn more at http://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/information-for-professionals.