ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

I am responsible….
When anyone, anywhere
reaches out for help,
I want the hand of A.A.
always to be there…
And for that
I am responsible. 1
 What is AA?

It is a worldwide fellowship of men and
women who share a desire to stop drinking
alcohol.

It suggests members completely abstain
from alcohol, regularly attend meetings with
other members, and follow its program to
help each other with their common purpose;
to help members stay sober and help other
alcoholics achieve sobriety.
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 What is AA?
• The only requirement for membership is a
desire to stop drinking.
• 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 3
any causes.
 HISTORY


Was founded by Bill Wilson (1895-1971) &
Dr. Bob Smith (1879-1950)

AA is said to have begun on June 10, 1935.
This was the day "Dr. Bob" took his last bottle
of beer, under the watch of Bill Wilson, to
steady his hands for surgery.

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 HISTORY
• Bill Wilson – William Griffith Wilson.
• He achieved sobriety in the year 1934.
• His influences have been Ebby Thacher
and Dr. Silkworth.
• Other than AA, he also experimented with
Niacin, LSD and Parapsychology.
• He was a chronic smoker and died of
emphysema in 1971.
• He also used to suffer from depression. 5
Bill Wilson

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Bill & Louis Wilson

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 HISTORY

Dr. Bob Smith was an American physician
& surgeon.

Smith was called the "Prince of Twelfth
Steppers“ by Wilson because he voluntarily
helped more than 5000 alcoholics.

He played a vital role in the development of
the 12 steps of AA.

It was in his home that the basic ideas of
A.A. were developed.

Died on Nov 16th, 1950 of colon cancer.
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Bill Wilson & Dr. Bob Smith

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 HISTORY
• By 1934, Bill Wilson had ruined a promising
career in finance because of his constant
drunkenness.

• He was introduced to the idea of a spiritual

cure by an old drinking buddy, Ebby
Thacher, who had become a member of a
Christian movement called the Oxford
Group.
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 HISTORY
• Wilson was treated at Charles B. Towns
hospital in New York by Dr. William
Silkworth, who promoted a disease concept
of alcoholism.
• On a 1935 business trip to Akron, Ohio,
Wilson felt the urge to drink again and in an
effort to stay sober, he sought another
alcoholic to help.
• Wilson was introduced to Dr. Bob Smith,
also a member of the Oxford Group. 11
Dr. William Silkworth

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Ebby Thacher

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Oxford Group

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 Town’s Hospital
Bob was treated here four times.

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 HISTORY
• Wilson expanded the program by writing a
book entitled Alcoholics Anonymous which
the fellowship then adopted as its name.
• The book, informally referred to by
members as "The Big Book," described a
twelve-step program involving admission of
powerlessness over alcohol, acceptance of
a benevolent higher power, moral
inventory, complete and direct restitution to
those harmed, and asking for direction,
guidance, and power from God.
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 HISTORY
• Essential to this process was the idea that
the higher power be "of one's own
understanding".
• By 1946, as membership grew, confusion
and disputes within groups over practices,
finances, and publicity led Wilson to write
the guidelines for noncoercive group
management, Twelve Points to Assure our
Future, that eventually became known as
the Twelve Traditions. 17
 ORGANIZATION
• As on Jan 1st , 2007, 1,989,260 members in
114,561 AA groups were reported
worldwide, in 186 countries.
• The Twelve Traditions informally guide how
AA groups function, and the Twelve
Concepts for World Service guide how AA
is structured globally.
• Each group is a self-governing entity with
AA World Services acting only in an
advisory capacity. 18
 ORGANIZATION
• AA groups are self-supporting and not
charities, and they have no dues or
membership fees.
• Groups rely on voluntary member
donations.
• No one is turned away for lack of funds.
• Usually there is an upper limit to the
maximum voluntary donation allowed.
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 ORGANIZATION
• At the top is the GSO, General Service
Office which houses the General Service
Board of Alcoholics Anonymous.
• Its trustees and directors are entrusted with
the supervision of two service agencies:
Alcoholics Anonymous World Service, Inc.
and AA Grapevine, Inc.

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LEGACIES OF AA

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 PROGRAMME
• AA process encourages the transformation
of the alcoholic‘s character, producing a
"personality change sufficient to recover
from alcoholism“
• It is brought about by means of a spiritual
awakening achieved from following the
Twelve Steps.
• Members are encouraged to find an
experienced fellow alcoholic called a
sponsor to help them understand and
follow the AA program. 22
 PROGRAMME
• Following the helper therapy principle,
sponsors in AA benefit as much, if not
more, from their relationship than do those
they sponsor.
• AA's program is an inheritor of Counter-
Enlightenment philosophy.
• A. A. members never say they are “cured.”
They are sober or recovered alcoholics,
who stay away from drinking one day at a
time
Social Work. Vol 10(2), 1965, 27-32
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 ANONYMITY
• Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all
our Traditions, ever reminding us to place
principles before personalities. (Tradition
Twelve)
• It is often considered as the greatest single
protection the Fellowship has, to assure its
continued existence and growth.
• It ensures equality in AA of all members

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MEETINGS

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 MEETINGS
• Generally starts with the Serenity Prayer

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 MEETINGS
• Discussion
• Speaker
• Beginner’s meetings: Q&A sessions for
newcomers
• Step, Tradition or Big Book

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MEETINGS

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 International Convention
• Held every 5 years.
• 10 held till date, starting from 1950
• Next: 2010 International Convention to be
held from July 1-4, San Antonio, Texas.
• It marks AA’s 75th anniversary.

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1950 International Convention,
Cleveland
The Twelve Traditions

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1955 International Convention
St. Louis
Three Legacies

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1965 International Convention
Toronto
Declaration of Responsibility

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DECLARATION OF
RESPONSIBILITY
I am responsible….
When anyone, anywhere
reaches out for help,
I want the hand of A.A.
always to be there…
And for that
I am responsible.
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Types of Members

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Types of AA Members

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MEDALLION

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 TWELVE STEPS

STEP ONE

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol

– that our lives had become unmanageable.

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 TWELVE STEPS

STEP TWO

Came to believe that a Power greater than

ourselves could restore us to sanity.

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 TWELVE STEPS

STEP THREE

Made a decision to turn our will and our lives

over to the care of GOD as we understood
him.

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 TWELVE STEPS

STEP FOUR

Made a searching and fearless moral

inventory of ourselves.

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 TWELVE STEPS

STEP FIVE

Admitted to God, to ourselves and another

human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

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 TWELVE STEPS

STEP SIX

Were entirely ready to have God remove all

these defects of character.

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 TWELVE STEPS

STEP SEVEN

Humbly asked Him to remove our

shortcomings.

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 TWELVE STEPS

STEP EIGHT

Made a list of all persons we had harmed,

and became willing to make amends to them
all.

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 TWELVE STEPS

STEP NINE

Made direct amends to such people

wherever possible, except when to do them
would injure them or others.

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 TWELVE STEPS

STEP TEN

Continued to take personal inventory and

when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

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 TWELVE STEPS

STEP ELEVEN

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.
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 TWELVE STEPS

STEP TWELVE

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.

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TWELVE TRADITIONS

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TWELVE TRADITIONS

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TWELVE TRADITIONS

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TWELVE TRADITIONS

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 What AA does not do?
• Furnish initial motivation for alcoholics to
recover
• Solicit members
• Engage in or sponsor research
• Keep attendance records or case histories
• Join "councils" of social agencies
• Follow up or try to control its members
• Make medical or psychological diagnoses
or prognoses 53
 What AA does not do?
• Provide nursing services, hospitalization,
drugs, or any medical or psychiatric
treatment
• Offer religious services
• Engage in education about alcohol
• Provide housing, food, clothing, jobs,
money, or any other welfare or social
services
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 What AA does not do?
• Provide domestic or vocational counseling
• Accept any money for its services, or any
contributions from non-A.A. sources
• Provide letters of reference to parole
boards, lawyers, court officials, social
agencies, employers, etc.

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 AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS
• Was founded by Lois Wilson, wife of AA co-
founder Bill Wilson.
• Al-Anon – for Adults
• Alateen – Young individuals (aged 12-20)
• Membership of over half a million men,
women and teens.
• Uses the same twelve-steps as AA with
slight modifications.
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 EFFECTIVENESS OF AA
• Quite a few studies failed to find any
significant advantage in being an AA
member.
• Some of the studies include:
3)Ditman, et al, 1967
4)Brandsma, Maltsby and Welsh, 1979
5)DC Walsh, et al, 1991

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 EFFECTIVENESS OF AA
• George Valliant, famous Harvard professor
of Psychiatry, in his book Natural History of
Alcoholism Revisited, described his
investigations into the effectiveness of AA.
• He was also a member of Board to
Trustees of Alcoholics Anonymous World
Services.
• Good clinical outcomes co-related with
frequency of AA attendance, having a
sponsor, engaging in Twelve step work and
leading meetings. 58
 EFFECTIVENESS OF AA
• He also notes that effectiveness of AA has
not been adequately assessed and that
direct evidence for the efficacy of AA….
remains as elusive as ever.
• For example, if an alcoholic achieves
sobriety during AA attendance, who is to
say if AA helped or if he merely went to AA
when he was ready to heal?

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