Alcoholism is a progressive illness. Alcoholics have a physical sensitivity and a mental obsession with alcohol, making willpower alone insufficient. Recovery is possible through the AA program.

Only you can decide. If alcohol is causing problems in your life or feels
unmanageable, AA may be able to help.

No. Once someone becomes an alcoholic, controlled drinking is no longer possible. The safe option is complete sobriety.

For alcoholics, any form of alcohol leads back to loss of control. Sobriety means total abstinence.

It’s not how often you drink, but how you drink. If binges are causing problems or becoming harder to control, AA may help.

The decision is yours. If you feel alcohol is controlling your life, AA is here to help.

Some do, but most find lasting sobriety by also connecting with other alcoholics through AA meetings and fellowship.

No. Anonymity is a core principle of AA. Your privacy is respected, and no one will reveal your membership.

Yes. AA works for anyone who wants to stop drinking, no matter their background or situation.

Yes. Some join after years of being sober on their own, but find AA gives them a happier, stronger sobriety through fellowship.

Helping others stay sober helps members stay sober too.

AA is a worldwide fellowship of people who share their experience, strength, and hope to stay sober and help others. The only requirement is a desire to stop drinking.

AA started in 1935 in Akron, Ohio, when two alcoholics discovered they could stay sober by helping each other.

No. There are no musts, dues, or attendance requirements. The only requirement is a desire to stop drinking.

No. AA is self-supporting through voluntary contributions.

No. AA is spiritual, not religious. Members are free to choose their own understanding of a “Higher Power”—or none at all. People of all beliefs are welcome.

Yes. About 38% of AA members are women, and that number continues to grow.

Yes. Many join in their teens or twenties, choosing sobriety before things get worse. In AA, age differences don’t matter—everyone starts from their last drink.

There are no applications. You simply show up at meetings.

Open meetings are for anyone interested—alcoholics, families, or friends. Members share their stories, and guests are welcome to listen.

Yes, to open meetings. Closed meetings are for alcoholics only.

It’s up to each person. Many go weekly, some more often, especially at the start. Regular attendance helps maintain sobriety.

No. Many choose to keep going because meetings help them stay sober today.

Sobriety takes some time, but most members find it’s a small price compared to the hours once lost to drinking.

Most members discover that real friendships and real fun began after they joined AA.

The Twelve Steps are AA’s program of recovery—a set of principles based on the experience of early members. They are suggested, not required, but many find them essential for lasting sobriety.

The Twelve Traditions are guiding principles that keep AA groups unified and focused on their primary purpose: helping alcoholics achieve sobriety.

AA members stay sober one day at a time. The focus is on not drinking today.

Yes. The main text is Alcoholics Anonymous (the “Big Book”), now in its 4th edition. 

Sobriety often helps repair family relationships, though healing takes time. Many find that once they focus on recovery, family life improves too.

No. AA is nonprofessional and not connected to treatment facilities. It is simply alcoholics helping each other stay sober.

Social events sometimes happen locally—like dinners, picnics, or anniversaries—but AA’s main purpose is sobriety.

AA relies on attraction, not promotion. Service committees share information with the media while respecting members’ anonymity.

Many doctors support AA and often recommend it, seeing how effective it has been when other methods have failed.