Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship whose members support one another in recovery from alcohol problems. It uses shared experience, meetings and the Twelve Steps, with service offices supporting the work of autonomous groups.
Organization profile
- Organization type
- Patient organization / disease alliance
- Headquarters / base
- New York (US/Canada General Service Office), United States
- Geographic scope
- Global
Medical focus
Activities
Population served
A fellowship centred on shared experience
A.A. is a nonprofessional, self-supporting fellowship for people seeking help with a drinking problem. Members share their experience with others and may provide individual peer support through sponsorship. The Twelve Steps describe its programme of recovery, and group meetings give members a setting in which to discuss that programme.
The fellowship’s role is mutual support. Its own information distinguishes that role from medical diagnosis, detoxification, nursing and clinical treatment. This helps explain how an A.A. meeting differs from a healthcare service even when meetings take place in, or receive referrals from, treatment settings.
Sources: [1].
Meetings and local groups
Meetings can take place in person, online or by telephone. Groups determine their own schedules and formats, which may include discussion, speakers or study of A.A. literature. Open meetings welcome interested observers, while closed meetings are for members and people who have a drinking problem and want to stop drinking.
The members of each group decide how their meeting operates. A shared name and programme therefore do not make every meeting a centrally managed facility, and practical participation details belong to the individual group or local service resources.
Sources: [3].
The General Service Office and international reach
The General Service Office in New York serves A.A. groups in the United States and Canada. It also assists overseas groups, particularly where a local service structure does not exist. Other countries have their own general service offices.
The New York office works with the US/Canada General Service Board and Conference. Its address identifies that service structure rather than a governing headquarters for every A.A. group worldwide. The global fellowship, local groups and incorporated service bodies should therefore be distinguished when identifying the organization.