Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith. They developed the original 12 Step Program of Recovery. In 1939 the book Alcoholics Anonymous was published. The fellowship got it's name from the title of this book. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. Members help each other recover from their alcoholism, which is regarded as a disease. It is usually recommended that people get a sponsor. While all sponsors are different, they generally help a newer member work through the 12 Steps and are available to talk with when ever necessary.

The first groups were formed in Akron, Ohio and New York. By 1941 A.A. had become a national institution. In 1950 it held it's first International Conference at Cleveland. As of 2001 membership had grown to over two million with 100,800 groups meeting in over 150 countries around the world. Membership is composed of approximately 35% Women and 65% Men. The official magazine of AA is called the The Grapevine. It is considered a meeting in print.

A recent movie entitled "The Lois Wilson Story: When Love is Not Enough" chronicled the true story of Lois and Bill Wilson and the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, commonly called Al-Anon. The movie was created by William G. Borchert and produced by Hallmark Films. The made for television movie was released in 2010 and aired nationwide in the US on NBC. The movie was the first of its kind to emphasize the struggles that loved ones of alcoholics and addicts also go through, as well as the need for support for these support people as well.

You can visit Alcoholics Anonymous home page on the internet or contact them as follows:

MAILING ADDRESS:
A.A. World Services, Inc.,
P.O. Box 459,
New York, NY 10163
(212) 870-3400

LOCATION:
A.A. World Services, Inc., 11th Floor
475 Riverside Drive at West 120th St.
New York, NY 10115
(212) 870-3400

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 Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continured to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11. 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.

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.

1. Drinking Alone

2. Lying about the amount you consume

3. Increased tolerance - needing more to get inebriated

4. Drinking more then your friends

5. Drinking in the morning

6. Increased consumption

7. Having blackouts - not remembering what you did while drinking

8. Drinking to relieve stress

9. Alcohol related accidents or legal problems

10. Alcohol affecting your relationships