What is A. A.?
“Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcohol.
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 any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and to help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.”
Copyright © 2000, Alcoholics Anonymous®, All rights reserved.
This is the preamble read at every A. A. meeting the world over. Men, women, and now even children are coming to our fellowship to seek refuge from the ravages of alcohol and drugs.
We know no social, economic, spiritual, racial, geographic, age, or gender boundaries. We come wanting to be healed and we find hope, recovery, and acceptance.
You say we do not look like alcoholics. Just what does an alcoholic look like? You might want to look around. Can you really tell? Most of us need look no farther than the mirror to answer that question.
From each other we learn first; how to be rid of the burden of our addictions and then later, a way to live that will allow us address what made us drink and drug in the first place. In each other we find a camaraderie that we have known no where else. We all know the terror, the loneliness, the anger, and the remorse that was left in our individual pasts. This is something that we have all experienced. In the first moment of recognition that some else understands and does not judge you, there comes a feeling of relief and hope.
Then when we begin to pass on our new found experience and hope with newcomers, we strengthen our own recovery.
We are people helping people.
Yes we come from all walks of life, all ages and races, all faiths and political persuasions, from all over the world to solve our common problem…alcoholism.
Come discover the power of We.
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