Staying Sober - One Day at a Time
Alcoholics Anonymous is a world wide fellowship of men and women who help each other maintain sobriety and who offer to share their recovery experience freely with others who may have a drinking problem. The program A.A. suggests consists basically of “Twelve Steps” designed for personal recovery from alcoholism.
The Fellowship today is in approximately 150 countries. Approximately two million alcoholics have achieved sobriety in A.A., but members recognize that their program is not always effective with all alcoholics and that some may require professional counseling or treatment. A.A. is concerned solely with the personal recovery and continued sobriety of individual alcoholics who turn to the Fellowship for help. The movement does not engage in alcoholism research or medical or psychiatric treatment, and does not endorse any causes – although A.A. members may participate as individuals.
The movement has adopted a policy of “cooperation but not affiliation” with other organizations concerned with the problem of alcoholism. Alcoholics Anonymous is self-supporting through its own groups and members and declines contributions from outside sources. A.A. members preserve personal anonymity at the level of press, films, and broadcast media.
From the beginning, many A.A. members have come to believe that alcoholism is a progressive illness – spiritual and emotional (or mental), as well as physical. The alcoholics we know seem to have lost the power to control their drinking.