Frequently Asked Questions

Below there are frequently asked questions arranged by category.

The Fellowship has four books that are generally accepted as “textbooks.” The first is Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as “the Big Book,” originally…
Family members or close friends are welcome at “open” A.A. meetings as observers.
Bequests in wills are acceptable only from A.A. members, with a maximum of $10,000 from any one person, and only on a one-time basis — not in…
Alcohol is frequently a complicating factor in family life, magnifying petty irritations, exposing character defects, and contributing to financial…
There are no “A.A. rehabs" or hospitals. Traditionally, no professional services or facilities are ever offered or performed under A.A. sponsorship.…
Most A.A.s are sociable people, a factor that may have been partially responsible for their becoming alcoholics in the first place. As a consequence…
Reasons for starting a new group vary, but the ways to go about it are basically the same. Important to establishing an A.A. group is the need for…
Group membership requires no formal application. As stated in Tradition Three, “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking…
The answer is that A.A. will work only for those who admit that they are alcoholics, who honestly want to stop drinking — and who are able to keep…
They will be there for the same reason that you are. They will not disclose your identity to outsiders. At A.A. you retain as much anonymity as you…
The "group conscience" is the collective conscience of the group membership and thus represents substantial unanimity on an issue before definitive…
Anonymity is and always has been the basis of the A.A. program. Most members, after they have been in A.A. awhile, have no particular objection if…