Frequently Asked Questions

Below there are frequently asked questions arranged by category.

Members of the immediate family and close friends are usually pleased to learn about an alcoholic’s membership in A.A. As for colleagues at work, it…
Members of A.A. have a selfish interest in offering a helping hand to other alcoholics who have not yet achieved sobriety. First, they know from…
As stated in A.A.'s Responsibility Pledge, “I am responsible … when anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of A.A. always to be…
The Fellowship has four books that are generally accepted as “textbooks.” The first is Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as “the Big Book,” originally…
There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership. An A.A. group will usually have a voluntary collection during the meeting to cover expenses, such as…
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…
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…
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…
There are no “A.A. rehabs" or hospitals. Traditionally, no professional services or facilities are ever offered or performed under A.A. sponsorship.…
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 "group conscience" is the collective conscience of the group membership and thus represents substantial unanimity on an issue before definitive…
No. The recording is of a one-man play called Moments, An Evening with Bill W., written in 1989 by an A.A. member. According to the playwright, an…