Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid fellowship. Its purpose is to help alcoholics quit drinking and help people stay sober. AA gives men and women a place to come together and share their experiences, recover from alcoholism and maintain sobriety. Its concept revolves around that premise that alcoholism is an illness that can be managed, but not controlled.

AA was founded by Bill Wilson and his physician, Doctor Bob Smith in 1935 and eventually grew to include two more groups by 1939. That same year, Wilson published Alcoholics Anonymous, a text which explained its philosophy and methods. We know it today as the 12 Steps of recovery. Over the years, the 12 Steps have been adapted by other self-help and addiction recovery groups, such as Gamblers Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, to those struggling with other forms of addiction. Additionally, many groups have changed the explicitly Christian overtones of the original 12 Steps to reflect more secular or agnostic philosophies.