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Alcoholics Anonymous

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Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an informal society of more than 2,000,000 recovered alcoholics in the United States, Canada, and other countries <ref>What is AA? Defining "Alcoholics Anonymous". The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain). Retrieved on 2006-11-27.</ref> These men and women meet in local groups, which range in size from a handful in some localities to many hundreds in larger communities. The stated "primary purpose" of A.A. members is to stay sober and help other alcoholics do the same. A.A. was the first twelve-step program and was the source and has been the model for all similar recovery groups such as Gamblers Anonymous, Emotions Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Sexaholics Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, and Al-Anon/Alateen, among others.

A.A. teaches that to recover an alcoholic should abstain completely from alcohol.<ref>The A.A. Fact File, 'The Recovery Program'</ref> and offers a community of recovering people who help each other and "work" the twelve steps with a sponsor ideally[citation needed]

Alcoholics Anonymous is exclusively run by people who identify as alcoholics (aside from 7 out of 21 members of the A.A. Board of trustees who are listed as “nonalcoholic friends of the fellowship”<ref>The A.A. Fact File, 'The Structure of A.A.'</ref>). It meets in small groups around the world, and although it has a central communication office, each group is essentially autonomous of the others.

Contents

[edit] History and development

Dr Bob Smith (left) and Bill Wilson (right), the co-founders of A.A.

Until the mid-1930s, alcoholics who did not have the financial means to hire a psychiatrist or admit themselves to a private sanitarium could find help only at state hospitals, in jails, or through street ministries.<ref>Encarta Encyclopedia</ref> The founding of Alcoholics Anonymous marked the first approach to supporting the sustained recovery of the alcoholics, regardless of their financial standing. It also marked the first approach to combine the faith of religious people, the knowledge of medical people, and the experience sharing capabilities of alcoholics who knew how to get well.

A.A. was started by two alcoholics who first met on May 12, 1935. One was Bill Wilson, a New York Wall Street stock speculator; the other was Dr. Bob Smith, a medical doctor and surgeon from Akron, Ohio. In A.A. circles, the former is known as "Bill W." and the latter, "Dr. Bob."


Wilson had been sober for six months when he met Smith, although he had struggled with sobriety for years. In that time he had made several important discoveries about his own alcoholism.

From those experienced in recovery by religious means, Wilson had learned from the famed psychiatrist Dr. Carl G. Jung[citation needed] and from the Harvard Professor William James that recovery by conversion had been taking place for centuries in the churches, in the rescue missions, and in the Salvation Army [See Dick B., "The Conversion of Bill W.," Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 2006] From a New York doctor, William Duncan Silkworth, Bill learned that alcoholism was not simply a moral weakness. Silkworth told Wilson that, in his view, alcoholism was akin to an allergy, in the sense that it produced abnormal reactions to alcohol that were not observed in non-alcoholic drinkers. A "phenomenon of craving" -- with the first drink the alcoholic finds it very difficult to stop. In addition, Dr. Silkworth theorized that alcoholics had a mental obsession that gave them reasons to return to alcohol after periods of sobriety, even knowing that they would then develop overwhelming cravings. This "double whammy" (as he called it) meant that the alcoholic could not stop once started, and could not stop from starting again. This explained the enormous recidivism rate of alcoholics. Silkworth was also familiar with the writing and theories of Dr. Carl Jung and Professor William James (See Mathews, "Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks" biography, Hazelden).

Wilson also discovered that some alcoholics were able to recover on a spiritual basis. In one of their many discussions during Wilson's hospitalization at Towns, Silkworth had also informed Wilson that he could be healed by the Great Physician. By this, Silkworth meant Jesus Christ--advice Silkworth had also given to other patients, as Dr. Norman Vincent Peale recounts in his story about Charles in The Positive Power of Jesus Christ. This approach had been used by one of Wilson's old drinking buddies, Ebby Thacher, to stop drinking. Thacher had learned about the spiritual approach from Rowland H., an American business executive and alcoholic who had undergone treatment with the famous Swiss analytical psychologist Dr. Carl Jung. After a prolonged and unsuccessful period of therapy, Jung told Rowland that his case, like that of most alcoholics, was nearly hopeless. Rowland was horrified and begged Jung to tell him anything that might help. Jung replied there was only one hope: a genuine spiritual conversion. ("Pass It On,"1984). History, he said, had recorded examples of recovery from alcoholism that appeared solely attributable to the spiritual conversion of the alcoholic. He told Rowland to seek out a conversion experience.<ref>Finlay, Steven W (2006-3-11). "Influence of Carl Jung and William James on the Origin of Alcoholics Anonymous". Review of General Psychology V4: 3-12. Retrieved on 2006-10-20. </ref>

Rowland H. returned to America, became a member the Oxford Group<ref>Dick B.. The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous, 2d ed.. Kihei, Maui, Hawaii: Paradise Research Publications, Inc..</ref>. Rowland mastered their life-changing techniques and overcame alcoholism. The group was a self-styled first-Century Christian movement founded by Frank Buchman, a Protestant evangelist, about 1919. It advocated finding God through moral inventory, confession of defects, elimination of sin, restitution, reliance upon God, and helping others. It appeared, from the successes of several alcoholics in the Oxford Group that a conversion experience (which they chose to call a spiritual experience, and later a "change") would relieve alcoholics of the mental obsession that kept sending them back to alcoholism after periods of sobriety. Wilson later credited A.A.'s ideas of self examination, acknowledgement of character defects, restitution for harm done, and working with others, to the teachings of Wilson's friend, Rev. Samuel Moor Shoemaker and the Oxford Group<ref>Bill W. (1957). Alcoholics Anonymous comes of age. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous. ISBN 0-916856-02-X.</ref>. Later in an article published in A.A.'s Grapevine, Wilson said that every idea in Steps Three through Twelve came directly from Shoemaker's teaching.<ref>Dick B.. New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A., 2d. ed.. Kihei, Maui, Hawaii: Paradise Research Publicataions, Inc..</ref>

Rowland had passed along to Ebby Thacher, one of Bill Wilson's old school friends and drinking companion, the Carl Jung solution of conversion as well as the Oxford Group life-changing principles. Rescuing Ebby from incarceration for inebriety, Rowland and a couple of Oxford Group friends lodged Ebby at Rev. Sam Shoemaker's Calvary Rescue Mission. And it was there that Ebby went to the altar, made a decision for Christ, and proclaimed "I've got religion" and that God had done for him what he could not do for himself.<ref>Dick B. (2006). Real 12 Step Fellowship History. Kihei, Hawaii: Paradise Research Publications.</ref>

Ebby visited his old friend Bill who was still drinking heavily. Ebby told Bill about his experience at the Rescue Mission; and Bill was persuaded to go there and find what Ebby had found--a conversion. And it was there that Bill went to the altar, made a decision for Christ, wrote his brother-in-law that he had "got religion."<ref>Dick B. (2006). The Conversion of Bill W.. Kihei, Hawaii: Paradise Research Publications Inc..</ref>Bill twice wrote in his autobiography, "For sure I was born again." Wilson, My First Forty Years, Hazelden. Still drinking, and a few days after his conversion at the Mission, Bill returned to the hospital, announced that he had "found something," and decided he had better call on the Great Physician which Silkworth had told him about. (See Matthews, Silkworth) Bill was sedated and detoxified. He prayed in bed during his recovery: "If there be a God, will He show himself! The result was instant, electric, beyond description. The place seemed to light up, blinding white. I knew only ecstasy and seemed on a mountain. A great wind blew, enveloping and penetrating me. To me, it was not of air, but of Spirit. Blazing, there came the tremendous thought. 'You are a free man.' Then the ecstasy subsided. I now found myself in a new world of consciousness which was suffused by a Presence. One with the universe, a great peace stole over me." Wilson exclaimed: "So this is the God of the preachers."<ref>Three Talks to Medical Societies by Bill W., co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous World Service, 1973.</ref>

Wilson questioned whether he had a genuine conversion or was on the verge of madness. Dr. Silkworth advised him that "hopeless alcoholics" sometimes report conversion experiences before being "turned around" toward recovery. Ebby Thacher brought Bill a copy of William James' http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/621 Varieties of Religious Experience] Silkworth had also read this book which contained many conversion accounts. Bill spent the better part of the day pouring through its contents and concluded that his experience was like those reported by James. Dale Mitchel, The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks, Hazelden. Silkworth advised Bill that had undergone a genuine conversion. In A.A. Comes of Age, Wilson states that Dr. Silkworth "reminded me of Professor William James's observation that truly transforming spiritual experiences are nearly always founded on calamity and collapse."

Wilson could hardly have escaped reading in James's book the dramatic tales of other alcoholics' conversions at the altar of rescue missions. And, in fact, it was Bill's friend Ebby who had first gone to Calvary Rescue Mission and knelt at the altar, concluding: "I've got religion." Wilson in turn went to Calvary Rescue Mission, listened to the hymns, Bible reading, and testimonials and then went to the altar himself. Wilson himself twice wrote in his autobiographical manuscripts: "For sure, I'd been born again;" and wrote a letter stating he too had "got religion." Wilson was no stranger to such conversion experiences since his grandfather Willie Wilson had gone through such an experience on Mount Aeolus in East Dorset, Vermont; reported details almost identical to those Bill reported; rushed to the altar of the local Congregational Church; announced that he had been saved; and never drank again for the rest of his life (Hartigan, Bill W.; Cheever, Bill W.).

In keeping with practices in the Salvation Army, the Missions, and the Oxford Group itself, Wilson bought into the slogan: "You have to give it away to keep it." Importantly, Wilson found that his own sobriety seemed to grow stronger when he shared his personal alcoholic experience with other alcoholics. Wilson was on the verge of a relapse on a business trip to Akron. In a hotel lobby, he decided to phone local ministers and ask if they knew of alcoholics he could talk to. Dr. Smith's little group of Oxford Group people and alcoholic families had been praying for Smith's healing. And Dr. Bob finally joined in the group's prayers (See Dick B., Henrietta Seiberling: Ohio's Lady with a Cause. Paradise Research Publications) And Wilson's phone call to Henrietta Seiberling caused her to exclaim, "You are manna from heaven." And she introduced Wilson to Smith.

These were the ideas that he presented to Smith, who had been struggling with his own chronic drinking addiction. The two struck up a solid friendship. For three months, they studied the Bible, held long discussions, and reviewed Oxford Group ideas. Together they fashioned Akron's pioneer recovery program<ref>Dick B.. The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, 2d ed.. Kihei, Maui, Hawaii: Paradise Research Publications, Inc.</ref>. Smith's last drink is said to have been June 10, 1935, and that is considered within A.A. to be the date of the founding of A.A. Their first publication in 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous, the first 164 pages, have been a perennial best-seller. The fellowship began to be called "Alcoholics Anonymous" after the publication of this book. Given this start, it is no surprise that A.A. groups and members are frequently called "Friends of Bill W."

The AA Grapevine is the international journal of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is written, edited, illustrated, and read by A.A. members and others interested in the A.A. program.

In 2002, the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous reported more than 100,000 A.A. groups in 150 countries, with a total membership of approximately two million alcoholics.

[edit] How the A.A. program works

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Some members believe that A.A provides a sense of support for members attending regular meetings. Far more members, as well as A.A's literature, hold that the essence of the program is having a "spiritual awakening" [originally called a spiritual experience] through the application of the Twelve Steps. The process of working the Steps is sometimes summed up as "Trust God, clean house, and help others." Each edition of A.A.'s Big Book makes it clear that the end result of following the suggested steps in finding God "as we understood Him" and establishing a relationship with Him, Her, or It. (See twelve-step program for a list of the steps themselves.) One description of meetings comes from Dr. W.W. Bauer, who spoke for the American Medical Association in 1946 when he stated "Alcoholics Anonymous are no crusaders: not a temperance society. They know that they must never drink. They help others with similar problems...In this atmosphere the alcoholic often overcomes his excessive concentration upon himself. Learning to depend upon a higher power and absorb himself in his work with other alcoholics, he remains sober day by day. The days add up into weeks, the weeks into months and years (Alcoholics Anonymous, Appendix III p 570)."

A.A. members are encouraged to "work the Steps", usually with the guidance of a voluntary sponsor. (A sponsor is a more experienced member who has worked the Steps before.) The Steps are designed to help the alcoholic achieve a spiritual, emotional and mental state conducive to lasting sobriety. Many A.A. members believe finding God through the application of the Steps has freed them entirely from the urge to drink alcohol. Both A.A.'s founders Dr. Bob and Bill stated they had been cured of alcoholism, as did A.A. Number Three Bill Dotston (Big Book, 4th ed., p. 191). Whereas staying sober was once difficult and uncertain, these members report that sobriety is now much easier, provided they keep enlarging their spiritual life.

Some members regard attendance at A.A. meetings as important to their sobriety (although there are groups in A.A. made up of loners and members living in remote locations who communicate by mail and internet). Many members who achieved initial sobriety through AA have completed their return to life and no longer participate in meetings, however most studies done show that regular meeting attendance significantly improves the chances of continued sobriety. With the above in mind, a typical individual program of recovery for a newcomer may include:

  • Above all, avoiding the first drink.
  • Attendance at one or more meetings daily for 90 days or longer. Some people coming into A.A. have attended meetings daily for the first year. While this recommendation is found nowhere in A.A. literature, it is often heard in meetings and many sponsors, having attended "90-in-90" themselves as newcomers, strongly advise sponsees to do the same. Some suggest that this recommendation may have originally come out of treatment centres; graduating patients were advised to attend many A.A. meetings, presumably in an effort to acquire a new peer group of abstinent friends to reinforce the effects of treatment. Within A.A., this is referred to as "staying away from slippery people and slippery places" or "changing playgrounds and playmates".
  • Asking their Higher Power for strength and guidance.
  • Contact with one's sponsor daily in order to work the Steps and to discuss whatever problems one may be having in one's life, problems which may, if not addressed, lead the alcoholic to take the first drink: "One [drink] is too many and a thousand [drinks] never enough."
  • Daily prayer and/or meditation, as suggested by Step 11: "Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out."
  • Daily attention to Step 10: "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it."
  • Service work, which, for the newcomer, can be as uncomplicated as making coffee at meetings, helping to set up and break down tables and chairs, etc.

It will be noted that the program is to be worked daily. Dr. Bob cited the Sermon on the Mount for the phrase 'one day at a time.' Members of AA frequently say, "I'm a winner today, no matter what happens, as long as I don't pick up that first drink."

A common feature of A.A. meetings is that members are asked to speak to the group about their experience with alcoholism and recovery. However, there is no requirement to speak. Some members speak every meetings; others simply sit and listen in meetings for years before they say anything; some may choose never to speak.

A.A. does not charge membership fees to attend meetings, but instead relies on whatever donations members choose to give to cover basic costs like room rental, coffee, etc. Contributions from members are limited to a maximum annual amount ($2000 per year, though most only donate $1-$2 per meeting). At the local and national level, A.A. groups are self-supporting and not a charity. About half of its sustenance comes from sales of the literature, mostly written by Wilson, and for which he received royalties. Local groups contribute to the national level. It accepts subsidies, as well, from two non-A.A. sources: literature sales to non-AA entities as well as cash from AA convention sites.

A.A. receives proceeds from sale of its book Alcoholics Anonymous along with other A.A. published books and literature, which are periodically revised. Revenues from literature sales constitute more than 50% of the income for the General Service Office. Unlike individual groups, GSO is not self-supporting through contributions.

[edit] Beliefs about alcoholism

In the article Alcoholics Anonymous and the Disease Concept of Alcoholism, noted A.A. historian Ernest Kurtz, PhD., wrote, "The closest the book Alcoholics Anonymous comes to a definition of alcoholism appears on p.44, at the conclusion of the first paragraph of the 'We Agnostics' chapter, where we are told that alcoholism 'is an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer'."<ref>Kurtz, Ernest. "Alcoholics Anonymous and the Disease Concept of Alcoholism". Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly. Retrieved on 2006-10-20. </ref> In 1960 Bill Wilson gave a speech to the National Catholic Clergy Conference on Alcoholism<ref>W., Bill (2000). Alcoholics Anonymous. Retrieved on 2006-10-20.

</ref>. During the ensuing question and answer discussion Wilson was asked why he did not use the term disease when he spoke of alcoholism in that speech. He replied,
"We AA's have never called alcoholism a disease because, technically speaking it is not a disease entity. For example there is no such thing as heart disease. Instead there are many separate heart ailments, or combinations of them. It is something like that with alcoholism. Therefore we do not wish to get in wrong with the medical profession by pronouncing alcoholism a disease entity. Therefore we always call it an illness, or a malady, -- a far safer term for us to use."<ref> A Conversation with Bill W. (2003). Retrieved on 2006-10-20. </ref>

Although A.A. lacks an official, singular definition of alcoholism William Duncan Silkworth, M.D. contributed the chapter in the A.A. basic text of Alcoholics Anonymous entitled "The Doctor's Opinion". That chapter would become one of the more influential pieces in A.A. thought. He wrote "...they had one symptom in common: they cannot start drinking without developing the phenomenon of craving, this phenomenon, as we have suggested, may be the manifestation of an allergy which differentiates these people, and sets them apart as a distinct entity. (Alcoholics Anonymous 4th ed. pxxx)" That allergy takes the form of a craving which is explained earlier in the chapter when he states "the phenomenon of craving is limited to this class [alcoholics] and never occurs in the average temperate drinker. These allergic types can never safely use alcohol in any form at all; and once having formed the habit and found they cannot break it...(AA xxviii)" Alcoholics Anonymous offers a solution that will create a "spiritual experience" or complete change in the persons outlook on life and alcoholism (aa apendixII p. 567).

[edit] Structure

The affairs of A.A. are governed broadly by A.A.'s Twelve Traditions. A.A. has a minimal amount of organized structure. There is no hierarchy of leaders and no formal control structure. These traditions were set out because of the experience of the groups in the first 13 years of organization. Through trial and error the Twelve Traditions where set into place as suggestions for organizing the fellowship.(see Twelve Steps/Twelve Traditions for more information). People who accept service positions within the Fellowship are known only as "trusted servants." Individual A.A. members and groups cannot be compelled to do anything by "higher" A.A. authorities. Each A.A. group, small or large, is considered a self-supporting and self-governing entity. A.A. does maintain offices and service centres which have the task of co-ordinating activities like printing literature, responding to public enquiries and organizing state or national conferences. These offices are funded by local A.A. members and are directly responsible to the A.A. groups in the region or country they represent. (For more information, see A.A.'s Twelve Traditions as set out in the A.A. "Big Book" Alcoholics Anonymous and discussed in detail in the A.A. book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.)

[edit] Court Mandated A.A. Attendance and the Establishment Clause

U.S. judges sometimes require attendance at AA meetings as a condition of probation or parole or as an element of a sentence for defendants convicted of a crime. "Open" AA meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend, including those mandated by a court.

A federal appeals court ruled in 1999 that mandating attendance at AA meetings compromises the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment right not to have religion dictated to them by government - because A.A. practices and doctrine are (in the words of the district court judge who wrote Griffin v. Coughlin <ref>Griffin v. Coughlin (1996-6-11). Retrieved on 2006-10-20.</ref>) "unequivocally religious". In that ruling it was also noted "adherence to the A.A. fellowship entails engagement in religious activity and religious proselytization. In "working" the 12 steps, participants become actively involved in seeking God through prayer, confessing wrongs and asking for removal of shortcomings." The United States Supreme Court denied certiorari and let this decision stand.

Grandberg v. Ashland County is another example concerning judicially-mandated A.A. attendance and the Establishment Clause. In that case the Federal 7th Circuit Court ruled, "Alcoholics Anonymous materials and the testimony of the witness established beyond a doubt that religious activities, as defined in constitutional law, were a part of the treatment program. The distinction between religion and spirituality is meaningless, and serves merely to confuse the issue." In Warner v. Orange County Department of Probation a man convicted of drunk driving was sentenced to A.A. The court found that the county was guilty of “coercing the plaintiff into participating in religious exercises, an act which tends toward the establishment of a state religious faith.”

[edit] Discussion of the merits of A.A.

In this section, BB refers to The Big Book, aka Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition, by the first 100 members of Alcoholics Anonymous, and 12x12 refers to Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, by William G. Wilson. In 2001 the 4th edition of Alcoholics Anonymous, was released. The first 164 pages (including the doctors opinion), of the BB have been left intact and only minor statistics and edits have occurred since the book's initial publication in 1939. In every edition the stories have been reviewed to try and give the best representation of the current population of AA.

[edit] AA's supporters

Supporters claim that AA is an indispensable support group for people seeking to free themselves of an addiction to alcohol. Some of their arguments include:

[edit] AA's critics

Specific criticisms of AA include:

  • There have been at least three randomized clinical trials that studied the effectiveness of AA. Specifically: Ditman et al. 1967; Brandsma et al. 1980; Walsh et al. 1991.
    • Ditman found a correlation between participation in A.A. and an increase in the alcoholics' rate of multiple arrests for public drunkenness <ref> Keith S. Ditman, M.D., George G. Crawford, LL.B., Edward W. Forgy, Ph.D., Herbert Moskowitz, Ph.D., and Craig MacAndrew, Ph.D. (August 1967). "A Controlled Experiment on the Use of Court Probation for Drunk Arrests". American Journal of Psychiatry 124 (2): pp. 160-163.</ref>
    • Brandsma found a correlation between A.A. and an increased rate of binge drinking. After several months of participating in A.A., the alcoholics in A.A. were doing five times as much binge drinking as a control group that got no treatment at all, and nine times as much binge drinking as another group that got Rational Behavior Therapy. Brandsma alleges that teaching people that they are alcoholics who are powerless over alcohol yields very bad results and that it becomes a self-fulfilling prediction -- they relapse and binge drink as if they really were powerless over alcohol<ref>Brandsma, Jeffrey, Maxie Maultsby, and Richard J. Welsh. Outpatient Treatment of Alcoholism. Baltimore, MD.: University Park Press, page 105.</ref>.

[edit] Dramatic portrayals

  • My Name is Bill W. Story of the founders of AA (1989). Starring James Woods as Bill W, James Garner as Dr. Bob, JoBeth Williams as Bill's wife, Lois. Also released as Anonymous Hero
  • Days of Wine and Roses An early portrayal of AA (1962)
  • South Park Parodied AA in the December 7, 2005 episode ("Bloody Mary"). In particular, the episode attacked the way in which AA makes members believe they are powerless to a disease. However, Alcoholism is now accepted as a disease in the medical community.
  • The Simpsons Homer Simpson is sentenced to attend AA meetings in the episode Duffless. In the episode 'Round Springfield, Barney Gumble is trying AA, but quickly falls back to drinking.
  • Courage To Change The Things We Can (New York: 1960) a novel by James Audain.
  • The West Wing, as relates to Leo McGarry.
  • Minus One: A Twelve-Step Journey (Haworth Press: 2004)-- a novel portraying a lesbian woman's first year of recovery in AA, by Bridget Bufford.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

<references/>

[edit] AA Literature

[edit] Further reading

  • "A Randomized Trial of Treatment Options for Alcohol-abusing Workers". The New England Journal of Medicine 325: 775–782.
  • Blumberg, Leonard. "The Ideology of a Therapeutic Social Movement: Alcoholics Anonymous". Journal of Studies on Alcohol 38: pp. 2122–42.
  • Leuba, J.H. (1896). "A Study in the Psychology of Religious Phenomenon". American Journal of Psychology 7: 309-385.
  • Starbuck, E.D. (1899). The Psychology of Religion. New York: Scribner's.
  • Starbuck, E.D. (1897). "A Study of Conversion". American Journal of Psychology 8: 268-308.

[edit] External links

[edit] Official A.A. links

[edit] Unofficial A.A. sites on the internet

[edit] Testimonials (Stories of Recovery via AA)

[edit] Critical links

[edit] Links to AA alternatives

Abstinence based programs

Moderation/harm reduction based programs

da:Anonyme Alkoholikere de:Anonyme Alkoholiker et:Anonüümsed Alkohoolikud es:Alcohólicos Anónimos eo:Alkoholuloj Anonimaj fr:Alcooliques Anonymes gl:Alcólicos Anónimos hr:Anonimni Alkoholičari it:Alcolisti Anonimi nl:Anonieme Alcoholisten ja:アルコホーリクス・アノニマス no:Anonyme alkoholikere pl:Anonimowi Alkoholicy pt:Alcoólicos Anônimos ru:Анонимные алкоголики fi:AA-liike sv:Anonyma Alkoholister tr:Anonim Alkolikler uk:Спільнота анонімних алкоголіків

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