Frequently Asked Questions
If you repeatedly drink more than you intend or want to, if you get into trouble, or if you have memory lapses when you drink, you may be an alcoholic. Only you can decide. No one in A.A. will tell you whether you are or not.
We are a Fellowship of men and women who have lost the ability to control our drinking and have found ourselves in various kinds of trouble as a result of drinking. We attempt—most of us successfully—to create a satisfying way of life without alcohol. For this we find we need the help and support of other alcoholics in A.A.
No. A.A. does not keep membership files, or attendance records. You do not have to reveal anything about yourself. No one will bother you if you don’t want to come back.
They will be there for the same reason you are there. They will not disclose your identity to outsiders. At A.A. you retain as much anonymity as you wish. That is one of the reasons we call ourselves Alcoholics Anonymous.
An A.A. meeting may take one of several forms, but at any meeting you will find alcoholics talking about what drinking did to their lives and personalities, what actions they took to help themselves, and how they are living their lives today.
We in A.A. know what it is like to be addicted to alcohol, and to be unable to keep promises made to others and ourselves that we will stop drinking. We are not professional therapists. Our only qualification for helping others to recover from alcoholism is that we have stopped drinking ourselves, but problem drinkers coming to us know that recovery is possible because they see people who have done it.
You are an A.A. member if and when you say so. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking, and many of us were not very wholehearted about that when we first approached A.A.
There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership. An A.A. group will usually have a collection during the meeting to cover expenses, such as rent, coffee, etc., and to this all members are free to contribute as much or as little as they wish.
No. Nor is it allied with any religious organization.
The majority of A.A. members believe that we have found the solution to our drinking problem not through individual willpower, but through a power greater than ourselves. However, everyone defines this power as he or she wishes. Many people call it God, others think it is the A.A. group, still others don’t believe in it at all. There is room in A.A. for people of all shades of belief and nonbelief.
AA Terms
Al–Anon – An independent fellowship with the stated purpose of helping relatives and friends of alcoholics.
AWOL: A way of life” is a kind of meeting devoted to the study of the 12 Steps. AWOL meetings use a specific format to study the 12 Steps of AA for a prescribed period of time, usually six to 12 months.
Closed Meeting: An AA meeting for members only, of whom have a desire to stop drinking.
Cross talk: giving advice to others who have already shared, speaking directly to another person rather than to the group and questioning or interrupting the person speaking at the time.
Dry Drunk: A person who has stopped drinking alcohol but who still acts impulsively, behaves in dysfunctional ways and makes risky decisions associated with addiction. Signs of dry drunk syndrome can include dishonesty, isolation, depression, anxiety and glamorizing alcohol use.
Fellowship: A fellowship refers to a group of people who share similar goals. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship where the common goal is to stay sober.
Friend of Bill: A recovering alcoholic, especially one who is a member of AA. Are you a friend of Bills? Is a safe way to ask someone if they are in AA.
Geographical Cure: This is when people try to escape their alcoholism by moving to a new location. Such attempts are unlikely to be successful because the individual will take their addiction with them.
H.A.L.T: Means hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. For recovering addicts and alcoholics, this word is how they monitor their state of physical and mental well-being.
Higher Power: A vital element of the AA program is accepting that some higher power can help the individual defeat their addiction. For many people, this higher power is thoughts of as God. This is why non-believers can feel comfortable with AA. There is no rule that says that people need to have God as their higher power. They may decide to choose the power of the group to be their higher power instead.
Home Group: Most AA members will have one group that they attend most frequently. It is beneficial to have one regular group because it makes it possible to build relationships with other members.
IOP: intensive Outpatient Treatment (also known as IOP for “Intensive Outpatient Program”) is a primary treatment program recommended in some circumstances by a clinical and medical assessment.
Pink Cloud: A is a phenomenon many recovering addicts experience when they first go into recovery. When pink clouding, they feel a sense of euphoria that’s then followed by a crash once reality sets in.
Rooms/Halls: AA slang for meetings.
Jackpot: Terrible things that happen as a result of drinking.
Old Timer: Generally considered someone who has at least a decade of sobriety.
Mocus: A state of confusion, often referring to the state of mind brought about by detoxification.
Open Meeting: An AA meeting that welcomes everyone who has an interest in AA.
7th Tradition: The Seventh Tradition states: “Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.” While contributions cover each group’s rent and other expenses, the Seventh Tradition is essential at every level of A.A. service.
Sobriety: Sobriety means more than just staying sober. It also means living a good life and doing the right things.
Sponsor: A sponsor is an experienced member who will be able to provide support and advice on a one to one basis. Sponsor also take the sponsee through the Big Book and the 12 Steps
Step Study Meeting: This is meeting where the main focus is studying the program. Members share about their experience of working the step under discussion.
Stinking Thinking: Negative thinking can be dangerous for people in recovery. They may start to believe that staying sober is not so wonderful. Stinking thinking can easily lead to relapse.
Thirteenth Stepping: This is where more experienced members of the group take sexual advantage of vulnerable new members.
Twelve Steps: This is the AA program in the form of steps that members should take.
Twelve Traditions: These are the guidelines for how the meetings should be managed and how the organization functions.
Two Stepper: This refers to those members who attend meetings but do not follow the AA program.