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Alcoholics Anonymous |
WEB SITES: www.alcoholics-anonymous.org
HITS: January 1998 -- 27,613
June 1999 -- 55,800
The
following is the definition of A.A. appearing in the Fellowship’s basic
literature and cited frequently at meetings of A.A. groups.
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their
experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common
problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.
There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting
through our own contributions. A.A.
is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or
institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor
opposes any causes. Our primary
purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.
Alcoholics
Anonymous can also be defined as an informal society of more than 2,000,000
recovered alcoholics in the United States of America, Canada and other
countries. These men and women meet
in local groups, which range in size from a handful in some localities to many
hundreds in larger communities.
Currently,
women make up 35 % of the total membership. **(See footnote)
This
website is extremely well designed. It
is available in English, Spanish and French.
Accurate and consistent information is offered to the general public, the
media, and professionals. The
topics offering detailed information were well written and aimed at different
types of readers. Professionals can
send an e-mail request for AA related materials.
There
is a complete history on the founders, how the group began and how it has
evolved over the past 35 years. AA
was founded in 1935 in Akron, Ohio by Bill W. (a New York stockbroker) and Dr.
Bob S. (an Akron surgeon), two men who had been in many institutions for
treatment of their alcoholism and were considered by everyone to be incurable.
When originally founded it was known as the Alcoholic Foundation and had
a membership of only about 100. The
name was changed after a Saturday Evening Post article by Jack Anderson appeared
in 1941. In the magazine the book Alcoholics
Anonymous was profiled and the name was changed to Alcoholics Anonymous.
Membership today stands at over two million worldwide.
The book Alcoholics Anonymous has reached sales of over 20 million at a cost of $6.00 which is only $2.50 more than its original price when first published in 1939.
New
services that have been recently added include three pamphlets- “Is AA for
You?,” “A Message for Teenagers,” and “A Newcomer Asks.”
Al-Anon is the AA sanctioned group that allows family members a meeting
place like their family member(s) who is attending AA.
The meetings are conducted like an AA meeting.
The
other website listed above provides the opportunity to read the AA publication
Grapevine. This is the magazine of
the organization that contains personal stories, anecdotes, cartoons, and
convention notices. Members of AA
can subscribe to the magazine for home delivery.
**The opening paragraphs are verbatim from the website - www.alcoholics-anonymous.org./.
Lynda Bolinsky
10-09-00