AA official website

About Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experiences, strengths, and hopes with each other with the primary purpose focused on staying sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; 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.

Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
A.A.'s Twelve Steps are a set of principles, which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to alcohol and enable the sufferer to lead a productive life.

Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous
Twelve Traditions apply to the life of the Fellowship itself. The traditions outline the means by which A.A. maintains its unity and relates itself to the world about it, the way it lives and grows.

Types of A.A. Meetings
Most meetings last about an hour and are held on a regular basis at the same time and place every week. There are several types of meetings as follows:

1. Open Meeting - generally around-the-table discussion on some topic relating to alcoholism. There will be a chairperson and generally a leader. Someone will read a section from the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous on "How It Works." The leader will then introduce the topic.
2. Closed Meeting - structured the same as the open meeting with the exception that only people with a desire to stop drinking, or people who think they may have a problem with drinking, may attend.
3. Speaker's Meeting - a speaker will be introduced who will tell his or her story for the entire meeting, usually following a format of (1) what life was like when he or she drank; (2) what happened to make them stop drinking; and (3) what sobriety means to their life now.
4. A Big Book Study - specifically designed to improve your understanding of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous - a good meeting for members new to the program.
5. A Step Study - concentrates on examining in detail the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, the core of the program. Many of the members of A.A. find these steps to be the solution to the illness of alcoholism.