Press and Media

Press Releases

January 17, 2024 Alcoholics Anonymous Membership Survey results released

January 17, 2024

Contact:
pressinfo@aa.org
(212) 870-3119

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Attn: Reporters, editors, and producers

 

 

Alcoholics Anonymous Membership Survey results released
Survey conducted in 2022 offers information on member characteristics and experience in the A.A. program.    

(NEW YORK, January 17, 2024) Results of the Alcoholics Anonymous Membership Survey have been released and are available on the A.A. website and in print.  

More than 6,000 A.A. members took part in a survey using random selection sampling conducted by the General Service Office in 2022. Since 1968, this survey has been conducted periodically to keep members and the public informed of the current profile of the membership. The last survey was conducted in 2014.

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August 15, 2023 Understanding Alcoholics Anonymous and Spirituality

August 15, 2023

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pressinfo@aa.org
(212) 870-3119

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Attn: Reporters, editors, and producers



Understanding Alcoholics Anonymous and Spirituality

A.A. welcomes anyone seeking help for a drinking problem and is not aligned with any religious tradition or beliefs.

(NEW YORK, August 15, 2023) Since the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) in 1935, members of all faiths, beliefs, and traditions have found common ground in and benefited from the A.A. program of recovery. The A.A. fellowship has grown and expanded around the world, reaching people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and religious traditions who have found help and hope in the A.A. spiritual program as embodied in its Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.

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February 1, 2023 Open Meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous Welcome Everyone to the Fellowship

February 1, 2023

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Open Meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous Welcome Everyone to the Fellowship
AA offers a variety of meetings for individuals seeking sobriety and for members of the community who want to learn more about the AA program.

(NEW YORK, February 1, 2023) A remarkable effect can take place in an Alcoholics Anonymous group meeting when an individual struggling with a drinking problem asks for help and someone is there to share with them that AA may be a solution. For some AA members, their journey of sobriety began at “open” AA meetings, which can be attended by any member of the community, alcoholic or nonalcoholic. Open meetings have long been a vital source of information for anyone who wants to learn more firsthand about the AA Fellowship. The only request is that attendees not disclose the names of AA members outside the meeting so that members’ anonymity may be maintained.

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October 21, 2022 Members of the Hispanic Community Find Help and Hope in Alcoholics Anonymous

October 21, 2022

Contact:
pressinfo@aa.org
(212) 870-3119

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Attn: Reporters, editors, and producers

 

The Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) General Service Office offers support and publications in Spanish for members and anyone seeking help for a drinking problem.     

(NEW YORK, October 21, 2022) Members of the Hispanic community find help and support to get and stay sober every day in meetings across the United States and Canada. Those whose first language is Spanish also have available to them an array of A.A. books, pamphlets, and other materials in Spanish—including the book Alcoholics Anonymous (“the Big Book”). The A.A. Meeting Guide app also allows users to search for Spanish-speaking meetings in their area or online.

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July 7, 2022 LGBTQ+ individuals find help and hope in Alcoholics Anonymous

July 7, 2022

Contact:
pressinfo@aa.org
(212) 870-3119

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Attn: Reporters, editors, and producers

 

Members share their stories of recovery and of finding support and acceptance in A.A. meetings 

(NEW YORK, July 6, 2022) The principles of Alcoholics Anonymous encourage the ideals of participation, inclusion, and unity for members and groups. 
 

Since A.A.’s founding 87 years ago, individuals from diverse groups and backgrounds have found help and hope for their drinking problems in the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. Among these members are LGBTQ+ individuals who have shared their experiences in the A.A. publication LGBTQ Alcoholics in A.A.

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April 30, 2022 Think you might have a drinking problem? Alcoholics Anonymous can help

April 30, 2022

Contact:
pressinfo@aa.org
(212) 870-3119

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Attn: Journalists, Producers, Editors, Reviewers, News Media
Subjects: Alcoholism and Addiction, Books, Health and Wellness, Alcohol Awareness, Publishing

NEW YORK (April 30, 2022) — It is a question a problem drinker might ask and then immediately list the reasons why it cannot be true. To help people come to their own conclusions regarding a problem with alcohol, A.A. offers a self-assessment tool, “Is A.A. for You?” It includes twelve questions to help an individual decide whether to give A.A. a try.

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October 1, 2021 Alcoholics Anonymous: Hispanic Women in A.A. share their experiences of hope and recovery

October 1, 2021

Contact:
Publicinfo@aa.org
212-870-3119

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Attention: Journalists, Producers, Editors, Reviewers, News Media

Subjects: Alcoholism and Addiction, Books, Health and Wellness, Hispanic Women, Publishing

 

Before A.A., I lived a very sad life. Loneliness and drinking were my companions. I loved — or rather, I needed — to drink. It was an extraordinarily powerful but temporary “medicine.” …I came to A.A …I started listening to the stories and identifying. (Rosa)

(New York, NY) October 1, 2021: The 15 stories contained in the most recent Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) recovery publication, “Hispanic Women in A.A.,” share the experience, strength and hope of a wide variety of Hispanic women, all of them alcoholics who found sobriety and a new way of life within A.A. The pamphlet was developed over the course of two years with a working group of Spanish-speaking A.A. women from around the country. Amalia C., a member of the A.A. General Service Board literature committee shared, “We called for personal stories reflecting both social and economic diversity. We wanted Hispanic women from any background to be able to identify.”

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June 8, 2021 Alcoholics Anonymous in the U.S. and Canada Welcomes New Board Chairperson

June 8, 2021

Contact: Publicinfo@aa.org www.aa.org

Attention: Journalists, Producers, Editors, News Media

Subjects: Alcoholism and Addiction, Health and Wellness, Recovery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

[New York, NY] Linda Chezem (nonalcoholic), of Plainfield, Indiana, has been selected as chairperson of A.A.’s General Service Board, replacing outgoing board chair Michele Grinberg. Trained as a lawyer, Linda spent 22 years serving as a judge, beginning as the first female Circuit Court judge in Indiana followed by a decade on the Indiana Court of Appeals.

A.A. has always relied on its many nonalcoholic friends to provide professional expertise, sound business judgment and balance to the dedicated group of trustees who donate their time and interest in service to Alcoholics Anonymous. Importantly, of the 21 members of A.A.’s General Service Board, seven are specifically designated as Class A (nonalcoholic) trustees and can provide services that the 14 Class B (recovering alcoholic) trustees cannot, particularly in the area of providing public information about A.A. where they can face the camera head-on or use their last names without concern about anonymity. While Class A trustees do not serve as spokespeople for the Fellowship, they are available as representatives of A.A. for interviews about A.A. across multiple communications platforms -- in TV, public Media, e-radio and podcasts. (For more information about A.A.'s principle of anonymity, you can watch a brief video from A.A.'s General Service Office.)

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April 21, 2021 Alcoholics Anonymous: Concerned About a Drinking Problem?

April 21, 2021

Attention: Journalists, Producers, Editors, News Media

Subjects: Alcoholism and Addiction, Health and Wellness, Recovery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

We hated to admit that we could never drink safely. But in A.A. we finally gave up trying to control our drinking. What once had felt like a “solution” to our problems had become a “problem” beyond what we could ever have imagined. And often we were the last to know.

We discovered that we had an illness called alcoholism- often referred to by the medical community as “Alcohol Use Disorder.”

We found out that many people suffered from the same feelings of guilt, loneliness and hopelessness that we did.

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To view older press releases, visit our Press Release page

View press releases from the last 2 years 

Anonymity Letter to Media

February 2024 A Note of Thanks and a Request for Continued Cooperation.

A Letter to the Media About Anonymity

And a thank you from the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous for continued cooperation.

From time to time we reach out to our friends in the media to thank them for helping us observe our long-standing tradition of anonymity for members of Alcoholics Anonymous.

First, we'd like to express our thanks. From the beginning of A.A. over 85 years ago, we've recognized that word-of-mouth is not enough to carry the A.A. program's message of hope and recovery to the many people still suffering from alcoholism.

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Media Kit

Digital Press Kit

This Digital A.A. Press Kit includes information about Alcoholics Anonymous in the U.S/Canada Service Structure.  The goal of the press kit is to answer questions and provide information about Alcoholics Anonymous for the media, professionals, and the general public. Please email publicinfo@aa.org for any questions.

Please click here to download

What is A.A.?

Digital Content

Public Service Announcement Downloads

Broadcasters

HD Broadcast-quality versions of A.A.’s public service announcements (PSAs) are available at no cost to U.S and Canadian broadcasters.
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Audio PSA Downloads

A.A. audio public service announcements (PSAs) are available at no cost to U.S and Canadian broadcasters.
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View or Listen to Audio and Video PSAs

Videos for Young People Downloads

A.A. members who got sober in their teens and early twenties talk about their experiences in Alcoholics Anonymous. The videos were submitted by the members themselves and are anonymity protected
Please click here to download