AA has been a vital, accessible, and self-sustaining pathway to recovery from alcohol use disorder in Scotland for over 75 years since its arrival in 1949. It is a fellowship that has helped millions worldwide.
What is AA?
AA is an international fellowship of people who have had a drinking problem. It is non-professional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere. Membership is open to anyone who has a desire to stop drinking.
AA’s identity is often best understood by clarifying what it is not. This helps professionals and the public grasp its unique role in recovery and its foundational principles.
Here is a breakdown of what AA is not:
AA is not a professional treatment service. It does not provide medical, psychiatric, or psychological counselling. AA is a peer-support fellowship run by its members.
AA is not a religious organisation. While the AA Twelve Steps mention a “Higher Power,” AA is a spiritual, not religious, fellowship. Members are free to interpret this concept in any way they choose, and many find a “Higher Power” in the AA group itself, or a different understanding of a spiritual force. AA is open to people of all faiths and those with no faith at all.
AA is not a membership organisation with dues or fees. There are no charges for membership. Its services are provided freely. While voluntary contributions are accepted to cover meeting expenses, they are not mandatory.
AA is not a “cure” for alcoholism. AA members believe that alcoholism is a chronic disease that can be arrested but not cured. The program is a way of life that provides a foundation for long-term sobriety.
AA is not an organisation that keeps records of its members. There are no membership lists, attendance records, or case files. The principle of anonymity is paramount.
AA is not a political or social advocacy group. It does not endorse or oppose any causes, movements, or external organisations. It maintains a policy of non-affiliation to ensure its sole focus remains on its primary purpose: helping alcoholics achieve sobriety
How AA’s Public Information Teams Support Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare providers are often the first point of contact for individuals experiencing alcohol-related issues. AA’s PI teams may collaborate with medical professionals to enhance patient care by:
- Informative Presentations: AA members regularly deliver presentations to GPs, hospital staff (doctors, nurses, therapists), addiction specialists, and mental health professionals. These talks explain the Twelve Steps, the non-clinical nature of AA, and its role in long-term recovery.
- Literature and Referral Guidance: Providing resources like the pamphlet “Alcoholics Anonymous as a Resource for the Medical Profession,” which outlines what AA does and doesn’t do, how it complements medical care, and how patients can easily find and access meetings (via the helpline, online finder, etc.).
- Clarifying Boundaries: Emphasizing that AA is a peer-support fellowship, not a treatment provider.
- AA meetings: Regular AA meetings are held in hospitals and patients are welcome to attend.
AA also undertakes Public Information work within schools and institutions, the justice system, including prisons, and within human resource departments. AA can offer healthcare professionals the opportunity to observe meetings and participate in Q&A sessions with members.
In all these interactions, AA’s PI teams strictly adhere to the principle of anonymity, ensuring no individual member is publicly identified, and maintaining AA’s focus on attraction rather than promotion:
“Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.”
This quote, from Tradition Eleven, is central to how AA approaches all its external communications. It emphasizes:
- Attraction over Promotion: AA doesn’t “advertise” or “campaign” for members in a commercial sense. Instead, it aims to attract those who need help by demonstrating the positive results of the program (recovery, sobriety, changed lives). The message itself, carried by the actions and words of its members, is the attraction.
- Personal Anonymity at Public Level: This is crucial. One of our founders Bill W. strongly advocated that no individual AA member should publicly identify themselves (with their full name and face) as an AA member in mass media. This protects the individual member, prevents the creation of “stars” or gurus, and ensures that the focus remains on the principles of AA rather than on personalities. It reinforces humility and equality within the fellowship.
How is AA Funded?
AA is funded entirely by its members, a principle enshrined in Tradition Seven: “Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.”
The funding model works as follows:
- No Dues or Fees: There are absolutely no dues or fees for AA membership. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. This ensures financial status is never a barrier to receiving help.
- Voluntary Contributions: At meetings, a bag is passed around (known as the “Seventh Tradition) for members, where they can, to make a small voluntary contribution.
- What the Money Pays For: These contributions are used to cover the group’s direct expenses (e.g. rent for meeting places and AA literature).
- Supporting the Service Structure: Any funds remaining after a group’s expenses are paid are passed on through our structure to support the vital services provided by the Intergroups, Regions, and the General Service Office. This ensures that the helpline can be staffed, meeting lists can be printed, and public information work can be done.
- No Outside Funding: AA does not accept money from governments, corporations, institutions, or non-members. This protects the fellowship from any external influence that could compromise its primary purpose: helping the alcoholic who still suffers.
In essence, AA’s structure and funding are designed to keep the focus on its members and their recovery, ensuring that the fellowship remains autonomous, accessible, and dedicated to its one primary purpose.
How Does Someone Contact AA and Get to a Meeting?
Each week there are over 90 meetings of AA in Edinburgh (in-person and online), 450 in Scotland and 4200 in the UK. It is estimated that the fellowship has over 2 million members worldwide.
Contacting AA and finding a meeting is designed to be as straightforward and accessible as possible for anyone seeking help:
- National Helpline (Great Britain): The primary point of contact is the national freephone helpline: 0800 917 7650. This helpline operates 24/7 and is staffed by AA members in recovery who can provide immediate support, answer questions, and help a newcomer find a meeting.
- Email: You can also contact AA via email at help@aamail.org
- Live Chat: The AA Great Britain website (www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk) often features a live chat box for immediate messaging with a volunteer during staffed hours.
- Online Meeting Finder: The most common way to find a meeting is through the “Find a Meeting” tool on the AA Great Britain website. Users can search by postcode, town, or type of meeting (in-person or online) to find a schedule of meetings in their area. For Edinburgh and Midlothian specifically, local intergroup websites also list meetings (aa-edinburgh.org.uk) .
- Local Intergroup Offices: Many larger cities and regions, like Glasgow and Edinburgh, have local AA intergroup offices (e.g., the Northern Service Office in Glasgow). While primarily for members, they can also provide meeting information and local contacts
