Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), an international nonprofit organization, founded in 1935, consisting of abstinent alcoholics whose purpose is to stay sober and help others recover from the disease of alcoholism through a 12-step program, including group support, shared experiences, and faith in a higher power. The AA program, which emphasizes both medical and religious resources for help in overcoming alcoholism, consists of attending meetings and coping with abstinence “one day at a time.” Meetings are held at convenient times in public locations such as factories, schools, churches, hospitals, and other community buildings. Similar groups who work with the children, relatives, friends, and associates of alcoholics are Al-Anon and Alateen.
