Frequency Asked Questions

For many years, alcoholism has been recognized as a highly prevalent and disabling health problem, one that affects far more than just the alcoholic alone. Family, friends and others are hurt by its effects — in the home, on the job, on our highways and roads. Alcoholism costs lives, as well as cost­ing communities millions of dollars. So, whether or not you ever become an alcoholic yourself, alcohol­ism can still have a devastating impact on your life.

We in A.A. have learned a great deal about alcoholism — how to identify and arrest it, and how to live a life in recovery. But so far, no one has discovered a way to prevent it; it is still unknown just why some drinkers turn into alcoholics and others do not. Many doctors and scientists in the field have studied this question but have not been able to determine a definitive cause (or causes) of alcoholism.

For that reason, we in A.A. concentrate on help­ing those who are already alcoholics, those who may have a desire to stop drinking, so that they can begin to recover and to learn how to live a nor­mal, happy life without alcohol.

What is alcoholism?

As A.A. sees it, alcoholism is an illness. Alcoholics cannot control their drinking, because they are ill in their bodies and in their minds (or emotions), A.A. believes. If they do not stop drinking, their alcoholism almost always gets worse and worse.

Both the American Medical Association and the British Medical Association, chief organizations of doctors in those countries, also have said that alco­holism is an illness.

What are the symptoms?

Not all alcoholics have the same symptoms, but many — at different stages in the illness — show these signs: They find that only alcohol can make them feel self-confident and at ease with other people; often want “just one more” at the end of a party; look forward to drinking occasions and think about them a lot; get drunk when they had not planned to; try to control their drinking by chang­ing types of liquor, going on the wagon, or taking pledges; sneak drinks; lie about their drinking; hide bottles; drink at work (or in school); drink alone; have blackouts (that is, cannot remem­ber the next day what they said or did the night before); drink in the morning, to relieve severe hangovers, guilty feelings and fears; fail to eat and become malnourished; get cirrhosis of the liver; shake violently, hallucinate, or have convulsions when withdrawn from liquor.

What is A.A.?

Alcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship of men and women who help each other to stay sober. They offer the same help to anyone who

has a drinking problem and wants to do something about it. Since they are all alcoholics themselves, they have a special understanding of each other. They know what the illness feels like — and they have learned how to recover from it in A.A.

A.A. members say that they are alcoholics today — even when they have not had a drink for many years. They do not say that they are “cured.” Once people have lost their ability to con­trol their drinking, they can never again be sure of drinking safely — or, in other words, they can never become “former alcoholics” or “ex-alcohol­ics.” But in A.A., they can become sober alcohol­ics, recovered alcoholics.

How does A.A. help the alcoholic?

Through the example and friendship of the recov­ered alcoholics in A.A., new members are encour­aged to stay away from a drink “one day at a time,” as the A.A.s do. Instead of “swearing off forever” or worrying about whether they will be sober tomorrow, A.A.s concentrate on not drinking right now — today.

By keeping alcohol out of their systems, new­comers take care of one part of their illness — their bodies have a chance to get well. But remem­ber, there is another part. If they are going to stay sober, they need healthy minds and healthy emotions, too. So they begin to straighten out their confused thinking and unhappy feelings by follow­ing A.A.’s “Twelve Steps” to recovery. These Steps suggest ideas and actions that can guide alcoholics toward happy and useful lives.

To be in touch with other members and to learn about the recovery program, new members go to A.A. meetings regularly.

What are A.A. meetings?

Alcoholics Anonymous is established in approx­imately 180 countries. The people in each group get together, usually once or twice a week, to hold A.A. meetings, of two main types:

(1) At “open meetings,” speakers tell how they drank, how they discovered A.A., and how its

program has helped them. Members may bring relatives or friends, and usually anyone interested in A.A. is also welcome to attend “open meetings” as an observer.

(2) “Closed meetings” are for alcoholics only. These are group discussions, and any members who want to may speak up, to ask questions and to share their thoughts with fellow mem­bers. At “closed meetings,” A.A.s can get help with personal problems in staying sober and in everyday living. Some other A.A.s can explain how they have already handled the same problems — often by using one or more of the Twelve Steps.

Our groups endeavor to provide a safe meet­ing place for all attendees and encourage a secure and welcoming environment in which our meet­ings can take place. The formation and oper­ation of an A.A. group resides with the group conscience. Our common suffering as alcoholics and our common solution in A.A. transcend most difficulties and help us to create as safe an envi­ronment as possible to carry A.A.’s message of hope and recovery to the still-suffering alcoholic.

Who belongs to A.A.?

Like other illnesses, alcoholism strikes all sorts of people. So the men and women in A.A. are of all races and nationalities, all religions and no religion at all. They are rich and poor and just aver­age. They work at all occupations, as lawyers and housewives, teachers and truck drivers, waitresses and members of the clergy.

A.A. does not keep a list of members, but groups do report how many people belong to each one. From these reports, total A.A. membership is estimated at over 2,000,000.

Does an alcoholic have to go “all the way down” before A.A. can help?

A.A. was started in 1935 by a New York stock­broker and an Ohio surgeon, who had both been “hopeless” drunks. At first, most A.A. members also had been seriously ill; their drinking had sent them to hospitals, sanitariums, or jails. But more and more people began to hear about A.A., and soon many alcoholics found they did not have to let their illness do that much damage. They could recover in A.A. before their health had been totally wrecked, while they still had their jobs and their families.

Are there any young people in A.A.?

The pamphlet “Young People in A.A.” gives the personal stories of seven young people who joined when they were under 30. The cartoon pamphlet “A Message to Teenagers” tells how some teenage alcoholics found A.A. Many young people like these are cheerfully staying sober and taking part in A.A. activities.

Who runs A.A.?

A.A. has no real government. Each group is free to work out its own customs and ways of holding meetings, as long as it does not hurt other groups or A.A. as a whole. The members elect a chairper­son, a secretary, and other group officers. These officers do not give orders to anybody; mostly, their job is to see that the meetings run smoothly. In the average group, new officers are elected twice a year.

But the individual group is not cut off from the rest of A.A. Just as A.A. members help each other, so do A.A. groups. Here are three of the means they use to exchange help:

(1) Groups in the same area set up a central office or “intergroup” office.

(2) Groups everywhere share their experiences by writing to the A.A. General Service Office, in New York City.

(3) Groups in the U.S. and Canada choose rep­resentatives to go to the A.A. General Service Conference, held once a year.

All these A.A. offices and the representatives at the Conference make suggestions, based on the experiences of many different A.A. groups. But they do not make rules or issue commands to any groups or members.

What does it cost to belong to A.A.?

Newcomers do not pay any fees for membership. And members do not pay dues.

But money is needed for some purposes: rent­ing the meeting hall, buying coffee and other refreshments, buying A.A. books, pamphlets, and magazines. So a basket is usually passed around during the meeting, and members put in whatever they can afford or wish to give. Groups also contribute money to support central offices, the General Service Office, and other A.A. activities.

In return for the A.A. help that members give to other alcoholics, these members are never paid. Their reward is something much better than money — it is their own health. A.A.s have found that helping other alcoholics is the best way to stay sober themselves.

What can the families of alcoholics do?

A.A. is just for the alcoholics, but two other fel­lowships can help their relatives. One is Al-Anon Family Groups. The other is Alateen, for teenagers who have alcoholic parents.

What does A.A. NOT do?

1. A.A. does not run membership drives to try to argue alcoholics into joining. A.A. is for alcoholics who want to get sober.
2. A.A. does not check up on its members to see that they don’t drink. It helps alcoholics to help themselves.
3. A.A. is not a religious organization. All mem­bers are free to decide on their own personal ideas about the meaning of life.
4. A.A. is not a medical organization, does not give out medicines or psychiatric advice.
5. A.A. does not run any hospitals, wards, or treatment centers or provide nursing services.
6. A.A. is not affiliated with any other organiza­tion. But A.A. does cooperate with organizations that are interested in recovery. Some members

work for such organizations — but on their own — not as representatives of A.A.

7. A.A. does not accept money from sources out­side A.A., either private or government.
8. A.A. does not offer any social services, does not provide housing, food, clothing, jobs, or money. It helps alcoholics stay sober, so they can earn these things for themselves.
9. Alcoholics Anonymous lives up to the “Anonymous” part of its title. It does not want members’ full names or faces to be revealed on radio, TV, newspapers or on new media technol­ogies such as the Internet. And members do not tell other members’ names to people outside A.A. But members are not ashamed of belonging to A.A. They just want to encourage more alcoholics to come to A.A. for help. And they do not want to make heroes and heroines of themselves simply for taking care of their own health.
10. A.A. does not provide letters of reference to parole boards, lawyers, court officials, social agen­cies, employers, etc.

How can you find out more about A.A.?

1. Most towns and cities have an A.A. listing in the telephone book, for a group or central office. Often, local A.A. has a public information committee to tell people what they want to know about A.A.
2. If you do not find an A.A. listing in your phone book, contact:

General Service Office Box 459, Grand Central Station New York, NY 10163 www.aa.org

3. You can get other A.A. pamphlets either from your town’s A.A. office or by writing to the General Service Office (address above), which will send you free one copy of each pamphlet you want.

AA Pamphlet A Brief Guide to AA (P-42)

Court cards will be signed as a courtesy at this meeting. Stepping Stones is not affiliated with the court in any way. Please place your court cards in the basket when it is passed. You may pick them up at the end of the meeting.

Al-Anon is a mutual-help fellowship founded in 1951 to support families and friends of individuals struggling with alcoholism. It was established by Lois Wilson, the wife of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) co-founder Bill Wilson, recognizing the need for a separate support network for those affected by another person’s drinking. The primary purpose of Al-Anon is to help members focus on their own emotional health and recovery, rather than attempting to control or change the alcoholic’s behavior.

Al-Anon operates on the principles of the Twelve Steps, Traditions, and Concepts of Service adapted from AA, but tailored for the needs of family and friends. The program emphasizes personal growth, stress management, and setting healthy boundaries through shared experiences and peer support. Membership requires only that an individual’s life has been adversely affected by someone else’s drinking, and there are no dues or fees—groups are self-supporting through voluntary contributions.

Meetings are held worldwide, often in community centers, churches, or hospitals, and occur seven days a week, with sessions typically lasting about an hour. They begin with a reading of the Twelve Steps and may include personal stories, discussions, and the use of slogans such as "One Day at a Time," "Easy Does It," and "Keep an Open Mind" to guide members through difficult situations. Participation is voluntary, and members are encouraged to share their experiences, though speaking is not required.

Al-Anon also offers Alateen, a program specifically for teenagers aged 13 to 18 who are affected by a family member’s alcoholism. Both programs emphasize anonymity, unity, and the idea that alcoholism is a family illness, with recovery achieved through mutual support and spiritual principles.

The organization provides a range of literature to support recovery, including "How Al-Anon Works," a workbook for the Twelve Steps, and a 48-page booklet titled "Keep It Simple" that summarizes the core teachings. Al-Anon’s guiding principles are outlined in the Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts of Service, which ensure group autonomy, non-professionalism, and a focus on the common welfare over individual personalities.

Al-Anon is not a counseling service, religious organization, or treatment center, but rather a peer-led fellowship that fosters healing, understanding, and hope for those impacted by alcoholism. With over 14,000 groups in the United States and Canada, and more than 26,000 groups globally across 115 countries, Al-Anon continues to serve as a vital resource for families and friends seeking recovery from the effects of alcoholism.

Stepping Stones Alano Club is a nonprofit, recovery-oriented social and meeting center that provides a safe, welcoming, and alcohol-free environment for individuals seeking or maintaining sobriety. While closely associated with Alcoholics Anonymous, an Alano Club is not an AA group and does not govern or endorse AA. Instead, it functions as an independent facility that rents or provides space to AA groups, Al-Anon, and Alateen. This distinction helps preserve AA's traditions—particularly the principles of non-affiliation and autonomy—while supporting the practical needs of the recovery community.

Stepping Stones Alano Club is incorporated as a nonprofit organization and managed by a board of directors responsible for finances, policies, and long-term sustainability. Funding comes from member dues, voluntary contributions, event proceeds, and modest meeting or room fees rather than outside sponsorship.

The club is volunteer-run, with members contributing time and service to keep the doors open, maintain the space, and provide hospitality.

Beyond hosting meetings, Stepping Stones Alano Club offers informal fellowship areas, coffee and snacks, literature racks, and social events—creating a sense of community and belonging. By providing a consistent place for connection, service, and sober social interaction, the club plays an important role in supporting long-term recovery and emotional well-being.

Stepping Stones Alano Club is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), recovery-oriented social and meeting center.

As a nonprofit organization, it is governed by its By-Laws. The By-Laws specify that meeting space may be rented to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Al-Anon only. In accordance with these guidelines, the club does not rent meeting space to NA, OA, or other 12-Step programs.

Parking is available in front of Stepping Stones and to the east. Please do not park on the Cycle Gear side of the parking lot.

A designated smoking area is located at the back of the building. Please use the provided butt cans to dispose of cigarette butts.

The phone in the foyer should be answered, “Hello, Stepping Stones Alano Club. How can we help you?” Please do not answer the phone as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Al-Anon, or any other fellowship.