The Alcoholics Anonymous Mission Statement
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The Alcoholics Anonymous mission statement is essentially their Preamble.
The Alcoholics Anonymous Preamble
The following
is the Alcoholics Anonymous Preamble:
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength
and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from
alcoholism.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees
for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. 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. The A.A. primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve
sobriety.
| The diagnosis of alcoholism is generally made by reviewing the person's behavior
except when the person has symptoms of withdrawal or damage to organs as a result of alcohol
consumption. |
The Mission Statement of Area Alcoholics Anonymous Groups
It is interesting to note that various Alcoholics Anonymous regions or areas have their own
mission statements.
These more
"local" statements of operation do not deviate in any way from the parent AA organization; they merely outline
how the local AA areas go about doing their recovery work in their local areas.
For instance, the following is the Mission Statement for area 16, Georgia:
To communicate what Alcoholics Anonymous is to the visitor and to do so in a simple way.
Hence the content being the Preamble and the external links to the General Service Offices of Alcoholics Anonymous
and the Grapevine.
To direct visitors to meeting places by providing group names, the street address of meeting
places, general driving directions to the meetings, and current meeting schedules.
To serve as an internal tool to dispense continually up to date meeting schedules in a cost
effective package on one page, for copies, if possible, and with ease of editing for the
webmasters.
| According to one study, an overwhelming majority of teenagers and their parents
agreed that alcohol use is a greater problem than the use of other drugs. |
The Mission Statement of AAOnline
Due to the popularity and the accessibility of the Internet, alcoholics have access to the
AA message and recovery program online. One such online AA organization is AAOnline. The following
represents the mission statement of AAOnline.

| Call your doctor whenever you or someone you love has an alcohol-related problem.
Remember, alcoholism is an illness that can be treated, not a sign of weakness or poor
character. |
The primary purpose of AAOnline.net is to carry the Alcoholics Anonymous message of recovery
to the alcoholic who still suffers.
In using this electronic medium, the message of recovery can be brought to those unable to
physically attend meetings and shared under the protection of increased anonymity with those who would not
otherwise have made contact in any other way.
| During the last stage of alcoholism, benders are typical. More specifically,
during this stage, the alcoholic frequently gets helplessly drunk and may remain in this condition
for days at a time. The unattainable goal for the alcoholic at this time is to find the
feeling of euphoria they once experienced. |
Our purpose at AAOnline.net also includes supporting the continued recovery of those wishing
to supplement their regular face to face meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous in the continuation of their journey of
spiritual awakening and in becoming happy and usefully whole.
source: AAOnline
The Alcoholics Anonymous Mission Statement: Conclusion
Although the Alcoholics Anonymous mission statement is their Preamble, numerous
local Alcoholics Anonymous groups, however, have their own mission statements.
It is important to mention, however, that these local "statements of operation" do not deviate in
any significant manner from the parent Alcoholics Anonymous organization; they simply articulate how the local
Alcoholics Anonymous groups conduct "recovery work" in their local areas.
| Through prevention and intervention strategies directed at the individual, family,
school, and community, knowledge can be provided, belief systems can be changed and social norms
can reinforce the message that underage alcohol use is unacceptable. The goal is to enhance young
peoples’ self–esteem, self–motivation, and identity formation and to enable them to take
responsibility for their own health by making informed, deliberate, and healthy choices regarding
alcohol use. |
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