Can AA Explain Itself Clearly?

Can AA Explain Itself Clearly?

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? Alcoholics Alive! brings together recovered members of Alcoholics Anonymous to talk frankly about living AA as a way of life, and this episode zeroes in on a big question: can AA explain itself clearly to professionals?

Shank and Wayne start with a reading from the foreword to the second edition of the Big Book, breaking AA down to its core actions: moral inventory, confession, restitution, helping others, and a “necessity of belief in and dependence upon God.” As one of them puts it, these are “basically necessary actions to take. Simple. It's very simple. But not easy.” From there, they get into the Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC) agenda items from the General Service Conference.

There’s a strong emphasis on singleness of purpose and the confusion that arises when professionals send people who aren’t necessarily alcoholic and then conclude that “AA doesn’t work.” They highlight the need for simple, unified material instead of endless segmented pamphlets and binders that “nobody’s going to read.” To lighten things up, the Meeting Shrapnel segment tackles common AA sayings like “GIFT – God Is Forever There”, “I don’t always take inventory but when I do it’s yours”, and “Is he one of us?”, poking fun at jargon that can make AA seem like a secret club.

You’ll hear them talk through AA’s LinkedIn presence, a pamphlet for mental health professionals, CPC kits and workbooks, and the push for short professional-focused video clips. They question how effective pamphlets and videos really are, arguing that nothing replaces a real AA member sitting down with a doctor, judge, or counsellor and explaining what AA is – and what it isn’t.

If you’re involved in service, working with professionals, or just wondering how clearly AA is explained beyond the rooms, this one might get you thinking: how are you personally helping AA explain itself today?