Thomas Curtis Chace

About the author: He is a certified alcohol and drug counselor and has taught courses on AA's twelve steps of recovery at Santa Barbara City College's (SBCC) Continuing Education program.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is by far the most successful program for recovering alcoholics. AA is an association of men and women who come together to share their experiences and draw support from one another. AA is a completely self-supporting organization, accepting no money from the city, state, or federal governments. AA is not affiliated with any particular church denomination or sect. The only thing AA asks of its members is that they have a desire to stop drinking. AA is about alcoholics helping other alcoholics achieve sobriety—nothing more, nothing less.

The most successful program for the recovery...