rs wrote and published the book Alcoholics Anonymous, which they refer to now as the Big Book. In 1941, A.A. become widely known because of an article printed in a national magazine that was widely read, The Saturday Evening Post. (Kinney & Leaton, page 268). In A.A. there are no dues or fees, the only requirement is a desire to stop drinking. One of the basic tenets of this group is that the alcoholic is biologically different from the nonalcoholic person and therefore can never safely drink any alcohol at all. (Ray & Ksir, page 253). Alcoholics Anonymous includes a creed which is made up of twelve steps and twelve traditions. The Twelve steps are briefly: 1) admitting that one is powerless over alcohol, 2) to believe in a power greater than themselves, 3) a decision to turn their will and life over to God as they understand him, 4) making a moral inventory of themselves, 5) admitting the exact nature of their wrongs, 6) ready to have God remove all defects of character, 7) humility, 8) making amends to those they have harmed, 9) making amends to those wherever it is possible, 10) admitting to taking personal inventory when wrong, 11) praying for a better contact with God, and 12) spreading the message of what has been learned to others with the problem. (Hayman, page 171). These steps must be followed and understand thoroughly in order to understand how and why A.A. operates. It is crucial that people meet these requirements in order to succeed in Alcoholics Anonymous. The twelve traditions are also extremely important in the strength and viability of Alcoholics Anonymous. If these are also understood than Alcoholics Anonymous will continue to be successful, since personal ambition, individual enterprise, and material benefits are all incorporated by the twelve traditions.In Alcoholics Anonymous, there are four primary types of contact which the group has developed. These types of contact are: 1) There are large meetings,...
