A definition of what Alcoholics Anonymous is in the famous Preamble to read at the beginning of the meetings of AA groups:
Alcoholics Anonymous ® is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope to solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. To become a member of AA do not pay dues or fees, we stay with our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, political party, organization or institution, to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary objective is to keep sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Copyright © by the AA Grapevine, Inc.
" PREAMBLE first appeared in print in the June 1947 number of the AA Grapevine. It was written by the then editor, who took much of the material from the Prologue to the first edition Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.
In those years, the Grapevine had begun to circulate between people noalcohólicas and the Preamble was intended primarily to expose them to these people what was and was not AA. Still used for public information purposes. As time passed, began to appear in all publications approved by the Conference, and many AA groups now use it to open the meetings.
The original version differed in two important aspects of the version we all know now: 1) stated that "the only requirement for membership is a sincere desire to stop drinking," and 2) included only the brief statement "AA dues or fees charged. "
Often the question is why has deleted the word "sincere." In the General Service Conference 1958, a delegate referring to the words "honest desire to stop drinking," suggested that, as the word "sincere" does not appear in the Third Tradition, should be removed from the Preamble. During the discussion, most Conference members expressed the view that, given the maturity of AA, it had become impossible to determine what constitutes a sincere desire to stop drinking and some people interested in the program may feel confused by the sentence. Therefore, as part of the development of AA, the phrase has been removed from ordinary use. At the meeting the summer of 1958 of the General Service Board has confirmed the removal, and since then, the Preamble only indicates "a desire to stop drinking."
At the same time, the phrase "AA charges no dues or fees" was clarified to read as it stands: "There are no dues or fees, we stay with our own contributions." The current version appears in the Preamble first page of each issue of Grapevine.
When printing, the Preamble should include the following credit line:
Copyright © The AA Grapevine, Inc.
Service Material from the Office of General ServicesBlogalaxia Tags: Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism
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