A.A. is the short form for “Alcoholics Anonymous”.  This is a free organization of men and women who meet together to attain the goal of becoming sober and maintaining sobriety. There are over 2 million members in over 150 countries world wide.   It is a program of total abstinence; where the focus is to stay away from one drink, a day at a time.  Through the use of A.A.’s 12 Steps to recovery program and from the sharing of experiences at group meetings, there is strength and hope gained that allows members to achieve and maintain sobriety.  The anonymous aspect is exactly that, that your membership would never be disclosed.  Anyone can attend an open meeting of A.A. and they usually consist of talks by a leader or a couple of speakers who share in their alcoholism experiences and recovery from it.  There are also information meetings held to inform the public about A.A. and its programs, where members of the community are specifically invited to attend.  The closed discussion meetings are for alcoholics only.  This organization was started in 1935 by a New York stockbroker and an Ohio surgeon, who were both helpless drunks at the time.  The two founded A.A. in an effort to stay sober themselves and to help others who suffered from alcoholism.  A.A. does not keep any records of you or in any way try to control you.  It also does not provide any housing or food, clothing, jobs, money, etc. for recovering alcoholics or other things of this nature.  They are simply a helping hand that has lead many drunks to a sober and successful life through the support of their peers and by providing guidance.