I have heard it an uncountable number of times: “AA does not work.” Anywhere from “I went to a few meetings and didn’t like it” to “My uncle Charlie was sober and then got drunk again.” For some, this is enough evidence to draw a definitive conclusion that AA does not work. I prefer to dig a bit deeper. Or as The Dude in the “Big Lebowski” says, “That’s, like, your opinion, man”. Let’s be clear as you read on, I am not promoting, endorsing or defending AA. I am offering a rational point of view.
Let’s step back and examine how the statement “it doesn’t work” can be used as an absolute or a variable proclamation. An absolute statement does not leave room for exceptions, whereas a variable one does. People hold strong beliefs, and many resort to making absolute statements even when reality tells a different story.
Typically, when people make absolute statements, they have read a few internet articles, experienced something themselves or heard something from someone they trust and accept it as truth. This type of person might be called a Cognitive Miser. A Cognitive Miser avoids effortful thinking, relying on mental shortcuts or assumptions instead of analysis.
The reality is that many things work for some people (variable). People can accurately claim that something did not work for them, or someone they know, or someone who wrote an article. They assume one example or one data point represents the totality of experience. Absolute statements are overused in our society.
For example, many people say flat out that “diets do not work.” Is this true? Suppose I choose a reputable, well-studied diet program and truly follow it for an extended period. In that case, it will absolutely work unless I have a medical condition that prohibits any diet from working.
Do I have to work hard to change my eating habits? Yes. Do I have to experience discomfort and maybe hunger as my body adjusts to the different food intake? Yes. Do I have to eat things that I am not happy about? Yes.
Am I willing to do whatever it takes to meet my goal of losing weight? Will I follow the program as designed? That is up to the individual, but commit and follow through, and you will see results. Diets work for those who follow them! So the absolute statement that diets do not work does not hold.
Pick anything that has existed for a long time that people say, “it doesn’t work,” and apply the same logic. Apply it to Christianity, therapy, meditation, college education or the studied alternative medicine approaches. The reality is that all of these 100% work for their intended purpose. The caveat is that they work for people who believe in them and are willing to follow the programs to meet their goals.
Things that do not work do not last. Let’s consider lobotomies, bloodletting to heal people and the cabbage soup diet. Why aren’t these around anymore? Because they didn’t achieve their intended purpose for enough people to continue to believe in them.
AA has been around for 90 years. Studies show that 5-10% of participants remain sober long-term. Those numbers do not sound good, right? One would think that if medicine only worked on one out of ten people, it wouldn’t keep being prescribed. Is this true? No. There is a long list, but Phenytoin or Carbamazepine are prescribed as anti-seizure medication with as low as 10% success rates. Tarceva for lung cancer or Herceptin for breast cancer are both still prescribed with less than 10% efficacy.
I am not here to argue with numbers, but we know AA is flooded with court-mandated attendees, people going through rehabilitation programs and people trying AA to appease family or friends. These people may not have an honest desire to stop drinking and stay stopped, so it clearly won’t work for them. We have people who relapse multiple times; some make it back and stay sober and some don’t. The point is that many variables could go into measuring AA success.
You might say, “Big deal, Tony. Even if you got it to a 30% success rate, it would still suck.” You will get no argument from me there, but I want to hop on the way back train for a minute. When AA was founded, there was zero desire to solve the nation’s drinking problems. They were not of the temperance or prohibition mindset.
The goal was to help that one person who had acute alcoholism. In the beginning, you had to be bad enough to require a hospital stay to manage your withdrawal symptoms. In 1950, AA adopted the Traditions, and Tradition Three declared, “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.”
Early AA was not interested in people who half-heartedly wanted to get sober or people who still had excuses and rationalizations that their drinking wasn’t that bad, regardless of evidence to the contrary. They only wanted to help people who desperately wanted to get sober, but they did not know how to stop drinking. Many acute alcoholics were willing to put themselves into asylums and undergo shock therapy and other barbaric treatments to be rid of this horrific disease.
The goal of AA has never been to be the answer for everyone. The Big Book says, “Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program.” Not everyone will give themselves to the program; AA is not a solution for them and that is perfectly fine. Most people in AA will cheer for anyone attaining sobriety by any means. There is no systemic “us” and “them.”
For anyone who has experienced, studied deeply or lived with someone with substance abuse knows just how cunning, baffling and powerful the disease is. I am convinced that there is no “single” solution to alcoholism. There are hundreds of paths to sobriety.
All diseases are like this. We have many ways to cure cancer, regulate blood pressure, manage pain, etc. It is not accurate to say Tylenol doesn’t work as an absolute statement, any more than saying AA does not work.
Two things said in AA get to the heart of AA being successful for any given individual. First, the program is for those who want it, not for those who need it. Second, it works if you work it. If one neither wants it nor works it, absolutely it does not work.
Sure, AA has its problems. Show me any group of 2 million people or more that doesn’t have problems. Is the program based on dated language reflecting social norms that no longer exist? Sure, just like all mainstream religions and ancient philosophies. They survive because the language can be adapted to modern times without losing its core ideas and values.
Are there narrow-minded curmudgeons in AA? Sure. Are there Bible thumpers in AA? Sure. Are there intolerant people in AA? Sure. AA consists of human beings and has the same subsections of different ideas, thoughts, biases and actions as the whole of humanity.
Are you out of excuses and rationalizations that you can drink like a normal person? Do you sincerely want to get and stay sober? Are you willing to work through a structured program that is more flexible than it is portrayed to be by the uneducated? Are you willing to work through discomfort and the whole realm of human emotions to eliminate the horrors of alcoholism?
If all these apply, AA works. For that matter, if you check all the boxes above, SMART recovery, Refuge recovery, LifeRing Secular recovery or any number of other approaches to sobriety will work for you.
What studies say about the success rate of any program is irrelevant. What they cannot measure is the millions of variables of the individuals entering any given program, including everyone’s genuine desire and willingness to do whatever it takes to recover. If you genuinely have a desire to get sober, pick any program that has any level of success and dedicate yourself to it, and it will work.
12-Step STOICISM SERIES by Tony Harte:
Finding Power in Powerlessness: Step 1 and Stoicism
Finding a Higher Power & Stoic Wisdom | Step Two
Step 3: Surrender, Stoicism & Your Higher Power in Recovery
Step 4: Moral Inventory & Stoic Wisdom for Recovery
Step 5 Guide: Admitting Wrongs & Finding Freedom
AA Step 6: A Guide to Willingness and Change
AA Step 7 Explained: The Power of Humility in Recovery
Step 8: A Path to Healing and Accountability
How Step 9 in AA Helps You Release Guilt, Build Trust and Find Peace
AA Step 10: Maintaining Sobriety and Personal Growth
FAMILY RESOURCE GUIDE: Families play a pivotal role in both the path to and through recovery. Research shows that individuals with strong family support have significantly better outcomes, including higher rates of sustained sobriety and improved mental well-being.
When families commit to learning about addiction, joining support groups, and actively participating in recovery, their involvement becomes transformative—not just supportive. Recovery is a collective journey, and compassionate, informed family engagement can be the foundation for lasting change.
If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, call 911. If you are in crisis and need immediate help, call 988.
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Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
