What Alcoholics Anonymous does

Alcoholics Anonymous is a nonprofit fellowship founded in 1935 in Akron, Ohio, by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, providing peer-led recovery from alcoholism through a global network of free, anonymous meetings grounded in the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. Its commercial and publishing operations are conducted through Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (AAWS), a New York-incorporated nonprofit that holds the registered trademarks "Alcoholics Anonymous," "Big Book," "Blue People," "AA Grapevine," and "Box 4-5-9," and holds copyrights on all Conference-approved literature. The technology footprint is modest: a public website (aa.org), an online bookstore (onlineliterature.aa.org), and the Meeting Guide mobile app on iOS and Android that syncs meeting data from local service entities.

AAWS's core products are the Big Book (hardcover $15, softcover $14, large print $15, pocket $9), Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions ($11-14), Daily Reflections, Living Sober, As Bill Sees It, Came to Believe, and a deep catalog of pamphlets priced $0.10-$0.90 with bulk discounts at 100+ copies. Digital editions are distributed through Audible, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble, with accessibility formats (Braille, large print, ASL DVDs, audio) and translations in dozens of languages including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Swahili, and Vietnamese. The go-to-market model is community-led and attraction-based: members find meetings through the Meeting Guide app, word-of-mouth, professional referrals from healthcare and corrections committees, and outreach to military, treatment, and underserved populations.

Revenue is generated through two streams: voluntary contributions from A.A. groups and members (the organization explicitly declines outside contributions), and one-time literature sales via the online bookstore and wholesale distribution to intergroup offices. Shipping follows a tiered structure ($5 under $25, free over $500). Pricing on literature is unit-based, meetings are free, and the organization is self-supporting per its Sixth Tradition. With 101-250 GSO employees, a global volunteer-driven meeting network, and two adjacent publishing subsidiaries (AA Grapevine and La Viña magazines), A.A. operates as a mature, asset-light, contribution-funded recovery institution rather than a revenue-maximizing enterprise.

Name

Alcoholics Anonymous

Legal name

Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Website

https://aa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Alcoholics Anonymous is a nonprofit fellowship founded in 1935 that provides free, peer-led recovery from alcoholism through a global network of Twelve Step meetings and publishes Conference-approved literature via its General Service Office and AAWS subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Addiction Recovery Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services (BPAGACAE), Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO)

Keywords

• Peer support groups
• Addiction recovery
• Twelve step program
• Recovery literature
• Sobriety fellowship

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Literature Sales: A.A. World Services sells Conference-approved literature including the Big Book, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pamphlets, and other recovery materials through the online bookstore and wholesale distribution to local groups and intergroup offices.
2. Voluntary Contributions: A.A. groups and members contribute voluntarily to support the General Service Office (GSO) and A.A. as a whole. The organization is self-supporting through its own contributions and declines outside contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) is a nonprofit fellowship that helps individuals recover from alcoholism through a free, peer-to-peer support program built on the Twelve Steps. It delivers the program via community-led meetings worldwide and through a portfolio of Conference-approved recovery literature (the Big Book, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pamphlets, audiobooks, eBooks, and accessibility formats) sold through an online bookstore and wholesale distribution. The organization also operates the Meeting Guide mobile app that connects users to local meetings.

Product overview

Alcoholics Anonymous operates as a literature publisher and recovery support organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of recovery-related products and services. The core offering centers on the Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous) and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions book, supplemented by numerous recovery books including Daily Reflections, Living Sober, As Bill Sees It, Came to Believe, and historical works about A.A.'s founders. The organization publishes an extensive catalog of pamphlets addressing specific audiences (young people, women, LGBTQ, Black members, Indigenous peoples, older alcoholics, and professionals) and spiritual topics. The Meeting Guide mobile app helps users locate A.A. meetings. Literature is available in multiple formats including print, large print, Braille, audiobooks, eBooks, and ASL video. The organization serves a global audience with materials translated into dozens of languages. Service materials including workbooks, kits, and guidelines support A.A. group operations and specialized committees (Accessibilities, Corrections, Treatment, Public Information, etc.).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AA Grapevine: The monthly magazine of Alcoholics Anonymous, featuring member stories, experience sharing, and recovery articles.
• La Viña
• Meeting Guide App

Products and services

• Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) The foundational text of A.A., also known as the Big Book, containing the program of recovery and personal stories of alcoholics. Available in multiple editions (1st-4th), formats (hardcover, softcover, large print, pocket edition, jacketless), and languages.
• Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions Bill W.'s 24 essays explaining each of the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions with examples and personal insights. Used by A.A. members and groups worldwide.
• Daily Reflections A book of daily reflections by A.A. members for A.A. members, providing daily inspiration and guidance for recovery.
• Living Sober A practical 90-page booklet demonstrating through simple examples how A.A. members live and stay sober one day at a time.
• As Bill Sees It A collection of Bill W.'s writings covering the principles of individual recovery and group unity.
• Came to Believe A 120-page collection of stories by A.A. members writing about what the phrase 'spiritual awakening' means to them.
• A.A. Comes of Age Bill W. tells how A.A. started, how the Steps and Traditions evolved, and how the Fellowship grew and spread overseas.
• Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers The life story of the Fellowship's co-founder interwoven with recollections of early A.A. in the Midwest, including 26 photographs.
• Pass It On Biography of A.A.'s co-founder and the development of the Fellowship, featuring 39 photographs.
• Experience, Strength & Hope Fifty-six retired stories from the first three editions of the Big Book compiled back into print.
• A.A. in Prison Written by and for incarcerated alcoholics, containing 26 stories by A.A. members who found recovery while in prison.
• Our Great Responsibility A selection of Bill W.'s General Service Conference talks from 1951 to 1970 with over 60 color and black-and-white images.
• Plain Language Big Book A tool to help readers understand the book Alcoholics Anonymous, designed so the A.A. Twelve Step program may be easily understood by all people who have a desire to stop drinking.
• Pamphlets and Literature Conference-approved pamphlets covering topics including: Young People in A.A., Women in A.A., Black in A.A., LGBTQ Alcoholics in A.A., Indigenous People in A.A., A.A. for the Older Alcoholic, Many Paths to Spirituality, The 'God' Word (Agnostic and Atheist Members), Problems Other Than Alcohol, and A.A. as a Resource for the Health Care Professional.
• Meeting Guide App Mobile application that helps people find A.A. meetings and resources near them. Available for iOS and Android smartphones. Meeting data is provided by A.A. service entities.
• The Twelve Traditions Guidelines for relationships between A.A. groups, members, the global Fellowship and society at large. Available in both short form and long form versions.
• The Twelve Concepts for World Service Guidelines for A.A. groups, members, global Fellowship and society at large addressing finance, public relations, contributions and purpose.
• Audiobooks Digital audio publications of Conference-approved literature available through Audible, Apple Books, Kobo, and Google Play in English, Spanish, and French.
• eBooks Digital eBook publications of Conference-approved literature available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, and Google Play.
• Accessibility Products A.A. literature in accessible formats including: Large Print, Braille, ASL (American Sign Language) DVDs, and audio versions for members with visual or hearing impairments.
• World Language Translations Translations of the Big Book, Twelve and Twelve, and other A.A. literature in dozens of languages including Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Chinese, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Thai, Vietnamese, and many more.

Quantifiable outcome

• A.A. has helped more than two million alcoholics stop drinking

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: Broad incumbent operating a national network of clinical addiction treatment facilities plus the Hazelden Publishing arm that produces 12-step-aligned literature. Competes with A.A. by offering the professional clinical layer that A.A. deliberately does not provide.
• National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD / National Recovery Foundation): Broad incumbent nonprofit advocating for addiction policy and public awareness. Operates in the same behavioral-health space as A.A. but focuses on advocacy, education, and referrals rather than direct peer recovery meetings.

Direct peers

• Cocaine Anonymous: Direct peer using the 12-step, fellowship-based model for cocaine addiction. Shares A.A.'s program architecture, meeting structure, and literature approach but is focused on a narrower substance category.
• Narcotics Anonymous: Direct peer operating the 12-step fellowship model adapted for drug (rather than alcohol) addiction. Uses the same community-led, anonymous meeting structure and produces parallel Conference-approved literature, making it the closest analog to A.A.
• SMART Recovery: Direct peer offering a secular, science-based alternative to 12-step recovery. Competes for the same individuals seeking help with substance use but differentiates through cognitive-behavioral tools rather than spiritual framing.
• Al-Anon Family Groups: Direct peer applying the same 12-step fellowship model to families and friends of alcoholics. Operates from the same New York-area service infrastructure and uses parallel Conference-approved literature, making it essentially a sibling organization to A.A.

Emerging players

• Shatterproof: Emerging nonprofit focused on addiction treatment access, stigma reduction, and evidence-based standards of care. Targets the broader addiction population that includes alcohol use disorder and competes for philanthropic dollars and policy attention in the same space as A.A.
• LifeRing Secular Recovery: Emerging peer providing a secular, non-12-step alternative for people in recovery from alcohol and other drugs. Targets the same population that A.A.'s spiritual framing has historically struggled to retain, particularly younger and atheist/agnostic users.
• Celebrate Recovery: Emerging faith-based 12-step-style program run through churches. Targets many of the same individuals A.A. serves but differentiates through a Christian framework and church-based delivery, particularly active in evangelical communities.

Others

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): U.S. federal agency that funds and coordinates substance use treatment and recovery infrastructure. Relevant because it publishes the National Helpline and treatment locator that often directs users to A.A. as a peer recovery resource, making it an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCI9uFLJ__aXT3-At0PlPWUQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aaws

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Alcoholics Anonymous