What Workaholics Anonymous does

Workaholics Anonymous is a Twelve-Step recovery fellowship that provides peer-support meetings, Conference-approved literature, and educational resources to individuals affected by compulsive work behaviors such as overwork, activity addiction, burnout, work avoidance, perfectionism, and procrastination. Founded in 1987 as a California nonprofit (Workaholics Anonymous World Service Organization, Inc.) following earlier informal groups in New York (1983) and Northern California, the organization adapts the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous — with formal permission from AA World Services obtained after the 1990 First World Service Conference — into a structured recovery program specifically for workaholism. The fellowship is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees, a World Service Conference structure, and elected co-chairpersons, with leadership roles filled by members rather than paid executives.

The product portfolio is built around published content and free meeting access rather than any proprietary technology platform. Core literature includes the Book of Recovery (1st ed. 2005, 2nd ed. 2015), the Book of Discovery Twelve-Step workbook (2010), and the Book of Serenity meditation collection (2018), all available in print and digital formats via the WA Store, alongside twelve topic-specific pamphlets and audio recordings of annual conference sessions spanning 2005-2025. Services are delivered through face-to-face meetings, telephone, Skype, and Zoom sessions available globally across 30+ countries, supplemented by an online meeting finder tool and the Storyline newsletter. The organization provides multilingual content in English, Spanish, and French and reaches employers and family members in addition to its primary individual-member audience.

Revenue is generated through literature sales and voluntary Seventh-Tradition member contributions; the organization accepts no external funding, has no parent company, and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in California. Pricing is modest and publicly disclosed — paperback books priced at $10-$25, ebooks at $7.99-$9.99, and annual conference recordings at $0-$50 — with free attendance at all meetings. The go-to-market motion is community-led and attraction-based (per Twelve-Step tradition), relying on the website, meeting finder, newsletter, annual conferences, and word-of-mouth rather than paid marketing. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, supporting the global fellowship structure alongside extensive volunteer service.

Name

Workaholics Anonymous

Legal name

Workaholics Anonymous World Service Organization, Inc.

Website

https://workaholics-anonymous.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Workaholics Anonymous is a Twelve-Step recovery fellowship providing peer-support meetings, Conference-approved literature, and educational resources to individuals affected by compulsive work behaviors. Founded in 1987, it operates globally through free in-person, telephone, and online meetings funded by member contributions and literature sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Addiction Recovery Support Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

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

• Twelve-step recovery
• Peer support groups
• Addiction recovery services
• Recovery literature
• Behavioral health support

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Literature Sales: WA generates revenue through the sale of Conference-approved literature including the Book of Recovery, Book of Discovery, Book of Serenity, pamphlets, and audio recordings of annual conferences. Both print and digital formats are available for purchase through the WA Store.
2. Member Contributions: Per the Seventh Tradition, WA groups are self-supporting through member contributions. Individual members may contribute to support the organization while maintaining the fellowship's independence from outside funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Workaholics Anonymous provides a Twelve-Step recovery fellowship for people affected by compulsive work behaviors, including overwork, activity addiction, work avoidance, burnout, and perfectionism. It delivers peer support through in-person, telephone, Skype, and Zoom meetings in over 30 countries, and generates operational revenue through the sale of Conference-approved literature (books, pamphlets, audio recordings) via the WA Store.

Product overview

Workaholics Anonymous is a Twelve-Step Recovery community offering peer support for workaholics. Its product portfolio consists primarily of published literature: three core books (Book of Recovery, Book of Discovery, and Book of Serenity) available in both print and digital formats, supplemented by twelve topic-specific pamphlets addressing various aspects of workaholism recovery (including sponsorship, outreach, workplace issues, and service). Additional offerings include audio recordings of annual conference sessions spanning 2005-2025, an online meeting finder tool, and a newsletter. The organization is structured as a nonprofit fellowship with literature sales supporting its operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WA-WSO: Workaholics Anonymous World Service Organization - the governing body of the fellowship

Products and services

• Book of Recovery WA's core publication containing stories from recovering members, Twelve-Step readings, and literature supporting members in their recovery journey from workaholism. Available in paperback ($15.00) and digital formats.
• Book of Discovery WA's Twelve-Step workbook providing Step instruction, questions, activities, thought-provoking stories written by members, and readings from WA and AA literature. Available in paperback ($25.00) and ebook ($9.99) formats.
• Book of Serenity Fifty-two weekly meditations offering experience, strength, and hope for recovery in the WA Program. Available in paperback ($10.00) and ebook ($7.99) formats.
• WA Pamphlets Series Twelve topic-specific pamphlets developed by WA, including: A Brief Guide; Recovery from Workaholism: The Twelve Steps; Abstinence in Workaholics Anonymous: Top Lines and Bottom Lines; Healthy Service in Workaholics Anonymous; Outreach Guide; Sponsorship in Workaholics Anonymous; The Seventh Tradition; To Employers; and Turning Work into Play (published 2014). Each pamphlet addresses a specific aspect of workaholism recovery.
• WA Annual Conference Recordings Audio recordings of live Recovery meetings on various topics from WA World Service Organization Conferences and Retreats, spanning from 2005 to 2025. Sold through the WA Store.
• Twelve-Step Recovery Meeting Fellowship The core free peer-support service of Workaholics Anonymous: regular Twelve-Step recovery meetings available in-person, by telephone, via Skype, and via Zoom, accessible globally almost every day of the week for individuals seeking recovery from workaholism.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (AAWS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990WA obtained permission from AA to adapt the Preamble, Twelve Steps, and Twelve Traditions for use in the Workaholics Anonymous program. This permission was sought following the First World Service Conference in 1990. AAWS retains ownership of the original AA materials while allowing WA to adapt them for workaholism recovery. Note: AA is not affiliated with WA, as AA is a program for recovery from alcoholism only.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BetterHelp: A well-funded digital mental health platform offering professional counseling subscriptions. BetterHelp competes with WA for the same burnout-afflicted professional demographic but delivers one-on-one therapy via paid licensed therapists rather than free peer-led Twelve-Step meetings, representing the broader incumbent digital mental health category.
• Headspace: A consumer and employer-focused mental wellness platform offering meditation, sleep, and stress-management content. Headspace competes with WA for the same overworked professional audience through a venture-backed, app-driven, employer-channel model rather than a free peer-support fellowship model.

Direct peers

• Sex Addicts Anonymous: A Twelve-Step fellowship for sexual addiction recovery that mirrors WA's structure, governance, and meeting formats. SAA operates in the same behavioral addiction recovery category where clinical recognition is contested, making it a comparable peer in terms of both model and audience dynamics.
• Co-Dependents Anonymous: A Twelve-Step fellowship addressing codependency, a behavioral pattern rather than a substance addiction. CoDA shares WA's peer-led meeting structure, literature catalog, and nonprofit self-supporting funding model, serving a comparable psychologically-focused recovery audience.
• Gamblers Anonymous: A Twelve-Step fellowship applying the AA-adapted recovery model to compulsive gambling, a recognized behavioral addiction. GA shares WA's peer-led meeting structure, literature catalog, volunteer governance, and attraction-rather-than-promotion tradition, making it a directly comparable behavioral addiction recovery fellowship.
• Overeaters Anonymous: A Twelve-Step fellowship applying AA's adapted recovery model to compulsive overeating, a behavioral condition like workaholism that is not universally classified as a clinical addiction. OA shares WA's challenge of operating in a contested clinical space and uses an identical peer-support, literature-based, volunteer-governed structure.
• Narcotics Anonymous World Services: Another Twelve-Step fellowship adapting AA's structure for drug addiction recovery. NA operates globally with the same meeting model, literature publishing operation, and self-supporting Seventh Tradition funding model that WA employs.
• Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters: The family-focused companion fellowship to AA, serving those affected by someone else's drinking. Work-Anon operates in the same structural relationship to WA that Al-Anon does to AA, making Al-Anon the closest organizational model for WA's affected-others segment.
• Debtors Anonymous: A Twelve-Step fellowship for people whose compulsive spending or debt behavior has become unmanageable. DA applies the same adapted AA framework WA uses, but to a financial behavior rather than work behavior, making it a structurally identical peer for a different behavioral compulsion.
• Alcoholics Anonymous World Services: The original Twelve-Step fellowship from which WA explicitly adapted its program structure with formal permission. AA operates the same peer-led meeting model, literature publishing operation, and Seventh Tradition self-support funding mechanism, but for alcoholism rather than workaholism, making it the closest structural and operational peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/workaholics-anonymous

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Workaholics Anonymous