How AA Works

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One program, several connected practices

How A.A. works

A.A. is not one activity. Meetings, personal recovery, sponsorship, group life, literature, and service reinforce one another.

“Members use the Twelve Steps to maintain sobriety. Groups use the Twelve Traditions to stay unified.”What Is A.A.?

How the parts of A.A. work together

Meetings, recovery principles, sponsorship, literature, and service reinforce one another. Each card opens the established section for that part.

AA MeetingsMembers share experience and listen to one another in meetings. AA Program and Core PrinciplesThe Steps guide personal recovery; the Traditions protect group unity and purpose. AA Membership and SponsorshipMembership is voluntary, and sponsorship is one alcoholic sharing experience with another. AA Books and LiteratureConference-approved books and pamphlets preserve and share A.A. experience. AA Groups and AdministrationHome groups and member service keep meetings available and connect the wider A.A. service structure.
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous

Personal recovery

The Twelve Steps

The Steps provide a sequence of principles for examining drinking, seeking help, taking responsibility, making amends where possible, maintaining continuing practice, and helping others.

View / download the official Steps PDF

Explore each part

Six directly connected pages

MeetingWhat Happens at an AA Meeting?How shared experience is organized in a meeting. StepsWhat Does Working the Steps Mean?How members approach the personal-recovery principles. SponsorshipWhat Is a Sponsor?The one-to-one peer relationship. GroupWhat Is a Home Group?Regular participation in one continuing group. ServiceWhat Is a Service Position?The responsibilities that keep a group functioning. LeadershipWhat Is a Trusted Servant?Responsibility without government over members.

Use the official text

The visual above is a guide to relationships, not a replacement for A.A.’s wording. The official Twelve Steps PDF is one page. The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions page provides the book chapter by chapter in text, audio, and ASL.

Source record: Official material reviewed August 13, 2026. The short quotation is attributed; the diagram and explanations are an original synthesis.