AA History

The AA movement was born in Akron, USA in 1935, when a New York businessman, who had managed to stay sober for the first time in years, was looking for another alcoholic, who turned out to be a local doctor. During the few months he had been sober, he had noticed that his desire to drink had diminished as he tried to work for the drinkers.

Working together, the businessman and doctor found that their ability to stay sober seemed to depend on the amount of help and encouragement they could give to other alcoholics. During the first five years, the new movement grew slowly anonymous, unorganized and without any literature about it.

Groups were formed in Akron, New York, Cleveland, and a few other centers. In 1939, after the publication of the book Alcoholics Anonymous, from which the community's name also comes, and as a result of the help of many friends who were not alcoholics themselves, the community began to gain attention both in the United States and abroad.

At last, a central service office of AA was opened in New York to answer inquiries and fulfill requests for literature, from which thousands flowed there each year. There have been AA activities in Finland since 1948.