Welcome to the official website of theTHUMB AREA
UNITY COUNCIL
Huron & Tuscola Counties, Area 32, District 24
HOTLINE: 989-670-4996
Alcoholics Anonymous was started in Akron, Ohio in 1935, when two "hopeless" drunks met.
Bill W., a stockbroker, was fighting his own battle against drinking. His encounter with Dr. Bob, a surgeon who was also struggling with alcoholism, led the two men to discover that helping another alcoholic was key to maintaining one's own sobriety. Using this principle, the men began a program of recovery that has helped millions find sobriety and serenity.
Meetings of A.A. usually consist of a group of people who meet once or twice a week. There are generally two types of meetings:
Open: At an open meeting, a speaker will discuss in a general way how he/she drank, how they discovered AA and how the program has helped. Anyone interested in AA is welcome at an open meeting, including relatives and friends of the alcoholic, and other nonalcoholic members of the community.
Closed: These meetings are for alcoholics only. These meetings are for group discussion and sharing between members.
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of Alcoholics Anonymous. Anonymity assures privacy to all who attend meetings.
WHAT DOES AA COST?
There are no dues or fees for AA membership. An AA group will usually have a collection during the meeting to cover expenses, such as rent, coffee, etc, and to this all members are free to contribute as much or as little as they wish.
WHO RUNS AA?
AA has no real government.
Each group is free to work out its own customs and ways of holding meetings, as
long as it does not hurt other groups or AA as a whole. The members elect a
chairperson, a secretary, and other group officers. These officers do not give
orders to anybody; mostly, their job is to see that the meetings run
smoothly.
Members of A.A. attend meetings to share their experience, strength and hope with other alcoholics.
The program suggests Twelve Steps as a basis of recovery.
The only requirement for AA is a desire to stop drinking.
Please click here to read the complete "How It Works", from Chapter 5 of the book Alcoholics Anonymous.
