Missouri District 16Website

A Message to Physicians

                                         The Medical View on A.A   AA Preamble   The Medical View on A.A    

Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problems and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any cause. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.

Reprinted with permission of the A.A. Grapevine, Inc.  A.A. Grapevine Online

  The Doctors Opinion*

We believe that the reader will be interested in the medical estimate of the plan of recovery utilized by Alcoholics Anonymous.  Convincing testimony must surely come from medical men who have had experience with the sufferings of our members and have witnessed our return to health.  A well-known doctor, chief physician at a nationally prominent hospital specializing in alcoholic and drug addiction, gave Alcoholics Anonymous this letter:

  To Whom It May Concern:

I have specialized in the treatment of alcoholism for many years.  In late 1934 I attended a patient who, though he had been a competent businessman of good earning capacity, was an alcoholic of a type I had come to regard as hopeless.

In the course of his third treatment he acquired certain ideas concerning a possible means of recovery.  As part of his rehabilitation he commenced to present his conceptions to other alcoholics, impressing upon them that they must do likewise with still others.  This has become the basis of a rapidly growing fellowship of these men and their families.  This man and over one hundred others appear to have recovered.

I personally know scores of cases who were of the type with whom other methods had failed completely.  These facts appear to be of extreme medical importance; because of the extraordinary possibilities of rapid growth inherent in this group they may mark a new epoch in the annals of alcoholism.  These men may well have a remedy for thousands of such situations. 

You may rely absolutely on anything they say about themselves.

                                                                    Very truly yours,

                                                                                William D. Silkworth, M.D. 

*Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, page xxiii,

with permission of A.A. World Services Inc.

As you are aware, the AMA (American Medical Association) recognizes alcoholism as a disease. While there is continuing controversy concerning the disease concept of alcoholism, the fact remains that the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous provides an effective approach to ending problem drinking. Millions of Alcoholics (problem drinkers) have stopped (recovered) from their downward spiral of drinking. Why debate the question? If a treatment regimen works, why not use it?

We of AA want to help your patients that suffer from alcoholism to recover from their disease and be restored to their place in society. If you have a patent that has a drinking problem and wants to stop drinking have them call our answering service number 636-239-0855 or direct them to an open AA meeting that can be found at the bottom of this page. If your medical group or society is interested in learning more about resources available from AA contact the Public Information/ Cooperation with the Professional Community (PI/CPC) Committee at 636-239-0855. We can provide literature for your office and AA speakers for groups or individual meetings. 

Spring 2007: Bringing Up the Touchy Subject of a Patient's Drinking  

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