Why AA Needs A Makeover

The late Bill Wilson’s program desperately needs to join the 21st century

Alcoholics Anonymous was established by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in 1935. The AA Big Book, which is akin to AA’s “how to” guide, was written in 1939.

That’s the same year The Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind hit theatres — before America entered WWII and before we had a cure for polio.

The need to give the AA Big Book and the fellowship itself a complete overhaul is long overdue.

The Big Book has had four editions (the last one coming in 2001), but the revisions have been minimal at best.

Each year, AA terminology becomes increasingly outdated and misogynistic by today’s standards.

AA’s general service office, located in a skyscraper in New York City, has been painfully slow at adapting the text to include women, minorities, and the LGBTQ community.

In other words, the AA Big Book was written by straight white men for straight white men.