Does Alcoholics Anonymous Work?

Can Science Confirm What Millions in AA Already Know?

It turns out AA works — and not just anecdotally. According to recent research, Alcoholics Anonymous is one of the most effective ways for people struggling with alcoholism to get and stay sober. While therapy and medical treatment can certainly help, studies from Harvard and Stanford show that AA actually outperforms professional interventions when it comes to long-term sobriety.

For a long time, AA was dismissed by many in the mental health field. Critics claimed it wasn’t “evidence-based” and lacked scientific backing. It was assumed that only trained professionals truly understood how to treat alcoholism.

But a major 2020 study turned that thinking on its head.

Read the full article, “Science Confirms What Millions in AA Already Know”, on page 6 of the July 2025 issue of the SIA Bulletin.

Read the original research summary, “New Cochrane Review Finds Alcoholics Anonymous and 12-Step Facilitation Programs Help People to Recover from Alcohol Problems”, published by Cochrane on March 11, 2020, on the Cochrane website.