Sydney. A recent survey of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) members has provided fresh insight into the Australian membership of one of the world's most widely recognised recovery programs, how AA works for them and their long-term sobriety outcomes. While some findings are surprising, others highlight the wide reach and effectiveness of AA in Australia, and the general normalcy of its demographic.
Based on anonymous responses from over 1,000 current AA participants across Australia, the survey explores how AA supports lives in the evolving landscape of addiction recovery.
"This is one of the largest and most comprehensive looks at the lived experiences of AA members in recent years," said Grant T, Chairman of Alcoholics Anonymous, Australia. "The findings highlight important learnings for us and for the broader community and underscore both the resilience and sense of service within the recovery community."
Key Findings:
- Long-term Sobriety: Over 52% of respondents reported maintaining sobriety for more than 10 years, with many crediting AA's peer support model as a critical factor. The average length of sobriety has grown steadily, from around 6 years in 1996 to approximately 17 years in 2025.
- Joining AA: Referrals from medical and treatment professionals remains a key pathway into AA, Other entry paths include introductions from drug treatment and rehab centres, self-motivated connection and referrals by friends, family or other AA members.
- Meeting Attendance: 76% of respondents attend meetings weekly or more frequently, showing strong ongoing engagement. 7% attend daily. Most members report no barriers to attending meetings, although some highlighted opportunities for improvement, reflecting a shared desire to keep the AA message and community open to anyone who needs it.
- Recovery Factors and Support: Some of the most valuable aspects of AA cited by survey respondents included regular attendance at meetings, working through the 12 steps to recovery, having a sponsor and helping other AA members in their recovery journey.
- Diversity of Experience: Responses highlighted a membership rich in diversity. More than 60% of members are aged over 50 years of age, participation of men and women is nearly equal, and regional engagement continues to grow with 27.5% of members living outside our major cities (up from 22.2% in 2022).
About the Survey:
The survey was conducted anonymously, gathering input from participants via both written and online questionnaires. It was designed to respect AA's tradition of anonymity while contributing to a deeper understanding of membership the key success factors impacting recovery.
"Hearing directly from AA members allows us to appreciate the power of shared experience," said Grant T. "It's a reminder that recovery is not one-size-fits-all, and that community-based models like AA play such a vital role."
About AA
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
It provides a non-judgemental support network, accountability, and spiritual growth.
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, organisation or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, and neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
AA continues to provide a free, accessible, and effective support network for those struggling with alcoholism. Last year alone, AA answered 12,300 telephone calls and connected with over 33,500 people through its web-based chat service, providing support and solutions to those struggling with alcoholism.
Cochrane Review
An external and independent evaluation of the effectiveness of AA was released on March 11, 2020 in the form of a Cochrane review, comparing AA with other programs. Its authors included Dr John Kelly, Harvard University Professor of Psychiatry and Dr Keith Humphreys, Stanford University Professor of Psychiatry. According to Professor Humphreys, participants in the AA program were 20 – 60% more likely to stay abstinent than participants in other programs, and they lost fewer days of work.
The review found that the reason why the AA program (including the 12 step facilitation intervention) outperformed other well-established treatments is because it linked participants to "a free, ubiquitous, long-term recovery, peer support organisation." The Cochrane review included 27 primary studies involving 10,565 participants.
