10/04/2026
87 years ago today, Alcoholics Anonymous was published for the first time.
In May 1938, when Bill W., co-founder of AA, began work on the first draft of what is now the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, in New York City and Newark, New Jersey, he had been sober about three and a half years. Dr Bob, AA's other co-founder, was sober for a few months less than three years, and the other 100 early members who contributed in one way or another to the writing of the book had been sober for periods ranging from a couple of years to a couple of months.
By the time that first edition went to print in April 1939, they had unknowingly written what would come to be one of the most influential books of all time.
In the words of our friend Christopher Burns, author of Recovery Days:
“Millions throughout the world have achieved sobriety through following 12 Step programmes […] When much of the world appears unstable and unreliable, it is reassuring to have the rock of the fellowships in our lives.”
Across four editions, the core text and the 12 Steps themselves have remained unchanged. What has evolved are the personal stories, added over time to reflect the fellowship's growing diversity, so that more people could see themselves in someone else's experience.
The book has since been translated into over 70 languages, tens of millions of copies have been sold and read across hundreds of countries, and countless lives have been changed.
Today, we're celebrating its anniversary and sharing a few things about it you might not know.
