There is not a precise success rate available, considering that many of the results are released by AA and change based on various factors. Due to the anonymity of the AA program, many of its participants don’t partake in the studies conducted because it could break the anonymousness of the program. Especially if the participants attending the meetings to do not admit to relapsing. Additionally, the individuals who attend the meetings change regularly because people are constantly dropping out, at times after only a few meetings. In fact, 40 percent of participants drop out of AA after the first few meetings (Scientific American, 2011). The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) states that about 10 percent of people who join AA recover successfully. However, the New York Times reported that Alcoholics Anonymous has a much higher success rating of nearly 75 percent. A study conducted in 2014 by Alcoholics Anonymous displayed that 27 percent of more than 6,000 who participated in AA were sober for less than a year (AA, 2014). In addition to that, 24 percent of AA participants were sober 1-5 years while 13 percent of the participants were sober for 5-10 years (AA,2014). …show more content…
Normally, participants who attend AA for an extended period of time── eight years or longer── are likely to attain abstinence without the possibility of relapsing. The abstinence success rate was almost as twice as high for participants who attended an AA meeting or any other 12-Step program without further treatment (NIH, 2009). Another study conducted on males in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs showed definite results that the more AA meetings one attended and their duration in the program, the better the