Alcoholics Anonymous: What is "the 24-hour Program" and Why is it Called That?

Alcoholics Anonymous: What is “the 24-hour Program” and Why is it Called That?

Posted on November 1, 2024

Alcoholics Anonymous: What is “the 24-hour Program” and Why is it Called That?

You might have heard of Alcoholics Anonymous if you’re just starting drug and alcohol rehab, or if you’re in recovery and trying to maintain your sobriety away from any alcohol consumption.

But you might be wondering what “the 24-hour program” is and why it’s called that.

This article will cover what Alcoholics Anonymous‘ “24-hour program” is exactly and the meaning behind the name.

What is Alcoholics Anonymous?

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a supportive fellowship of men and women who have a space to share their experiences and hopes to overcome their common issues and help each other recover from alcoholism. [1]

AA was founded in 1935 and now has around two million members worldwide. [2]

AA is free and open to everyone that wants it, no matter your religion, class, ethnicity, race, sexuality or gender.

Traditionally AA members have always remained anonymous. This used to be due to sigma around alcoholism. Today, people seek comfort in staying anonymous and more are likely to seek help if they are not worried about being exposed publicly.

Members of AA follow a gradual and structured program of recovery by following the 12 Steps. The ’12 Step’ programme has been found to be extremely effective for achieving and maintaining long-term sobriety.

What are the 12 Steps?

The 12 Steps can be found below: [3]

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
We’re entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

These steps offer a chance to heal and forgive, as well as a new direction in life with a spiritual aspect.

‘God’ in the 12 Steps does not have to be a religious entity, rather a higher power. This could be nature or simply a force that occurs when people of shared experiences come together in strength to help each other find actual long-term success. [4]

What is the 24 Hour Program?

The “24-Hour Program” is a phrase that is used to describe a simple approach to the A.A. Fellowship and the common desire to maintain sobriety. The pledge that you take when joining Alcoholics Anonymous is that you will not expect to be alcohol free your whole life, you will not take a pledge to not drink “tomorrow”.

The pledge to abstain “in the future” is difficult to remember and uphold, with a neverending and monumental hardship attached to it.

Instead, A.A. members take a pledge to stay in a sober life “now”, today. The current 24 hours is the only length of time they can do anything with regards to abstaining from alcohol.

Yesterday has passed, tomorrow doesn’t come, “but today”, Alcoholics Anonymous say, “today I will not take a drink”.

The concept is that tomorrow you may be tempted to drink but that is something to worry about in the future. The only thing you need to focus on is to not take a drink in the next 24 hours.

In so many other words: take each day as it comes until it becomes your entire life.

Finding a 12 Step Program Near You

To find an Alcoholics Anonymous – AA meeting near you, you have many different options.

You can start by looking at the official AA website, which includes local listings of physical meetings, but also online ones like zoom meetings.

You can also try contacting local community centres, churches, or healthcare facilities for more information on AA and other 12-Step meetings that might be near you.