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Hey everybody. Welcome to Open to Debate. I'm John Donvan. Just dropping in very briefly to hand

off the reins for this episode to our frequent

guest moderator, Naima Reza. Naima, take it away. I'm Naima Reza. Welcome to open to debate. January is a

month that is often cold, and often one that is dry. And by that, I don't mean the climate. Every new

year, many people make a resolution to stop drinking, some with the goal of a month

and others with the goal of forever.

So it seemed timely to examine the leading movement in the space, Alcoholics Anonymous,

and debate the question, does AA work?

There are over 120,000 AA groups worldwide, 50% of them are in the United States, and the organization's worldwide membership is estimated at around 2 million people.

Though it's no surprise that AA is often credited and lauded for its role in recovery.

Yet, the organization also gets its fair share of criticism, with complaints around A.A.'s religious roots, its effectiveness,

and even its dominance over other potential alternatives. So does A.A. work? To answer that,

let me introduce our debaters. Arguing yes, that A.A. does work is Dan Griffin. He has a

master's in sociology with three decades of experience as a speaker and expert on recovery in AA.

And he's notably the author of a man's way through the 12 steps.

Dan, thanks so much for being here.

It's great to be here.

...