The Fellowship has adopted a policy of “cooperation but not affiliation” with other organizations concerned with the problem of alcoholism. Traditionally, Alcoholics Anonymous does not accept or seek financial support from outside sources, and members preserve personal anonymity in print and broadcast media and otherwise at the public level.
Traditionally, AA members have always taken care to preserve their anonymity at the “public” level: press, radio, television, films and the new media technologies such as the Internet.
In the early days of AA, when more stigma was attached to the term “alcoholic” than is the case today, this reluctance to be identified – and publicised – was easy to understand. As the Fellowship of AA grew, the positive values of anonymity soon became apparent.
