It has been 82 years since the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, and since then, thousands of groups have been created that copy their method to treat different forms of addiction.
"My name is Steven and I'm an alcoholic."
It is a phrase that sounds familiar even to those who have never attended an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting.
The answer is a welcome in unison, warm and enthusiastic: "Hi, Steven."
Those who are here have something in common: their dependence on alcohol. Although they come from different sectors of society and have different occupations and life histories.
The format of the meeting is simple: a presentation, a reading, the testimony of a member, then an open discussion in which anyone present can share their concerns, their achievements or their thoughts.
Steven started drinking alcohol at age 11. "By the time I was able to start drinking legally, I was already a regular visitor to alcoholism treatment centers, I went to the doctor over and over again and again they were being arrested at the police station"
Now, Steven has not tested alcohol for 34 years and attributes his sustained sobriety to his participation in AA. He carries with him an A.A Coins that demonstrates his commitment to the group and to himself.
The 12 steps
All members mention the "12-step process" as one of the pillars of the AA program.
The first of these steps, published four years after the founding of the entity, says: "We admitted that we were impotent with alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable."
The 12 steps are, in a nutshell, a recovery plan for overcoming addiction.
That plan includes submission to a higher spiritual power, the recognition of alcoholism as a problem that has no end, repairing the damage done to people affected by addiction and a spiritual awakening through prayer or meditation.
Founded by Bill Wilson and Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio, AA broke away from an American Christian organization, called The Oxford Group.
The group celebrates this year the 8th anniversary of the time Wilson helped Smith out of alcoholism: June 10, 1935 was the date of his last drink.
That social element of AA, the importance of the "sponsor" or godfather of the addict, is so well known as its 12 steps.
To date, there are 115,326 groups affiliated with AA in 175 countries, according to the most recent estimates of the entity. In the United States alone there are 60,143.
According to a 1998 study, 90% of private addiction treatment centers are based on the US model of the 12 steps.
With each addiction, your group
And the principles have laid the groundwork for other groups that do not have direct links to AA.
Among them, Narcotics Anonymous, the most specific Marijuana Anonymous, Anonymous Players, even groups for workaholics or sex.
There are narcotics anonymous medallions narcotics anonymous coins to be given to participants in each of the rehabilitation programs to demonstrate the commitment that people have to leave their addictions.
In addition to the best known for treating addiction to food, there are others for those who suffer from accumulation disorder or for those who have a pathological inability "to cover their own material needs." And for relatives concerned about those suffering from addictions of all kinds, under the label Families Anonymous.