It is July 31st, 2031, the fifth anniversary of the day AA New York had declared bankruptcy.
For some time, there had been concerns about the finances of AA New York.
Many AAs had been critical of the New York office’s expenses, and the Trustees had been working to address a pension hangover from prior decades, leaving a significant liability on the books. And speaking of books, AA’s primary revenue sources had been book sales (principally the Big Book) and Grapevine revenues, both of which had been declining for some years.
Part of the revenue problem stemmed from a decline in AA Member contributions. There was a sense that the General Conference and the New York office management had lost touch with Members. Many controversies, such as a new version of the Big Book and high, questionable outlays, angered some AAs. These and other issues raised eyebrows and closed wallets in AA rooms. Seventh Step contributions had kept pace with expenses, a situation that could not and did not continue.
On July 31, 2026, the day of reckoning arrived. The New York office hit the wall. They could not roll over their debt, which meant they could not meet payroll or pay the rent. Corporate Alcoholics Anonymous moved into the shadow world of bankruptcy.
That was then. It is now July 31st, 2031, and on that future day, two AAs, Harold and Darryl, had lunch.
The conversation began. Darryl said, “Imagine, it has been five years since the news of AA’s bankruptcy hit the press.”
“Five years, five years since we heard the news. I was surprised. I knew there were problems in New York, but I had no idea how bad things were. I never imagined AA would go under. Looking back, I did not think it was even possible. But it happened.”
“Boy, that was a hell of a day,” said Harold. “I recall that morning, you called me to tell me the news. You did not even say hello; you said, “Jesus Christ, AA has gone under.’”
“I was shocked, completely shocked, and the second emotion was fear. I became afraid, then angry. I thought we were finished.”
Darryl laughed, “Boy, I remember that call, I was afraid and angry too.
“We were not alone. I think all AAs were stunned, shocked, and afraid. Then social media went crazy, and every AA naysayer was trumpeting it as proof that AA did not work. All the major newspapers and TV networks reported it as a major event.”
Harold interrupted, “But do you remember how the call ended? We agreed we would see each other that night at our regular Thursday men’s AA meeting?”
“That was the first sign of things to come… you know, looking back, we should have seen in that first call that we were witnessing the future of AA. Sure, the New York office of AA had gone under, and we did have a lot of negative press, but at the end of that phone call, we agreed to see each other at our Home Group that night. For us, at that moment, our Program was going to continue.”
Harold laughed. “I had not thought about that, but you’re right. You and I showed up at the meeting at the usual time. Steve was already there, as early as usual. He had opened the doors, set up the chairs, and made coffee. Then the regulars trickled in.”
“Yeah, it was a scared group of AAs. Before the meeting started, all the conversation was about AA’s death and the bad press we were getting.”
Darryl continued, “But Jeff chaired the meeting; we observed a moment’s silence, and it felt like everyone took a deep breath. Then someone, I forget who, read How It Works.”
“I did.”
“Right, you read it, and it was just as I said. Everyone took a deep breath and calmed down. It became a regular meeting. And that was just the beginning. Every week, we had an AA meeting, just like before.”
“Within a few days, we learned we were not alone. Across the city, guys showed up, opened the doors, set up chairs, and made coffee. Meetings continued without interruption. We all just kept going.”
“Yeah,” recalled Harold, “that Friday, I spoke at a treatment centre. The bankruptcy was on everyone’s mind. Everyone thought we were finished. The head of the treatment centre was surprised to see me. I remember telling him that New York was a long way away, both physically and spiritually, and that their problems were not ours. And I can still remember my talk. I focused on the personal bankruptcy we experienced when we hit bottom, how things turned around for each of us, and that they would turn around for AA as well.”
“You could not have been more right, Harold. Things turned around for AA with a vengeance. Who would have thought we would look back on those days and be grateful?”
“Though I suppose we ought not to be surprised, we are grateful and celebrate our AA birthdays, the dates of our personal bankruptcies as alcoholics.”
“You know, Darryl, like you said, looking back, the future was clear in that first meeting.” Harold continued. “I went to our group’s first business meeting after the announcement. By then, we realized our Home Group would continue. At the meeting, we heard a report from InterGroup. They assured us that Central Office had a supply of Big Books and other materials and a good cash reserve; it was going to be business as usual.”
“And they gave us an update on what they had heard about the bankruptcy: The lawyers and accountants had taken charge of the New York operation. The foundations responsible for Dr. Bob’s House in Akron and Stepping Stones in Bedford had contacted the bankruptcy trustee and said they would take over the AA archives. Apparently, the trustee told them he had no interest in the historical materials and was happy to surrender them. And the two foundations had launched a fundraising campaign to create an AA Museum.
“That was a turning point for me: That was when I realized that AA was more than New York: that was the moment I realized that it was not just our meeting and our InterGroup that would continue. The legacy of AA would endure.”
“But, Harold, don’t forget, there was a lot of drama and excitement in those early days. You remember the report from the InterGroup, but you were not at the InterGroup meeting. It was a hell of a meeting. There was a lot of yelling, shouting, weeping, and gnashing of teeth.
“Everyone had an opinion and demanded to be heard. I think the meeting might have been 6 or 7 hours; a long meeting even for AAs. But eventually, everyone calmed down and tasks were assigned.”
“I remember, my job was to reach out to other AA InterGroup offices in Western Canada and the US to find out what they were doing, then report back.
“I connected with the other InterGroups, and we organized a Zoom call. After a bit of a rocky start, all the InterGroups got back to work. It was business as usual for everyone.
“We agreed to pool our resources to make sure that there was enough material and literature to go around. We also agreed to hold the upcoming Regional Conference; the hotel contracts were in place, deposits had already been paid, and lots of people were inquiring, indicating they planned to attend.
“I remember a lady from Saskatchewan on that first conference call. God bless Saskatchewan. She suggested that we form a committee to rethink the Regional Conference agenda, focusing on what our next steps should be as Regional AAs. She pointed out that there was no need to discuss the General Service issues that had dominated the old agenda. Instead, we should focus on how we would carry the message to alcoholics in our Region.”
“I still remember. She joked, “New York and General Conference issues were now officially irrelevant; we had to deal with the here and now. And she referred to the Serenity Prayer, saying we should focus on what we could change and accept what we could not.
“I don’t recall her name, but what she said was perfect, and everyone agreed. We all started to look forward to the Conference. At the Conference, the first item on the agenda was What Do We Need To Carry The Message?”
Harold sipped his coffee and replied, “When you came back from that conference, you thought it had been the best Regional ever. I remember you saying the whole conference was dedicated, one way or another, to how to better carry the message. People talked about developing new sources of materials and new ways to advertise AA’s continued existence. If I recall correctly, a new regional website was up two days after the conference. Things were rocking and rolling.”
“They sure were. We had a breakout brainstorming session to list all the issues New York used to look after.” Darryl laughed. “That’s when we realized that New York did not affect our work in our area; the list of things New York looked after that directly affected us was pretty small.
“At the conference, we heard more reports on the bankruptcy. The insolvency was moving quickly, and we heard that the copyrights to all the AA literature and the Big Book were being purchased by some wealthy AAs. They had committed to providing free licenses to print the Big Book and everything else.”
“That’s right. It was only a couple of months later that we learned the copyright had been sold and the materials had been released into the public domain. We were able to order copies of all the materials from several printing sources, and we could order on demand the exact number of copies we needed, with no minimum order size.”
“I remember the debates about how we could be sure the new Big Books and other materials were Conference Approved. Someone pointed out that with New York bankrupt, the whole Conference Approved thing was over. We could order any books we wanted.”
“Yeah, I forgot that. The free copyright seemed to spark a broader trend. In the months and years after the end of the approved-books era and the release of copyright, there was an explosion of new literature, including books, pamphlets, and other materials. I still remember how surprising it was to see a Living Sober for Women and a Big Book for North American Indians, and how much sense that made.
“And remember how our Central Office became a Recovery Book store with all kinds of books about Recovery. It started small, with copies of William James and Emmet Fox. It became a retail operation; they began sending emails to customers, updating them on the latest titles for sale.
“It was an amazing time.”
“Yeah, I remember the budget fights when we learned that, in their enthusiasm, they had ordered too much and our inventory was too high. The guys running the bookstore had to learn new skills, but they got through it. Look at it today. Going to the AA store is now a Recovery retail experience; it is a Recovery Book Store. It’s pleasant, and you can always count on seeing someone and having a chat. And it turns out that running a Recovery book store is profitable.”
“But I’ll never forget the fights. The old diehards did not want to see anything new. And there were times when they were proved right. Some of the changes didn’t work out, but more often they were proved wrong, when so many of the changes magnified our ability to carry the message.”
“Yeah, they clung to the old ways of thinking, like a newcomer resisting a spiritual awakening. Goodness, it was hard at times to keep a civil tongue. But it worked.”
“Not only did it work, but it was even better. We were excited again. Remember the day the news came out that the 2030 International Conference in St. Louis was going ahead, and that representatives from all over the world were coming. As it turned out, it was the biggest AA International ever.”
“And here we are today with a renewed AA. A Gallup survey last month showed that AA numbers are rising and that new meetings are popping up all over the country.”
“At that International, they announced a Foundation to help people around the world who want to start 12–Step programs in their homelands. Before the Conference was over, it was fully funded.”
“Yup, turns out it was like our drinking. The end was the beginning.”
As Harold and Darryl paid the bill and wrapped up their conversation, they agreed that bankrupting New York had been a great thing.