AA Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Nolan wants to make amends but learns that contacting one person could expose that person to further harm. What qualification appears in Step Nine?
Amends should be delayed until every affected person agrees to a meeting
Only financial harms require direct amends
Direct amends are made except when doing so would injure the person or others
A sponsor makes the final decision on behalf of everyone involved
2. A journalist asks an AA member to appear publicly under their full name and identify themselves as an AA member. Which tradition is most directly relevant?
The tradition of personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films
The tradition that groups should remain financially self-supporting
The tradition that each group should focus on one primary purpose
The tradition that membership requires a desire to stop drinking
3. Elena is worried about someone else’s drinking and wants a fellowship specifically created for relatives and friends of people with alcohol problems. Which organization fits that description?
Alcoholics Anonymous General Service
Al-Anon Family Groups
An AA group conscience committee
An AA closed meeting
4. At an open AA meeting, a first-time visitor feels nervous about speaking. What can the visitor generally do?
Ask the chairperson to certify attendance as Step One
Submit a written recovery history instead of speaking
Listen without being required to share
Leave before the discussion because silence is reserved for members
5. A person who recently stopped heavy drinking develops severe shaking, confusion, and worsening physical symptoms. What best reflects the limits of AA’s role?
AA may offer peer support, but potentially dangerous withdrawal requires urgent medical help
A sponsor can safely manage withdrawal if they have personal experience with it
An AA meeting can determine whether the symptoms are medically serious
Working the first three Steps should come before seeking outside assistance
6. What does the phrase “principles before personalities” express in AA’s Twelfth Tradition?
Popular members should lead meetings because they attract newcomers
Personal disagreements should be settled by a central AA office
AA principles should take priority over status, ego, or personal influence
Members should avoid forming friendships outside meetings
7. A newcomer asks what an AA sponsor normally does. Which answer is most accurate?
A sponsor monitors abstinence and reports concerns to the group
A sponsor shares personal experience and helps another member work through the Steps
A sponsor provides licensed therapy between meetings
A sponsor formally decides when another member has completed recovery
8. Leo wants to attend a closed AA meeting. Which description best explains who such meetings are intended for?
Only people who have already completed all Twelve Steps
AA members or people who have a desire to stop drinking
Anyone interested in alcohol education or community services
AA members and any relatives who want to accompany them
9. A member is receiving therapy and taking medication prescribed by a clinician. Which statement best reflects AA’s role in relation to that care?
AA requires members to stop psychiatric medication before working the Steps
AA replaces professional care once a person has a sponsor
AA reviews treatment plans to determine whether they support sobriety
AA offers peer support and does not provide or replace professional medical treatment
10. Priya is interested in AA but worries that she must accept one prescribed religious belief. How does AA generally frame the idea of a Higher Power?
Members may understand a Higher Power in their own way
Only members of an established religion may interpret the spiritual language personally
Every member must adopt the religious beliefs of the first AA members
Higher Power language is used only in meetings run by religious organizations
11. An AA group is deciding how to cover its meeting expenses. Which approach best reflects AA’s Seventh Tradition?
Apply for outside funding in exchange for promoting a partner
Require every attendee to pay a fixed membership fee
Seek regular sponsorship from alcohol-treatment companies
Rely on voluntary contributions from members and remain self-supporting
12. Which activity is specifically associated with Step Four of AA’s Twelve Steps?
Turning group decisions over to a central AA authority
Listing everyone harmed and immediately contacting each person
Sharing the recovery message with another person
Making a searching and fearless moral inventory of oneself
13. According to AA’s Third Tradition, what is the only requirement for membership?
A written commitment to lifelong abstinence
A desire to stop drinking
Completion of the first three Steps
A referral from a treatment professional
14. Maya does not identify as having a drinking problem, but she wants to learn about AA to support a friend. Which meeting type is generally appropriate for her?
An open AA meeting, which may be attended by interested nonmembers
A sponsor meeting, because sponsors teach nonmembers about AA
A closed AA meeting, because guests may attend silently
A group conscience meeting, where visitors are introduced to recovery
15. What is the primary purpose of an AA group?
To campaign for changes in alcohol policy
To provide professional addiction counseling
To carry its message to alcoholics who still suffer
To supervise members’ personal recovery plans
16. How do the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions differ in their main focus?
The Steps govern public relations, while the Traditions provide medical guidance
The Steps apply to open meetings, while the Traditions apply only to closed meetings
The Steps are for newcomers, while the Traditions replace them for longtime members
The Steps guide personal recovery, while the Traditions support group unity and functioning