A.A. Grapevine and La Viña
A.A. Grapevine and La Viña are the international magazines of Alcoholics Anonymous. They share the experience, strength, and hope of A.A. members around the world.
A.A. Grapevine: The International Journal of Alcoholics Anonymous
A.A. Grapevine is published in English and shares stories, reflections, and recovery-related content written by A.A. members.
The A.A. Grapevine Mission Statement
A.A. Grapevine, Inc. is publisher of the International Journal of Alcoholics Anonymous. Its primary purpose is to carry the A.A. message to everyone interested in alcoholism through its magazines, websites, and related items, which reflect the experience, strength, and hope of its members and friends on topics related to recovery, unity and service. It strives in all its activities to operate in accordance with the Twelve Steps, the Twelve Traditions, and the Twelve Concepts of A.A., without soliciting monetary contributions from A.A. members or groups to fund operating expenses.
The A.A. Grapevine Statement of Purpose
A.A. Grapevine is the international journal of Alcoholics Anonymous. Written, edited, illustrated, and read by A.A. members and others interested in the A.A. program of recovery from alcoholism, the Grapevine is a lifeline linking one alcoholic to another.
Often referred to as our "meeting in print," the A.A. Grapevine communicates the experience, strength, and hope of its contributors and reflects a broad geographic spectrum of current A.A. experience with recovery, unity, and service. Founded in 1944, the Grapevine does not receive group contributions, but is supported entirely through magazine subscription sales and additional income derived from the sale of Grapevine items.
The awareness that every A.A. member has an individual way of working the program permeates the pages of the Grapevine, and throughout its history the magazine has been a forum for the varied and often divergent opinions of A.A.s around the world. As such, articles are not intended to be statements of A.A. policy, nor does publication of any article imply endorsement by either A.A. or the Grapevine.
As Bill W. expressed it in 1946, "The Grapevine will be the voice of the Alcoholics Anonymous movement. Its editors and staff will be primarily accountable to the A.A. movement as a whole. . . . Within the bounds of friendliness and good taste, the Grapevine will enjoy perfect freedom of speech on all matters directly pertaining to Alcoholics Anonymous. . . . Like the Alcoholics Anonymous movement it is to mirror, there will be but one central purpose: The Grapevine will try to carry the A.A. message to alcoholics and practice the A.A. principles in all its affairs."
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History of the A.A. Grapevine
The Grapevine was created by six A.A. members in the New York area - four women and two men. With the blessings of A.A.'s co-founder Bill W., they published the first issue in June 1944, just nine years after the founding of A.A. A copy of that first issue was sent to every A.A. group - about 300 at the time - and to all known A.A. members in the armed services overseas. An entire page with the heading, "Mail Call for All A.A.s in the Armed Forces," was devoted to letters from these members, who began calling the Grapevine their "meeting in print." The title stuck, and today the Grapevine and La Viña carry it on their covers.
At the heart of the early Grapevines, then as now, were first-person stories. There were also news and notes on current happenings at the Central Office, plus reports of the explosion of new groups in North America and around the world. In addition to A.A. news, there were book reviews and magazine reprints and pieces written by non-A.A.s, including some well-known literary figures. Discussed were such burning topics of the day as the place of women in A.A., returning veterans, and cross-addiction.
By the fourth issue, the magazine began printing this description of itself under the masthead:
A monthly Journal devoted to those seeking further knowledge on the problem of alcoholism, in the hope that it may prove a unifying bond to all alcoholics everywhere. Individual opinions expressed here are not, necessarily, those of A.A. as a whole.
The Grapevine was in fact appealing to "alcoholics everywhere" and in 1945, at the request of the groups, it became the national journal of Alcoholics Anonymous. Four years later, when the Grapevine's readership had expanded to include members in Canada and Europe, the designation was changed to the international journal of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Later issues of the Grapevine reported on important developments in the growth of the Fellowship worldwide, such as the birth of the General Service Structure, World Service Meetings, and the publication of the Third and Fourth editions of the Big Book. The history of the Grapevine is the history of the growth of Alcoholics Anonymous. In 1986, the General Service Conference reaffirmed the magazine's place in A.A. with an advisory action that recognized it as the international journal of Alcoholics Anonymous.
La Viña
La Viña is the Spanish-language magazine of Alcoholics Anonymous. It shares the experience, strength, and hope of Spanish-speaking A.A. members.
La Misión del A.A. Grapevine
El A.A. Grapevine, Inc. es el publicador de la revista Internacional de Alcohólicos Anónimos. Su principal propósito es llevar el mensaje de A.A. a todas las personas interesadas en el alcoholismo a través de sus revistas, sitios web y productos similares, reflejando la experiencia, la fortaleza y la esperanza de sus miembros y amigos, en temas relacionados con la recuperación, la unidad y el servicio. Se esfuerza en todas sus actividades para operar de acuerdo con los Doce Pasos, las Doce Tradiciones y los Doce Conceptos de A.A., sin solicitar contribuciones monetarias de los miembros o grupos de A.A. para financiar los gastos operativos.
El Propósito de A.A. Grapevine
Como lo expresó Bill W. en 1946, “el Grapevine será la voz del movimiento de Alcohólicos Anónimos. Sus editores y su personal serán los principales responsables ante el movimiento de A.A. en general ... Dentro de los límites de accesibilidad y el buen gusto, el Grapevine disfrutará de perfecta libertad de expresión en todos los asuntos directamente relacionados con Alcohólicos Anónimos ... Al igual que el movimiento de Alcohólicos Anónimos, reflejará como un espejo, su único y central propósito: El Grapevine intentará llevar el mensaje de A.A. a los alcohólicos y practicar los principios de A.A. en todos sus asuntos”.
For current issues, subscriptions, books, and other materials, visit the official A.A. Grapevine website.