115:"Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism." To show how far along each person is in his or her sobriety, most AA groups use a chip of a particular color or alloy that constitutes a range of time that person has been sober. These different-colored chips and values are meant to be tokens of inspiration and a reminder of just how long the member has been sober and how far that member has come. It is evident that "early on, many people in A.A. carried personal mementos to remind themselves of the importance of their sobriety". From personal mementos to coins, the practice of giving out something such as a sobriety chip represents the will and desire that a person has to quit drinking. The practice of giving sobriety chips in AA is attributed to a group in Elmira, New York, in 1947. The celebration of birthdays came from the Oxford group, where members celebrated the anniversary of their spiritual rebirth; in Alcoholics Anonymous, people choose the anniversary of the date of their first full day without a drink. There are thirteen basic coins that are given to members within their first year of sobriety. Generally, coins are given at one month, three months, six months, and nine months of sobriety in the first year. After this, coins are given after each yearly milestone.
174:"The chip system is optional and not a part of all A.A. groups nationally or worldwide." In 2011, the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous estimated that there were about 58,000 Alcoholic Anonymous groups throughout the United States. All the chips after the one-year chip are traditionally also bronze. There are special novelty chips that come in other metals, colors, types and designs. Common premium sobriety chips are gold- and silver-plated, colored and sometimes coated in a clear epoxy dome.
108:
119:
55:, 34 mm (1.34 in) (standard) or 39 mm (1.5 in) in diameter. In other twelve-step programs it is to mark time abstaining from whatever the recipient has committed to renounce. There is no official AA medallion or chip; they are used in AA culture but not officially conference-approved, and the AA logo has not been granted for use on medallions.
20:
82:
in Akron, a nun who was devoted to assisting early members of AA and was known for passing out coins to these members. In this book, it states, "Sister
Ignatia gave each of her newly released patients a Sacred Heart Medallion, which she asked them to return before they took the first drink. She would
91:
The actual history of how the AA chip came about after this is still a mystery. It is believed to have originated in 1942 in
Indianapolis. The man who began the Alcoholics Anonymous section in Indianapolis, Doherty S., is thought to have started the sobriety coin tradition within this section of AA.
98:
As each section of AA saw fit, it joined in on the sobriety coin custom. As private companies saw these coins being used, they began to manufacture “AA” chips (even though they were not affiliated with
Alcoholics Anonymous) and sell them to different sections. It is believed that the company that
99:
made the modern chip as we know it today occurred in
Minneapolis in 1965. Wendells Inc. from Ramsey, Minnesota, began manufacturing the raised center bronze AA Medallion in 1973. The Wendells medallion is the most common bronze coin given by AA members.
485:
423:
367:
269:
503:
190:
64:
336:
498:
527:
123:
67:
gave medallions to those who swore to stop drinking/using and to track the duration of their sobriety.
382:"AA Medallions | AA Coins | AA Tokens | AA Chips | Recovery Gifts | AA Token"
532:
40:
95:
The
Portland group (Maine) began a tradition of using colored poker chips to mark time of sobriety.
44:
107:
511:
23:
Alcoholics
Anonymous sobriety coins, given for specified lengths of sobriety; on the back is the
537:
361:
47:
members representing the amount of time the member has remained sober. It is traditionally a
24:
499:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140217221637/http://www.ipass.net/a1idpirat/AAglossary.html
311:
230:
79:
118:
521:
343:
402:
209:
63:
Alcoholics
Anonymous was not the first organization to use sobriety chips: other
283:
52:
251:
231:"Alcoholics Anonymous : Frequently Asked Questions About A.A.'s History"
48:
36:
19:
122:
A 36-year sobriety coin given to a 59-year-old member at a meeting in
83:
occasionally give out St. Christopher and St. George medals as well."
488:
What are the chips that they hand out at the end of an A.A. meeting?
78:, the history book for Alcoholics Anonymous, discusses the work of
117:
106:
27:. Green is for six months of sobriety; purple is for nine months.
381:
478:
General
Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous. (1956/2011).
482:. Retrieved from www.aa.org/pdf/products/m-24_aafactfile.pdf
270:"The Story Behind The Wendells Raised Center AA Medallion"
210:"Origin of AA coins, chips, tokens or medallions – AA FAQ"
143:
Green Chip – 90 days/3 months of sobriety
140:
Gold Chip – 60 days/2 months of sobriety
418:
416:
137:
Red Chip – 30 days/1 month of sobriety
457:
Independent
Alcoholism Help Council (IAHC). (2012).
152:
Dark Blue Chip – 6 months of sobriety
167:Green Chip – 11 months of sobriety
161:Purple Chip – 9 months of sobriety
155:Copper Chip – 7 months of sobriety
146:Purple Chip – 4 months of sobriety
134:Silver Chip – 24 hours of sobriety
445:Origin of AA coins, chips, tokens or medallions?
170:Bronze Chip – 1 year of sobriety.
164:Gold Chip – 10 months of sobriety
149:Pink Chip – 5 months of sobriety
158:Red Chip – 8 months of sobriety
452:Frequently asked questions about AA's history
8:
204:
202:
200:
191:"The Meaning Behind AA Chips And Medallions"
18:
468:. Retrieved from www.barefootsworld.net
182:
366:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
359:
7:
471:Marijuana Anonymous Online. (2012).
459:Relapse prevention and sobriety aids
493:Christian Recovery Forums. (n.d.).
111:Several Alcoholics Anonymous tokens
475:. Retrieved from www.ma-online.org
461:. Retrieved from www.alcoholic.org
409:. findrecovery.com. 31 March 2020.
14:
16:Token used in addiction programs
130:Typical coin milestone colors:
76:Dr. Bob and the Good Old Timers
1:
450:Alcoholics Anonymous (2012).
424:"My Blog – My WordPress Blog"
504:Meaning Behind Medallions.
447:Retrieved from anonpress.org
443:The Anonymous Press. (n.d.)
454:. Retrieved from www.aa.org
554:
486:Man, M.E. (2008, July 2).
464:Barefoot's World. (2002).
403:"How Do I Get an AA Chip?"
514:Passsitonrecoveryshop.com
473:MA Online sobriety chips
466:Some history of AA chips
428:www.seekingthelight.com
256:www.barefootsworld.net
127:
124:Methuen, Massachusetts
112:
28:
384:. Sobermedallions.com
291:Alcoholics Anonymous®
121:
110:
22:
528:Alcoholics Anonymous
65:temperance societies
41:Alcoholics Anonymous
45:twelve-step program
312:"Preamble Changes"
252:"Barefoot's World"
128:
113:
29:
512:How coins started
497:. Retrieved from
545:
432:
431:
420:
411:
410:
399:
393:
392:
390:
389:
378:
372:
371:
365:
357:
355:
354:
348:
342:. Archived from
341:
333:
327:
326:
324:
323:
308:
302:
301:
299:
298:
288:
280:
274:
273:
272:. 27 March 2016.
266:
260:
259:
248:
242:
241:
239:
238:
227:
221:
220:
218:
217:
206:
195:
194:
187:
553:
552:
548:
547:
546:
544:
543:
542:
518:
517:
440:
435:
422:
421:
414:
401:
400:
396:
387:
385:
380:
379:
375:
358:
352:
350:
346:
339:
337:"Archived copy"
335:
334:
330:
321:
319:
316:Rebus Community
310:
309:
305:
296:
294:
286:
284:"A.A. PREAMBLE"
282:
281:
277:
268:
267:
263:
250:
249:
245:
236:
234:
229:
228:
224:
215:
213:
212:. Anonpress.org
208:
207:
198:
189:
188:
184:
180:
105:
89:
73:
61:
25:Serenity Prayer
17:
12:
11:
5:
551:
549:
541:
540:
535:
530:
520:
519:
516:
515:
509:
501:
491:
483:
480:A.A. fact file
476:
469:
462:
455:
448:
439:
436:
434:
433:
412:
394:
373:
328:
303:
275:
261:
243:
222:
196:
181:
179:
176:
172:
171:
168:
165:
162:
159:
156:
153:
150:
147:
144:
141:
138:
135:
104:
101:
88:
85:
80:Sister Ignatia
72:
69:
60:
57:
51:the size of a
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
550:
539:
536:
534:
531:
529:
526:
525:
523:
513:
510:
508:
507:
502:
500:
496:
492:
490:
489:
484:
481:
477:
474:
470:
467:
463:
460:
456:
453:
449:
446:
442:
441:
437:
429:
425:
419:
417:
413:
408:
404:
398:
395:
383:
377:
374:
369:
363:
349:on 2012-11-08
345:
338:
332:
329:
317:
313:
307:
304:
292:
285:
279:
276:
271:
265:
262:
257:
253:
247:
244:
232:
226:
223:
211:
205:
203:
201:
197:
192:
186:
183:
177:
175:
169:
166:
163:
160:
157:
154:
151:
148:
145:
142:
139:
136:
133:
132:
131:
125:
120:
116:
109:
102:
100:
96:
93:
86:
84:
81:
77:
70:
68:
66:
58:
56:
54:
50:
46:
42:
38:
34:
33:sobriety coin
26:
21:
506:RecoveryChip
505:
494:
487:
479:
472:
465:
458:
451:
444:
427:
407:FindRecovery
406:
397:
386:. Retrieved
376:
351:. Retrieved
344:the original
331:
320:. Retrieved
318:. 2021-05-19
315:
306:
295:. Retrieved
293:. 2021-06-23
290:
278:
264:
255:
246:
235:. Retrieved
225:
214:. Retrieved
185:
173:
129:
114:
97:
94:
90:
75:
74:
62:
32:
30:
533:Token coins
495:AA glossory
103:Coin design
522:Categories
438:References
388:2014-04-12
353:2012-11-17
322:2021-08-22
297:2021-08-21
237:2014-04-12
216:2014-04-12
53:poker chip
87:Use in AA
71:First use
49:medallion
43:or other
39:given to
538:Exonumia
362:cite web
233:. Aa.org
59:History
347:(PDF)
340:(PDF)
287:(PDF)
178:Notes
37:token
35:is a
368:link
524::
426:.
415:^
405:.
364:}}
360:{{
314:.
289:.
254:.
199:^
31:A
430:.
391:.
370:)
356:.
325:.
300:.
258:.
240:.
219:.
193:.
126:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
