When a twelve-step member is presented with their first chip, they are often told, "This chip represents AA's commitment to you – not your commitment to us." Sobriety coins themselves do not necessarily help the holder stay sober, but studies have shown a connection between the visual presence of the coin and the holder's self-resolve. The Wendells medallion is the most common bronze coin given by AA members. from Ramsey, Minnesota, began manufacturing the raised center bronze AA Medallion in 1973. It is believed that the company that made the modern chip as we know it today occurred in Minneapolis in 1965. 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. Īs each section of AA saw fit, it joined in on the sobriety coin custom. The Portland group (Maine) began a tradition of using colored poker chips to mark time of sobriety. 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. It is believed to have originated in 1942 in Indianapolis. The actual history of how the AA chip came about after this is still a mystery. 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. Bob and the Good Old Timers, the history book for Alcoholics Anonymous, discusses the work of Sister Ignatia in Akron, a nun who was devoted to assisting early members of AA and was known for passing out coins to these members. History Īlcoholics Anonymous was not the first organization to use sobriety chips: other temperance societies gave medallions to those who swore to stop drinking/using and to track the duration of their sobriety. 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. In other twelve-step programs it is to mark time abstaining from whatever the recipient has committed to renounce. It is traditionally a medallion the size of a poker chip, 34 mm (1.34 in) (standard) or 39 mm (1.5 in) in diameter. Green is for six months of sobriety purple is for nine months.Ī sobriety coin is a token given to Alcoholics Anonymous or other twelve-step program members representing the amount of time the member has remained sober. Alcoholics Anonymous sobriety coins, given for specified lengths of sobriety on the back is the Serenity Prayer.
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