Let’s Talk About Alcoholics Anonymous Coins, Chips and Tokens

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) aims to help individual alcoholics in achieving personal recovery and sobriety, and developing the policy of cooperation with other organizations greatly concerned with alcoholism problems. Alcoholic anonymous does not engage in alcoholism medical or psychiatric treatment, research, and education, or advocacy in any form, but its members can freely participate in these types of activities. In AA, they have what is called as “sobriety date” which is the date when a person last had his last drink or used drugs or the date he cleaned up or sobered up from his last debauch. Small AA medallions called “chips” are handled out and followed by some AA groups, to mark the various anniversaries of AA, NA, and CA member’s sobriety dates.

Many AA members, especially newcomers, carry an AA chip with them, serving as a constant reminder of their promise and commitment to stay clean, free or sober. A “desire chip” is usually handed to a newcomer, that signifies the desire of the recipient to stay clean and sober for the next twenty-four hours. Small AA medallions commemorate various sobriety lengths such as 1,2 ,3, 6 and 9 months, years and multiple if years. AA traditions of medallions, chips and birthdays vary from one fellowship to another. An AA sobriety coin is usually given to 12 step group members that represent the length of time an AA member has remained sober. The AA medallion’ size is similar to a poker chip (33mm for standard), that marks the sobriety time a member achieved for abstaining from alcohol or drugs while in the program. AA medallions, chips and coins do not have a granted or approved logo neither Alcoholics Anonymous have any official AA medallion or chip.

There are thirteen basic coins in total given after a year of being an AA member for remaining sober, which include the white chip (1 day or 24 hours known as desire chip), silver chip (30 days or 1 month), dark gold chip (60 days or 2 months), red chip (90 days or 3 months), yellow chip (6 months), green chip (9months) and blue chip (1 year). Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who share similar set of experiences, hope and strength with each other in order to find solution to their common problems and help others to be able to recover from alcoholism. Other AA medallions, coins, and chips may come in metals such as silver, copper, bronze, aluminum and gold. You may visit our website to know more about AA and AA medallions, coins, and chips.