Does AA Have Staying Power?

AN EDITORIAL in the AA Grapevine, Volume V, Number 11, states: "What about the member who experiences a slip after he has been in AA for several years and who has apparently assimilated its teachings thoroughly? What caused his slip? Was the knowledge at hand insufficient to help him beyond a certain period? Can additional knowledge be made available which will extend AA help out into the broader fields that many of its members have now reached? How to extend AA's practical assistance is both a question and a challenge." This editorial was published in April, 1949, and now, eight years later, the question remains unanswered--at least in a completely satisfactory way.