Sneezy when one of my daughters was in treatment for anorexia it was at Shepard Pratt in Baltimore, right across the street from her treatment building there were I think 5 AA meetings every day!
While she was in treatment I went to AA meetings right across the street, the vast majority of the folks attending those meetings were Doctors, Nurses, pharmicist, shrinks etc. Many of these folks had many years sober.
Do you know any one in AA in the medical profession? You probably think not, but I bet you actually work directly with folks in AA and simply do not know it. In AA the percentage of alcoholics in the medical profession may be actually higher then the general population from what the folks in those Shepard Pratt meetings shared.
Ask your self this, if you went to an AA meeting and saw one of the doctors and one of the nurses you work with every day there would you go right back to work and say "Guess who I saw at an AA meeting?"
Now I would bet money I know the answer to that question, trust me people in AA have a far greater concern about others anonymity then they do there own!
I have no problem breaking my anonymity, I do not advertise I am in AA, but if a question or a converstion led to my recovery I do not hesitate to mention I am a "Recovering Alcoholic" that uses AA to maintain my sobriety.
Now would I ever mention that some one is in AA? Absolutely not.
Now there are times when some one may give some one else permission to break thier anonymity, but this usually is limited to just AA meetings.
Even AA speakers will not mention some one elses name in AA when telling thier story UNLESS they have that persons permission.
I know for me personally, I was known by many as a DRUNK!!! No one today knows me as a DRUNK! Most people know me simply as Martin, some do know I am a "Recovering Alcoholic", but given the choice of people refering to me as a DRUNK or a "Recovering Alcoholic" I have no problem being known as some one who is recovering from something that most folks who have it die from.