AA Meetings Near Me

Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of people who share their experience, strength, and hope to help each other recover from alcoholism. Founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio, AA has grown into one of the most well-known recovery organizations in the world.

AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, political organization, institution, or outside interest. There are no dues or fees for membership. The only requirement is a desire to stop drinking. AA is fully self-supporting through members' own voluntary contributions.

The AA program centers on 12 steps — a set of guiding principles for recovery that encourage honesty, accountability, making amends, and helping others. While the steps reference a "Higher Power," members define that concept in whatever way is meaningful to them. Many AA members are not religious.

The best way to find an AA meeting is through the official AA website at aa.org/find-aa, which connects you to your local AA intergroup or central office. You can also download the free Meeting Guide app, which lists over 120,000 weekly meetings across more than 400 AA service entities.

Other ways to find meetings include: calling your local AA central office (look up "Alcoholics Anonymous" in your phone directory or online), asking a doctor, counselor, or treatment center for a meeting list, contacting your probation or parole officer for approved meeting locations, and checking community bulletin boards at hospitals, libraries, and churches.

AA meetings are held in a wide variety of locations including churches, community centers, hospitals, clubhouses, office buildings, and even parks. Most communities have meetings available every day of the week at various times.

It is completely normal to feel nervous before your first AA meeting. Here is what typically happens:

Meetings usually last about one hour. The meeting begins with the chairperson (a volunteer member) welcoming everyone and reading the AA Preamble. The Serenity Prayer is recited together. Readings from AA literature may follow, such as "How It Works" from the Big Book.

The chairperson will typically ask if anyone is attending their first AA meeting. If you raise your hand, members will welcome you warmly — most remember their own first meeting and understand how you feel. You will usually receive a newcomer packet and may be offered a "welcome chip" or coin marking the beginning of your recovery.

You do not have to speak, share, or introduce yourself. You can simply listen for the entire meeting. No one will force you to talk. If the meeting passes around a collection basket, donating is entirely optional.

At the end of the meeting, members often stand in a circle and close with a prayer (usually the Lord's Prayer or the Serenity Prayer). Many members stay afterward to chat — this is a good time to ask questions, get phone numbers, or just connect with someone who understands.

Open Meetings: Anyone can attend — family members, friends, students, professionals, and anyone interested in learning about AA. Open meetings are a great starting point if you are unsure whether AA is right for you.

Closed Meetings: For people who have a desire to stop drinking. These meetings provide a more private setting where members can share openly about their struggles with alcohol.

Speaker Meetings: One or more members tell their personal stories of what their drinking was like, what happened, and what they are like now in recovery. You just listen — no sharing required.

Discussion Meetings: A topic is introduced (often related to one of the 12 steps or a recovery theme) and members share their thoughts. You can pass if you do not want to speak.

Big Book Study Meetings: Members read and discuss the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, AA's foundational text.

Step Study Meetings: Focused on working through the 12 steps, studying one step in depth over several weeks.

Beginners Meetings: Designed specifically for newcomers. Usually led by an experienced member in a question-and-answer format.

Specialty Meetings: Some AA groups cater to specific populations, including women-only, men-only, LGBTQ+, young people, and Spanish-speaking meetings. These meetings address unique needs while following the same AA program.

The 12 steps form the foundation of the AA recovery program. They are suggestions, not rules. Many people work through them at their own pace with the guidance of a sponsor.

Step 1: Admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable. Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Step 3: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Step 4: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Step 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Step 7: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Step 8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Step 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Step 10: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

While the steps reference God, AA emphasizes that members define their Higher Power in any way that makes sense to them. This can be the AA group, nature, the universe, or any concept greater than oneself.

A sponsor is an experienced AA member who acts as a mentor and guide for a newer member. The sponsor helps the sponsee work through the 12 steps and provides personal support throughout recovery. Having a sponsor is one of the most important parts of the AA program.

To find a sponsor, attend meetings regularly and listen for someone whose sobriety and outlook you admire. Ask someone of the same gender (this is a tradition, not a rule) who has worked through all 12 steps and has solid, stable sobriety. You can simply approach someone after a meeting and ask, "Would you be willing to be my sponsor?"

A sponsor is not a therapist, counselor, or authority figure. They are a fellow alcoholic who shares their experience and walks alongside you in recovery. The relationship is free and voluntary. It is perfectly acceptable to change sponsors if the relationship is not working.

AA meetings are widely recognized by courts, probation officers, parole boards, and drug courts across the United States. Many people attend AA as a condition of probation, parole, or a court-ordered treatment plan.

If you need proof of attendance, most AA meetings provide attendance verification slips or court cards that can be signed by the meeting chairperson or secretary. Bring your card to the meeting and ask someone to sign it before or after the meeting.

Important privacy protections: AA itself does not keep records of who attends meetings. The tradition of anonymity means no one will report your attendance (or absence) to anyone. Your substance use treatment records are also protected under federal law (42 CFR Part 2), which prohibits disclosure of substance use disorder treatment information without your written consent. This means your recovery efforts generally cannot be used against you in court.