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How to Find Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings Near You

There are Alcoholics Anonymous meetings all around the world. Just about every country has chapters, and most big cities have multiple meetings every day. Meetings types vary. Some are open to the public, while others are closed and designed to protect anonymity. There are meetings designed exclusively for men or women and co-ed meetings as well. Therefore, every member of the fellowship should be able to find the right arrangement for them.

Regional Service Centers

Many cities and counties have service centers dedicated to local AA chapters. Many of them operate hotlines, sometimes 24-hour ones, which you can contact to find a meeting nearby.

Volunteer members of the fellowship answer the hotlines and are eager to help newcomers. They will tell you which meetings are currently available and open. They can also help newcomers find an individual to meet with them and prepare them for the first meeting.

Local AA directories list all of the meetings in their areas. However, the guides are often closed to non-members.

Use the AA.org Website

If you are looking for a meeting in the United States or Canada, one great place to look is the AA.org website. It has resources for every state and province in the two countries. Many states and provinces have a 24-hour hotline, which you can use to locate meetings nearby in the area. While there are meetings in most places, they may be harder to find in some more rural areas.

These resources, divided according to state and province, are the best place to start. The full list is available here: https://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/find-local-aa

Attend Online Meetings

In that case, you may want to look into attending online meetings. These have become increasingly common in recent years and are even more plentiful since COVID-19 hit. If you do not have a computer, you may be able to access meetings using computers available at a local library.

Related: Find a Virtual Online Meeting for Each 12 Step Program

A useful resource for finding online meetings is available at https://aa-intergroup.org/oiaa/meetings/ Chapters organize arrangements according to members’ specific needs. They include sessions designed for the visually or hearing impaired as well as those conducted in different languages.

Finding Meetings Internationally

Over the years, Alcoholics Anonymous has opened chapters throughout the world. Even countries where grass-roots organizations and civil society organizations are frowned upon often have AA chapters.

The organization and structure of AA in different countries can vary wildly. You can find a listing for national organizations at https://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/find-local-aa/world/1

While this list includes many websites and numbers, it is almost certainly incomplete. If you are outside of North America and looking for a meeting to attend, try local search engines and listings. It may be a good idea to run searches in both English and the local language.

Hospitals and Prisons

If you have experienced a severe disruption to your regular life, whether in the circumstances related to alcoholism or not, AA meetings may still be available to you.

AA has worked with and through hospitals from its inception. Therefore, many hospitals and treatment centers regularly hold meetings. If you are hospitalized or in a treatment facility, ask the staff at the facility about the availability of meetings.

If you or your loved one have been incarcerated, they may still be able to attend meetings. Hundreds of groups run regularly in prisons throughout North America. Many correctional institutions encourage the organization of AA fellowships, which can contribute to the rehabilitation of inmates.

Starting Your Group

When beginning your recovery, it is advisable to join a group with experienced members to guide you. However, keep in mind that anyone can start an AA group on their own. Therefore, if you cannot find the right meeting for you, creating your own is an option.

All one would need to start a group is two alcoholics with a strong desire to maintain a life of recovery and a willingness to follow AA’s 12-traditions.

Conclusion

There is a wide range of meetings available throughout the world to help addicts in need. There are several tools and methods available to find them. Wherever you or your loved one are at this time, you can get the help you need.

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