Most people are a bit nervous attending their first Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting. That’s to be expected, as you’re entering an unfamiliar environment in an unfamiliar stage in your life. Having anxiety about the unknown is normal, and you can combat that by learning exactly what happens at an AA meeting. That way, you’ll be more prepared, and better yet, less anxious about your first meeting.

The Necessity of Courage

You may not think you have courage because of your anxious feelings, but the truth is that everyone can attain the courage they need to attend AA – it just takes work. Having courage means that despite feeling concerns or fears, you step out and take action anyway. For attending an AA meeting for the first time, that means feeling the fear and going anyway.

What Happens at an AA Meeting?

Before we talk about what happens at an AA meeting, let’s discuss how you can find a meeting in your local area. The AA website allows you to enter your zip code in to find a list of available meetings in your area. If you’re in Texas, you can call us directly to locate NA or AA meetings in your area. Some meetings will cater to newcomers and others may be called “Book Studies,” which simply means that you will discuss a certain portion of the “Big Book” used in AA.

AA Follows A Schedule

If you’re wondering what happens at an AA meeting, you can rest assured that AA meetings are structured. It’s not a free for all, where everyone just shouts out what they want to say. Meetings are usually held in an average size room with chairs and tables. Sometimes the chairs will be arranged in a circle, so everyone is able to face each other.

Before the meeting, men and women will most likely be visiting with each other or sitting quietly waiting for the meeting to begin. Usually, there will be some fresh coffee or snacks to help you stay comfortable or relax.

AA Meeting Structure

One person usually leads the AA meeting, sometimes called the facilitator or the “chair” of the meeting. He will open the group by welcoming everyone and then reading some AA literature. The 12 Steps of the group will be read, along with the 12 principles of recovery. There may or may not be a daily reading from the Big Book.

Once all the literature has been read out loud, the meeting will be open for discussion. Individuals take a turn sharing their issue or experience and invite others to offer their own experiences, strength, and encouragement. At meetings, people are advised not to “cross talk” or act as a therapist. You can identify with what someone is going through and share your own experiences or victories, but telling them what to do and/or how to do it is frowned upon. The reason for this is because what works for one person may not work for another, and the people sharing can feel overwhelmed with people telling them to “do this or that” for a certain result. They simply want to be heard.

Different Types of AA Meetings

Most AA meetings are open to anyone, (Open Meetings) but there are some meetings geared toward a certain topic.

• Speaker meetings are meetings where there is one designated speaker who shares his or her recovery story. They usually take up about 30 to 40 minutes to share and then leave some time for discussion.
• Step Meetings are meetings where different Steps are the focus.
• Big Book meetings are meetings where the classic book of AA is discussed.
• Closed meetings are meetings for those who are certain that they are recovering alcoholics. Those who aren’t sure if they are may not want to attend this type of meeting for their first meeting.
• Gender meetings. Some meetings may be deemed for a gender, such as “men only” or “women only”.

What To Do When You Get To Your First AA Meeting

You may be nervous when you get there. Take a moment to take a deep breath or two and relax your body. Remind yourself that people are not there to judge you and that those attending have been in your shoes. Also, keep in mind there are some people at meetings who reach out to newcomers and make them feel welcome. They may greet you with a handshake or hug, smiling big and welcoming you cheerfully.

Do a scope of the room and choose a seat to sit in. There’s no assigned seat, so just pick something you’re comfortable with. If you’d like some coffee, feel free to get up and grab a cup.

Meetings are free, so no need to worry about bringing money. Usually, a money basket will be passed around at some point during the meeting, collecting money to pay things like rent for space, but you’re not obligated to give anything. Many people simply bring a dollar and put it in.

How The Meeting Ends

Meetings usually end after one hour with people standing up to recite the Serenity Prayer. If you don’t know the Serenity Prayer, don’t worry. You’ll learn it in no time. It goes:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Keep in mind that meetings differ a bit from place to place. You can attend several different ones if you want so you can get a feel for the variance. Usually, newcomers who keep attending start to feel less anxious after their first one or two meetings.

If you’re thinking about attending an AA meeting, good for you. That’s a positive step in the direction of alcoholism recovery. Even if you’re not sure if you’re an alcoholic or just a problem drinker, attending AA meetings can help you out. You’ll learn some about alcohol and meet others who are choosing to live life without drinking; a life where they feel free rather than controlled by their drinking behaviors.