How to Start an AA Meeting

Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are abundant worldwide. But the fellowship of recovering alcoholics continues to grow. With the growth comes the need for more meetings. People may start new AA meetings for many reasons. Some members may feel resentment, so they start a new meeting where they can have more control. But sometimes a new AA meetings are started to fill a time-slot or location void.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Go to the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in your area. Make sure you will not be opening a meeting that competes with one very nearby.

2. Talk to other recovering alcoholics to see if anyone else shares your reasons fro wanting to start a new meeting. Get a few members to support your efforts and agree to come to the new meeting.

3. Approach a local church or community center about renting the facility for your AA meeting. Then work out a rental agreement for the time and day you agree upon.

4. Purchase literature from the General Service Office (GSO). Often the person or group starting the meeting will pitch in and buy the initial literature out of her own pocket. Others take reimbursement once the meeting gets going and passing a basket. Register your meeting with GSO at alcoholics-anonymous.org.

5. Go to the local area meeting and request that the new meeting be added to the area meeting list. This addition could take up to four to six months if new lists are not printed sooner. Meanwhile, make announcements about the new meeting at other meetings, and ask others to announce the new location at every meeting they go to.

6. Make coffee, show up early and wait for suffering alcoholics to come to you. If past performance is any indicator of future proclivities, they will come.