Meeting Formats

An A.A. meeting may take one of several forms, but at any meeting you will find alcoholics talking about what drinking did to their lives and personalities, what actions they took to help themselves, and how they are living their lives today.

Meeting formats include Lead/Speaker, Discussion, Big Book study, Step & Tradition, Open, Closed, Men Only, Women Only, etc… Family members or close friends are welcome at Open A.A. meetings as observers. A Closed meeting is for alcoholics only. Discuss this with your local contact. Generally speaking, if you are new to A.A., we suggest you attend an Open meeting.

Learn more about the different meeting types and how to use the online meeting search by seeing Tips to Find a Meeting.

Anonymity

No membership files or attendance records are kept, although some meetings have completely optional phone lists of homegroup members (regular attendees of the meeting). You do not have to reveal anything about yourself. No one will bother you if you don’t want to come back. If you happen to meet people you know at a meeting, they will be there for the same reason you are. They will not disclose your identity to others and you will retain as much anonymity as you wish – this is one reason we call ourselves Alcoholics Anonymous.

No Dues or Fees

There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership. There’s nothing to sign up for. Groups usually take a voluntary collection during the meeting to cover the meeting expenses and members contribute as they are able to.

Meeting Schedules

A.A. Meeting Schedules for the Greater Cleveland area (Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake counties) are available in 2 formats. Our online schedule can be searched by location and meeting type.

We also sell printed schedules through our online store or in our bookstore at 1557 St Clair Ave, NE, Cleveland, Ohio 44114. We will mail 1 to you free of charge.

More About Meetings

Watch this short video on What To Expect at a First AA Meeting

Learn more about what A.A. is and what A.A. is not as well as frequently asked questions.