I Think I May Have a Drinking Problem—How Does A.A. Area 73 Help Me Get Started?

Updated

If you think you may have a drinking problem, the official site for A.A. Area 73 states plainly that there is a solution, and it points you to a "Get Help" section as the starting point. Area 73 covers all of West Virginia plus portions of Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and the site is built around three practical next steps: reading about what A.A. is, finding a meeting, and contacting members who are ready to answer questions. One current caveat: the Area 73 800 number is down for maintenance, so the site asks you to fill out a form instead and says someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

What Area 73 actually covers

Area 73 is the Alcoholics Anonymous service area for:

  • All of West Virginia
  • Portions of Maryland
  • Portions of Ohio
  • Portions of Pennsylvania

If you live in or near that region, the meetings and contacts listed on aawv.org are the ones relevant to you. If you are outside it, the same site structure exists in other A.A. areas, but the local meeting lists will differ.

The three paths the site gives you

The homepage is organized around a simple question—who are you and what do you need?—with separate entry points for people seeking help, for members, and for professionals and media.

1. Get Help (if you think you may have a drinking problem)

This is the section aimed directly at your situation. The site's message is that if you think you may have a drinking problem, there is a solution, and A.A. is described as "the key to a new life." For someone who is not sure whether their drinking is a problem, this is the least committal first step: you read, you don't have to identify yourself, and you don't have to decide anything yet.

2. Meetings (find a meeting near you)

Meetings are scheduled daily throughout all of Area 73. The site provides a meeting-finding path so you can look up what is happening near you rather than waiting for a callback. This matters practically: if the phone line is down, the meeting list is still a way to show up somewhere today or this week.

3. Contact (ask a member a question)

Members of A.A. are ready to answer any questions you may have. If you want to ask something before attending—what a meeting is like, whether you have to speak, what to expect—this is the route for that.

What to do right now, step by step

  1. Go to aawv.org and open the "Get Help" section. Read what it says about A.A. and about problem drinking. Expected result: you understand what A.A. is and that the site treats your situation as one with a solution.
  2. Use the meeting finder to look up meetings in your part of Area 73. Meetings run daily across the area, so you can pick a time and place that fits. Expected result: a specific meeting, with a day, time, and location.
  3. If you have questions first, use the contact route. Members are described as ready to answer questions. Expected result: a reply from a person, not a script.
  4. If you tried the 800 number, use the form instead. The site states the 800 number is down for maintenance and asks visitors to fill out a form so someone can get back to them ASAP. Expected result: a callback or reply once someone picks up the form.

Common sticking points

  • "I'm not sure I'm an alcoholic." You don't have to settle that before taking a step. The site's framing is aimed at people who think they may have a problem—uncertainty is the expected starting condition, not a disqualifier.
  • "The phone number didn't work." That is a known, stated maintenance issue on the site, not a sign you reached the wrong place. Use the form.
  • "I don't know which meeting to pick." Any listed meeting in Area 73 is a valid entry point; the site lists them as scheduled daily, so you are not looking for one special beginner meeting.
  • "I'm outside West Virginia." Check whether your location falls in the Maryland, Ohio, or Pennsylvania portions of Area 73; if not, you need the A.A. area covering your location instead.

What the site does not tell you

The page evidence does not state costs, membership requirements, or what happens at a meeting in detail, and it does not say the form or any service is free. Treat those as open questions to ask through the contact route rather than assumptions.