aa.org

aa.org is built for more than the person who drinks. The site has dedicated entry points for family members, friends, and professionals, and the practical path is the same for all of them: identify your role, read the material written for it, then use the "Find A.A. Near You" tool or the contact option to connect with local A.A. rather than trying to intervene remotely. The site is explicit that A.A.'s recovery program works through one alcoholic sharing with another, so your job is to open the door, not to run the program.

Start by selecting your role

The homepage asks "I Am..." and offers four options. Two of them apply here:

• Trying to help a family member or friend
• A professional working with alcoholics

Choosing one of these routes you to the resources written for that situation instead of the newcomer-facing material. If you are unsure whether the person actually has a drinking problem, the site also offers a self-assessment, which the drinker can take themselves.

If you are a family member or friend

The site's framing for you is direct: "Is there an alcoholic in your life? If someone you care about has a drinking problem, A.A. might have a solution for them." It states that A.A. has helped more than two million alcoholics stop drinking, and repeats the mechanism — recovery works through one alcoholic sharing their experience with another.

Resources the site points you toward:

• "Is there an alcoholic in your life?" — a brief guide written for your situation
• Frequently asked questions about A.A. — for the questions people usually raise before making contact
• "Want to talk to someone about A.A.?" — a contact route to A.A. near you
• Video stories — members describing what getting sober was like, including segments on living sober and newcomer resources

What the site does not offer is a way to enroll or treat someone else. The recommended next step is contact with a local A.A. group, because that is where the person-to-person help actually happens.

If you are a professional

The site addresses professionals who work with alcoholics, including legal and corrections professionals, and provides video material made for that audience ("AA Video for Legal and Corrections Professionals"). There is also a broader section on A.A. service, covering service committees, groups, anonymity, and contributions and self-support, plus the A.A. Service Manual and material on sponsorship.

For a professional, the useful pattern is:

1. Read the professional-facing material so you can describe A.A. accurately.
2. Use "Find A.A. Near You" to identify what exists in the person's own area.
3. Point the person to that local contact rather than acting as the intermediary.

Use "Find A.A. Near You" to locate actual help

The locator takes a state or province and town or ZIP code, plus a distance in miles, and returns nearby A.A. There is also a direct "Contact A.A. Near You" option. This is the step that turns reading into help — the site's own position is that A.A. is available when a person reaches out, and that groups are how that availability is maintained.

What to expect, and what not to expect

• Expect local, in-person contact. The site repeatedly routes you to A.A. near you, not to a central intake.
• Expect anonymity to matter. Anonymity in A.A. is listed as a core topic in the service material.
• Do not expect aa.org to intervene on your behalf. There is no mechanism described for reporting or referring a specific person through the website itself.
• Do not expect a cost or membership process to be described here. The site presents A.A. as a program based on one alcoholic helping another; anything beyond that is not stated on this page.

If the person is not ready, the family and professional resources still serve a purpose: they tell you what A.A. is, so that when the person does reach out, the description they hear from you is accurate.

aa.org is the official website of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), a fellowship that helps people with drinking problems stop drinking through one alcoholic sharing experience with another. The site is useful if you are looking for help with your own drinking, trying to support a family member or friend, or working as a professional with alcoholics. It is not a treatment provider or a paid program; it is an entry point to local A.A. groups and to A.A. literature and information.

Who the site is for

The homepage asks visitors to identify themselves, which reflects the main audiences A.A. serves:

• People looking for help with a drinking problem — the primary audience.
• A.A. members — looking for service information, resources, and ways to get involved.
• Family members or friends — trying to help someone they care about.
• Professionals — such as those working in legal, corrections, or health settings with alcoholics.

If you are unsure whether you have a problem, the site offers a self-assessment rather than requiring you to decide first.

What A.A. says it offers

The core claim on aa.org is direct: "Have a problem with alcohol? There is a solution." A.A. states it has been helping alcoholics recover for more than 80 years, and that its program of recovery is built on "one alcoholic sharing with another." It also states that A.A. has helped more than two million alcoholics stop drinking.

Two points are worth separating here:

• The mechanism A.A. describes is mutual help between people with the same problem, not professional treatment.
• The scope of the claim is about stopping drinking and recovery through the program, not a medical or clinical guarantee.

What you can actually do on aa.org

The site is organized around a few practical actions:

The meeting finder is the most concrete tool: you enter a location and distance, and it returns A.A. options in that area.

How A.A. describes getting involved

For members, aa.org frames participation as both service and self-preservation: "A.A. members work together to help the alcoholic who still suffers. Helping each other is a key to staying sober." It says the best place to start is through an A.A. group, because group participation helps ensure A.A. is available when someone reaches out.

The site also points to service structures beyond the group level, including A.A. service committees, the General Service Office (G.S.O.), the Grapevine, and the General Service Structure.

What the site does not tell you

The homepage content does not list prices, membership fees, or login requirements, and it does not describe medical treatment, therapy, or clinical outcomes. A.A. presents itself as a fellowship-based program rather than a professional service. If you need medical care for alcohol withdrawal or a co-occurring condition, that is outside what this page describes.

A practical way to use the site

1. If you are unsure about your drinking, start with the self-assessment.
2. If you want to talk to someone or attend a meeting, use "Find A.A. Near You" with your location and preferred distance.
3. If you want to understand the program first, read "What is A.A." and the Frequently Asked Questions.
4. If you are trying to help someone else, use the "Is there an alcoholic in your life?" resources.
5. If you are already a member, explore groups, service committees, and sponsorship resources.

Go to aa.org and use the “Find A.A. Near You” tool. Enter your state or province plus your town or ZIP code, set a distance range in miles, and choose who you are (someone looking for help with a drinking problem, an A.A. member, someone helping a family member or friend, or a professional working with alcoholics). The results point you to local A.A. resources near those coordinates — aa.org does not host one single global meeting list, so the specific meeting times and formats come from the local area you land on.

Where the search tool lives

The “Find A.A. Near You” entry appears in the site’s navigation and is one of the main actions on the homepage. The homepage also offers a “Need help with a drinking problem?” path and a self-assessment if you are not yet sure whether drinking is a problem for you.

What the search asks for

The tool collects a few simple inputs:

Choosing your role first is useful because it shapes which local resources and pages you are pointed toward.

Step by step

1. Open aa.org.
2. Select Find A.A. Near You.
3. Enter your state or province and your town or ZIP code.
4. Set the distance range in miles — a wider radius returns more local options.
5. Pick the “I Am…” option that matches you.
6. Review the local results and follow them to the A.A. resources for that area.

What you get — and what you don’t

The results lead to local A.A. resources, not a single centralized online meeting calendar. Meeting schedules, formats, and any online or hybrid options are maintained at the local level, so the exact meeting list depends on the area your search returns.

If nothing useful comes back, widen the distance range or try a nearby larger town or ZIP code.

If you are not the one drinking

The same tool works if you are trying to help a family member or friend — choose that option under “I Am…”. The site also has a dedicated section, “Is there an alcoholic in your life?”, which notes that A.A. has helped more than two million alcoholics stop drinking and that recovery works through one alcoholic sharing experience with another.

If you are a professional

Professionals who work with alcoholics have their own option in the “I Am…” list, and the site provides material such as a video for legal and corrections professionals.

Other ways to get oriented on aa.org

• What is A.A.? — background on the program
• The Big Book — A.A.’s basic text
• 12 Steps & 12 Traditions — the program’s principles
• Frequently Asked Questions — common questions about A.A.
• Self-Assessment — for anyone unsure whether they have a problem
• Contact A.A. Near You — if you want to talk to someone about A.A.

A.A. describes its program as built on one alcoholic helping another, and says it has been helping alcoholics recover for more than 80 years.

Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) describes its program of recovery as "a simple program that works," built on "the simple foundation of one alcoholic sharing with another." According to aa.org, A.A. has been helping alcoholics recover for more than 80 years, and its approach is based on one alcoholic helping another rather than on professional treatment or a formal curriculum. This article explains what that program involves and the principles behind it, based on the organization's own published materials.

The Core Principle: One Alcoholic Sharing With Another

The central mechanism A.A. describes is peer-to-peer sharing. The site states plainly: "A.A.'s program of recovery is built on the simple foundation of one alcoholic sharing with another." This is not a metaphor for group therapy — it is the stated operating principle. Members share their own experience with drinking and with recovery, and that sharing is what the organization credits for helping people stop drinking.

The site also notes that "A.A. has helped more than two million alcoholics stop drinking," and frames recovery as working "through one alcoholic sharing their experience with another." So the program's basic unit is not a lecture, a course, or a clinician — it is one member talking honestly with another.

What the Program Is Built On: The Core Literature

A.A. points to specific written materials as the foundation for understanding its program. On aa.org, the "Learn More About A.A." section lists:

• What is A.A. — an introductory explanation of the organization
• The Big Book — A.A.'s primary text on the program of recovery
• 12 Steps & 12 Traditions — the guiding principles for personal recovery and for how A.A. groups function
• Frequently Asked Questions — answers to common questions about A.A.
• Recommended Resources — additional material for further reading

If you want to understand the program itself rather than just the organization, the 12 Steps and the Big Book are the two items the site treats as central. The 12 Traditions are separate: they govern how A.A. groups and the broader fellowship operate, not the personal recovery steps.

How A.A. Describes Its Own Approach

The site's language is deliberately plain and non-clinical. It says A.A. "has a solution" and adds that "that isn't an empty promise." It describes the program as "simple" and rooted in mutual help. It does not present A.A. as a medical treatment, a therapy modality, or a substitute for professional care — at least not in the material on this page.

For someone evaluating whether A.A. fits them, the relevant question is whether a peer-sharing model appeals to them. If you want a structured clinical program, A.A.'s self-description suggests it is something different. If you want to talk with people who have had similar experiences, that is exactly what the program claims to offer.

Getting Involved: Where the Program Actually Happens

A.A. states that "the best place to start getting involved is through an A.A. group," and that "participating in a group helps ensure that when a person reaches out for help, A.A. will be available." In other words, the program is not something you read about and complete alone — it is practiced within a group.

The site offers a "Find A.A. Near You" tool that accepts a state or province, town or zip code, and a distance in miles, and lets you indicate who you are:

• Looking for help with a drinking problem
• An A.A. member
• Trying to help a family member or friend
• A professional working with alcoholics

That last option matters if you are a counselor, physician, or corrections professional looking for referral information rather than personal help.

If You Are Not Sure You Have a Problem

The site acknowledges this directly with a Self-Assessment for people who are "not sure you have a problem." It also provides a dedicated section for those asking "Is there an alcoholic in your life?" — aimed at family members and friends rather than the drinker themselves. A.A. states it "might have a solution for them" in that case as well.

What A.A. Does Not Claim on This Page

Based strictly on the material reviewed, the page does not state costs, membership requirements, religious affiliation, or success rates beyond the "more than two million" figure and the "more than 80 years" timeframe. It also does not describe the 12 Steps in detail — those require going to the "12 Steps & 12 Traditions" resource. If those specifics matter to your decision, they are the next pages to read rather than things to assume from this overview.

Practical Next Steps

1. If you want to understand the program: Start with "What is A.A." and "The Big Book" under the Learn More section.
2. If you are unsure whether you have a problem: Use the Self-Assessment linked from the homepage.
3. If you want to attend a meeting: Use "Find A.A. Near You" with your location and distance.
4. If you are helping someone else: The "Is there an alcoholic in your life?" resource is written for you.
5. If you are a professional: The site provides material specifically for legal and corrections professionals, and a contact option for A.A. near you.

The throughline across all of these is the same: A.A. presents recovery as something that happens between people, supported by shared literature and group participation, not as a service delivered to a passive recipient.

If you are not sure whether your drinking is a problem, aa.org offers a Self-Assessment you can take before reaching out to anyone. It is designed for exactly this situation: people who are uncertain, curious, or worried but not ready to make contact. The assessment is not a diagnosis and does not commit you to anything — it is a starting point to help you decide whether A.A. might be relevant for you.

What the Self-Assessment Is (and Is Not)

The site presents the Self-Assessment under the heading "Not sure you have a problem?" — placed directly alongside the main message that A.A. has a solution for people whose drinking is out of control.

• It is a self-guided tool to help you look at your own drinking honestly.
• It is not a medical or clinical diagnosis.
• It is not a requirement for contacting A.A. or attending a meeting.

The purpose is orientation, not labeling. If the questions resonate with your experience, that is useful information. If they do not, that is also useful information.

Who the Assessment Is For

The aa.org homepage explicitly lists several visitor types in its "I Am..." selector, which tells you who the site is built to serve:

So the assessment path is not only for the person drinking. If you are worried about someone else, the site also addresses that directly: "If someone you care about has a drinking problem, A.A. might have a solution for them."

How to Use the Assessment to Decide

1. Go to aa.org and look for the "Not sure you have a problem?" link near the main "Need help with a drinking problem?" section.
2. Answer the questions honestly. The value depends on your willingness to be straightforward with yourself.
3. Notice your reaction. If you find yourself minimizing, justifying, or feeling uncomfortable, that reaction itself may be worth paying attention to.
4. Decide your next step. The assessment leads naturally to two options: learn more about A.A. (What is A.A., The Big Book, 12 Steps & 12 Traditions, FAQ), or find a meeting near you.

What Happens After the Assessment

The site does not push you toward one outcome. It offers parallel paths:

• Learn More About A.A. — What is A.A., The Big Book, 12 Steps & 12 Traditions, Frequently Asked Questions, Recommended Resources.
• Find A.A. Near You — a locator that accepts state or province, town or zip code, and distance in miles.
• Hear members share about recovery — video content including "Sobriety in AA: When Drinking is no longer a Party" and "Sobriety in AA: Since getting sober, I have hope."

You can explore any of these without contacting anyone. The "Contact A.A. Near You" option exists if and when you want to talk to someone.

A Practical Note on Timing

A.A. describes its program as "one alcoholic helping another" and says it has been helping alcoholics recover for more than 80 years. The assessment is simply the front door for people who are not yet sure they qualify for that help. There is no threshold you must cross before looking. If you are asking the question, the assessment is there for you.