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What is Alcoholics Anonymous?
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. It is nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere. AA groups meet regularly to help members achieve sobriety through following the 12-step program.
AA Meetings in Chicago
River North Group
Address: 300 W Ontario St, Chicago, IL 60654
Meetings:
- Monday – Friday at 12:00 pm (open, speaker meeting)
- Tuesday at 6:00 pm (closed meeting for alcoholics only)
- Saturday at 6:30 pm (open, speaker meeting)
Lincoln Park Group
Address: 2263 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
Meetings:
- Sunday at 10:30 am (open, discussion meeting)
- Wednesday at 7:30 pm (open, step meeting)
- Friday at 8:00 pm (open, speaker meeting)
AA Meetings in Springfield
Downtown Group
Address: 221 S Grand Ave W, Springfield, IL 62704
Meetings:
- Monday at 12:00 pm (closed meeting for alcoholics only)
- Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30 pm (open, discussion meeting)
- Saturday at 5:30 pm (open, speaker meeting)
The 12 Steps of AA
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) outlines a 12-step program to help members achieve and maintain sobriety. The steps aim to motivate members toward positive change across Illinois.
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when doing so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Getting Started with AA in Illinois
Use the meeting search on Methadone.org to find local meetings in your area. Both in-person and online/virtual meetings are available in most places across Illinois.
Attending Your First Local AA Meeting
AA meetings in Illinois may be “open” or “closed.” Open meetings welcome anyone interested in Alcoholics Anonymous. Closed meetings are for those who have a desire to stop drinking.
| Meeting Type | Description |
| Open | Anyone can attend |
| Closed | For those with a desire to stop drinking |
When attending your first local AA meeting:
- Arrive early and introduce yourself as a new member
- Share your experiences if you feel comfortable
Receive welcome keychain tags marking sobriety milestones:
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 1 year
- 18 months