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What is Alcoholics Anonymous?
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other so they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
AA meetings in New York provide a supportive environment for those seeking to abstain from alcohol. Meetings are free to attend and open to anyone with a desire to stop drinking.
AA Group Meeting in Albany
Address: 123 Main St, Albany, NY 12203
Meetings:
- Monday at 8 PM (open discussion meeting)
- Wednesday at noon (step study meeting)
- Friday at 6 PM (speaker meeting)
AA Group Meeting in Buffalo
Address: 456 Oak St, Buffalo, NY 14202
Meetings:
- Tuesday at 6 PM (closed discussion meeting for alcoholics only)
- Thursday at 7 PM (beginners meeting)
- Saturday at 10 AM (open speaker meeting)
AA Group Meeting in New York City
Address: 789 Elm St, New York, NY 10001
Meetings:
- Monday at noon (closed discussion meeting)
- Wednesday at 6 PM (step study meeting)
- Friday at 8 PM (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 New York.
- 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 New York
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 New York.
Attending Your First Local AA Meeting
There are two main types of AA meetings in New York:
- Open meetings – Anyone is welcome to attend, including those seeking help or just interested in learning more. These are good options for first-timers.
- Closed meetings – Only those with a desire to stop drinking may attend. These can provide more intimate sharing once you become a regular.
Be sure to arrive 10-15 minutes early to your first meeting and introduce yourself to the chairperson as a new local member. Share your experiences if you feel comfortable, but there is no obligation to speak. Many meetings provide welcome keychain tags to celebrate sobriety milestones:
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 1 year
- 18 months