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 Big Book study, Speaker/Discussion, Step & Tradition, and Meditation.

Anonymity

No membership files or attendance records are kept, although some meetings have completely optional phone lists. 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. Group 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 San Francisco and Marin are available in a number of formats. Our online schedule can be searched by location and meeting type. You may download a schedule in a PDF format. We also sell printed schedules through our online store or in our bookstore at 1821 Sacramento Street at Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.

More About Meetings

Learn more about A.A. meetings in the A Newcomers Asks  .

Interested in starting an A.A. meeting? Here’s a suggested format for conducting an A.A. meeting:   Suggested Meeting Format