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What is Alcoholics Anonymous?
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid fellowship focused on recovery from alcohol addiction. AA meetings provide a supportive environment for those struggling with alcohol abuse. Attendance at meetings is free and open to anyone seeking help.
St. Basil Catholic Church
2375 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles
- Monday 8:00 pm (open, speaker meeting)
- Tuesday 7:00 pm (closed men’s meeting)
Most Holy Redeemer Church
100 Diamond St., San Francisco
- Wednesday 6:00 pm (closed women’s meeting)
- Friday 8:00 pm (open speaker meeting)
West Sacramento Methodist Church
540 West Capitol Ave., West Sacramento
- Sunday 10:00 am (open, big book study)
- Thursday 8:00 pm (open, 12-step meeting)
The 12 Steps of AA
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) outlines a 12-step program to support people working to overcome alcohol addiction. The steps aim to motivate members toward positive change across California.
- 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 to do 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 California
Use the meeting search on wfmh.org to find local meetings in your area. Both in-person and online/virtual meetings are available in most places across the state.
Attending Your First Local AA Meeting
California has both open and closed AA meetings:
- Open meetings – Anyone can attend, including non-alcoholics.
- Closed meetings – Only those with a desire to stop drinking may attend.
To get the most out of your first meeting:
- Arrive early and introduce yourself as a new local member. This will allow experienced members to welcome you.
- Share your experiences if you feel comfortable. There is no obligation to share.
You may receive welcome keychain tags marking sobriety milestones:
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 1 year
- 18 months
- Years 2-50
The most important things are attending regularly and finding meetings where you feel comfortable. There are many to choose from across the state, both in-person and virtual. AA provides a supportive community for achieving and maintaining sobriety.