Filtered by:
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 that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
AA meetings in Washington D.C. are free and open to anyone seeking help with alcohol addiction. Meetings take place at various locations across the city. Some common meeting types are:
Foundry Methodist Church
1500 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20036
- Big Book Study on Mondays at 6:00 pm – focuses on reading AA literature
- Open Speaker Meeting on Fridays at 6:00 pm – includes a personal story from an AA member
Washington Ethical Society
7750 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20012
- Closed Discussion on Tuesdays at 8:00 pm – for AA members only to share experiences
- Open Speaker Meeting on Saturdays at 6:00 pm
Unity of Washington DC
1225 R St NW, Washington, DC 20009
- Step Meeting on Thursdays at 6:30 pm – focuses on working through the 12 steps
- Big Book Study on Sundays at 10:30 am
The 12 Steps of AA
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a fellowship that provides support for people seeking to overcome alcohol addiction. The program outlines a 12-step process to guide members on their recovery journey:
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
- We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- We 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.
The 12 steps aim to guide members to take responsibility for their addiction, make amends, and commit to ongoing personal growth with support from their higher power and fellowship. This process motivates members toward positive change so they can overcome addiction and help others do the same across the District of Columbia.
Getting Started with AA in the District of Columbia
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.
Attending Your First Local AA Meeting
There are two main types of AA meetings in the District of Columbia:
- Open meetings – Anyone is welcome to attend, including non-alcoholics. These focus on introducing newcomers to AA.
- Closed meetings – Only those who have a desire to stop drinking may attend. These involve more sharing by AA members about their experiences.
When attending your first local AA meeting:
- Arrive early and introduce yourself as a new local member.
- Share your experiences if you feel comfortable.
You may receive welcome keychain tags marking sobriety milestones like:
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 1 year
- 18 months
- Years 2-30