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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 that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
Missoula
Meetings:
- Monday – Friday at 12 pm – 1 pm (open discussion)
- Tuesday & Thursday at 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm (closed meetings for alcoholics only)
- Saturday at 10 am – 11 am (open speaker meeting)
Bozeman
Meetings:
- Sunday at 6:00 pm (closed meeting)
- Monday & Friday at 12 pm (open meetings)
- Wednesday at 6:00 pm (closed meeting)
Billings
Meetings:
- Monday – Saturday at 12 pm (open discussion)
- Tuesday & Thursday at 6:00 pm (closed meetings)
- Sunday at 10:30 am (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 Montana.
- 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 with 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.
The 12 steps aim to help members take responsibility for their addiction, seek support, make amends, and undergo an ethical/spiritual awakening that enables them to help others with alcohol addictions. The program provides a structured path to sobriety.
Getting Started with AA in Montana
Use the meeting search on wfmh.org to find local AA meetings in your area of Montana. Both in-person and online/virtual meetings are available in most places across the state.
Attending Your First Local AA Meeting
Montana has both open and closed AA meetings:
- Open meetings: Anyone can attend, including non-alcoholics. These focus on AA speakers sharing their stories.
- Closed meetings: Only those who have a desire to stop drinking may attend. These involve more group discussion.
When attending your first local Montana AA meeting:
- Arrive early and introduce yourself as a new member of the local AA community. This will help you meet people and get acquainted.
- Share your experiences if you feel comfortable. There is no pressure to share.
You may receive welcome keychain tags marking sobriety milestones:
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 1 year
- Etc.
The most important things are attending regularly, participating if willing, and finding support. Reach out to local group contacts or AA phone volunteers if you need help getting started.