What is Alcoholics Anonymous?
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international fellowship of men and women who help each other achieve and maintain sobriety. The program is based on the 12 steps and 12 traditions of AA and involves attending regular group meetings.
Nashville
Address: 2112 Hillsboro Rd Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37212
Meetings:
- Monday – Friday: 12 pm (open)
- Tuesday: 8 pm (closed)
- Saturday: 10 am (open), 8 pm (open)
Meetings consist of members sharing their experiences and providing mutual support for staying sober.
Memphis
Address: 3540 Summer Ave Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38122
Meetings:
- Monday – Sunday: 6 am (open), 12 pm (open), 6 pm (open), 8 pm (open)
A variety of meeting formats are offered including open meetings available to anyone interested and closed meetings for those who have a desire to stop drinking.
Knoxville
Address: 9111 Cross Park Dr Suite 125, Knoxville, TN 37923
Meetings:
- Monday – Friday: 12 pm (open)
- Tuesday & Thursday: 7 pm (open)
- Sunday: 10 am (open), 6 pm (closed)
The 12 Steps of AA
- 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 the 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 the persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when doing 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.
Getting Started with AA in Tennessee
Use the meeting search on wfmh.org to find local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings in your area of Tennessee. Both in-person and online/virtual meetings are available in most places across the state.
Attending Your First Local AA Meeting
There are two main types of AA meetings in Tennessee:
Meeting Type | Attendees |
Open Meetings | Anyone interested in AA |
Closed Meetings | Only individuals with a desire to stop drinking and are AA members |
When attending your first local AA meeting in Tennessee:
- Arrive early and introduce yourself to the group secretary or chairperson as a new local member
- Share your experiences if you feel comfortable
You may receive welcome keychain tags marking sobriety milestones such as:
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 1 year
- 18 months
- Years 2-30