Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings in Memphis

What is Alcoholics Anonymous?

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a worldwide fellowship that provides support for those struggling with alcohol addiction. Free AA meetings are held regularly across Memphis for anyone wishing to achieve and maintain sobriety.

Christ United Methodist Church

• Monday at 12 pm (open discussion)
• Tuesday at 7:30 pm (closed discussion for alcoholics only)
• Thursday at 7 pm (open speaker meeting)
• Saturday at 10 am (open discussion)

Christ United Methodist Church hosts AA meetings in its library multiple times per week, featuring both open and closed discussion formats. Meetings last 60-90 minutes.

Shady Grove Presbyterian Church

• Sunday at 7 pm (closed young people’s meeting)
• Wednesday at noon (open discussion)
• Friday at 8 pm (open speaker meeting)

Shady Grove Presbyterian Church provides meeting spaces for AA groups to hold sessions focused on young people in recovery, as well as general open meetings multiple times per week. Meetings are 60-90 minutes.

Unity of Memphis Spiritual Center

• Monday at noon (open literature discussion)
• Tuesday at 6 pm (closed step study meeting)
• Thursday at 6 pm (open discussion)
• Saturday at 7:30 am (men’s closed discussion)

The Unity of Memphis Spiritual Center hosts AA meetings that involve studying AA literature, discussing the 12 steps, men’s groups, and open share meetings. Meetings typically last 60 minutes.

The 12 Steps of AA

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other to recover from alcoholism. The 12 steps are the spiritual foundation of AA and provide a path toward recovery from alcohol dependence. The 12 steps aim to motivate members to make positive changes in their lives and communities.

The 12 steps are:

1. Admit you are powerless over alcohol and your life is unmanageable.
2. Believe a Power greater than yourself can restore you to sanity.
3. Make the decision to turn your will and life over to God/Higher Power.
4. Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself.
5. Admit to yourself, God, and another human being the wrongs you have done.
6. Become willing to let God remove all these defects from your character.
7. Ask God to remove shortcomings and improve conscious contact.
8. Make a list of all persons harmed and become willing to make amends.
9. Make direct amends to others where possible, except when harmful.
10. Continue personal inventory and promptly admit when wrong.
11. Seek prayer and meditation to improve consciousness of God’s will.
12. Practice these principles leading others toward spiritual awakening.

Getting Started with AA in Memphis

Use the meeting search on wfmh.org to find local AA meetings and groups in the Memphis area. Both in-person and online/virtual meetings are available.

Attending Your First Local AA Meeting

AA meetings in Memphis can be “open” or “closed.” Open meetings welcome anyone interested in Alcoholics Anonymous. Closed meetings are for those who have a desire to stop drinking. Here’s an overview:

To attend your first meeting, arrive 10-15 minutes early and introduce yourself to the meeting leader as a new member. It’s okay to simply listen at first, but share if/when comfortable. Many meetings give out “welcome” keychain tags to celebrate periods of sobriety:

• 30 days
• 60 days
• 90 days
• 6 months
• 9 months
• 1 year
• 18 months
• Multiple years