AA Meetings in Grand Rapids

Key takeaway

Find an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Grand Rapids today through the Kent County Central Office at grandrapidsaa.org, which keeps the local meeting list and runs a 24-hour helpline. It serves groups across Kent County. Our meeting finder at /meetings/ searches public AA feeds by day and format.

Last updated: Thu Oct 01 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Call 911 if someone is overdosing, seizing, not breathing, or cannot be woken. For a mental health or suicide crisis, call or text 988.

How to Find AA Meetings Across Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids' A.A. central office is the Kent County Central Office (KCCO). Its website exists to help people new to A.A. find meeting times and locations, and its 24-hour helpline at (616) 913-9149 is answered around the clock. The office phone is (616) 913-9216, and the office is at 4920 Plainfield Avenue NE, Suite 19, Grand Rapids, MI 49525, open Monday 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Central Office is one of three central offices in Michigan's Area 34, along with Kalamazoo and Traverse City, so if you are traveling around West Michigan the Area 34 "Find Help Near You" page points to the right office. Within Kent County, the directory covers Grand Rapids and the surrounding communities.

A.A.'s national site at aa.org is not a meeting finder; it points people to a local office, which here is the Central Office, and names the free Meeting Guide app and the Online Intergroup for phone and online meetings. The how-to-find guide compares the routes.

This site's meeting finder is another option: it searches public A.A. and N.A. feeds by day, time, fellowship, and format, including online.

Grand Rapids Meeting Hubs & Communities

Meetings cluster around a few well-known recovery locations and the city's neighborhood centers.

Downtown and Heartside. Downtown Grand Rapids sits at the center of the bus network at Rapid Central Station, which makes central meetings easy to reach without a car.
The West Side. The West Side and its neighborhoods hold recurring meetings, including the Alano Club South at 256 Celia Street SW, which lists Big Book and evening groups.
Eastown, East Grand Rapids, and the East Beltline. The east side has its own clubhouses and church-hosted meetings along the Michigan Street and East Beltline corridors.
Creston and Plainfield. The Alano Club of Kent County at 1020 College Avenue NE is the area's busiest meeting location, hosting several groups a day; the Central Office itself is on Plainfield Avenue NE.
Kentwood, Wyoming, and Walker. The suburban communities around the city are inside the service area and are served by The Rapid.

Common Meeting Formats & What to Expect

A.A. divides meetings into open and closed. An open meeting is open to anyone interested in A.A.'s program, and nonalcoholics may attend as observers. A closed meeting is for A.A. members, or for people who have a drinking problem and want to stop drinking. When in doubt, start with an open meeting.

The Grand Rapids listings mark each meeting by format so you can choose before you go:

Newcomer or beginner meetings, for people new to recovery.
Discussion: members share on a topic; the most common style.
Big Book and step study: reading A.A.'s basic text and working the Steps.
Speaker: one or two members tell their story.
Men's, women's, and wheelchair-accessible groups are listed the same way, and online meetings are marked.

Every meeting is free. A.A. says there are no dues or fees for membership and that you do not have to pay anything to attend; a basket may be passed for voluntary contributions and passing it on is fine. And you never have to speak — A.A.'s newcomer page says you can sit and listen. Anonymity means what you hear in the room stays there. The first-meeting guide walks through a typical hour.

Transportation & Virtual Meetings

The Rapid is the Grand Rapids area's public transit system, serving Kent County with local and regional bus service. Rapid Central Station downtown is the main transfer hub, and The Rapid's Silver Line bus rapid transit runs along Division Avenue between downtown and Wyoming and Kentwood, which makes central and south-side meetings reachable without a car. Plan a trip at ridetherapid.org.

Meetings are not only in person. A.A. says meetings can be in person, online, or by phone, and the Central Office directory includes online meetings alongside in-person ones. The Online Intergroup lists phone and video meetings worldwide, and our meeting finder also shows online and hybrid meetings. The online A.A. meetings guide explains how they work.

Peer Support vs. Medical Care

An A.A. meeting is peer support, not clinical treatment. NIDA explains that mutual-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous are peer-led and not led by healthcare professionals, so they are not the same as treatment — though NIDA notes they are free, not time-limited, and useful to many people on their own or alongside professional care.

Some situations call for a doctor, not a meeting. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life threatening when people who drink heavily over time stop suddenly, rather than cutting back gradually or stopping with medical support. If you have been drinking heavily and want to stop, talk with a clinician first.

For help beyond a meeting:

Emergency: call 911 for an overdose, a seizure, trouble breathing, or someone who cannot be woken.
Crisis: call or text 988 for a mental health or suicide crisis.
Treatment: search FindTreatment.gov, SAMHSA's treatment locator, or call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) — a free, confidential line available 24/7 in English and Spanish.
Referral help: call or text (800) 653-9376 and we can help you sort out a level of care. SmarterRecovery is a referral helpline, not the Kent County Central Office and not SMART Recovery; calling is free to you because treatment providers pay for the referral service.

Call or text (800) 653-9376 if you want help finding treatment. If what you need tonight is a meeting, start with the meeting finder or the Central Office directory and confirm the listing. If this is an emergency or a suicide crisis, call 911 or 988 first.

Additional Resources

Sources cited on this page:

Common Questions

Where do I find an AA meeting in Grand Rapids today?

Start with the Kent County Central Office at grandrapidsaa.org, which keeps the meeting database for the Grand Rapids area. Its 24-hour helpline is (616) 913-9149, and the office is at 4920 Plainfield Avenue NE, Suite 19, Grand Rapids, MI 49525. Confirm the time and place with the group before you go.

When is the Central Office open in person?

Office hours are Monday 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The office phone is (616) 913-9216, and the 24-hour helpline at (616) 913-9149 is answered outside those hours. The office maintains the meeting database and sells approved A.A. literature.

Does the Grand Rapids list cover other cities in Kent County?

Yes. The Central Office is one of three central offices in Michigan's Area 34 and serves groups across Kent County, so the directory includes listings in Grand Rapids along with suburbs such as Wyoming, Kentwood, Walker, and Plainfield Township. Search by the community you are in rather than assuming only city meetings are listed.

Is attendance free, and do I have to speak?

Attendance is free. A.A. says there are no dues or fees for membership and that you do not have to pay anything to attend. A basket may be passed for voluntary contributions and skipping it is fine. A.A.'s newcomer page says you can just sit and listen.

When is a meeting not enough and I need medical care?

NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life threatening when people who drink heavily over time stop suddenly rather than stopping with medical support. A meeting cannot manage withdrawal. Talk with a clinician before you stop if you drink heavily every day. Call 911 for a seizure or trouble breathing, and call or text 988 for a crisis.