AA Meetings in New York City

Find an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in New York City today through New York Inter-Group's hotline at 212-647-1680 and its Manhattan meeting directory at nyintergroup.org, or through the borough intergroups in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Our meeting finder at /meetings/ searches public AA feeds by day, borough, and format.

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 New York City

New York Inter-Group (NYIG) is the city's main A.A. central office and the fastest place to start. Its meeting directory is organized geographically, and the printed Manhattan meeting book splits the borough into clear areas: Lower Manhattan, Greenwich Village and the East Village, Chelsea and Gramercy, Midtown West, Midtown East, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Harlem, and Upper Manhattan. A volunteer hotline at (212) 647-1680 answers from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week, and the office and bookstore at 307 Seventh Avenue, Suite 303 is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The business line is (212) 647-1647.

Because the city is large, each borough also has its own intergroup, and if you already know where you are, that office often returns the shortest list:

• Brooklyn. Brooklyn Intergroup at bigaa.org answers (718) 851-3039.
• Queens. Queens Intergroup keeps a 24-hour hotline at (718) 520-5021 and a searchable list at queensaa.com, with meetings grouped by neighborhood such as Astoria, Ridgewood, Woodside, and Bayside.
• Staten Island. Staten Island General Service keeps a borough meeting list and resource page at statenislandaa.org.

A.A.'s national site at aa.org is not itself a meeting finder; it points people to the local office, which is exactly what NYIG and the borough intergroups are. Spanish-language meetings are listed too: NYIG's meeting book marks Spanish (S) meetings, and a resource list kept by Staten Island General Service names Spanish-speaking central offices for the city — Oficina Central Hispana de AA at (212) 348-2644 serving primarily New York City, with Brooklyn at (718) 348-0387 or (347) 932-5485 and Queens at (718) 446-2305.

This site is a third door. Our meeting finder searches public A.A. and N.A. feeds by day, time, fellowship, and format, including online. Whichever route you use, confirm the day and address with the group or the intergroup before you travel.

New York Meeting Hubs & Communities

New York meetings cluster around neighborhoods rather than one central venue, so the directory's geographic sections are the practical guide. NYIG's Manhattan book runs from the tip of the island to Inwood, with dense clusters in the Village, Chelsea, and the Upper West Side and a full set of listings in Harlem and Upper Manhattan. If you are downtown or near a major station, you will rarely be more than a short ride from a room.

• Manhattan. Use the area you are in — Lower Manhattan and Chinatown, Greenwich Village and the East Village, Chelsea and Gramercy, Midtown East or West, the Upper West Side, the Upper East Side, Harlem, or Upper Manhattan. Each area has early-morning, noon, and evening options.
• Brooklyn and Queens. These boroughs have their own intergroups and their own listings, from Williamsburg and Brooklyn Heights to Astoria, Ridgewood, and Flushing. Queens Intergroup's 24-hour line is the quickest way to a same-day answer.
• The Bronx and Staten Island. Staten Island meetings are listed by the borough's General Service resources; the Bronx sits inside A.A.'s wider New York area network, which NYIG's directory and the meeting book also reach.
• The northern suburbs. NYIG's wider service area extends into Westchester County and the surrounding counties, so the same office can point you to a meeting outside the five boroughs when you are commuting or traveling.

Common Meeting Formats & What to Expect

A.A. sorts meetings into open and closed. An open meeting welcomes 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. If you are unsure, an open meeting is the easy first step.

The New York directory labels each listing by format, so you can pick before you go:

• Newcomer (beginner): aimed at people who are new to recovery.
• Discussion: members share on a topic; the most common style.
• 12 Steps & 12 Traditions, and Step Study: working through the Steps and Traditions.
• Big Book: reading and discussing A.A.'s basic text.
• Speaker: one or two members tell their story, then the meeting opens up.
• Men's, women's, LGBTQ+, Spanish, young people's, and wheelchair-accessible meetings are filtered the same way, often with ASL interpretation noted.

Two things hold true at every meeting. It is free: A.A. says there are no dues or fees for membership and that you do not have to pay anything to attend, though a basket may be passed for voluntary contributions and skipping it is fine. And you do not have to speak: A.A.'s newcomer page says you can just sit and listen or share, whichever you choose. Anonymity is a founding principle, not a form you sign.

Transportation & Virtual Meetings

The MTA subway and bus network makes most Manhattan and borough meetings reachable without a car, and the subway runs around the clock, so a late meeting is still an option. Check new.mta.info for service changes before you leave, because overnight and weekend work can reroute trains.

Not every meeting happens in a room. A.A. says meetings can be in person, online, or by phone, and NYIG keeps an online meeting list alongside its in-person directory. The Online Intergroup also hosts free video and phone meetings in many languages, and our finder shows online and hybrid meetings from public feeds. The online A.A. meetings guide explains how they work, including that you can keep your camera off and stay silent if you prefer.

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 are not led by healthcare professionals, so they are not the same as treatment. NIDA adds that they are free, not time-limited, and often useful 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. Up to half of people with alcohol use disorder have some withdrawal symptoms, and a small proportion need a few days of medical detox to manage symptoms that can be dangerous. 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 New York Inter-Group 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 NYIG 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:

• New York Inter-Group (NY Inter-Group)
• New York Inter-Group: Find an A.A. Meeting (directory by borough and neighborhood)
• New York Inter-Group: Manhattan meeting book (regions and meeting types)
• Brooklyn Intergroup (bigaa.org)
• Queens Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (24-hour hotline 718-520-5021)
• Staten Island General Service: Resources (borough list and Spanish-speaking intergroups)
• A.A.: Find A.A. Near You (regional and online meeting information)
• A.A.: Need help with a drinking problem? (what to expect at a first meeting)
• A.A.: What to Expect at an A.A. Meeting (open and closed meetings, meeting types)
• A.A.: A.A. and Anonymity
• A.A.: Meeting Guide app
• Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (online and phone meetings)
• MTA (New York City subway, bus, and regional transit)
• NIDA: Treatment (mutual-help groups are peer-led, not clinical treatment)
• NIAAA Core Resource on Alcohol: Alcohol Use Disorder, From Risk to Diagnosis to Recovery
• SAMHSA National Helpline
• SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
• SmarterRecovery meeting finder (public meeting search; listings are not verified by this site)
• SmarterRecovery about page (referral disclosure)

Common Questions