AA Meetings in Philadelphia

Find an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Philadelphia today through the Southeastern Pennsylvania Intergroup Association (SEPIA) at aasepia.org or its 24-hour helpline, 215-923-7900. SEPIA lists meetings across Philadelphia and the four surrounding counties. Our meeting finder at /meetings/ searches public AA feeds by day, county, 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 Philadelphia

Philadelphia's A.A. central office is the Southeastern Pennsylvania Intergroup Association, known as SEPIA. Its meeting directory organizes listings by county, including Philadelphia County, and its submissions are published both on the SEPIA website and to A.A.'s Meeting Guide app. The helpline at (215) 923-7900 is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so a call is a real option even late at night.

The SEPIA office is at 1903 South Broad Street, 2nd Floor, in South Philadelphia, open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. SEPIA serves not just the city but the broader region — Philadelphia and Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties — so if you are outside the city line, read the county pages rather than assuming the Philadelphia city listing covers you. Neighboring New Jersey and Delaware have their own intergroups.

A.A.'s national site at aa.org is not a meeting finder; it points people to the local office, which here is SEPIA. Spanish-language groups appear in SEPIA's meeting information, and A.A.'s directory lists Spanish-speaking offices for the wider region; if you are not sure which listing is in Spanish, ask SEPIA or filter by language on our meeting finder, which searches public A.A. and N.A. feeds by day, time, fellowship, and format. Confirm the day and address with the group before you go.

Philadelphia Meeting Hubs & Communities

Philadelphia spreads meetings across its Center City core and out into the neighborhoods, and SEPIA's directory is the practical map. Because the city is dense and largely walkable near the two subway lines, most central meetings are a short walk or a single SEPTA ride apart.

• Center City. Old City, Chinatown, Rittenhouse, and the area around City Hall hold noon and evening meetings close to the Market–Frankford and Broad Street lines.
• South Philadelphia. The SEPIA office itself sits on South Broad Street, and South Philly's rowhouse neighborhoods have a steady set of evening groups.
• University City and West Philadelphia. Around Penn, Drexel, and 30th Street Station, the trolley and subway lines converge, so meetings here are easy to reach from Center City.
• North Philadelphia and the Northeast. Broad Street and the Frankford line run north through Temple University and into the Northeast, where the directory reaches further-flung groups.
• Northwest Philadelphia. Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill are served by regional rail and bus routes, and the county pages cover the suburban meetings beyond them.

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, start with an open meeting.

SEPIA lists meeting types as well, so you can choose before you leave:

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

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 stays in the room. The first-meeting guide walks through a typical hour.

Transportation & Virtual Meetings

SEPTA is the region's transit system, serving Philadelphia and Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. Its two rapid transit lines — the Market–Frankford Line and the Broad Street Line — cross Center City, and the subway-surface trolleys link West Philadelphia to downtown. That makes a car unnecessary for most central and near-neighborhood meetings. Check SEPTA for schedules and service changes before you travel.

Meetings are not only in person. A.A. says meetings can be in person, online, or by phone, and SEPIA and the Online Intergroup both list online and phone meetings. Our finder also 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 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. 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.
• Walk-in access: Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services runs a substance use treatment access line at (888) 545-2600, available 24 hours a day for residents who have Medicaid or are uninsured.
• 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 SEPIA 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 SEPIA 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:

• Southeastern Pennsylvania Intergroup Association (SEPIA)
• SEPIA: Contact Us (24-hour helpline and office address)
• City of Philadelphia: Get treatment for substance use disorder (DBHIDS access line 888-545-2600)
• SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority)
• 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)
• 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