AA Meetings in Reno

Find an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Reno through the Northern Nevada Intergroup at nnig.org, whose central office at 436 South Rock Blvd in Sparks answers (775) 355-1151 for Reno, Sparks, Carson City, and all of Northern Nevada. The intergroup's meeting directory covers Reno, Sparks, Carson City, and Lake Tahoe. Our meeting finder at /meetings/ searches public AA feeds by day 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 Northern Nevada

Start with the Northern Nevada Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (NNIG), the service office for the northern half of the state. Its central office is at 436 South Rock Blvd, Sparks, NV 89431, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the number is (775) 355-1151.

That same number doubles as the A.A. answering service. NNIG's answering-service page lists (775) 355-1151 for "Reno, Sparks, Carson City and all of Northern Nevada" — and also for North Lake Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe, and Susanville, California. Other towns in the region have their own lines: Fallon (775) 423-6009, Elko (775) 235-2678, and Winnemucca (775) 625-3771. For southern Nevada, the Las Vegas answering service is a separate (702) 598-1888. When you call the Reno line, a volunteer A.A. member can point you to a meeting near you.

The meetings directory at nnig.org is a searchable index of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings across the region. It sorts listings by region — Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Gardnerville/Minden, and South Lake Tahoe among them — with the day, time, address, and meeting type for each room.

Nationally, Alcoholics Anonymous says that aa.org is not a meeting finder: for a local list it points people to a local resource such as the intergroup above, and it names the free Meeting Guide app and the Online Intergroup for phone and online meetings. The A.A. how-to-find guide walks through both. 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 meetings. Whichever door you use, confirm the day and place with the group or the intergroup before you go.

Reno Meeting Hubs & Communities

The intergroup directory shows where meetings actually cluster in this part of Nevada:

• Wells Avenue, Reno. Two long-standing recovery clubs sit a few blocks apart on South Wells Avenue: the Reno Triangle Club at 635 S Wells Ave and the Driars Club at 345 S Wells Ave. Both host multiple meetings every day — early-morning eye-openers, midday discussion groups, and evening meetings — which makes the corridor a dependable place to find a room any day of the week.
• Sparks and the office. The central office on South Rock Blvd sits in Sparks, and meetings happen across that side of the Truckee Meadows as well. If you are unsure which room is closest, the office number covers both cities.
• Carson City. The Alano Club at 1800 E William St #5 in Carson City hosts newcomer and discussion meetings, and Carson City groups run their own phone meeting in the early morning. Carson City is about half an hour from Reno, and it is inside the same answering-service region.
• The mountains. The directory's region list reaches into Gardnerville/Minden to the south and South Lake Tahoe to the west, where a South Shore group meets on Tallac Avenue. South Lake Tahoe shares the (775) 355-1151 answering service with Reno.
• Online rooms. The directory lists online-only meetings that originate in Reno — morning eye-openers and midday Big Book studies among them — so the region is reachable even when you are not.

Common Meeting Formats & What to Expect

A.A.'s meeting page sorts meetings into open and closed. An open meeting is available to anyone interested in A.A.'s program of recovery, 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 not sure which is right for you, start with an open meeting.

The Northern Nevada directory labels each listing by format, so you can choose before you go:

• Newcomer (sometimes called a beginner meeting): 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 A.A.'s 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, Spanish, and wheelchair-accessible meetings are filtered the same way.

Two things are true of every A.A. meeting in Reno and everywhere else. First, 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. A basket may be passed for voluntary contributions that support the group, and passing it on is fine. Second, 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 of the fellowship, not a form you sign, so what you hear in the room stays there. The first-meeting guide walks through a typical hour step by step.

Transportation & Virtual Meetings

If a car is not an option, the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) runs RTC RIDE, the public bus system for Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County. Routes radiate from transit hubs in downtown Reno and downtown Sparks, which keeps much of the Truckee Meadows reachable by bus; RTC also operates FlexRide, an on-demand service for parts of the region, and RTC Access paratransit for eligible riders.

Not every meeting happens in a room. A.A. says meetings can be in person, online, or by phone, and the Northern Nevada directory includes online-only listings alongside in-person ones. Our finder also shows online and hybrid meetings from public feeds. The online A.A. meetings guide explains how video and phone meetings 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. That said, NIDA notes they are free, not time-limited, and many people find them 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 Northern Nevada Intergroup and not A.A.; 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 intergroup 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:

• Northern Nevada Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (NNIG)
• NNIG: Local A.A. Answering Services (Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Tahoe, Fallon, Elko numbers)
• NNIG: Contact NNIG (central office address, hours, phone)
• NNIG: Meetings directory (regions, clubs, formats)
• 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.: Find A.A. Near You (regional and online meeting information)
• A.A.: Meeting Guide app
• 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
• RTC Washoe (RTC RIDE transit for Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County)
• SmarterRecovery meeting finder (public meeting search; listings are not verified by this site)
• SmarterRecovery about page (referral disclosure)

Common Questions