AA Meetings in San Diego

Find an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in San Diego today through San Diego Central Office at aasandiego.org, which staffs a 24-hour phone line at (619) 265-8762. North County has its own intergroup and hotline, and Spanish-language meetings are listed by the Oficina Central Hispana. 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 San Diego County

San Diego's meeting coverage is split between a city office and county offices, so the right number depends on where you live.

San Diego Central Office, Inc. serves the city. Its phone line, (619) 265-8762, connects you to a sober member 24 hours a day, and it is the fastest way to find a meeting or ask what to expect. The office and bookstore are at 7075 Mission Gorge Road, Suite B, open Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Its website carries the meeting directory.

North of the city, Intergroup Central Office of North San Diego County runs its own service. The 24-hour helpline and text line is (760) 758-2514, and the office says there are roughly 726 A.A. meetings a week in 158 locations across 24 cities and regions, from Borrego Springs to Oceanside. If your meeting is in Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos or Vista, start with ncsandiegoaa.org. A.A.'s national directory also lists an East County office in El Cajon for the communities east of the city.

Spanish-speaking meetings are handled by the Oficina Central Hispana at 1913 Euclid Avenue, Unit 108B. It answers (619) 280-7224 and keeps its own list at aasdgrupos.org, with office hours Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

A.A. notes that its national website is not itself a meeting finder — it points people to local offices and the free Meeting Guide app. Our meeting finder is another route, searching public A.A. and N.A. feeds by day, time, fellowship, and format. Confirm the listing with the group before you go.

San Diego Meeting Hubs & Neighborhoods

The county stretches more than 60 miles from the coast to the desert, so a meeting that calls itself "San Diego" can be a long drive from your part of it.

• Downtown and the Gaslamp Quarter. Downtown is the center of the Trolley network, where lines meet near the Santa Fe Depot and the waterfront. City meetings here are reachable by rail from much of the urban core.
• North Park, Hillcrest and University Heights. These central neighborhoods have dense meeting coverage and are a short drive or bus ride from downtown, with strong evening-group schedules.
• Mission Valley and the I-8 corridor. Mission Valley sits between downtown and the eastern suburbs, and the Central Office on Mission Gorge Road is just off that corridor.
• La Jolla, UTC and the coast. The UC San Diego Blue Line runs north to the university and University Town Center, putting coastal and campus-area meetings near a Trolley stop.
• Chula Vista, National City and the South Bay. The Blue Line continues south through the South Bay toward the Mexico border, serving National City and Chula Vista.
• El Cajon, La Mesa and East County. The Green and Orange lines run east to El Cajon and Santee, and an East County office in El Cajon serves the inland communities.
• North County: Oceanside, Carlsbad, Escondido, Vista. This is the North County intergroup's territory, with its own hotline and schedule, and it is a separate list from the city's.

Meeting Formats & What to Expect

Every A.A. meeting is either open or closed. An open meeting welcomes anyone interested in A.A.'s program of recovery, so nonalcoholics may attend as observers. A closed meeting is for A.A. members, or people who have a drinking problem and want to stop. When you are not sure, an open or newcomer meeting is a safe first choice.

The directories also label each listing by format, letting you pick before you leave home:

• Newcomer: designed for people new to recovery.
• Discussion: members share on a topic.
• Step Study / 12 & 12: working through A.A.'s Steps and Traditions.
• Big Book: reading and discussing A.A.'s basic text.
• Speaker: one or two members share their story, then the meeting opens.
• Men's, women's, LGBTQ+, Spanish, and wheelchair-accessible meetings show up as their own types.

Two rules apply at every meeting. It costs nothing — A.A. says there are no dues or fees for membership, and the basket that may be passed is a voluntary contribution you can decline. And you never have to speak; A.A.'s newcomer page says listening is enough. Anonymity is a founding principle, so what is said in the room stays there. The first-meeting guide explains a typical hour.

Getting Around & Meeting Online

MTS runs the San Diego Trolley, a light rail system with four lines — the UC San Diego Blue Line, the Green Line, the Orange Line and the Copper Line. The Trolley connects downtown with East County, UC San Diego, the South Bay and the Mexico border, so urban meetings near a station are reachable without a car. The Blue Line's coastal route and the Green and Orange lines inland cover a large share of the city and its closest suburbs.

Some meetings are virtual. A.A. recognises online and phone meetings, and local directories include virtual listings next to in-person ones. Our finder shows online and hybrid meetings from public feeds. The online A.A. meetings guide explains how they work and how to attend anonymously, with your camera off if you prefer.

Peer Support vs. Medical Care

A meeting is peer support, not clinical treatment. NIDA notes that mutual-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous are peer-led and are not run by healthcare professionals, which is what separates them from treatment — though they are free, ongoing, and often used alongside professional care.

Some situations need a doctor, not a meeting. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life threatening when people who drink heavily over time stop suddenly instead of tapering 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. If that describes you, talk with a clinician before you stop.

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 or call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) — free, confidential, 24/7, in English and Spanish.
• Referral help: call or text (800) 653-9376 for help finding a level of care. SmarterRecovery is a referral helpline, not San Diego Central Office; 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 you need a meeting today, start with the meeting finder or the Central Office directory and confirm it. In an emergency or a suicide crisis, call 911 or 988 first.

Additional Resources

Sources cited on this page:

• Alcoholics Anonymous San Diego (San Diego Central Office)
• San Diego Central Office: 24-hour telephone line, office address and hours, Spanish office (Oficina Central Hispana, aasdgrupos.org)
• Intergroup Central Office of North San Diego County (24-hour helpline/text, meetings per week, area served)
• MTS: Trolley (light rail lines serving downtown, East County, UC San Diego, South Bay and the Mexico border)
• A.A.: Find A.A. Near You (regional offices including East County)
• 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
• 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