Key takeaway
P-24, A Newcomer Asks, gives brief answers on 15 points that once puzzled many people. You do not have to know those points, and they are not homework you recite at the door. You can go to a meeting with the pamphlet unfinished. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. Sit down tonight and listen.
Last updated: Tue Oct 06 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Somebody told you there are fifteen points you have to know, and your stomach dropped. You have been trying to memorize a pamphlet you have not finished, as if the door checks homework.
You can quit memorizing. A Newcomer Asks, pamphlet P-24, gives brief answers on fifteen points that once puzzled many people. The answers stay in the pamphlet. They are not a syllabus you recite before you are allowed to want help. The points once puzzled people who were already looking. Being puzzled is the reason the paper exists. It is not a failing grade.
The stack of points is not a ticket
You were not given the fifteen answers in a conversation, and you should not invent them. A friend, a counselor, or a stranger online said the number, and your mind turned the number into a gate. P-24 is brief on purpose. It is for a newcomer who is confused, not for a newcomer who already has the confusion solved.
Groups normally offer pamphlets free of charge. An unfinished free copy is not a debt. You can go to a meeting tonight with the pamphlet closed, half read, or still in the bag. Finishing it is something you may want on a quieter day. It is not the price of a chair.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. Fifteen correct answers are not in that sentence. There are no dues or fees. You are welcome regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, income, or profession. A gap in what you know about the Fellowship is not a hidden fee and not a character flaw. It is Tuesday, or whatever night this is, and you are scared.
If someone keeps quizzing you, you can leave the quiz in the kitchen. You do not owe them a recitation to prove you are taking this seriously. Serious, tonight, can look like showing up and keeping your mouth shut while other people talk.
What the hour actually is
Meetings differ because members set the format. You might find discussion, a speaker, a beginners meeting, or an hour on a Step, a Tradition, or the Big Book. A speaker usually talks about what they were like, what happened, and what they are like now. You are allowed to be none of those roles. Some groups prefer a minimum period of continuous sobriety before a person speaks. That is a group preference. There is no national number, and it is about speakers, not about you sitting down to listen.
People share what drinking did, what actions they took to stop, and how they live now. The purpose of that sharing is experience, strength, and hope. You can take it in without a prepared point of your own. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. You need not join a prayer. When the meeting ends, talk is optional. If someone asks what you thought of the pamphlet, you can say you are just listening. You can also say nothing and go home.
A beginners meeting is a format, not an entrance exam. The chair is not there to collect P-24. Closed meetings are for members, or for people who have a drinking problem and a desire to stop drinking. Open meetings are for anyone interested, and nonalcoholics may attend as observers. If you want a room aimed at the drinking, look for a closed meeting. If you want to see the shape of an hour before you say a word about yourself, an open meeting will do.
Meetings happen in person, online, or by phone. Online can mean video on, video off, or a dial-in. Rooms show up in offices, churches, treatment centers, community centers, clubhouses, and sometimes outdoors. The building does not grade your reading.
A list you can open instead
aa.org is not a meeting finder. The Meeting Guide app is free on iOS and Android, and it is tied to the Seventh Tradition. It syncs information from more than 500 entities, with over 150,000 weekly meetings, refreshed twice a day. Local entities send the listings. If something is wrong, corrections go through the app's local links. You can also start with the meetings search. Those listings are not verified, so confirm the time before you count on it.
You do not have to understand every point that once puzzled other newcomers before you tap a listing. The app will not ask whether you finished P-24. Neither will a phone meeting.
When the reading is a delay and your body is not
A pamphlet can wait. Withdrawal cannot always wait. Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. Do not use the fifteen points as a reason to white-knuckle that alone. NIDA says mutual-help groups such as A.A. are peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment. A meeting is peer support, not detox.
FindTreatment.gov lists programs. SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), is free, confidential, and available 24/7 in English and Spanish.
Go before you finish
Tonight, leave the fifteen answers unread if that is where you are. Open the app or the meetings search, confirm the listing, and go. Sit down. Listen. You can learn what used to puzzle people after you have heard a human voice in the room. The pamphlet will still be brief tomorrow. It does not get to keep you out tonight.
Call (800) 653-9376 if you need treatment; the call is free to you, treatment providers pay for the referral, the line is not an intergroup, and the line is not A.A., and it is not SMART Recovery.
Additional Resources
Sources cited on this page:
- A.A. World Services: 2025 Literature Catalog
- A.A.: The Twelve Traditions
- A.A.: What to Expect at an A.A. Meeting
- A.A.: Need help with a drinking problem?
- A.A.: Find A.A. near you
- A.A.: Meeting Guide app
- A.A.: Conference-approved literature (SMF-29)
- NIDA: Treatment, including mutual-help groups
- NIAAA Core Resource: Alcohol Use Disorder, From Risk to Diagnosis to Recovery
- SAMHSA National Helpline
- SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- SmarterRecovery meetings page (public meeting search; listings are not verified)
- SmarterRecovery about page (calling is free to the caller)
Common Questions
Do I have to learn the 15 points before I go?
No. P-24, A Newcomer Asks, gives brief answers on 15 points that once puzzled many people. The points stay in the pamphlet. You were not supposed to arrive already knowing them. Puzzlement is why the pamphlet exists. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. You can go with the pamphlet unfinished. There are no dues or fees, and you can sit and listen without reciting anything.
What if I cannot remember a single answer?
Then you are in the honest spot. Guessing would only build a rule that is not real. Groups normally offer pamphlets free of charge, so an unfinished copy is not a debt. You can hear other people talk about what drinking did, what they did to stop, and how they live now. That talk is experience, strength, and hope. You do not need fifteen prepared answers to hear it. Introducing yourself is not mandatory.
Can I attend a beginners meeting with the pamphlet closed?
Yes. A beginners meeting is one format a group may choose, along with discussion, speaker, Step, Tradition, or Big Book. The group sets the format. A beginners hour is not a class that collects P-24 at the door. You can listen. You need not join a prayer. Closed meetings are for members, or for people with a drinking problem and a desire to stop. Open meetings welcome anyone interested, with nonalcoholics as observers.
How do I find a meeting without finishing the reading?
aa.org is not a meeting finder. The Meeting Guide app is free on iOS and Android. It is tied to the Seventh Tradition. It syncs listings from more than 500 entities, covering over 150,000 weekly meetings, and it refreshes twice a day. Local entities send the listings. Corrections go through the app's local links. You can also start from the meetings search here, and those listings are not verified, so confirm the time before you go.
What if I feel awful and the pamphlet is the excuse to stay home?
Put the pamphlet down and check your body. Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. A meeting cannot manage that. NIDA says mutual-help groups such as A.A. are peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment. A meeting is not detox. FindTreatment.gov lists programs.