Open vs Closed AA Meetings

Key takeaway

You can stand outside a meeting and not know if you belong. A.A. says open meetings are for anyone interested, and observers may attend. Closed meetings are for members, or for people with a drinking problem and a desire to stop drinking. Check the listing. If it is blank, ask the group before you share.

Last updated: Mon Oct 05 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

You can be in the parking lot, or staring at a video link, and still not know if you are allowed in the room. That fear is ordinary. Alcoholics Anonymous says meetings are typically listed as open or closed. An open meeting is available to anyone interested in A.A.'s program of recovery from alcoholism. Nonalcoholics may attend as observers. A closed meeting is for A.A. members only, or for people who have a drinking problem and, in A.A.'s words, a desire to stop drinking. For most newcomers, that pair of labels is the decision. Whether you have to talk is in the first-meeting guide.

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Pick from the reason you are going

If you are there because of your own drinking, A.A.'s closed-meeting description includes you even when you have never been to a group. The closed-meeting FAQ says these meetings are a place to discuss parts of the problem that may be best understood by other alcoholics. They are usually informal. Members are encouraged to take part. A.A. says they are of particular value to a newcomer who wants to ask questions of people who have been sober for a while. Tradition Three, in the short form A.A. publishes, says the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. A separate FAQ says there is no formal application. You are a member if you say you are. There is no card at the door, and the newcomer page says there are no dues or fees.

If you are there to watch, learn, or support someone else, and you are not there for your own drinking, choose open. A.A.'s open-meeting FAQ says any community member may attend, alcoholic or not. Nonalcoholics attend as observers. The obligation it names is that attendees not disclose members' names outside the meeting. A typical open meeting has a leader and other speakers. With rare exceptions, the speakers are members, talking about their own drinking and what sobriety has meant to them. A.A. says those views are the speaker's, not A.A.'s, because members speak only for themselves. A share is that person's story. It is not a medical order, and it is not the fellowship's official position.

At both kinds of meetings, A.A. says it may be requested that discussion stay on recovery from alcoholism. The group is run by members, who set the format. Speaker meetings often are open. Discussion meetings may be either. The first-meeting guide describes those formats, including the preamble, the prayer, and the basket.

How a listing shows the label

A.A. says the aa.org website is not a meeting finder. Local entities keep the lists. The Meeting Guide app, which A.A. describes as a free app fed by those entities, can show format and notes the group provided. Look for the word open or the word closed in that detail. If the note is missing, ask the group or the local office before you rely on it. Use the how-to-find guide for the sequence: Find A.A. Near You for an office, Meeting Guide for a list, then confirm.

The meetings page searches public A.A. and N.A. feeds. It includes an Open / Closed filter. The closed choice is labeled, in short, as members. A.A.'s own closed-meeting sentence is wider than a club for people who already have a home group. It includes people who have a drinking problem and a desire to stop drinking. If you are new, use that sentence. The filter only narrows what the feed marked. SmarterRecovery does not operate, endorse, or verify individual meetings. A feed can be stale. Match it against Meeting Guide or the group.

The same open or closed label applies when the meeting is not in a room. A.A. says meetings are held in person, online, or by telephone, and that the members of each meeting decide when and how they meet. The online guide covers the screen and the phone. The hybrid guide covers a room and a link at once. Neither format erases the attendance rule. Read it before you share.

Family, students, and a different fellowship

Relatives who want their own support are not required to sit in a closed A.A. meeting. Al-Anon is a separate fellowship. The Al-Anon finder shows how to search, and the family overview explains what Al-Anon says it is. An open A.A. meeting can be observed. It is still an A.A. meeting.

Narcotics Anonymous uses its own open and closed wording, for a desire to stop using rather than a desire to stop drinking. The N.A. guide covers that fellowship. An A.A. closed meeting and an N.A. closed meeting are not the same door just because both lists use the word closed.

A court or a treatment program sometimes asks for proof of attendance. A.A. says there is no set procedure and that each group decides whether to sign anything. The first-meeting guide keeps that detail. Attendance slips belong to the group. Proof of attendance is not a reason to walk into a closed meeting if you are only an observer.

The label is not a level of care

NIDA says mutual-help groups are peer-led and are not professionally led treatment. Open and closed are attendance rules inside that peer meeting. They do not describe detox, medicine, or counseling. After a long run of heavy drinking, stopping all at once can be medically dangerous. If that is the risk, talk to a clinician before you stop. Search FindTreatment.gov. SAMHSA's National Helpline is 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

SMART Recovery is a separate mutual-help program, with its own meetings. Call or text (800) 653-9376 if you want help finding a treatment program. If you only needed the open or closed distinction, the listing and A.A.'s two FAQs are enough.

Additional Resources

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Common Questions

Who is allowed in an open A.A. meeting?

A.A. says an open meeting is a group meeting any community member may attend, alcoholic or not. Nonalcoholics attend as observers. The obligation A.A. names is that attendees not disclose members' names outside the meeting. Speakers are generally members. A.A. says their views are their own, because members speak only for themselves. Students, relatives, and clinicians who are only observing belong in an open meeting.

Who is a closed meeting for?

A.A. says a closed meeting is for members, or for people who have a drinking problem and a desire to stop drinking. It says these meetings give members a place to discuss parts of the problem that other alcoholics may understand, that they are usually informal, and that they can help a newcomer ask questions. Tradition Three says the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. You do not need a card.

How do I see open or closed on a listing?

A.A. says meetings are typically listed as open or closed. Meeting Guide can show format and notes the group provided. The meetings page has an Open / Closed filter for the public feed. The closed option is labeled in a short way. A.A.'s own sentence is the one to read if you are new and unsure whether you count: a desire to stop drinking is enough for a closed meeting. If the listing is blank, ask the group.

I am a family member. Which meeting do I pick?

If you want to observe A.A., choose an open meeting and do not repeat members' names outside. A closed meeting is not the family hour. Al-Anon is a separate fellowship for people affected by someone else's drinking. The Al-Anon finder explains that search. Sitting in an open A.A. meeting does not make the hour an Al-Anon meeting.

Does open versus closed change if the meeting is online?

A.A. says meetings are held in person, online, or by phone, and that meetings are typically listed as open or closed. The label is about who the group says may attend. It is not a description of the camera. Read the listing, or ask the host, before sharing starts. The online guide covers video and phone. The first-meeting guide covers what the hour usually contains.