Key takeaway
Walking into a meeting is hard, and harder when you cannot follow the language. Search Meeting Guide for your town and read the language on the listing. Call a local A.A. office and ask for a reunión en español, for yourself or for a parent. An online meeting can be the first room.
Last updated: Mon Oct 05 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
It is hard enough to walk into a room of strangers. It is harder when you cannot follow what they say. That is true if the meeting has to be in Spanish for you. It is also true if you are the son or daughter trying to find a room your mother or father can actually understand.
If alcohol withdrawal has become a seizure, or someone will not wake, call 911. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988. On a call, press 2 for a counselor who speaks Spanish. If you text in Spanish, type Ayuda when asked. If you have been drinking heavily, stopping suddenly can be life-threatening, so get medical care before you worry about a meeting.
Tonight, find a meeting you can follow
Meeting Guide is the free A.A. app for iOS and Android. Local A.A. offices supply the listings. Search your town. You can also search the word Spanish or Español. Then open the listing and read the language in the format and the notes. The app does the search. The listing is what tells you the language. Call the number on it and ask before anyone travels.
A.A.'s Spanish find page is the other door. Open Encuentre a Alcohólicos Anónimos cerca de usted and contact the local central office or intergroup it shows for your area. That office is who has the meeting list. When you call, you can say, "Busco una reunión en español." If you are calling for a parent, say "Llamo por mi madre" or "Llamo por mi padre," and then "Buscamos una reunión en español." Many areas have a Hispanic intergroup, an oficina intergrupal hispana. Ask whether yours does. You do not need the office's name before you call.
Meetings search on this site shows public listings. Read the language there too. If the room itself is too much tonight, an online meeting can be the first one. Online A.A. meetings explains meetings on a screen or a phone. Confirm the language and the link with the office before you count on them.
You can just sit and listen, or you can share. That choice is yours, and it is your parent's too. A meeting is not a clinic. NIDA says mutual-help groups are not led by healthcare professionals. If you need treatment, search FindTreatment.gov. Call or text (800) 653-9376 if you want help finding a program while you look for the meeting.
Additional Resources
Sources cited on this page:
- A.A.: Encuentre a Alcohólicos Anónimos cerca de usted
- A.A.: Meeting Guide
- A.A.: Need help with a drinking problem?
- NIDA: Treatment, including mutual-help groups
- NIAAA Core Resource: Alcohol Use Disorder, From Risk to Diagnosis to Recovery
- SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov
- 988 Lifeline: Is the 988 Lifeline available in other languages?
- SmarterRecovery meetings page (public meeting search; listings are not verified by this site)
- SmarterRecovery about page (referral disclosure)
Common Questions
What can I say if my English is shaky?
You can say, "Busco una reunión en español." If you are calling for a parent, "Llamo por mi madre" or "Llamo por mi padre," and then, "Buscamos una reunión en español." Ask the person who answers to stay on the line until you know the language, the day, and the address or the link.
Can we go and just listen?
Yes. A.A.'s newcomer page says you can just sit and listen, or you can share. That choice is yours. You do not have to explain your English, and a parent does not have to tell their story the first night.
I am looking for a meeting for my mother or father. Where do I start?
Start with Meeting Guide and the Spanish find page, then call the local office with them or for them. Many areas have a Hispanic intergroup, an oficina intergrupal hispana. Ask whether yours does. Read the language on the listing before anyone gets in the car.
What if leaving the house is too much tonight?
An online or phone meeting can be the first room. The online A.A. guide explains how those listings work. Meeting Guide includes online meetings as well as meetings in a room. Read the language on the listing, and confirm the link with the office before you rely on it.
What if the listing does not say the language?
Call the local central office or intergroup and ask. Use the Spanish sentence above. A keyword search in Meeting Guide finds listings. The words on the listing, and the person who answers the phone, are what tell you the language. Do that before you travel.