That New York Number Is Not a Hotline

Q: What is 212-870-3023 actually for?

The literature catalog says to contact Member Services at memberservices@aa.org or to call 212-870-3023 if you need to check availability of pamphlet versions and new covers. That is a literature question. It is not a crisis line, not a meeting finder, not detox, and not SAMHSA's helpline. If you already called and someone talked to you about a cover or a pamphlet version, that result matches what the catalog says the number is for.

Key takeaway

You found 212-870-3023 or [email protected] and your hands were already shaking. That contact checks pamphlet versions and new covers. It is not a crisis line, a meeting finder, detox, or the treatment referral line. If you are sick, call 911. In a mental health crisis, call or text 988. For a meeting, use a local list or Meeting Guide.

Last updated: Tue Oct 06 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Your thumb is over a number with a 212 area code, or over an email that looks official because it ends in aa.org. The catalog was the only thing open. You are shaking, or someone you love is, and you want a person who can do something about the drinking tonight. That New York contact feels like the front door.

It is a literature desk. If you are sick, call 911. If you are in a mental health crisis, call or text 988.

What the catalog says that contact is for

The literature catalog says that to check availability of pamphlet versions and new covers, you contact Member Services at [email protected] or call 212-870-3023. That is the job of those lines. A question about whether a pamphlet version exists, or whether a new cover is in stock, belongs there. Help with drinking does not.

It is not a crisis line. It is not a meeting finder. It is not detox. It is not SAMHSA's National Helpline. It is not the treatment referral line on this site. If you already called and the person on the other end started talking about covers, you did not reach a broken hotline. You reached the desk the catalog describes. You can hang up. You do not owe that desk your drinking story.

aa.org is not a meeting finder either. The find page points you toward local A.A. resources and toward online meetings. It does not turn a literature phone number into a list of rooms.

If your body is in trouble, use the emergency lines

Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. Do those first, before a catalog, before a meeting, before any argument about which fellowship is which. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. A clerk checking a cover 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 peer support. It is not detox.

The withdrawal symptoms guide and when withdrawal is an emergency are for reading when you are safe enough to use them. FindTreatment.gov lists programs. SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), is free, confidential, and available 24/7 in English and Spanish.

A meeting is a local list, or Meeting Guide

When you are safe enough to look for a meeting, use a local list or Meeting Guide. Meeting Guide is a free app for iOS and Android, supported through the Seventh Tradition. It syncs information from more than 500 entities and lists over 150,000 weekly meetings. The listings refresh twice a day. Local entities send them, and corrections go through the app's local links. The Meeting Guide page says more about how to read a listing. How to find a meeting is the same search in plain steps.

The meetings search on this site is a different list. Those listings are not verified here. Confirm the time before you count on a door.

Meetings are in person, online, or by phone. Online can be video on, video off, or dial-in. Online meetings and phone meetings are real meetings if you cannot get across town tonight. You can sit and listen. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. You do not have to join a prayer. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees. You are welcome regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, income, or profession.

An open meeting is for anyone interested, and nonalcoholics may attend as observers. A closed meeting is for members, or for people with a drinking problem and a desire to stop. What to expect at a first meeting is the hour itself, once you are in it. None of that hour is hiding behind a New York switchboard.

Tonight

If you are sick, the call is 911. If the crisis is your mind and your safety, the call or text is 988. If you need a meeting and you can still get to one, open Meeting Guide or a local list and confirm it. If you need treatment, use the line below, and keep it separate in your head from the catalog number. Leave 212-870-3023 and [email protected] for a question about pamphlet versions and new covers, on a day when that is actually your question.

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:

Common Questions

What is 212-870-3023 actually for?

The literature catalog says to contact Member Services at [email protected] or to call 212-870-3023 if you need to check availability of pamphlet versions and new covers. That is a literature question. It is not a crisis line, not a meeting finder, not detox, and not SAMHSA's helpline. If you already called and someone talked to you about a cover or a pamphlet version, that result matches what the catalog says the number is for.

Who do I call if I am sick or in a mental health crisis?

Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. Do that before you hunt a number in the back of a catalog. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. 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.

How do I find a meeting without calling New York?

Use a local list or Meeting Guide. aa.org is not a meeting finder. Meeting Guide is a free app for iOS and Android. It carries listings from more than 500 entities, over 150,000 weekly meetings, and it refreshes twice a day. Local entities send the information. The meetings search on this site is a different list, and those listings are not verified here. Confirm the time before you travel.

Where do I call if I need treatment, not a pamphlet?

Use the treatment referral line on this site when you need a program. SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), is free, confidential, and available 24/7 in English and Spanish. FindTreatment.gov lists programs. Those are the treatment paths. Member Services in the catalog is for pamphlet versions and new covers. Mixing those jobs leaves you with the wrong desk.

I already dialed the New York number. Did I ruin my chance at help?

You reached a literature contact. That is an ordinary mistake when a catalog number looks official and you are scared. It does not spoil a meeting, and it does not mean you have to explain yourself to a desk in New York before you can stop drinking. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees.