The Corrections Kit Is Not Your Pass

Key takeaway

You are inside, and a binder will not put a meeting on your unit tonight. The Corrections Kit is for members who carry the message into facilities. It holds a workbook, pamphlets, guidelines, and sample letters. It is not a pass and not a legal strategy. If a meeting is already there, you can sit and listen.

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

You are locked in, and a binder full of sample letters is not going to put a meeting on your unit tonight. The want for a room of people who know what drinking did is sitting in your chest, and the kit is somewhere else.

That disappointment is real. Somebody may have said the name like it was a key. A counselor, a paper on a desk, a member who visits other buildings. You heard a path. Tonight the path is not in your hands, and staring at the name will not move a chair into the dayroom.

The binder belongs to the people who come in

The 2025 catalog lists the Corrections Kit, M-45, as a binder for A.A. members who carry the message into correctional facilities. Inside it: a workbook, pamphlets, guidelines, and sample letters. Those letters are samples for that carrying. They are not yours to recite, and they are not a script for a hearing. The workbook is for the member doing the work. The guidelines are for that same work. None of it is a pass with your name on it.

If you are the person inside, the kit does not unlock a unit, and it does not schedule the hour. A meeting on your unit either is already arranged by the people who run the building and the members who come, or it is not. A catalog line cannot see your hallway.

A different pamphlet, A.A. in Correctional Facilities, is experience based on how groups function in prisons, along with opinions from institutions that recommend A.A. as a helpful ally. Read that as experience, if you ever see it. It is not a map of one building. It is not a legal strategy. Another piece, Carrying the Message into Correctional Facilities, is basic information for members who speak in those places, and it is no charge. It is not a promise that a speaker is walking toward your door.

If the unit has no meeting tonight

How a facility allows a meeting is decided in that building. If a meeting is already on the schedule where you can go, go and sit. If it is not, the binder will not manufacture one before morning. You do not have a form that gets you a chair, and you do not need one in order to want help.

You also do not have to carry the message in before you are allowed to want help. Tradition Five says the primary purpose is to carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers. You can be that person. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. The long form says membership ought never depend on money or conformity. There are no dues or fees. Service is something members get interested in later. It is not what gets you a chair you cannot reach tonight.

If a meeting is actually in reach

Meetings are where people share what drinking did, the actions they took to stop, and how they live now. The purpose is experience, strength, and hope. You can sit and listen or share. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. You need not join a prayer. Afterward, talk is optional. Open meetings welcome anyone interested, and nonalcoholics may attend as observers. Closed meetings are for members, or for people with a drinking problem and a desire to stop. The group sets the format. One alcoholic sharing with another is the whole idea, and it has gone on for more than 80 years. A locked unit does not erase that. It only limits which door you can use tonight.

Court and treatment referrals are welcome. Membership stays voluntary. If someone told you the kit is how you prove you went, separate those things. Proof of attendance has no set procedure. Each group decides. Some acknowledge that you were present, with your consent, and you are the one who returns the proof. That paper is not part of A.A. procedure. The referral line cannot sign a slip. A binder of sample letters is not a certificate.

When a phone or a screen is allowed

Meetings are in person, online, or by phone. Online, video can be on, off, or you can dial in. Whether your facility allows a phone or a screen is decided where you are, not by a literature list. If you are allowed a call or a connection, a phone meeting or an online meeting is a real meeting. You can listen with the camera off, or with no camera at all.

aa.org is not a meeting finder. Local A.A. resources keep the lists, and there is a pointer for online meetings. The meetings search on this site is another place to look. Listings here are not verified, so confirm a time before you count on it. What to expect at a first meeting still covers the ordinary parts, for the night you can actually get to a chair. You can just listen.

If your body is in trouble

A meeting is not medical care, and a missing meeting is not a reason to ride out a dangerous night. Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. If the people who work your unit can reach care, tell them you are sick.

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. The kit cannot manage withdrawal.

SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), is free, confidential, and available 24/7 in English and Spanish. FindTreatment.gov lists programs.

Tonight

If a meeting is already somewhere you are allowed to sit, go and listen. If it is not, leave the Corrections Kit alone. It was built for members who carry the message in. It was never your pass, and it will not become one before morning. When a phone or an online meeting is something you are allowed to reach, open the meetings search, confirm the listing, and listen. A desire to stop drinking is enough. You do not have to solve a binder to have it.

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

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Common Questions

Does the Corrections Kit get a meeting onto my unit tonight?

No. The Corrections Kit is a binder for members who carry the message into correctional facilities. It holds a workbook, pamphlets, guidelines, and sample letters. Those pieces do not place a meeting on your unit tonight, and they are not a pass. If a meeting is already scheduled where you can sit, you can go and listen. If it is not, the binder will not create one before morning.

Is the kit a way to handle my case?

No. The binder is not a legal strategy, and the sample letters are not something to quote in a case. A different pamphlet, A.A. in Correctional Facilities, is experience from groups in prisons, with opinions from institutions that recommend A.A. as a helpful ally. That pamphlet is not a map of your building. A no-charge piece for members who speak in facilities is not a promise that a speaker is coming. Leave the lawyering out of the literature.

Can I belong if I have never done service in a facility?

Yes. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees. Tradition Five says the primary purpose is to carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers. You are allowed to be that person. You can sit and listen. Introducing yourself is not mandatory, and you need not join a prayer. Service is for members who take it up later. It is not the ticket for the chair.

What if I was told the kit proves I attended?

Proof of attendance has no set procedure. Each group decides. Some groups acknowledge that you were there, with your consent, and you return that proof yourself. That paper is not part of A.A. procedure. The referral line cannot sign a slip. The Corrections Kit is not that paperwork. Court and treatment referrals are welcome, and membership stays voluntary. Do not treat a binder as a certificate.

What if I am sick and there is no meeting?

Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. Tell the people who can reach medical care where you are. 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.