You Are Chairing and You Want a Drink

You are chairing tonight and you want a drink. You can still open the meeting, or ask someone else to chair. Your desire to stop still counts.

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Key takeaway

You are the chair tonight and you want a drink. You can still open the meeting. You can ask someone else to chair. You can say you need a minute. The group decides the format. Your desire to stop drinking still counts while the want is in your mouth. Stay and listen.

Last updated: 2026-10-06

The book is in front of you. People are sitting down, coats on chairs, a minute or two before you are supposed to start. You want a drink so clearly you can taste it. The clock is doing what clocks do. Someone is looking at you like the meeting begins when your mouth does. Your mouth wants something that is not the opening reading.

You can still open the meeting. You can ask someone else to chair. You can say you need a minute.

The book, the clock, the want

The want does not disqualify you. Anyone with a desire to stop drinking is welcome, and the person who wants a drink in the chair is included. There are no dues or fees. The group decides the format. You can read the opening the way this group usually does. You can also turn to the person beside you and ask them to start, because your hands are not going to be clever tonight.

You can say the sentence out loud: I need a minute. You can step into the hall, get water, and come back. You can stay in the chair and let someone else hold the book. You do not have to perform a calm you do not have. The meeting can begin with the truth that the chair wants a drink and is still here.

If your body is in trouble, shaking hard, confused, or you cannot breathe, call 911 before you try to be useful. A meeting cannot treat withdrawal.

You can stay after you hand it off

If someone else opens, stay. You can just listen. You can pass when the sharing reaches you. You are a member who took a task and then told the truth. Stay in the room for the hour. If the drink already happened before you walked in, there is a page for going to a meeting after you drank. Sit down anyway if you are safe.

Water in front of you. Uncap it before you speak. The sound is ordinary, and your hands can do that one small thing. Let the meeting start while you are still honest. Phone in your pocket. When the hour ends, leave with the people or leave alone. The want can ride home with you and still not get a drink. Tomorrow someone else can chair. Tonight you told the truth in time.

Tonight

Say you need a minute, or ask someone else to open. Then stay and listen. Your desire to stop drinking still counts while you are the chair, and it still counts if you hand the book over.

Call (800) 653-9376 when the next step is treatment, not another hour of white-knuckling. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral. Call or text 988 if you might hurt yourself. Call 911 if you are in danger.

Additional Resources

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Common Questions

Can I chair if I want a drink right now?

Yes. You can open the meeting while the want is in your mouth. Your desire to stop drinking still counts. You can also ask someone else to chair if your hands will not do it. You can say you need a minute. The group decides the format, and the format can survive a chair who is honest for thirty seconds. You can listen once the meeting is going. There are no dues.

How do I ask someone else to take it?

Turn to a person you trust and say: I need you to chair, I want a drink. Or shorter: can you open tonight? You can say it before anyone is fully settled. If they say no, ask one other person, or open it yourself and keep the reading short. You can pass when the sharing comes back to you. The book can be in someone else's hands and you can stay in the room.

What if nobody else will chair?

Then you can open it anyway. Read what the group usually reads, or ask the room to bear with a short start. The group decides the format, so if the usual script is too much, a plain beginning is still a meeting. Say you need a minute if you need one. You can listen. If your body is in trouble, shaking hard, confused, or you cannot breathe, call 911. A meeting cannot treat withdrawal.

Can I say I need a minute in front of everyone?

Yes. You can say it out loud. The room has heard worse than a chair who needs a breath. You can step into the hall for that minute and come back, or you can sit down and let someone else read the opening. You do not have to explain the whole want. One sentence is enough. Then the meeting can go on, and you can be in it as a person who listens.

What if I drink before I get there, or after?

If you are sick, shaking hard, confused, or cannot breathe, call 911 before you try to run the hour. If you are safe to sit, you can still be in the meeting and listen, even if someone else had to open it. There is a page for going to a meeting after you drank. You can pass. A desire to stop drinking still counts on a night the want won a round.