You Are Seventeen and Sure It Is Too Soon

Key takeaway

The English pamphlet Young People in A.A. shares stories from seven members aged 17 to 23. Those ages do not bar anyone younger. If you are the one who drinks, Alateen is the wrong room. Alateen is for teenagers affected by someone else's drinking. A desire to stop is enough. You can go to a meeting tonight and only listen.

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

You are young, and you are sure that counts you out. Maybe you are seventeen and your friends drink the way you drink, so it feels like a phase someone older will laugh off. Maybe you are younger than that and already scared of your own nights. Maybe you are twenty-three and tired of being told you will grow out of it. You do not feel like a real alcoholic. You feel like a person who is going to be sent home.

The English pamphlet Young People in A.A., P-4, has stories of seven young members, aged 17 to 23. That is the range in those stories. It is not a lock on the door. If you are under 17, nobody gets to bar you because the pamphlet started its count at 17. If you are past 23, the stories do not expire you. They are seven lives on paper, not an age rule.

The line is the drinking, not the birthday

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There is no age in that sentence. You are welcome regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, income, or profession. There are no dues or fees. You can sit and listen, or you can share. Completely up to you. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. You do not have to announce your age like an apology.

You may be sure you do not qualify because you still live at home, or because you have not lost a job, or because someone said alcoholics are older. Qualification is the desire to stop. A.A. cannot predict who recovers, and it has no authority to decide how recovery should be sought. A person who thinks you are too young does not get to overrule that. Membership is voluntary. If you were sent by a court or by treatment, referrals are welcome, and you are still allowed to be there because you want to stop, not because someone marched you in.

Alateen is a different hurt

If you are a teenager hurt by someone else's drinking, Alateen is for you. Al-Anon is mutual support for people affected by someone else's drinking, whether or not that person admits it or seeks help. Alateen is for teenagers affected by someone else's drinking.

If you are the one who drinks, do not go to Alateen instead. It is not a youth club version of A.A., and it is not where someone should park you because your face looks young. The young person who drinks belongs where the drinking problem is the point. That is an A.A. meeting. You can love someone who drinks and also be the drinker. On the night the problem is yours, choose the room that is for your drinking.

You can look for younger voices, and you do not have to

There is a page on young people's meetings if you want to see how people look for rooms where more of the members are young. You can use it. You can also walk into any meeting. You do not have to find a special listing before you are allowed to sit with people who have gray hair.

Meetings are in person, online, or by phone. Online can be video on, video off, or a dial-in. If a church basement full of adults makes you want to disappear, video off or a phone meeting is still a meeting. You need not join a prayer. Afterward, talk is optional. Closed meetings are for members, or for people with a drinking problem and a desire to stop drinking. Open meetings are for anyone interested. If a parent wants to observe, an open meeting is the one that fits that. If you want the hour for yourself, look for a closed meeting.

aa.org is not a meeting finder. Local A.A. resources have the lists, and there is a pointer for online meetings. Start with the meetings search if you need a place to look. Listings there are not verified, so confirm the time.

If you are sick, age does not shrink it

Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. If heavy drinking stops suddenly, NIAAA says withdrawal can be life-threatening. That is true when you are young. A meeting cannot detox you. NIDA says mutual-help groups such as A.A. are peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment.

If you need help finding treatment, call (800) 653-9376, which is free to you because treatment providers pay for the referral, and the line is not an intergroup, and the line is not A.A., and it is not SMART Recovery. FindTreatment.gov lists programs. SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), is free, confidential, and available 24/7 in English and Spanish.

Tonight

You do not have to grow into the problem before you ask for a chair. Look up a meeting on the meetings search and confirm it. Go, even if you are sure someone will say it is too soon. You can listen and leave. Seven stories between 17 and 23 are there if you want them later. They are not a permission slip, and they are not a reason to wait.

Additional Resources

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Common Questions

Am I too young if I am not in that pamphlet?

The English pamphlet tells stories of seven members aged 17 to 23. That is who is on those pages. It is not a fence. If you are younger than 17, you are not barred. If you are older than 23 and still sure you do not count, a story's age is not the test. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. You can sit and listen. There are no dues or fees.

Should I go to Alateen instead?

Go to Alateen if you are a teenager hurt by someone else's drinking, whether or not that person admits a problem or gets help. If you are the one who drinks, Alateen is not a substitute for you. Do not let a well-meaning adult send you there instead of A.A. because of your age. A desire to stop drinking is the membership line. You can attend and only listen. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. Your age does not turn your drinking into someone else's problem.

What if everyone in the room looks older?

You can still sit down. There is a page on young people's meetings if you want voices closer to your age, and any A.A. meeting can be yours. Meetings are in person, online, or by phone. Online can be video off or a dial-in if a room of adults feels impossible. aa.org is not a meeting finder. Local lists are. Closed meetings are for people with a drinking problem and a desire to stop, or for members.

Do I have to talk about how young I am?

No. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. You need not join a prayer. After the meeting, talk is optional, so you can leave without explaining your age. Membership is voluntary. If you were sent by a court or by treatment, referrals are welcome, and you still do not have to speak. A parent who wants to observe belongs at an open meeting. If you want the hour for the drinking problem, look for a closed meeting. Either way, you can only listen.

What if stopping feels dangerous and I am still a kid to them?

Your age does not make withdrawal smaller. Call 911 if you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. If heavy drinking stops suddenly, NIAAA says withdrawal can be life-threatening. A meeting cannot manage that, and a pamphlet cannot either. NIDA says mutual-help groups such as A.A. are peer-led, not a substitute for treatment. Programs are listed on FindTreatment.gov. Get care first. A chair can wait until you are safe.