Key takeaway
You drove a family member, and someone told you to get the attendance slip signed. There is no set procedure. Each group decides. Some acknowledge attendance with the person's consent, and the referred person returns the proof. You cannot sign it. The referral line cannot sign it. Do not assume this group will sign.
Last updated: Tue Oct 06 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
You drove them here, and someone put the attendance slip in your hand as if you were the clerk of the meeting. A family member is inside, or beside you, and a court or a program wants a signature before tomorrow. You want to be helpful. The pen feels like the helpful thing.
You cannot sign it.
There is no set way, and you are not the way
Proof of attendance has no set procedure. Each group decides whether it will sign anything at all. Some groups, with the person's consent, have a member acknowledge that the person attended, on paper or digitally. The referred person returns that proof to the court or the program that asked for it. The acknowledgment is not part of A.A. procedure. It is a local choice, when it happens.
Your name on the line because you drove does not become that choice. You are not the group. You were told to get it signed, maybe by a clerk, a lawyer, a relative, or the person you love, who is scared. Their fear does not make you the signer. Put the pen down. If a signature is possible, it comes from the group, with the person's consent, and the referred person carries it back.
Do not promise them the group will sign. Do not promise the judge, the program, or yourself. Another meeting's habit is not this meeting. Ask the chair, quietly, what this group does, and be ready for no. A no is allowed. You can still have given them a ride.
Sitting there is not signing
If you do not have a drinking problem, look at the kind of meeting before you take a chair. 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 drinking. Observers belong at the open one. Bringing a family member to an open meeting is about being in the room. A court slip at an A.A. meeting is for the person whose name is on the paper. You can read both. Neither one hands you the pen.
You can sit and listen if you are in an open meeting. You do not have to speak. Introducing yourself is not mandatory, and that is true for a guest as well as for a member. You need not join a prayer. There are no dues or fees for the person who belongs; you are not joining by watching. Do not announce your relative's case. Do not explain the charge. The slip, if it is handled, is a small practical question for the chair, not a story for the circle.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking, and membership is voluntary. That requirement belongs to them, if it belongs to anyone here. Your desire to get the paper done is not membership, and it is not authority. Court and treatment referrals are welcome. Who sent them is not the interesting part. The welcome does not deputize the driver.
The phone line cannot sign it either
You may want a number that will just fix the form. The referral line on this site cannot sign a slip. It does not keep the meeting, and it is not an intergroup. Calling it to ask for a signature wastes the night. aa.org is not a meeting finder, and it is not a notary. The meetings search can help you find a meeting to ask. Listings are not verified, so confirm the time. Confirm, if you can, whether the meeting is open, so you are not standing in the wrong doorway with a form.
If this group says no, you have an answer. Look for another meeting they can attend, and ask that group its own question. You still do not sign. You still do not tell the second group that the first group was wrong. Each group is allowed to decide.
People share what drinking did and how they live now. Your relative may not want you hearing it. Ask them. If they want you in the car, wait in the car. Waiting is not a failed errand. The signature was never yours.
If someone is sick
A due date is not a medical plan. Call 911 if they are sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call 911 if you are. Call or text 988 if this has become a mental health crisis. 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 signed slip is not detox. 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
Do not sign the slip. Ask this group what it does, and accept the answer, including no. If you are only there to watch, be at an open meeting. Help them get to a meeting they can use, and let the proof stay with the group and with them. Confirm the listing on the meetings search. 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:
- A.A.: What to Expect at an A.A. Meeting
- A.A.: Need help with a drinking problem?
- A.A.: The Twelve Traditions
- A.A.: Find A.A. Near You
- NIAAA Core Resource: Alcohol Use Disorder, From Risk to Diagnosis to Recovery
- NIDA: Treatment, including mutual-help groups
- SAMHSA National Helpline
- SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- SmarterRecovery meetings page (listings are not verified)
- SmarterRecovery about page (calling is free to the caller)
Common Questions
Can I sign the attendance slip because I drove them?
No. You cannot sign it. You drove. That makes you the ride, not the group. There is no set procedure. Each group decides. Some groups, with the person's consent, acknowledge attendance, and the referred person returns the proof. A relative with a pen in the parking lot is not that path. Put the pen down and ask the group.
Will this group sign if I ask nicely?
Do not assume a signature is coming. Each group decides, and another group's habit is not a promise about this one. Proof of attendance is not part of A.A. procedure. If a group agrees, it is with the person's consent, and the referred person takes the proof back. You can ask the chair. Pressure does not create a procedure.
Can the SmarterRecovery phone line sign the slip?
No. The referral line cannot sign a slip. It is for treatment help. It is not an intergroup, and it is not A.A. It cannot vouch for an hour it did not hold. The signature, if there is one, has to come from the group the person actually attended. Be ready to hear no from that group.
Am I even allowed in the room while they get the slip handled?
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. Sitting as an observer is not the same as signing. You can listen at an open meeting. You do not run the paper, and you still cannot sign it.
What if they are sick and the slip is due tomorrow?
The slip can wait. Call 911 if someone is sick, confused, or cannot breathe. Call or text 988 in a mental health crisis. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. NIDA says A.A. is peer-led and not a substitute for treatment. A signature is not detox. Get care first.