You Cannot Hear What They Share

Key takeaway

You cannot hear the share. A pamphlet includes members who are hearing impaired. The Big Book page has ASL recordings of the chapters. Online meetings may be video on or video off, and phone meetings exist. Tell one person you cannot hear. The group may have a way, or it may not. No interpreter is promised.

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

They are talking, and the words are not arriving. You nod because nodding is what people do when they are polite and lost. Maybe the room is loud. Maybe your hearing has been failing for years and you hoped a meeting would be the one place you could fake it. You are tired of faking it. You also hate the idea of saying, out loud, that you cannot hear.

Say it to one person. That sentence is the whole next step. What they can do about it is not something anyone can promise from here.

You are not the first member who could not hear the room

The pamphlet Access to A.A.: Members Share on Overcoming Barriers includes members who are hearing impaired. Their stories tell how they found A.A. The stories stay in the pamphlet. They are not a script for your building, and they are not a guarantee that an interpreter is in the room.

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. That line does not add "and must catch every share." There are no dues or fees. The newcomer page says you can sit and listen or share. Listening, for you, may be the part that breaks. You can still be in the room. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. You do not have to join a prayer. Talk afterward is optional, which matters if the hallway is even harder to hear than the meeting.

Tell one person you cannot hear. Pick someone who looks like they have a job in the room, or pick the person who smiled at you, or wait until someone asks how you are. You can say you cannot hear the shares. Then you stop. You do not owe a medical history. The group may have a way. It may not. Groups choose their own format, so the answer in this room is not the answer in every room. A no is information. It is not a ruling that you do not belong.

What you can try without a promise attached

ASL recordings of the chapters are on the Big Book page. The book is Alcoholics Anonymous, the basic text. Those signed chapters are a way to take in the book when spoken English in a noisy room will not work. They do not mean the meeting you attend will be interpreted. Use them when you want the book. A meeting is still a separate hour, with people.

Online meetings can be video on or video off. A video-on meeting lets you see faces. That may help you, and it may not. It is not an interpreter, and it is not captions, unless that particular group has set things up that way. You cannot know until you ask, and even then you cannot know about the next group. Video off is allowed when you need to be present without a camera. Online meetings go further into that choice. Phone meetings are real meetings if a phone is the tool your hearing can use. Some people hear a handset better than a room. Some do not. You get to test it.

aa.org is not a meeting finder. Local A.A. resources have lists, and there is a pointer for online meetings. How to find a meeting is the search itself. Confirm the time before you build the night on a listing. The meetings search on this site is not verified here.

A closed meeting is for members, or for people with a drinking problem and a desire to stop drinking. An open meeting is for anyone interested. If you bring someone who helps you hear, ask which kind of meeting you are walking into, because a nonalcoholic may attend an open meeting as an observer. Do not assume every closed room will make the same decision about a helper. Ask. The ask is allowed.

What to expect at a first meeting still applies to the parts that are not about your ears. People share experience, strength, and hope. You can leave when you need to. A beginner meeting is one more format some groups choose. None of those facts hands you an interpreter. They hand you a place to tell the truth to one person and a reason to try a second room if the first one cannot help you hear.

If you are in medical danger

Hearing trouble and a body in withdrawal can land on the same night. If you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe, call 911 in whatever way you can reach help, or get the person next to you to call. If you are in a mental health crisis, call or text 988 if you can reach it.

NIDA describes mutual-help groups such as A.A. as peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment. A meeting is peer support. It is not detox. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. The withdrawal guide is for when you are safe enough to use it.

If you need help finding treatment, call (800) 653-9376, and the line is not A.A., and it is not SMART Recovery. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral. The line is not an intergroup. SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), is free, confidential, and available all day and night in English and Spanish. FindTreatment.gov lists programs if you want to look them up yourself.

Tonight

Tell one person you cannot hear. If you are not in a room yet, open meetings and pick a phone meeting or a video meeting you can try, then confirm it. Listings there are not verified by this site. You belong on a desire to stop drinking, whether or not the first room can meet your ears.

Additional Resources

Sources cited on this page:

Common Questions

Can I belong in A.A. if I cannot hear the shares?

Yes. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees. You can sit in the room even when the words do not arrive. The pamphlet Access to A.A.: Members Share on Overcoming Barriers includes members who are hearing impaired. Tell one person you cannot hear. That group may have a way to help, and it may not. You are allowed to try another meeting.

Will every meeting have an interpreter?

No. Groups choose their own format, and an interpreter is not promised in every room. Some meet in person. Some meet online with video on, some with video off, and some by phone. A camera is not an interpreter. A phone call is not an interpreter. You can ask one person what this group can do. If the answer is nothing, that answer is about that group. It is not a verdict on whether you can stop drinking.

Where can I watch the Big Book in ASL?

ASL recordings of the chapters are on the Big Book page at aa.org. The book is Alcoholics Anonymous, the basic text. You can use the signed chapters when you want the book itself. They are not a substitute for a meeting, and they are not a promise that the meeting you attend will be signed. You still do not have to own a paper copy before you go. You can watch them at your own pace after the hour.

Should I try a phone meeting or a video meeting?

Try the one your hearing can actually use. Phone meetings are real meetings. Online meetings can be video on, so faces are visible, or video off. You will have to learn which helps you. No one can know that from outside your ears. Introducing yourself is not mandatory. You can keep a camera off. If a noisy room wipes the words out, a different format on another night is a fair experiment. Confirm the listing before you count on it. aa.org is not a meeting finder.

What if I am sick and I also cannot hear the instructions around me?

If you are sick, confused, or cannot breathe, call 911 the way you can reach it, or get a person next to you to call. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis and you can reach that line. A meeting is peer support, not detox. NIDA says mutual-help groups such as A.A. are peer-led and not a substitute for treatment. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when heavy drinking over time stops suddenly. Medical care comes before any meeting.