You Told Work You Had a Dentist

You told work you had a dentist so you could attend a meeting. You can keep that cover. You do not owe the room the story. What work hears is your choice.

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Key takeaway

You told work you had a dentist appointment so you could go to a meeting. You can keep that cover. You do not owe the room the dentist story either. Anonymity at work is your choice tonight. The meeting is for the drinking, and you can only listen.

Last updated: 2026-10-06

The word is already out. Dentist, this afternoon, or this morning, a time you will not be at the desk. You are in the car now, or on the step outside the meeting, and the lie is sitting in your pocket next to your keys. You know why you used it. You wanted the hour. You did not want the explanation.

You can keep the cover. Work can keep the dentist. You do not owe the room that story either. Anonymity at work is your choice tonight. You can just listen. Anyone with a desire to stop drinking is welcome, regardless of profession. There are no dues or fees.

The cover can stay at work

What you told them can stay told. You do not have to walk it back in a text before you are allowed to sit down. You also do not have to entertain the meeting with the excuse. You do not have to say your job. The chair may ask newcomers to introduce themselves. That introduction is not mandatory. A first name, or silence, is enough. The hour is for what drinking did and what people did to stop.

Tradition Eleven is personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films. It does not hand you a legal privacy guarantee at a job. A.A. has no opinion on outside issues. What a boss can demand, and what a workplace can do, is outside this chair. The people next to you are not your lawyer. You can still choose quiet.

If work might be in the room

A coworker, a client, a badge you recognize: it happens. You can listen and leave the connection unsaid. You can leave. Open meetings are for 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 drinking. A familiar face can be in either room for reasons of their own. You still decide what your mouth does.

Meetings are in person, online, or by telephone. If this room is too close to the job, a phone meeting from the car is a real meeting. Some online meetings have the video off. aa.org does not contain a meeting finder. Meeting Guide shows local listings. Confirm them. The search on this site is not verified.

If the fear of being found out turns into a crisis, call or text 988. If you are sick, shaking hard, confused, or you cannot breathe, call 911.

Tonight

Keep the dentist story if you want it kept. Go in, or dial a phone meeting, and only listen. You do not owe the room the cover, and you do not owe work the meeting. Sit through the hour. Then go back when you said you would.

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

Do I have to tell the meeting I lied to work?

No. You can keep the dentist story at work and keep it out of the share. You can just listen. The chair may ask newcomers to introduce themselves, and that is not mandatory. You do not owe the room a confession about the calendar. Anyone with a desire to stop drinking is welcome, regardless of profession. There are no dues or fees. The meeting is for what drinking did and what people did to stop.

Can I keep using the dentist cover with my boss?

You can keep the cover. Anonymity at work is your choice tonight. What you already told them can stay told. You do not have to correct it in the parking lot to be allowed into the chair. You also do not have to announce the job inside the room. There is a guide for leaving the job unspoken. Say as little as you want in both places, and let the meeting be about the drinking.

Does anonymity protect my job?

Tradition Eleven is personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films. It does not hand you a legal guarantee at work. A.A. has no opinion on outside issues, so the chairs are not an employment lawyer. What a boss can ask sits outside the meeting. You can still choose a quiet share, or no share. If a coworker is in the room, you can listen and leave the connection unsaid.

What if someone from work is sitting there?

You can stay quiet about the job and about the dentist. You can pass. 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. A familiar face can happen in either room. You do not have to out yourself. If the hour becomes impossible, another meeting is a fair choice, including a phone meeting from the car.

What if I am scared this costs me the job?

The fear is real, and a meeting will not rule on it. Tradition Ten says A.A. has no opinion on outside issues. Nobody in the circle can promise what your employer will do. You can sit and listen anyway. If the fear turns into a crisis, call or text 988. If you are sick, shaking hard, confused, or you cannot breathe, call 911. You can tell work as little as you want.