Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings in Massachusetts

What Is Alcoholics Anonymous?

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international fellowship of individuals who share their experience, strength and hope with each other to solve their common problem and help others recover from alcoholism.

Old West Church

131 Cambridge St, Boston, MA 02114

• Open speaker meeting daily at 12 pm
• Closed discussion meetings Mon-Fri at 6 pm

St Anthony Shrine

100 Arch St, Boston, MA 02110

• Big Book study group Thursdays at 7:30 pm
• Closed discussion meeting Saturdays at 10 am

Community Christian Church,

48 Colonial Estates, Springfield, MA 01108

• Open speaker meetings Wednesdays at 8 pm
• Closed discussion meetings Sundays at 11 am

The 12 Steps of AA

Alcoholics Anonymous outlines a 12-step program to help members achieve and maintain sobriety. The steps aim to motivate members toward positive change across Massachusetts.

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Getting Started with AA in Massachusetts

Use the meeting search on udetc.org to find local AA meetings in your area of Massachusetts. Both in-person and online/virtual meetings are available in most places across the state.

Attending Your First Local AA Meeting

AA meetings in Massachusetts can be “open” or “closed.”

When attending your first local AA meeting:

1. Arrive early and introduce yourself to others as a new local member.
2. Share your experiences if you feel comfortable.

You may receive welcome keychain tags marking sobriety milestones like:

• 30 days
• 60 days
• 90 days
• 6 months
• 9 months
• 1 year
• 18 months
• Years 2-30

Sharing at meetings is always optional. The most important things are attending regularly and finding support. Reach out to local AA members if you need help getting started.