If you need an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting right now, there is one running. Online AA meetings operate 24/7 across every time zone, and the fastest route is the Meeting Guide at aa.org. Filter for “online” and you will see virtual meetings starting within the hour. No travel, no waiting for Tuesday.
Virtual AA meetings are no longer a workaround. In the 2022 A.A. Membership Survey, 75% of members reported having attended a meeting virtually, by video or by phone. Asked what they preferred, 19% chose online meetings, 79% chose in person and 2% liked both equally. Whether you are homebound, live somewhere rural, work nights or simply find it easier to start from your own kitchen, online meetings carry the same Twelve Steps and the same fellowship A.A. has offered since 1935.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. The National Rehab Hotline at 866-210-1303 is for non-emergency information, support and referrals.
What Online AA Meetings Are
Online A.A. meetings are gatherings held over video, phone or chat where members share their experience and support one another toward sobriety. They follow the same traditions as in-person meetings: a peer-led format, the Twelve Steps and anonymity.
One thing surprises most newcomers: there is no central national system for A.A. meetings. The fellowship operates through tens of thousands of groups worldwide, each setting its own schedule and choosing its own platform. No single directory lists every meeting. That’s why knowing two or three places to look is worth more than knowing one.
Formats vary:
- Video meetings on Zoom or similar platforms, where members can see one another
- Audio-only meetings by phone dial-in or with video switched off
- Chat-based meetings with text-only participation
- Hybrid meetings, where some members attend in person and others join remotely
Why Virtual Meetings Remove Real Barriers
The reasons people miss meetings are usually practical rather than motivational. Online formats dissolve most of them:
- Timing. The urge to drink doesn’t observe business hours. At 3:00 a.m. there’s a meeting running somewhere in the world.
- Distance. Rural areas, frequent travel and no reliable transport stop being obstacles.
- Accessibility. Mobility limitations and chronic illness no longer determine whether you can attend consistently.
- Privacy. If being seen walking into a meeting is what’s stopping you, virtual attendance removes that entirely.
- Immediacy. You can join within minutes rather than waiting days for the next local meeting.
Where to Find Online Meetings
The A.A. Meeting Guide
The official finder at aa.org, also available as the A.A. Meeting Guide app, is the most authoritative starting point. Search, select “online” as the meeting type, then filter by day, time and format. Coverage is substantial but not complete because groups submit their own listings. The directory lists A.A. meetings operating within the fellowship’s traditions.
Regional Intergroup Websites
Intergroups are local service organizations covering a geographic area, and many maintain their own online meeting directories. Major metros including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago run particularly robust listings, often including meetings that never made it to the national directory. Searching intergroups in other time zones is also the simplest way to find a meeting at an unusual hour.
Online-Specific A.A. Communities
- Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (OIAA). Maintains directories of groups meeting exclusively online, including continuous 24/7 options.
- International online groups. Serve the global recovery community with meetings scheduled deliberately across time zones.
- A.A. Grapevine. The fellowship’s magazine, offering daily reflections that pair well with meeting attendance.
If you are looking for in-person options as well, our guide to finding an A.A. meeting near you covers local meeting formats, and the Alcoholics Anonymous hotline page explains how to reach A.A. directly by phone.
Types of Meetings You Will Find
Online A.A. offers the same range as in person, and listings state which type each meeting is:
- Open vs. closed. Open meetings welcome anyone interested in A.A., including family and friends. Closed meetings are for people who have a desire to stop drinking.
- Discussion meetings. Members share on a topic chosen by the group. These meetings are conversational and give-and-take.
- Speaker meetings. One or two members share their story at length. These are often the easiest entry point for newcomers.
- Big Book study. Members work through the foundational text section by section.
- Step study. Members focus on working through the Twelve Steps, usually over weeks or months.
- Special interest meetings. Groups for women, young people, LGBTQ+ members and others.
- Language-specific meetings. Spanish, French, Japanese and dozens more.
If the terminology in listings is unfamiliar, our guide to the lingo of A.A. translates most of it.
How to Join an Online Meeting
Most meetings run on Zoom, though Google Meet, Skype and phone conference lines all appear. With Zoom, you can download the app, join through your browser without downloading anything or dial in by phone for audio only. Most listings include a dial-in number alongside the link, so a smartphone isn’t required.
Each meeting has a numerical meeting ID, and many require a password. The listing will give you the link, the password if there is one, dial-in numbers and the schedule. Waiting rooms are common. You may wait briefly while a host admits you.
For your first meeting, arrive a few minutes early. It gives you room to sort out audio problems before things start, and the few minutes before a meeting are often where conversations begin.
Etiquette, Anonymity and Safety
Protecting Your Anonymity
- Use a first name only, or a pseudonym, as your display name
- Video on or off: both are entirely acceptable
- Check what is visible behind you; backgrounds can identify a location
- Understand that while many groups prohibit recording, no online platform can guarantee privacy
Basic Courtesy
- Mute when you are not speaking
- Find somewhere quiet where you will not be interrupted
- Test your audio before the meeting begins
- Use the raise-hand function rather than unmuting unexpectedly
Sharing guidelines are the same as in person: speak from your own experience, listen without interrupting and avoid giving direct advice. The connections that matter most, such as exchanging numbers, finding a sponsor and building fellowship, happen in the conversations on either side of the meeting, exactly as they do in a church basement.
Get More From Online Meetings
- Build consistency. Attending two or three regular meetings a week beats sporadic attendance at many. Familiar faces are the point.
- Engage beyond the hour. Ask for numbers from members whose sharing resonates. Look for a sponsor — 81% of surveyed members have one, and 73% found theirs within their first 90 days.
- Combine formats. You don’t have to choose. Online offers access and variety; in person offers physical presence and local connection.
- Create a dedicated space. Even a corner of a room helps you treat the time as a commitment rather than a browser tab.
If the Twelve-Step approach turns out not to suit you, that’s worth knowing early rather than late. Our page on alternatives to A.A. covers other evidence-based options, and if alcohol is not the primary concern, Narcotics Anonymous runs online meetings on the same model.
A Meeting Is Running Right Now
Wherever you are and whatever time it is, a meeting is happening that you can join. You don’t need answers, a diagnosis or a plan. You need a link and the willingness to sit through an hour.
If you want help working out what else might support your recovery, including treatment options, free and low-cost programs or what to do when meetings alone aren’t enough, the National Rehab Hotline is available 24/7 to provide information, guidance and referrals. Call 866-210-1303. It’s free and confidential. Our alcohol addiction hotline page covers what dependence looks like and how withdrawal is managed.
When you’re ready to take the next step, help is just a phone call away. You don’t have to face this alone.
FAQ: Online A.A. Meetings
- Are Online A.A. Meetings as Effective as In-Person Meetings? Many members find them fully effective. The factors that matter — honest sharing, working the Steps and connecting with other members — translate well to virtual formats. In the 2022 A.A. Membership Survey, 19% of members said they preferred online meetings, 79% preferred in person and 2% liked both equally. Preference varies; effectiveness is less about format than about consistency.
- Do I Need to Show My Face on Camera? No. Many members attend with video off and participate by audio only. This is common and completely acceptable. You decide what is visible about your participation.
- What if I Don’t Have a Computer or Smartphone? Most meetings hosted on Zoom include a phone dial-in number for audio-only participation. Phone-only meetings also exist specifically for people without internet access. Your local intergroup can point you toward telephone meeting options.
- Are Online Meetings Confidential and Anonymous? A.A.’s tradition of anonymity applies to online meetings as it does in person. Members typically use first names only, and what is shared in the meeting stays there. Most groups explicitly prohibit recording or screenshots. That said, technology carries inherent risk, so share with the understanding that absolute privacy cannot be guaranteed on any online platform.
- Can I Find a Sponsor Through Online Meetings? Yes. Sponsorship relationships regularly begin in virtual meetings. If someone’s sharing resonates with you, you can approach them after the meeting or use the chat function to ask whether they sponsor.
- Do Online A.A. Meetings Cost Anything? No. A.A. meetings are free, online or in person. The fellowship is self-supporting through voluntary member contributions, and no fee is required to attend. If a group asks you to pay to attend, that may be a sign it is not an A.A. group.
- How Do I Find Meetings in Other Time Zones? Meeting directories list times in local zones, so check which zone a listing uses. A meeting at 10:00 p.m. in Australia may land at 6:00 a.m. where you are. Because online A.A. is global, meetings are running at essentially every hour.
If meetings alone aren’t enough right now, calling 866-210-1303 costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
