Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has its own language, and it can feel confusing at first. If you’re attending your first meeting or trying to understand what a loved one is going through, the shorthand, slogans and program-specific terms may feel overwhelming.
This guide breaks those terms down in a simple, approachable way. You’ll find terms grouped by category, including program basics, meeting types, relationships and common phrases. Understanding this language can help meetings feel more familiar and less intimidating.
Identity and Membership
Friends of Bill W.
“Friends of Bill W.” is a coded phrase used to identify fellow AA members in public or unfamiliar settings. It’s most commonly heard on cruise ships, at hotels or in airports. “Bill W.” refers to Bill Wilson, one of AA’s co-founders.
Asking “Do you know Bill W.?” or “Are you a friend of Bill W.?” is a discreet way to find out whether someone else is in the program without disclosing your own membership. The phrase reflects AA’s commitment to anonymity as a core tradition.
Alcoholic
In AA, an alcoholic is a self-applied term, not a label assigned by others. Members introduce themselves with “My name is [name], and I’m an alcoholic” as an expression of personal acceptance and honesty about their relationship with alcohol. The program doesn’t require a formal diagnosis, only a personal recognition that one’s drinking has become unmanageable.
Newcomer/Pigeon
A newcomer is anyone early in their AA experience, typically in their first few weeks or months of attendance. “Pigeon” is an older, affectionate term for the same thing, though it’s less commonly used today. Newcomers are often paired with a sponsor and are encouraged to attend meetings frequently, particularly in the early days of sobriety.
Old-Timer
An old-timer is a member with substantial long-term sobriety, often measured in decades rather than years. Old-timers are widely regarded as members who offer wisdom and perspective within AA culture.
There’s no set amount of time required, but the term usually refers to someone who has lived through multiple cycles of the program and remained sober throughout.
Dry Drunk
A dry drunk is someone who has stopped drinking but has not engaged meaningfully with the psychological or behavioral work of recovery. A dry drunk may be sober in a physical sense while still exhibiting the emotional patterns, resentments and thinking styles associated with active alcoholism. AA uses the term to underscore that abstinence alone is not the same as recovery.
The Program and Its Structure
The Big Book
The Big Book is the informal name for Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism, first published in 1939.
The Big Book is AA’s foundational text. It contains the original articulation of the Twelve Steps, the core philosophy of the program and a collection of personal stories from early members.
It remains largely unchanged from its second edition, and its language reflects its era.
The Twelve Steps
The Twelve Steps are a sequence of spiritual and behavioral principles at the core of AA’s recovery program.
- What they cover. The Steps move from an admission of powerlessness over alcohol (Step One) through a process of moral inventory, amends and ongoing self-reflection, concluding with a commitment to carry the message to other alcoholics (Step Twelve).
- How they’re used. Members work the Steps with a sponsor, typically in order, though pace varies significantly.
The Twelve Traditions
The Twelve Traditions are a set of principles that guide how AA groups function as a whole, separate from how individual members pursue recovery. The Traditions address:
- group autonomy
- non-affiliation with outside organizations
- anonymity
- non-endorsement of outside causes
AA developed the Traditions in the late 1940s and formally adopted them in 1950 in response to early organizational challenges.
Step Work
Step work is the process of working through the Twelve Steps, typically in written form and in collaboration with a sponsor. It’s the core psychological and spiritual work of the AA program.
Certain steps, particularly Step Four (a searching and fearless moral inventory) and Step Nine (making amends to people harmed), are widely considered especially important and are often approached with care.
Home Group
A home group is the specific AA group a member considers their primary affiliation. Members typically attend their home group consistently, take on service commitments within it and are known by name. Having a home group provides structure and accountability. This is especially important in early recovery, when routine can reduce the risk of relapse.
GSO/General Service Office
The General Service Office (GSO) is AA’s central administrative body, based in New York City. The GSO coordinates literature production, supports the worldwide network of AA groups and maintains the organization’s infrastructure. Individual groups operate autonomously, but the GSO provides central support across the broader organization.
Meeting Types and Format
Open Meeting
An open meeting is a meeting that anyone may attend, regardless of whether they have a drinking problem. They’re appropriate for family members, friends, clinicians, students and anyone curious about the program. An open meeting is often used as a starting point for people who want to observe before committing to membership.
Closed Meeting
A closed meeting is a meeting restricted to people who identify as alcoholics or who believe they may have a problem with alcohol. They’re intended to provide a space where members can speak freely without concern about outside observation. The distinction between open and closed meetings is noted in meeting directories.
Speaker Meeting
A speaker meeting is a type of meeting in which one or more members share their personal story, typically structured as what life was like before recovery, what changed and what life is like now.
These meetings are often open and are commonly used as introductory meetings for newcomers. They tend to be more narrative and less interactive than discussion meetings.
Discussion Meeting
A discussion meeting is built around shared conversation on a topic, a reading or a Step. A chairperson typically opens the discussion, and members share in turn or raise their hands. Discussion meetings tend to be smaller and more intimate than speaker meetings and form the backbone of most groups’ weekly schedules.
Big Book Study/Step Study
Big Book or Step study meetings are dedicated to reading and discussing the Big Book or a specific Step in detail. These tend to attract members who are actively working the program and are often more structured than general discussion meetings. Step study groups may move through all Twelve Steps in sequence over the course of several months.
Chips/Medallions
Chips or medallions are tokens given to members to mark sobriety milestones. The chip system varies by group, but common markers include 24 hours, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, six months, nine months and annual anniversaries thereafter.
Chips are presented at meetings, typically with applause, and serve as recognition and a tangible reminder of time accumulated. A “desire chip” or “white chip” is offered to anyone who wants to stop drinking, regardless of where they are in the process.
Crosstalk
Crosstalk is a direct response to, advice given to or commentary on what another member has shared during a meeting. Most AA groups discourage crosstalk as a matter of protocol.
The underlying principle is that members share their own experience without directing it at others, preserving the safety of the meeting and respecting each person’s right to their own process.
Sponsorship and Relationships
Sponsor
A sponsor is a more experienced AA member who guides a newer member through the Twelve Steps and provides ongoing support and accountability. Sponsors aren’t therapists or counselors. They are peers who have worked the program themselves and share that experience directly.
The sponsor-sponsee relationship is voluntary and informal, though it’s widely considered one of the most important elements of long-term recovery in AA.
Sponsee
A sponsee is the person being sponsored. A sponsee works the Steps under a sponsor’s guidance, typically through regular meetings, phone calls and written work. Many members who’ve been sponsored eventually take on sponsees of their own, which is widely seen as part of fulfilling Step Twelve.
Getting a Sponsor/Asking Someone to Sponsor You
Newcomers are routinely encouraged to approach someone whose sobriety they respect and ask them to serve as a sponsor. The process is direct. Members are expected to reach out rather than wait to be approached. A common piece of AA advice is to “get a sponsor before you need one,” meaning before a crisis arises.
The Fellowship
The fellowship is the broader community of AA members, distinct from the formal program or the Steps. The fellowship refers to the human network, the relationships, shared history and mutual support that develop among members over time. For many people in recovery, the fellowship is as significant a resource as the Steps themselves.
Common Phrases and Slogans
AA culture is rich with shorthand phrases. Some are drawn from the Big Book, while others have accumulated through decades of meeting culture. These phrases aren’t doctrine, but they circulate widely and are worth understanding.
“One Day at a Time”
“One Day at a Time” is perhaps the most recognizable phrase in recovery culture, and one that predates modern AA’s popular usage. The concept is practical: committing to sobriety for the next 24 hours is more manageable than committing to sobriety forever. It’s used as a practical strategy and a reminder to take recovery one step at a time.
“Keep It Simple”
“Keep It Simple” is a reminder not to overcomplicate the program. AA’s approach is meant to be simple and accessible. It doesn’t require literacy, education or theological sophistication.
This phrase is often used to redirect members who are overthinking instead of taking action or to reassure newcomers that they don’t need to understand everything before getting started.
“Fake It Till You Make It”
This idea encourages participation in the behaviors of recovery, including attending meetings, working steps and calling a sponsor, before belief or motivation is fully achieved.
The underlying premise is that action precedes feeling, and consistently going through the motions eventually leads to genuine change.
“It Works If You Work It”
This phrase highlights the conditional nature of the program’s effectiveness. AA doesn’t promise outcomes to people who attend passively. It emphasizes that the Steps, sponsorship and service work require active engagement.
Often heard at the close of meetings, sometimes with the addendum “so work it, you’re worth it.”
“First Things First”
At its core, this phrase reflects a prioritization principle: sobriety comes before other concerns. In practical terms, this means sobriety comes first when it conflicts with other responsibilities. Used both as a daily reminder and as guidance in moments of competing pressure.
“This Too Shall Pass”
In recovery contexts, “this too shall pass” serves as a reminder that acute discomfort, including cravings, difficult emotions and external stressors, is temporary. The phrase is widely used in recovery culture, though it isn’t specific to AA. It helps make difficult moments feel less overwhelming.
“God as You Understand Him” / Higher Power
AA’s approach to spirituality is flexible and not tied to any specific religion. Instead, the program encourages members to define a “higher power” in their own way.
For some people, that may mean a traditional idea of God. For others, it could be the group itself, nature, or a general sense of purpose or connection.
Because of this flexibility, AA is open to people with a wide range of beliefs, including atheists and agnostics. Some groups are even specifically designed for those who prefer a more secular approach to recovery.
Serenity Prayer
The Serenity Prayer is used to open or close the majority of AA meetings: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” It’s commonly attributed to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, though that attribution is contested.
In a secular context, many members recite it as a statement of psychological principle rather than religious invocation.
HALT
HALT is an acronym standing for Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired, the four physiological and emotional states most commonly associated with increased relapse vulnerability. It’s used as a self-assessment tool. When craving or distress arises, members are encouraged to check whether one of these underlying states is present and address it directly.
Slip / Relapse
A “slip” typically refers to a brief or isolated return to drinking, while “relapse” implies a more sustained return to active use. Both are addressed within AA without the moral weight that addiction carries in broader culture.
The program views relapse as part of the disease, not a character failure, but it still takes the risks of returning to drinking seriously. Members who relapse are encouraged to return to meetings immediately.
Rock Bottom
Rock bottom is the point when the consequences of drinking push someone to change.
While the concept is common in addiction culture, clinicians no longer rely on it as a treatment principle.
There’s no clinical benefit to waiting for a person’s situation to worsen before offering intervention. Within AA, “raising the bottom” refers to the idea that a person doesn’t have to lose everything before seeking help.
The Broader Ecosystem: Related Programs and Terms
- NA (Narcotics Anonymous)
Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a twelve-step fellowship focused on recovery from drug addiction rather than alcohol. It uses the same Twelve Step framework as AA but adapts it for a broader range of substances. Many people attend both AA and NA meetings, especially those with a history of using multiple substances. - Al-Anon/Alateen
Al-Anon and Alateen are twelve-step fellowships for family members and loved ones of people with alcohol use issues. They are not for individuals struggling with alcohol themselves.
Al-Anon is based on the idea that addiction affects the entire family and that loved ones benefit from their own recovery process. Alateen is designed specifically for younger family members.
While separate from AA, these groups share similar principles and structure. - SMART Recovery
SMART Recovery is a secular, evidence-based alternative to twelve-step programs. It uses cognitive-behavioral and motivational approaches instead of a spiritual framework.
It doesn’t follow the disease model of addiction and doesn’t require members to identify as alcoholics or addicts. Meetings are widely available and are often recommended for people who prefer a non-spiritual approach to recovery. - Sober Living/Oxford House
Sober living homes are structured, substance-free environments for people in early recovery. Oxford Houses are a specific type of sober living home that are democratically self-governed and part of a national network.
Many residents attend AA or NA meetings as part of their daily routine. Sober living provides a transition between inpatient treatment and independent living.
A Note on Participation
AA’s language has developed over more than 80 years of meeting culture. Some terms are clear and practical, while others reflect ideas from mid-20th-century America.
The program isn’t the same everywhere. Meetings vary in tone, demographics and focus depending on location, group history and membership.
The best way to understand AA is to attend an open meeting, where the language becomes much clearer in context.
If you or someone you care about is exploring AA or other recovery options, NationalRehabHotline.org can help you find meetings, treatment programs and resources that fit your needs. The service is free and available 24-7.
