Meeting orientation
What happens at an A.A. meeting?
A meeting normally has a recognizable beginning, a selected format, member sharing or reading, and a close. Exact readings, customs, and order differ because groups are autonomous.
“An A.A. meeting may take one of several forms, but at any meeting you will find alcoholics talking about what drinking did to their lives.”Official A.A. FAQ
Before attending
Read the meeting listing first
Confirm who may attend, how the meeting is accessed, and whether the listing names a specific format.
Typical sequence
A common sequence, not a script
Each autonomous group decides its own format, but these five stages give a newcomer a useful orientation.
- 1
Arrive or join
People settle into the room, video meeting, or telephone meeting. A greeter or another member may say hello.
- 2
The chair opens
The chair may use the A.A. Preamble, brief remarks, a moment of silence, a prayer, and selected readings.
- 3
The meeting follows its format
Members may discuss a topic, hear a speaker, study A.A. literature, or focus on beginners, Steps, or Traditions.
- 4
The group closes
Many meetings end with silence, a prayer, the Responsibility Statement, or another A.A. text selected by the group.
- 5
Conversation may continue
People often talk afterward. Staying is optional; a newcomer may leave or remain and meet people.
Common meeting formats
The middle changes with the format
These established buttons open the exact format pages. The full card—including its description—is clickable.
Your choice
Listening is participation
You may be invited to introduce yourself, but identifying yourself is not mandatory. You can listen without speaking, and you decide whether to stay and socialize afterward.
Next step
Choose a current meeting
Use the guide first if you need help choosing, or open a current Pittsburgh-area meeting tool directly.
Primary references
Official A.A. sources
Each source is a complete clickable card and opens on AA.org.
Source record: Official A.A. meeting guidance reviewed August 13, 2026. The sequence above synthesizes the official description without claiming that every group follows an identical script.