Membership foundation

Three related questions have three precise answers

A.A. membership, membership in a particular group, and permission to attend a meeting are connected, but they are not interchangeable.

A.A. membership begins with the individual

You are an A.A. member if and when you say so.

Official A.A.W.S. source: How do I join A.A.?

The A.A.W.S. answer places the membership decision with the person seeking help. There is no separate admissions body on this page and no site-created enrollment process.

The Third Tradition states the membership requirement

The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.

Official A.A.W.S. source: How do I join A.A.?

This is the membership boundary used throughout this branch. Identity, profession, income, religion, and other classifications do not replace it.

Membership in a particular group also has no application

Group membership requires no formal application.

Official A.A.W.S. source: The A.A. Group

A.A.W.S. distinguishes belonging to A.A. from choosing a home group, while keeping both free of a formal application process.

Meeting attendance is answered by the meeting designation

Nonmembers are welcome to attend “open meetings.”

Official A.A.W.S. source: 2022 Membership Survey

Use Open and Closed Meetings for the attendance distinction, then use the current meeting finder for the actual schedule.