Addiction Recovery Meeting Finder
Participating in recovery meetings is a highly effective way to maintain sobriety after treatment. Support groups provide crucial peer accountability and encouragement.
Battling addiction & ready for help?
How to Find a Recovery Meeting Today, in Person or Online
The fastest way to find a recovery meeting is to go straight to the official meeting locator run by the fellowship that fits your situation, pick the next time that works, and show up. Every major group keeps its own up-to-date directory of meetings, searchable by your zip code or by online format, so you’re never more than a few clicks from a room that’s meeting today. You do not need a referral, an appointment, insurance, or even a plan—you can walk into an open meeting tonight, sit in the back, and just listen.
If you’re not sure which fellowship to start with, match it to what you’re struggling with: Alcoholics Anonymous for drinking, Narcotics Anonymous for any drug, SMART Recovery if you’d rather have practical tools than a spiritual framework, and Al-Anon if it’s someone else’s addiction weighing on you. There’s no wrong door, and you’re allowed to try a few. Showing up is the whole task—the first meeting asks nothing of you but to be there.
Need help before you can get to a meeting? reach a real person this minute
- If you’re thinking about suicide or self-harm, call or text 988 now to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You don’t have to wait for a meeting, and you don’t have to be in recovery to call.
- Call SAMHSA’s free, confidential helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) any time, day or night, in English or Spanish. They can point you to local treatment and meetings tonight.
- If withdrawal feels dangerous—shaking, hallucinating, or seizures after stopping alcohol or sedatives—call 911 or get to an ER. Medically supervised detox makes coming off safe.
- One online meeting counts. If you can’t leave the house, a round-the-clock virtual room is a real first step.
- Use the official locator. Each fellowship runs its own meeting finder, searchable by location and online format.
- Open vs. closed. Open meetings welcome anyone; closed ones are for people who share the addiction.
- It’s free and anonymous. No dues, no fees, first names only, and you can leave anytime.
- You can just listen. No one will make you speak, share details, or commit to anything.
- Online and phone options exist. Virtual and call-in meetings run day and night for people who can’t or aren’t ready to walk in.
- Try a few rooms. Every meeting has its own feel; visit several before deciding one is or isn’t for you.
Each Fellowship Runs Its Own Official Meeting Finder
Here’s the part that saves the most time: don’t search the whole internet, go to the source. Each national fellowship maintains its own official meeting locator, and that directory is the most accurate, current list of where and when meetings happen near you. A general web search can surface old or unofficial listings; the fellowship’s own finder won’t. Below is a map of the major fellowships, who each is for, and where its locator lives.
| Fellowship | Who it’s for | Official meeting locator |
|---|---|---|
| Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) | Anyone who wants to stop drinking | aa.org (local-meeting search) |
| Narcotics Anonymous (NA) | Anyone recovering from any drug | na.org (meeting search + the NA Meeting Search app) |
| SMART Recovery | People who prefer secular, science-based tools over the 12 steps | smartrecovery.org (in-person and online meeting finder) |
| Al-Anon | Family and friends of someone with a drinking problem | al-anon.org (meeting search) |
| Nearly every other addiction | Cocaine, marijuana, gambling, sex, food, and more | Each has its own fellowship and locator (start from the lists below) |
That last row matters. Recovery isn’t only for alcohol and drugs—there’s a 12-step or peer fellowship for nearly every addiction, each with its own meetings. If your struggle isn’t listed above, it almost certainly has a room of its own. See the full range of support groups →
Searching by Location or by Online Format
On any of these finders, you can search two ways. Enter your city or zip code to see in-person meetings near you, usually listed by day and time with the address and any notes (open, closed, wheelchair-accessible, beginners welcome). Or filter for online and phone meetings, which aren’t tied to your location at all—you can join one happening anywhere, right now. Many fellowships run meetings around the clock online, so even at 3 a.m. there’s usually a room open somewhere.
If the official site feels like a lot, the simplest move is to call SAMHSA’s helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). A real person will help you find a local meeting or treatment, free and confidential, any hour.
Open vs. Closed Meetings, and What That Means for You
One label trips people up at first, so here it is plainly. An open meeting is exactly that—open to anyone. You can attend if you’re in recovery, if you think you might have a problem and want to see for yourself, or if you’re a friend or family member coming to understand. A closed meeting is reserved for people who share that addiction (in AA, anyone with a desire to stop drinking). The point of closed meetings isn’t to keep people out; it’s to give members a room where everyone is living the same thing, which can make it easier to open up.
If you’re not sure whether your problem “counts,” start with an open meeting. No one checks credentials at the door, and the only requirement to attend most meetings is a desire to stop. You belong there the moment you decide you want help.
What Actually Happens at Your First Meeting
The fear of the first meeting is almost always bigger than the meeting itself. Here’s what to expect. You walk in, and someone will likely welcome you—you can say you’re new or say nothing at all. The meeting follows a loose format: some readings, then people taking turns sharing about their week and what’s helping. You can pass. When it comes around to you, “I’m just here to listen today” is a complete and welcome sentence. No one will press you for your last name, your story, or your details.
A few things worth knowing before you go. It’s free—groups support themselves through small voluntary donations, and you never have to give. It’s anonymous, first names only, and what’s said in the room stays there. You can arrive late, sit by the door, and leave whenever you need to. And you’re never locked into anything by showing up once. These rooms are built to make the first step as low as it can possibly be.
Showing up is real medicine, not just moral support. A 2020 Cochrane review—the most rigorous kind of research summary there is—found that structured efforts to engage people in Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs were as effective as, or more effective than, established treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy at keeping people abstinent, and they lowered health-care costs too [1]. The room isn’t a consolation prize for people who can’t afford therapy—it’s one of the best-evidenced things you can do.
Online and Phone Meetings When You Can’t Walk In
In-person isn’t the only door, and for a lot of people it isn’t the first one. If you’re homebound, live somewhere rural with no nearby group, work nights, can’t arrange a ride, or simply aren’t ready to be in a room of strangers yet, online and phone meetings are a real way in. Every major fellowship now runs video and call-in meetings, many of them around the clock, and you can join with your camera off and your name as just a first name—or nothing at all. The anonymity can make speaking up feel safer the first few times.
These options also let you sample widely without leaving your kitchen table. You can drop into an AA meeting tonight, a SMART Recovery meeting tomorrow, and a Narcotics Anonymous meeting the day after, and notice which one fits. That kind of trying-before-deciding is much harder to do in person, and it’s exactly what the research suggests helps: broad participation in peer mutual aid is linked to better substance-use outcomes, including staying abstinent [2].
The Same Fellowship Can Feel Completely Different Room to Room
Two meetings of the same fellowship, in the same city, can feel completely different—different people, different energy, different pace. So the standard, well-worn advice is to visit several meetings before you judge whether this is for you. One room might feel too big or too quiet or not your crowd; the next might feel like home. Giving up after a single meeting that didn’t click is like writing off all music because of one song.
This matters because of what’s actually doing the work in these rooms. When researchers pulled apart why Alcoholics Anonymous helps people stay sober, the single biggest factor wasn’t the steps or the slogans—it was the change in a person’s social network, trading a circle that uses for one that supports staying well [3]. You’re not shopping for the perfect meeting; you’re looking for the room where you feel understood enough to come back. That’s the one where the connection takes hold.
When you find it, keep going, and pair it with the rest of recovery. Meetings work best alongside professional treatment, not instead of it. If your body is physically dependent on alcohol, opioids, or sedatives, the safe path off is medically supervised detox, where medication makes withdrawal far gentler than going it alone. Plenty of people do both at once. To get oriented to AA itself before you go, you can sit in on Alcoholics Anonymous → or see how Al-Anon supports families →, and the full recovery guide walks through every stage of getting and staying well.
Find treatment and recovery support that fit →
For free, confidential help any time, day or night, call SAMHSA at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you’re in crisis or having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a recovery meeting near me right now?
Go to the official locator run by the fellowship that fits your situation and search by your zip code or for online format. AA lists meetings at aa.org, NA at na.org, SMART Recovery at smartrecovery.org, and Al-Anon at al-anon.org. You can also call SAMHSA at 1-800-662-HELP (4357), free and confidential, and a real person will help you find one today.
What's the difference between an open and a closed meeting?
An open meeting welcomes anyone, including people who think they might have a problem, friends, and family who want to understand. A closed meeting is reserved for people who share that addiction, so everyone in the room is living the same thing. If you’re unsure whether your problem counts, start with an open meeting. No one checks at the door, and wanting to stop is enough.
What actually happens at my first meeting?
You walk in, someone usually welcomes you, and the meeting follows a loose format of readings and people taking turns sharing about their week. When it reaches you, you can simply say you’re there to listen. No one will press you to speak, give your last name, or tell your story. It’s free, anonymous, and you can sit by the door and leave whenever you need to.
Are there online or phone recovery meetings?
Yes. Every major fellowship now runs video and call-in meetings, many around the clock, and you can join with your camera off using just a first name. They’re a real way in if you’re homebound, live somewhere rural, work nights, can’t get a ride, or aren’t ready to be in a room of strangers yet. They also let you sample several groups without leaving home.
Do recovery meetings actually work?
Yes, and the evidence is strong. A 2020 Cochrane review found that programs engaging people in Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step groups were as effective as, or more effective than, treatments like CBT at keeping people abstinent, while cutting health-care costs [1]. Broader participation in peer mutual aid is also linked to better substance-use outcomes, including abstinence [2].
Should I try more than one meeting before deciding?
Yes. Two meetings of the same fellowship can feel completely different, so the standard advice is to visit several before judging whether it’s for you. The thing doing the real work is connection, the shift to a sober support network, more than the steps or slogans [3]. You’re looking for the room where you feel understood enough to come back, not the perfect one.
Get Treatment Help
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, getting help is just a phone call away, or consider trying therapy online with BetterHelp.
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