Waynesville Grace Group

Types of AA Meetings

12 Steps & 12 Traditions: North Carolina's AA programs provide a dedicated and comprehensive environment for individuals in recovery. The 12 Steps and Traditions allow individuals to focus on their sobriety as they are surrounded by peers, mentors, and family members. Meeting are open to all and are flexible and regular.

Big Book: In North Carolina, the Big Book is a source of inspiration for AA participants. The Big Book features the lives of real people who overcame alcohol use disorder.

Child-Friendly: Child-friendly AA meetings allow each member to bring up to one child to the meeting, with the expectation that the discussion will not feature experiences or language that are inappropriate for the child. Formal childcare may not be available, but the member can watch over her child while participating in the discussion.

Closed: Closed AA meetings in North Carolina are only open to AA members and individuals who realize they have a drinking problem and want to take steps toward recovery. Leaders will facilitate the informal discussion and newcomers will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Discussion: In North Carolina, AA discussion meetings focus on one specific subject related to alcohol addiction and recovery. Leaders will open by sharing the topic, which often comes from an AA text, such as the Big Book. Then, others can join in and add their own insights.

Living Sober: AA centers may have selected sessions set aside for Living Sober discussions. This text is secular in nature, and focuses on practical ways that members have used to stay sober one day at a time.

Step Meeting: AA chapters use step meetings as part of the recovery process in North Carolina. In a step meeting, participants read from Twelve Steps and discuss how the passages relate to their own progress. These lessons can strengthen their resilience.

Wheelchair Access: In North Carolina, AA centers may feature wheelchair access for non-ambulatory clients. Exterior ramps, designated parking spaces, and open floor spaces enable clients to fully participate in AA meetings.

Wheelchair-Accessible Bathroom: Selected AA centers offer wheelchair-accessible bathrooms for participants. These bathrooms have enough space for a wheelchair to safely navigate, and can include private stalls with guardrails, reachable toilet paper and seat cover dispensers, a wash basin, and other amenities.