Before you go
Yes. You do not have to be sober or clean to walk in, and nobody checks. What groups actually ask of you, and the one thing to do first if you drink daily.
Yes. The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking, and NA and Cocaine Anonymous say the same about using. You do not have to be sober, clean, or even sure. Nobody checks, nobody asks when you last drank, and nothing is written down. If you had a drink this afternoon you can still come and listen tonight. The one thing groups ask is that you do not drink or use in the room.
People put this off for months because they think they have to turn up already mended. The rooms were built the other way round.
Last updated: 23 September 2026.
Wanting to. Or wanting to want to, on the days that is the most honest thing available.
It has never meant having managed it. AA's third tradition sets that single requirement deliberately, so nobody could ever be turned away for still drinking. NA asks for a desire to stop using. Cocaine Anonymous asks for a desire to stop using cocaine and all other mind-altering substances. SMART Recovery goes further again and says openly that it helps people work out whether they have a problem at all, so you can walk in mid-argument with yourself.
None of them ask for a day count. Nobody will ask you for one when you arrive, either.
You are let in, and nobody says anything about it.
If you can sit quietly and follow roughly what is going on, stay for the hour. If you are in no state to, someone will usually suggest gently that tomorrow might suit better, and they will mean it kindly, because most of them have been walked home from something themselves. There is no breathalyser and no questionnaire.
Two practical asks, and they are the only ones. Do not drink or use in the meeting, and let other people finish. Please do not drive there. If getting out of the house at all is the problem tonight, online meetings run around the clock and nobody can smell anything through a laptop.
Not suddenly, and not alone, if you drink heavily every day. This is the one piece of genuine safety information on this page and it matters more than everything else here.
The NHS is direct about it: stopping suddenly can be dangerous if you are dependent on alcohol, and if you get withdrawal symptoms you should get medical help before you try to stop. A GP or your free local drug and alcohol service can plan a supervised reduction, usually without you going anywhere near a hospital.
Which means you may well still be drinking while that gets arranged, and that is precisely the situation the rooms are used to. Go to the meeting and see the doctor. They were never in competition.
Keep taking what your doctor prescribed, including methadone or buprenorphine. You are welcome, and this is not a grey area.
A small number of groups have their own customs about sharing while on certain medication, which says more about that group than about you. If it matters to you before you commit an evening, the fellowship helplines on our support page will tell you how a particular meeting runs. SMART Recovery has no such customs anywhere.
Search what is on near you, or go straight to meetings starting tonight. AA, NA, CA and SMART Recovery each have a page saying plainly who they are and how they run, so you can pick by what sounds bearable rather than by reputation.
You will not have to speak. What to expect at your first meeting covers the rest. This site is free, has no sign-up, and does not know who you are.
Yes. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking, and nobody checks whether you have had a drink. Groups ask only that you do not drink in the room and can sit through the meeting without disrupting it. Please do not drive there.
Yes. NA's only requirement is a desire to stop using. You can attend while you are still using. Nobody asks for a clean date, nobody tests you, and nothing is written down.
No. Meetings exist for people who have not managed to stop on their own yet. Turning up while still drinking or using is ordinary, and you can simply sit and listen.
No. There are no tests, no registers and no questions of that kind. Meetings keep no record of who attends, so there is nothing for anyone to check you against.
Yes, and keep taking what your doctor prescribed. A few groups have customs about sharing while on medication, which the fellowship helplines can explain in advance. SMART Recovery meetings have no such customs.
Not suddenly and not alone if you drink heavily every day. The NHS warns that stopping suddenly can be dangerous if you are dependent, so ask a GP or your local drug and alcohol service to plan it. You can go to meetings while that is arranged.