Your first meeting
Search AA, NA and other UK recovery meetings by postcode, town, or fellowship, in person or online. No sign-up. No tracking of who you are. Just the door, the time, and how to get there.
Walking into a first meeting is the hardest part, and almost all of that difficulty is not knowing what is about to happen. So here it is, plainly. Nobody will make you speak, nobody will make you sign or pay for anything, and you can leave whenever you like.
This is what a first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in the UK is usually like, from before you arrive to when it ends about an hour later.
Last updated: 14 July 2026.
You do not book, register, or pay. You just turn up. You can find one on this site by day, time and area, in person or online, and nobody needs your name to attend.
Turn up five to ten minutes early for a friendlier welcome and a cup of tea, or dead on time to slip into a chair at the back. Both are completely normal, so pick whichever your nerves prefer.
If a room feels wrong the moment you walk in, you are allowed to leave. Meetings vary enormously, and trying a different one before you decide the whole idea is not for you is the single most common piece of advice you will hear in the rooms.
Someone near the door will usually say hello and point you to the tea. If you mention it is your first meeting, most groups will quietly make sure you are looked after, but they will not put you on the spot. You can also say nothing and just sit down. Nobody takes your name, and nobody writes anything about you.
The person chairing reads a short opening, often the AA Preamble, and welcomes any newcomers. You can raise a hand or stay quiet, and either is completely fine.
There is usually a reading, then someone shares their story or the group talks around a topic. People speak one at a time and do not interrupt each other. This is called no cross-talk: nobody gives you advice or comments on what you said, which is one of the safest things about the room.
When it comes near you, you can share, or simply say "I'm happy to listen, thanks." That is a complete and respected answer, and plenty of people just listen for their first few meetings.
At some point a basket is passed for voluntary change toward the rent and the tea. Newcomers are not expected to give anything, so passing it straight on is normal. The meeting usually lasts about an hour and ends with everyone thanking the speaker.
No one will force you to speak, define yourself, or call yourself an alcoholic. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.
No one will pressure you into religion. Meetings talk about a higher power that each person defines for themselves, and there are agnostic and secular-friendly meetings too.
No one will sell you anything, take your details, or follow up unless you ask them to. What happens in the room stays in the room.
Every listing on this site is marked open or closed. Open meetings welcome anyone, including people just finding out what it is, and family members. Closed meetings are for people who think they may have a drinking problem. For a first visit an open meeting is the easy choice, but either is fine.
Start online instead. There are UK online meetings every day, listed here alongside in-person ones. You can join with your camera off and your microphone muted and just listen. For a lot of people that is the bridge: a couple of online meetings with the camera off, then one with it on, then a church hall. There is no wrong speed.
And if the 12-step approach itself turns out not to be for you, that is allowed too. SMART Recovery, Recovery Dharma and others run free, non-12-step meetings across the UK.
No. You can say "I'm happy to listen" and that is completely accepted. Many people just listen for their first few meetings.
No. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. You never have to label yourself to attend or to belong.
Yes. A basket is passed for voluntary contributions toward the rent and refreshments, but newcomers are not expected to give anything and nobody checks.
About an hour. It opens with a short reading, has sharing or a topic in the middle, and closes with everyone thanking the speaker.
Open meetings welcome anyone, including visitors and family members. Closed meetings are for people who think they may have a drinking problem. Each listing on this site is marked open or closed.
Yes. UK online meetings run every day and are listed here alongside in-person ones. You can join with your camera off and your microphone muted and just listen.