What is AA?
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a support group designed for individuals struggling with alcohol addiction, providing a structured and supportive environment that fosters recovery. AA meetings are available across cities in the United States, including Ohio, Hamilton, and Cincinnati, as listed on https://www.wfmh.org/aa/ohio/hamilton/cincinnati.
The program is free to attend and relies on regular group meetings where members share experiences, offer support, and work through a standardized recovery process to maintain sobriety.
4222 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45201
Meeting Times: Weekly sessions on Thursday at 7:00 PM and Saturday at 10:00 AM.
Meeting Methods: This location offers closed discussion meetings where participants share their experiences related to alcoholism and recovery, focusing on specific recovery topics often inspired by AA literature. The meetings encourage participation but maintain confidentiality and a safe space for members.
Hamilton 12 and 12 Center, 265 S Erie Blvd, Hamilton, OH 45011
Meeting Times: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:30 PM.
Meeting Methods: The Hamilton 12 and 12 Center provides a clean and safe environment for 12-step recovery meetings emphasizing a healthy atmosphere for recovery. These meetings focus on following the 12 Steps of AA, allowing members to work systematically toward sobriety with peer support.
Masonic Lodge, Butler Group, 310 Central Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Meeting Times: Sundays at 8:00 PM.
Meeting Methods: This venue hosts open meetings where attendees, including friends and family, are welcome to join. These sessions provide insight about AA’s program and foster open dialogue on addiction and recovery, aiming to inform and support a broad audience beyond the members only.
The 12 Steps of AA
- *We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.*
This step acknowledges the need for help and the loss of control due to addiction. - *Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.*
This introduces the concept of hope and willingness to believe in recovery. - *Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.*
Members commit to external guidance and support in their recovery process. - *Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.*
This involves honest self-reflection to identify character defects and strengths. - *Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.*
Sharing faults helps remove burdens of guilt and builds accountability. - *Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.*
This step fosters readiness to change harmful behaviors and attitudes. - *Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.*
Members actively seek transformation and humility in recovery. - *Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.*
This step encourages members to confront the consequences of their actions. - *Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.*
Practicing restitution is crucial, but it must be done responsibly. - *Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.*
Ongoing self-assessment helps maintain honesty and growth. - *Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.*
This step promotes spiritual growth and mindfulness. - *Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.*
Members commit to helping others and living by AA’s principles.
These steps serve to motivate members toward positive change and sustained sobriety across Ohio, Hamilton, and Cincinnati.
Getting Started with AA in Ohio, Hamilton, Cincinnati, USA
For those seeking AA support, the most reliable way to find local meetings is by visiting wfmh.org. This site provides comprehensive, regularly updated listings of AA meetings available in-person and online/virtually throughout Ohio, Hamilton, and Cincinnati.
AA meetings are widely accessible, offering flexible participation modes to accommodate different needs and preferences.
Attending Your First Local AA Meeting
When attending your first AA meeting, it is important to understand the distinction between open and closed meetings in Ohio, Hamilton, and Cincinnati:
| Meeting Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Open Meeting | These meetings are open to anyone interested in learning about AA, including family and friends. They offer a welcoming introduction to the program and provide mutual support among attendees. |
| Closed Meeting | Restricted to individuals who identify themselves as having a drinking problem or who desire to stop drinking. These meetings provide a confidential environment emphasizing personal sharing and recovery work. |
- Arrive early to introduce yourself as a new local member and become acquainted with the group organizer or host.
- If comfortable, share your personal experiences and listen to others for mutual encouragement.
- Receive welcome keychain tags at your first meeting to celebrate sobriety progress milestones.
Keychain Tag Milestones
- 30 days: Celebrate the first full month of sobriety, marking commitment and renewed hope.
- 60 days: Marks continued dedication, reinforcing the establishment of positive habits.
- 1 year: A major sobriety milestone symbolizing resilience and long-term recovery.
- Additional tags are awarded annually to motivate ongoing sobriety and personal growth.