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12 Step National Meetings

How to Start, Register and List an Al-Anon Meeting

All startup guides · Find Al-Anon meetings

U.S. first · Official sources reviewed October 24, 2026

Want an Al-Anon meeting closer to home or at a different time? First check official Al-Anon contacts for existing options and local support. A missing directory result does not mean no group exists.

1. Bring together people affected by another person’s drinking

Al-Anon’s registration FAQ says two or more relatives or friends of alcoholics can form a group to address their shared problem, provided the group has no other affiliation. Someone outside the fellowship may help initiate a group, but Al-Anon members conduct its meetings. If you are starting alone, ask the local Al-Anon Information Service or district to help connect you with interested members. Official registration FAQ.

2. Make a workable meeting plan

Agree on a recurring day, start and end time, language and physical, online or hybrid format. For a venue, confirm recurring availability, accessibility, room access and cost. For an online meeting, test the platform and designate a host and backup; discuss how to protect anonymity and handle disruptions.

Read Starting an Al-Anon Group (G-12), linked from the official new-group registration page. Use its guidance and Conference Approved Literature to plan the meeting. Practical suggestions for your planning session: identify who welcomes newcomers, who leads, who manages expenses, and who updates meeting information. Agree on a short opening, readings, sharing time, announcements and closing; use official materials rather than inventing a new recovery program.

3. Choose a suitable name and attendance description

Choose a name that does not suggest affiliation with a business, religious institution or other outside organization. Al-Anon’s WSO reviews proposed group names.

Use the official attendance descriptions: Families and Friends only for members and prospective members affected by someone’s drinking; Families, Friends and Observers welcome when observers may attend as well. These distinctions and naming guidance are explained in the registration FAQ.

4. Register through the correct Al-Anon route

For a U.S. group with a physical location, use New Al-Anon Group Registration. It provides an online route, printed form and instructions. Ask your Area Group Records Coordinator whether your Area has its own new-group process. WSO registration connects the group with Al-Anon’s service structure; it is separate from this independent website.

For an online-only or telephone group, begin at Electronic Group Registration. For a hybrid group, ask Group Records which route applies before submitting duplicate registrations. Al-Anon notes that anonymity protection varies between electronic platforms; organizers should understand the privacy settings they use.

5. Request the official local listing, then submit here

Contact your District Representative or Area Group Records Coordinator about local directory inclusion. The local Al-Anon Information Service may need separate information or a form; do not assume WSO registration automatically updates every schedule. Official local-listing instructions.

Use Submit a Meeting, select Al-Anon, and follow our directory submission checklist. Your listing here does not complete Al-Anon registration.

6. Maintain the meeting

Choose a member to keep the Area, local service office and independent directory informed of changes. Recheck venue access and online joining instructions whenever a host changes. Tell every directory promptly if the meeting is suspended or closed.

Outside the United States

Use Worldwide Al-Anon Contacts for your country’s service office. Al-Anon also provides an international group-registration route; confirm the appropriate process with that office.

Ready for your next step? Open official registration resources · Submit your established meeting.

12 Step National Meetings is an independent directory. This guide summarizes official resources and adds practical planning suggestions; the fellowship’s current instructions take precedence.

Directory submission checklist

  1. Open Submit a Meeting. It is free, requires no account and sends information for review before publication.
  2. Enter the meeting name, fellowship, day and start time; select the relevant format and attendance type. Supply the public venue address or the meeting link requested for a virtual meeting, plus the location fields shown.
  3. Use a group contact email if available. The separate submitter email is optional and marked private. Do not publish personal home addresses or private contact details.
  4. Read the submission guidelines, confirm the acknowledgment and select Submit Meeting for Review.

Choose the meeting’s Time Zone in the submission form. Enter the local End Time and First Meeting Date if known, and add the organizer’s public meeting page in Official Source URL. Leave optional details blank if unknown; new groups without a public page can request moderator review. Never put a time zone into the street-address field or invent a physical address for an online meeting. If the location fields do not fit, use the site contact page for help. Do not include private access credentials.

Only provide a joining link the organizers have agreed to publish. If a link is restricted or registration is required, contact the directory about using the organizer’s public information or registration page instead. Do not send passwords, screening answers or confidential access instructions through a public listing field.

This directory’s review is separate from fellowship registration and does not establish official recognition. Tell both the official service office and this site when details change or a meeting closes.