Boone Group

Types of AA Meetings

12 Steps & 12 Traditions: Iowa's AA program follows the 12 Steps and Traditions, providing a pathway to sobriety for those in need. Meetings offer a supportive community for individuals and their loved ones and help to promote understanding and healing.

Big Book: Iowa AA centers often hold Big Book meetings to inspire clients. These discussions center on a collection of women and men who overcame alcohol use disorder.

Closed: In Iowa, closed AA meetings are accessible only to members and individuals seeking help for a drinking problem. They are not open to the general public. This provides a safe, confidential space for participants to share about their alcohol addictions and journeys to sobriety.

Discussion: In Iowa, AA discussion meetings center around a core theme related to alcoholism and recovery. The speaker will select a passage from an AA text that relates to the theme, such as the Big Book or AA Grapevine, and reflect on it. Then, others can add their own stories and inputs.

Grapevine: Grapevine is a monthly magazine published by AA. Its contents, written by AA members, generally feature the experiences of individuals with alcohol use disorder, and articles are often discussed in AA meetings.

Newcomer: In Iowa, AA newcomer meetings are held for individuals who are new to AA and want to seek help for their drinking problem. The meetings are usually led by experienced members who have been sober for a while and may follow a discussion-based or lesson-centered format.

Open: Open AA meetings in Iowa are open to anyone in the community, including alcoholics and nonalcoholics alike. They’re designed to be educational and informative, allowing attendees a firsthand look into how the program operates and what the 12 step recovery model includes. Members can participate and share stories while observers are free to listen and learn.