AA meetings in Bergen County, NJ: where to find one and what to expect
Bergen County's AA meetings are listed by Northern New Jersey AA, the area's AA intergroup, and in AA's free Meeting Guide app. Meetings cost nothing, and anyone who wants to do something about their drinking can go.
Need help to stop drinking now? Northern NJ AA volunteers answer (908) 687-8566, 24 hours a day. In a crisis, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.
Reviewed against public records, October 2026: aa.org, nnjaa.org, SAMHSA, Kelly et al. 2020. NJ Sober Living is a sober living operator and is not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous. Sources
Where can you find an AA meeting in Bergen County?
The local list is Northern New Jersey AA's meeting list by county. You can also search near a zip code on the same site, or use AA's Meeting Guide app.
Meeting times and places change. This page lists no schedules on purpose: check the list before you go.
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Meeting list by county
Northern New Jersey AA's list of meetings, sorted by county. Bergen is one of them.
nnjaa.org (opens in a new tab) -
Search near a zip code
Meetings within 5, 10 or 25 miles, plus special-interest searches: women, men, young people, LGBTQ+, agnostic, American Sign Language, and Spanish-, Polish- or Russian-speaking.
nnjaa.org (opens in a new tab) -
Meeting Guide app
AA's free app for iPhone and Android. The meeting data comes from local AA service bodies.
aa.org (opens in a new tab) -
Online meetings
The Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous keeps a directory of online meetings, including ones starting right now.
aa-intergroup.org (opens in a new tab)
Who can go to an AA meeting, and does it cost anything?
Anyone who wants to do something about their drinking can go to AA, and it costs nothing to attend. There are no age or education requirements.
AA welcomes new members but doesn't recruit them. People sent by a court program or a treatment program are welcome too. Whether a group signs proof of attendance is up to each group; AA itself doesn't require it.
Source: aa.org, What is A.A.? and Information about meetings.
Open and closed meetings
- Open meeting
- Anyone interested in AA's program of recovery can attend. Family members and close friends are welcome as observers.
- Closed meeting
- For AA members, or for anyone who has a desire to stop drinking.
The meeting list marks which is which. Source: aa.org, Information about meetings and Frequently asked questions.
At a glance
Alcoholics Anonymous in four facts
- 1935AA began in Akron, Ohio
- FreeIt costs nothing to attend, and there are no age or education requirements
- Open or closedOpen meetings welcome anyone interested; closed ones are for people with a desire to stop drinking
- 3 waysMeetings are held in person, online or by phone
Sources: aa.org, What is A.A.?, Information about meetings and The start and growth of A.A.
What happens at your first AA meeting?
A member chairs the meeting and opens it. Newcomers may be invited to say their first name, but you don't have to. Then members discuss a topic or listen to a speaker, and staying afterward is up to you.
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The chair opens the meeting
Usually with the AA Preamble, a short reading about what AA is, and a few remarks.
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You can introduce yourself, or not
The chair may ask if anyone is new. AA says it isn't mandatory to identify yourself, though it can help at a first meeting.
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A topic, or a speaker
Members talk about a topic, often from AA literature, or a speaker shares "what we were like, what happened, and what we are like now."
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Afterward, stay or go
Members often stay to talk after the meeting. That part is optional.
Source: aa.org, Information about meetings.
What kinds of AA meetings will you see on the list?
Most listings are discussion, speaker, beginners, or study meetings on the Steps, the Traditions or the Big Book, held in person, online or by phone.
Discussion meetings
The chair opens the meeting and picks a topic, often from AA literature. Members who want to share talk about it from their own experience.
Speaker meetings
One or more members share their story: "what we were like, what happened, and what we are like now." Some groups ask speakers to have a minimum time sober.
Beginners meetings
A member who has been sober longer leads a session meant for newcomers. A good first meeting if the list shows one near you.
Step, Tradition and Big Book meetings
The group studies one of the Twelve Steps at a time in rotation, or works through the Twelve Traditions or the Big Book, AA's basic text.
Online and phone meetings
Meetings can be held online or by phone as well as in person. Some online groups use video, some keep cameras off, and some use a dial-in number.
Source: aa.org, Information about meetings.
Does AA help people stop drinking? What the research shows
For many people, yes. A 2020 Cochrane review of 27 studies with 10,565 participants found that clinical programs built to connect people with AA led to more continuous abstinence than established treatments such as CBT.
The programs studied were clinical "twelve-step facilitation," which links people to AA, so the findings are not about AA meetings alone. On drinking measures other than abstinence, results were about the same as other treatments. The numbers are averages across studies, not a promise for any one person.
| What was measured | What the review found |
|---|---|
| Studies and people | 27 studies, 10,565 participants |
| Continuous abstinence at 12 months | Relative risk 1.21 compared with treatments such as CBT, in the most rigorous studies |
| Other drinking measures | About the same as other treatments |
| Health-care costs | Reduced more than with other treatments, in the economic studies |
Kelly JF, Abry A, Ferri M, Humphreys K. Alcohol and Alcoholism 2020;55(6):641–651. PMC8060988
How do AA meetings fit around life in a Bergen County sober living home?
A sober home is a place to live, not an AA group. In NJ Sober Living's homes in Waldwick, Old Tappan and Closter, days belong to residents within house expectations, and a recovery meeting can be part of the day.
Waldwick Old Tappan Closter
- Days
- Work, school or treatment, plus errands, exercise and recovery meetings.
- Treatment nights
- Evening outpatient at an outside licensed program, on the schedule it sets.
- Rides
- The house drives residents to evening treatment and back.
- Other evenings
- At home with housemates, under curfew, with an operator in the house overnight.
- House expectations
- Each home has its own, and they're confirmed before move-in.
Questions about AA meetings in Bergen County
Not answered here? Northern NJ AA takes calls 24 hours a day at (908) 687-8566.
No. The chair may invite newcomers to introduce themselves, but AA says it isn't mandatory to identify yourself. You can sit and listen.
Yes, to open meetings. AA says family members and close friends are welcome at open meetings as observers. Closed meetings are for AA members and people who want to stop drinking.
Families who want support of their own can look at Al-Anon, which runs separate groups.
Yes. AA meetings take place in person, online and by phone. AA's Meeting Guide app lists meetings near you, and the Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (aa-intergroup.org) keeps a directory of online meetings.
A sponsor is an AA member who has made some progress in recovery and shares that experience, one to one and over time, with someone newer to AA. Newcomers ask a member they feel comfortable with, and AA's sponsorship pamphlet says members are always free to choose another sponsor.
In 1935, in Akron, Ohio, when Bill W., a New York stockbroker, met Dr. Bob S., an Akron surgeon.
Call Northern New Jersey AA at (908) 687-8566, answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, is a free, confidential treatment referral and information service, open 24/7, 365 days a year.
Four recovery homes in Bergen County, Class F licensed by NJ DCA, with rides to evening treatment.
Sources
- Alcoholics Anonymous, What is A.A.? aa.org
- Alcoholics Anonymous, Find A.A. near you (Meeting Guide app, Online Intergroup). aa.org
- Alcoholics Anonymous, Information about meetings. aa.org
- Alcoholics Anonymous, Frequently asked questions. aa.org
- Alcoholics Anonymous, The start and growth of A.A. aa.org
- Alcoholics Anonymous, Questions and Answers on Sponsorship (P-15). aa.org
- Northern New Jersey AA, home page and 24-hour hotline. nnjaa.org
- Northern New Jersey AA, Meeting finder. nnjaa.org
- Northern New Jersey AA, Meeting list by county. nnjaa.org
- Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous. aa-intergroup.org
- SAMHSA, National Helpline. samhsa.gov
- Kelly JF, Abry A, Ferri M, Humphreys K (2020). Alcoholics Anonymous and 12-Step Facilitation treatments for alcohol use disorder: a distillation of a 2020 Cochrane review for clinicians and policy makers. Alcohol and Alcoholism 55(6):641–651. PMC8060988
This guide describes Alcoholics Anonymous from AA's own public materials as general information. It is not medical advice. NJ Sober Living is not affiliated with AA.