How To Start An ACA Meeting

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“We are in need of more Adult Children of Alcoholics/Dysfunctional Families Meetings to be established. All it takes is two people to make a meeting, but it can be done with one”.

A group needs a safe place to meet. For many this is a location free of unnecessary noise, distracting surroundings, or physical dangers. Check with local Alano clubs, churches, schools, or civic organizations that have meeting spaces. Members of other Twelve Step groups may also know of possible meeting locations. Some meetings have successfully started in the home of one group member but usually found the need to move into a neutral space within a few months.

 This section of the ACA text contains many of the readings you will need to start your new meeting. You can use the Literature Order Form from the ACA website to get a New Meeting Packet. You can also download ACA literature at www.adultchildren.org. 

 Complete and mail a Meeting Registration Form to the World Service Office at P.O. Box 3216, Torrance, CA, 90510. Registering your new meeting will ensure the information is posted on our website. You can find a Meeting Registration Form on the website or by writing to the WSO.  

 Get the word out about your new meeting. Tell your friends. Go to a few Twelve Step meetings like AA, NA, or CA and talk with others before and after the meetings. Avoid announcing your new meeting during the AA, NA, or CA meeting because this would violate the group’s Traditions. You can also make a flyer announcing your new meeting and leave copies at other Twelve Step meetings. You can post your flyer at some referral centers or business offices that help people seeking recovery, but ask first. Contact your local newspaper and have your meeting listed among other Twelve Step meetings. This should be a simple announcement about the time, place, and focus of the meetings. Promotion is not necessary.  

 Begin the new meeting with a focus on ACA recovery and ACA literature. Most new groups do best by having a discussion format that focuses on the ACA Twelve Steps, ACA pamphlets, or chapters from this book.  

 Hold your first group business meeting as soon as possible to elect a secretary and to determine the meeting format. For help, see the information on business meetings and group officers in this section.  

Contact Information.

Call (310) 534-1815

Website: adultchildren.org