Alcoholics Anonymous Kenya - We are here for you.
At AA, alcoholics help each other. We will support you. You are not alone. Together, we find strength and hope. You are one step away.
Over 2 MILLION MEMBERS
around the globe
You are not alone. Together, we find strength and hope. You are one step away.
Anyone with a desire to stop drinking is welcome, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, income or profession. And it’s free. You can just sit and listen and learn more about recovery, or you can share about your situation. It’s completely up to you.
What is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)?
Learn about Alcoholics Anonymous and how our fellowship helps individuals overcome alcoholism through mutual support and the 12-step program.
Looking for a meeting?
Discover and join AA meetings across Kenya, both in-person and online, to find the support you need on your journey to sobriety.
Need help with
a drinking problem?
If you’re struggling with alcohol, find immediate assistance and resources to help you start your recovery journey today.
What is Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.)?
About Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.)?
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who come together to solve their drinking problem. It doesn’t cost anything to attend A.A. meetings. There are no age or education requirements to participate. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about their drinking problem.
A.A.’s primary purpose is to help alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Our Purpose
AA helps individuals overcome alcoholism by providing a supportive community and a structured 12-step program.
Our Community
We are a fellowship of people who share their experiences to help each other achieve and maintain sobriety.
Our Principles
AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization, or institution; we welcome anyone seeking help.
How does Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) work?
Members use the Twelve Steps to maintain sobriety. Groups use the Twelve Traditions to stay unified.
A.A.’s Twelve Steps are a set of spiritual principles. When practiced as a way of life, they can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to recover from alcoholism.
The Twelve Traditions apply to A.A. as a whole. They outline how A.A. maintains its unity and relates itself to the world around it.
The book Alcoholics Anonymous describes the A.A. program of recovery. It also contains stories written by the co-founders and stories from a wide range of members who have found recovery in A.A.
Explore the program
The Alcoholics Anonymous program offers a structured 12-step path to recovery from alcoholism. This program emphasizes personal growth, self-reflection, and mutual support. By working through these steps, members learn to live without alcohol and build healthier, happier lives.
About the Big Book.
Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as the “Big Book,” presents the A.A. program for recovery from alcoholism. First published in 1939, its purpose was to show other alcoholics how the first 100 people of A.A. got sober. Now translated into over 70 languages, it is still considered A.A.’s basic text.
12 Steps & 12 Traditions Book
Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions explains the 24 basic principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. Known as the “Twelve and Twelve,” the book dedicates a chapter to each Step and each Tradition. Chapters provide an interpretation of these principles for personal recovery and the organization of the group.
Who Are A.A. Members?
A.A. members are individuals from diverse backgrounds who have admitted they cannot control their drinking and have chosen to live without alcohol.
We are people who have discovered and admitted that we cannot control alcohol. We have learned that we must live without it to live normal, happy lives.
We've found freedom by living without alcohol.
We are not anti-alcohol and we have no wish to reform the world. We are not allied with any group, cause or religious denomination. We welcome new members, but we do not recruit them.
Not anti-alcohol, non-allied, welcoming but not recruiting.
We do not impose our experience with problem drinking on others, but we do share it when we are asked to do so. We know our own sobriety depends on connecting with other alcoholics.
We share our experience when asked.
Looking For A Meeting?
A.A. members are individuals from diverse backgrounds who have admitted they cannot control their drinking and have chosen to live without alcohol.
What to Expect at an A.A. Meeting
There are a variety of formats for A.A. meetings and each meeting takes on the feel of their local area. At most meetings you will hear members talk about what drinking did to them and to those around them. Most also share what actions they took to stop drinking and how they are living their lives today.
The purpose of all meetings is for A.A. members to “share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.”
Meetings are typically listed as "open" or "closed" meetings.
- Open meetings are available to anyone interested in Alcoholics Anonymous’s program of recovery from alcoholism. Nonalcoholics may attend open meetings as observers.
- Closed meetings are for A.A. members only or for those who have a drinking problem and “have a desire to stop drinking.”
At both types of meetings, it may be requested that participants confine their discussion to matters pertaining to recovery from alcoholism.
Whether open or closed, A.A. group meetings are conducted by A.A. members who determine the format of their meetings.
A.A. meetings are held in-person, online, or on the telephone. The members of each meeting decide when, where, and how often they will meet.
In-person meetings happen in a variety of places where a room can be rented. Meetings occur in places such as:
- office buildings
- churches
- treatment centers
- recreation/community centers
- buildings dedicated to renting to recovery groups, such as clubhouses
You can even find meetings on beaches, in parks or in other outdoor settings.
Online and telephone meetings are also available. Various platforms are used depending on what the group members prefer. Some are video meetings where you see each other’s faces. At other online meetings, everyone's video is off. Still other meetings use a dial-in conference call number.
Discussion. Whether closed or open, an A.A. member serving as “leader” or “chair” opens the meeting using that group’s format, and selects a topic for discussion. Background for many topic meetings derives from A.A. literature, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book), Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, As Bill Sees It, Daily Reflections, and from AA Grapevine.
Speaker. One or more members selected beforehand "share" — as described in the Big Book — telling "what we were like, what happened, and what we are like now." Depending on the meeting's general guidelines (determined by the "group conscience"), some groups prefer that members who speak have a minimum period of continuous sobriety. Speaker meetings often are open meetings.
Beginners. Usually led by a group member who has been sober awhile, these are sessions to help newcomers. Beginners meetings may also follow a discussion format, or focus on Steps One, Two and Three. (A Guide for Leading Beginners Meetings is available from G.S.O.)
Step, Tradition or Big Book. Because the Twelve Steps are the foundation of personal recovery in A.A., many groups devote one or more meetings a week to the study of each Step in rotation; some discuss two or three Steps at a time. These same formats may be applied to group meetings on the Big Book or the Twelve Traditions. Many groups make it a practice to read aloud pertinent material from the Big Book or Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions at the beginning of the meeting.
The chair usually opens the meeting with the A.A. Preamble and a few remarks. Some call for a moment of silence and/or recite the Serenity Prayer. The chair will often ask if there are any people new to A.A. attending the meeting who would like to introduce themselves. It isn’t mandatory to identify yourself but it might be helpful if you are attending your first meeting. Many meetings begin with a reading from the Big Book — frequently a portion of Chapter 5 (“How It Works”) or Chapter 3 (“More About Alcoholism”). A statement about anonymity in A.A. as a valuable privacy principle for new and longtime members might be read. Many meetings close with members joining in a moment of silence followed by a prayer, or perhaps by reciting the Responsibility Statement or other A.A. text.
After the Meeting
People gather and talk, and there is a social air in the room once the meeting is over. Some may introduce themselves to you and offer their help or share their experiences getting sober. While many members find this time after the meeting valuable, it is up to you if you want to stay and socialize.
Find A Meeting
You are not alone in this journey. Every step you take, whether small or large, brings you closer to the support and understanding you seek. Together, we find the strength to face our challenges and the hope to envision a brighter future.
Need help with a drinking problem?
Have a problem with alcohol? There is a solution, A.A. has a simple program that works. It’s based on one alcoholic helping another.
We can help you.
A.A. has a solution. That isn’t an empty promise. A.A. has been helping alcoholics recover for more than 80 years. A.A.’s program of recovery is built on the simple foundation of one alcoholic sharing with another. If your drinking is out of control, A.A. can help.
- A.A. is an enduring program of recovery based on one alcoholic sharing their experience, strength and hope with another.
- For more than 80 years, A.A. has helped millions recover from alcoholism - to get sober and stay sober.
- A.A. costs nothing and is supported through member contributions, so there are no dues or fees for A.A. membership.
A.A. Books
Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book
Known as the “Big Book,” the basic text of Alcoholics Anonymous has helped millions of people recover from alcoholism since the first edition appeared in 1939.
AA 12 Steps & 12 Traditions
The “Twelve and Twelve” contains 12 essays by Bill W. that expand upon each of the Steps — the A.A. program of recovery — with helpful examples and personal insights.
Living Sober
This practical booklet demonstrates, through simple examples, how A.A. members throughout the world live and stay sober one day at a time.
Came to Believe
Over 75 A.A. members from around the world share about what the terms “spiritual awakening,” “Higher Power” and “God as we understood Him” mean to them.
Daily Reflections
A collection of readings that moves through the calendar year one day at a time: A.A. members reflect on favorite quotations from the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Literature Listing
Literature published by A.A. World Services, Inc., is a resource for recovering alcoholics & other individuals. In our materials, you can find out more about A.A., & how it works.
Free A.A. Pamphlets
A Newcomer Asks
This leaflet is intended for people approaching A.A. for the first time. In it we have tried to answer the questions most frequently in the minds of newcomers.
Is AA for You?
Only you can decide whether you want to give A.A. a try — whether you think it can help. The questions that follow below may help you make a decision.
Young People in A.A.
The pamphlet now contains seven new stories by young A.A. members. Informed by input and feedback from young A.A. members attending meetings.
A.A. for the Older Alcoholic
Eight alcoholics share their stories of finding recovery in A.A. after the age of 60. Far from feeling that their lives are over, these men & women express that, having come to A.A.
A Brief Guide to A.A.
This offers general information on A.A., covering topics such as symptoms of alcoholism, the Twelve Steps, the function of A.A. meetings, and more.
Literature Listing
Literature published by A.A. World Services, Inc., is a resource for recovering alcoholics & other individuals. In our materials, you can find out more about A.A., & how it works.
Media Library
If you have questions, our FAQ section is here to help. We’ve compiled answers to the most common inquiries about our program, meetings, and how to get involved.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have questions, our FAQ section is here to help. We’ve compiled answers to the most common inquiries about our program, meetings, and how to get involved.
You are an A.A. member if and when you say so. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking, and many of us were not very wholehearted about that when we first approached A.A.
We in A.A. know what it is like to be addicted to alcohol, and to be unable to keep promises made to others and ourselves that we will stop drinking. We are not professional therapists. Our only qualification for helping others to recover from alcoholism is that we have stopped drinking ourselves; and problem drinkers coming to us know that recovery is possible because they see people who have done it.
There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership. An A.A. group will usually have a voluntary collection during the meeting to cover expenses, such as rent, online account, coffee, etc., and to this all members are free to contribute as much or as little as they wish.
The Fellowship has four books that are generally accepted as “textbooks.” The first is Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as “the Big Book,” originally published in 1939, revised in 1955, 1976 and 2001. It records the personal stories of 42 representative problem drinkers who achieved stable sobriety for the first time through A.A. It also records the suggested steps and principles that early members believed were responsible for their ability to overcome the compulsion to drink. The second book is Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, published in 1953. It is an interpretation, by Bill W., a co-founder, of the principles that have thus far assured the continuing survival of individuals and groups within A.A. A third book, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, published in 1957, is a brief history of the first two decades of the Fellowship. The fourth is As Bill Sees It (formerly titled The A.A. Way of Life, a reader by Bill). This is a selection of Bill W.’s writings.
The A.A. Guidelines represent the shared experience of A.A. members and groups throughout the United States and Canada. They also reflect guidance given through the Twelve Traditions and the General Service Conference (U.S. and Canada). In keeping with our tradition of autonomy except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole, most decisions are made by the group conscience of the members involved. The purpose of the A.A. Guidelines is to assist members in reaching an 'informed group conscience."
While there is no formal list of promises in the Big Book, some A.A. members refer to the following passage from the Big Book, Chapter 6: Into Action, as "The Promises":
"If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us — sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them."
Individuals may download a single copy of a book or pamphlet from aa.org for their personal use. Single copies of some pamphlets may be printed, and these are designated on the website. For complete information on downloading and printing literature from aa.org, please read the A.A. World Services Content Use Policy.
An A.A. meeting may take one of several forms, but at any meeting you will find alcoholics talking about what drinking did to their lives, their relationships, and their personalities; what actions they took to help themselves; and how they are living their lives today.
An open meeting of A.A. is a group meeting that any member of the community, alcoholic or nonalcoholic, may attend. Nonalcoholics may attend opens meetings as observers. The only obligation is that attendees not disclose the names of A.A. members outside the meeting. A typical open meeting will usually have a “leader” and other speakers. The leader opens the meeting, introduces each speaker, then closes the meeting. With rare exceptions, the speakers at an open meeting are A.A. members. Each, in turn, may review some individual drinking experiences that led to joining A.A. Speakers may also give their interpretation of the recovery program and suggest what sobriety has meant to them personally. All views expressed are that of the speaker and not of A.A., since members of A.A. speak only for themselves.
A closed meeting is for A.A. members only, or for those who have a drinking problem and have a desire to stop drinking. Closed meetings give members an opportunity to discuss particular phases of their alcoholic problem that may be best understood by other alcoholics. These meetings are usually conducted with maximum informality, and all members are encouraged to participate in the discussion. Closed meetings are of particular value to the newcomer, since they provide an opportunity for beginners to ask questions and to benefit from the experience of members who have been sober for significant periods of time.
Family members or close friends are welcome at “open” A.A. meetings as observers.
Useful Links
If you have questions, our FAQ section is here to help. We’ve compiled answers to the most common inquiries about our program, meetings, and how to get involved.
This is the official Website of the General Service Office (GSO) of Alcoholics Anonymous.
This is the official Website of OIAA., Inc., also known as Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous©, (“OIAA”)
A collection of readings that moves through the calendar year one day at a time & reflects on quotations from A.A. Book.
About A.A. Kenya
Karibu sana AA Kenya! We invite you to join us as we trudge the road of happy destiny, finding a life beyond our wildest dreams as members of this world-wide recovery fellowship.
In Dec 1971, barely eleven months after the death of AA co-founder Bill W., an Irish journalist, an American lady from California, a German tourist and a Catholic priest from Tanzania began sowing the seeds of AA in Kenya. In 1974, the first Kenyan AA got sober just three years after our first AA meeting began. Now, long led by Kenyans, the program has taken deep root.
A.A. is growing in Kenya. While the majority of meetings are still Nairobi, physical meetings are growing in number, size, and geographical scope. The publisher of this site AA Kenya Intergroup is officially recognized by AA’s General Service Office, as Kenyan AA’s national voice. AA Kenya Intergroup supports the vibrant efforts of almost fifty meetings. Kenya’s Intergroup has also been approved to print and distribute AA’s foundational literature: the AA Big Book, 12 Steps and Traditions, and Daily Reflections. Workshops on the Steps, the Traditions, sponsorship and more are regular occurrences. A.A. Kenya Intergroup is growing regional intergroups, with Coast A.A. Kenya (CAAKE) approved for the country’s Swahili Coast. CAAKE spreads the word about meetings in Mombasa, Kilifi, Watamu, Diani Beach/ Ukunda and other towns on or near the Coast.
The energy for PI’s (public information events) is strong with teams working in Nairobi, Mombasa and further afield. This seeding has led to new outpost meetings beginning across the country. Good work has been done reaching those at the margins with meetings in jails, hospitals, and rehabs. With strong, young leadership Kenya’s on-line community is burgeoning, with almost twenty-five Kenya-based meetings streaming weekly.
AA Kenya welcomes any and all Kenyans who want to deal with their alcohol problem. Most meetings are in English, some are in English and Kiswahili, and some are in Kiswahili. But no matter what meeting you go to an AA will be happy to help you! Each November Kenyan AA’s take part in the East Africa AA Convention as it rotates locations from Tanzania to Kenya to Uganda. In 2024 the Convention is in Arusha, Tanzania on November 15, 16, 17 and in 2025 it returns to Kenya.
AA Kenya welcomes visitors bringing fresh energy and insight to our meetings. Deep friendships with AAs from across Tanzania, Uganda, Britain, USA, Poland and many other countries have brought much appreciated resources to our home groups.
Helpline
+254 799 959 294
Women's Helpline
+254 720 493 970
Send a message
inquiries@aa-kenya.or.ke
Have a Question?
If you’re looking for help finding a meeting, wish to speak with a Kenya AA member, or have any other questions, we’re here to assist you. Simply fill out the form below, and we’ll provide the information you need. If you’d prefer to speak with a Kiswahili speaker, please let us know.
At Alcoholics Anonymous, we are deeply committed to maintaining the anonymity of all our members and anyone interested in our program. Rest assured that anything shared here or with an AA member will remain strictly confidential.