Does doing just alcoholics anonymous online count as being a member ?
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Absolutely! The only requirement for membership is the desire to stop drinking. There’s nothing in the literature that specifies it has to be in person. You’re a member when you say you’re a member. For me, online isn’t enough, I need that in person connection. I’ve built all new friendships by going to in person meetings. When I first got sober, I thought life would become boring but doing activities outside of AA with people from the rooms has completely changed my outlook. Sober life is fun!
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Thank you 
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It’s not what counts as being a member but instead what a member does to make the program count. I’m sure there are people who have only done online meetings who stay sober, and people who go to in person meetings who don’t. Being a member won’t keep anyone sober. Getting a sponsor, practicing the steps and working the program will keep anyone sober if they put in the work regardless of its online or not.
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Like anything else in life…its what you put into it. If you desire sobriety, and online works for you, and you work at it…then the world is your oyster.
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Yes, for sure. I have only done online meetings, and sponsor meetings are online too. AA is not a club or a committee, so how you are a member isn’t really decided.
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Only requirement is a desire to stop drinking so your in the fellowship , as stated have to put some work into your sobriety to achieve it , when i got sober internet wasnt a word and mobiles wernt popular needed two hands to lift one lol , not a fan of online meetings but its 21st century im old school got sober in the eighties but if it works then thats fine .
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It absolutely does count! My AA experience the last 4 years has been primarily online. I had a home group online until recently when it disbanded, I was able to do service online, I have a sponsor and meet with her online, I did all my steps online, I’ve given and gotten numbers online-it absolutely can be done successfully. It just depends on what you are willing to put into it and how much you’re willing to commit to working the program whether you are in person or online.
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My experience was a little different there as I was 2 years sober when I finally joined AA to really dig into the inner work. I saw I was repeating my old habits, patterns and behaviors even without a drink. So, I got to a new place of desperation when I realized that I was the only common denominator and that meant I was the problem. When I prayed to whatever or whoever was out there listening to show me the way for what I was supposed to do to change myself, the next morning by a set of circumstances that could only have been divinely guided, I landed in AA with a sponsor that day. And because covid literally just started, everything was online.
Because I had some sober time and really wasn’t a total newbie to sobriety, we didn’t meet daily. We met that day and went over things, she gave me “homework” and after that we met a few times a week with me calling her as needed in addition to our scheduled video calls. She does sponsor other people right now online too and she meets with a few of them daily.
We did a lot of reading together, we started the step work and worked on that together. She had me write out my timeline and then reviewed it with her. We attended 3 meetings a week together online. We stayed in pretty close contact even without a daily “check-in”.
She’s a hardass about some things, like making sure I call EXACTLY on time and she holds me accountable for doing what I need to for my recovery so I’m not wasting either of our times. She has boundaries we have an honesty with eachother that I desperately needed far more than I realized.
Doing this online with her was honestly perfect as I’ve moved twice in the last 2 years and couldn’t have kept her if we hadn’t met remotely. She’s also wintered in florida the last 2 years but it hasn’t mattered because it’s online. We still remain connected.
I will say, I attended 4 meetings in person when I first got sober for a girlfriend of mine and there was a lot of power in that room, connecting with those who had decades of sobriety. But those same people were in our zoom meetings too, so for me I found it to be the best of both worlds. There is a lot of wisdom in any room, virtual or in person. My online home group disbanded in 2023 so I’ve had to branch out my online meeting experience lately, but that has been great too. I’m connecting with new and wonderful women, hearing different things & continuing to grow, all while staying connected with my sponsor too.
My life has changed SO much in the last several years that I’ve surrendered to really working the program. My experience has been really good with it! It’s absolutely possible to find success. 
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Dont have a sponsor yet and i tried local face to face but did not like it and no one would sponsor me
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Thank you for taking your time to write this much appreciated 
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Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply hope everyone is having a good day 
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Thank you just need to find a online group i feel comfortable
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It took me a while, I still got things out of the meetings but I finallt found a small group in women’s meetings that I really connect with. Keep going and trying new meetings until you find some you really enjoy! I tried lots of meetings, international meetings, speaker meetings, newcomer meetings, big book meetings, meditation meetings, etc. There’s a lot of good in them all!
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From a sponsors point of view…I never sponsored someone right after they showed up for the first time. That relationship is a special one. Part of that dynamic working is the personality of me and the person I am sponsoring meshing.
Give it time, keep going back and a bond will form. In the end, that is when sponsorship works. Some in AA feel that anyone can sponsor anyone. I dont believe that, i think the 2 people involved need to “click”. I have temporarily sponsored someone until they found their “forever” sponsor.
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