AA Gatherings [Season 11, Episode 17]AA Gatherings [Season 11, Episode 17]
AA Grapevine's Podcast
The episode looks at how AA gatherings, service structures, and technology support sobriety, from regional forums in North America to new meetings and a service office in Cambodia. Members share their fears, growth, and renewed enthusiasm for helping other alcoholics through AA events and Grapevine resources.
39:51•26 Oct 2026
AA Gatherings, Global Service, and Tech: Sobriety in Action
Episode Overview
- AA events broadly fall into two groups: business-oriented general service events and recovery-focused gatherings like rallies, workshops, and conferences.
- Regional forums give members direct access to the General Service Board and Office, helping break down the sense of "us and them."
- Grapevine is not individually conference-approved, but its books are approved and the magazine publishes the collected voices of AA members.
- International service work shows AA growing slowly but steadily in places such as Bulgaria, Kenya, and Ecuador, often fuelled by translated literature and local initiative.
- Technology and online meetings help members in remote areas, like Cambodia, start groups, form service offices, and stay connected to AA worldwide.
“"We didn't show up on a winning streak."”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This episode of AA Grapevine's Half-Hour Variety Hour zooms in on one big theme: how AA gatherings, large and small, keep people sober, connected, and in service. Don and Alice kick things off by unpacking the often-confusing language of AA events.
They break it down into two big buckets: general service events like assemblies and forums that handle the "business of Alcoholics Anonymous," and recovery-focused events such as rallies, workshops, and conferences where "it's just a way for a bunch of Alcoholics to get together... We have a ball." If you've ever wondered what the difference is between a convention and a forum, you'll get a clear, friendly walkthrough here.
From there, Don shares roving-reporter interviews from the Southeast Regional Forum in Raleigh, North Carolina. Trustee-at-large Jennifer B.
talks about carrying AA’s message internationally and recalls AA taking root in places like Bulgaria and Kenya, saying, "something about our literature seems to help with growth." Newer service members Kim, Kyle and Sonia describe how meeting AA’s "notorious them" in person shrinks the gap between local groups and the broader service structure, with Kyle noting, "I got so charged up from it all" and Sonia admitting she often thought, "I'm not good enough," yet kept showing up anyway.
The conversation also tackles a common question: is Grapevine "conference-approved" literature? Don reads detailed responses from Grapevine’s publisher and editor, clarifying the difference between conference-approved literature and Grapevine’s "collected voices of AA members." Sam then heads (virtually) to the National AA Technology Workshop to show how the podcast is produced.
His live demo features Scott, an AA member in Cambodia, who went from a "six hour bus ride to my closest meeting" to starting a local group and helping build a Cambodian service office. If you’ve ever felt unsure about service, AA events, or technology in recovery, this episode shows how ordinary members step up, get connected, and stay sober together. Which kind of gathering might help you feel more a part of AA today?
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