Are You Looking for Help with Your Own Drinking?

If you are concerned about your drinking and think you may need help, please contact the free Alcoholics Anonymous helpline on 0800 917 7650 or email [email protected].

This page is for organisations and professionals who would like to understand more about Alcoholics Anonymous and how AA may help the people they work with.

Carrying the AA Message into Prison

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) holds regular meetings at the prison in our local area, giving people with a desire to stop drinking the opportunity to learn about AA and recovery.

For some people in prison, alcohol has played a significant part in their lives and the problems they have experienced. An AA meeting provides an opportunity to meet AA members who have personal experience of alcoholism and have found a way to live without drinking.

What Is Alcoholics Anonymous?

Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who have recovered from alcoholism and help each other to live without alcohol.

AA members share their own experiences of alcoholism and recovery, offering hope and support to others who want to stop drinking. Meetings provide an opportunity to hear from people who understand the challenges of alcoholism because they have experienced them themselves.

AA is based on one alcoholic helping another. It is not a professional treatment service or a replacement for medical care, counselling or other specialist support. Instead, AA offers support through the shared experience of its members.

The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for membership.

Supporting People in Prison

AA meetings in prison follow the same principles as AA meetings in the wider community. People can hear the experience of others, learn about the AA programme of recovery and begin to consider how they might live without alcohol.

The meetings are supported by AA members from the local Fellowship who regularly visit the prison to carry the AA message.

For those approaching release, we can also provide information about AA in the community and how to find local meetings, making it easier for someone who has found AA in prison to continue attending meetings after their release.

Working With Our Local Prison

Our Prison Liaison Officer maintains communication between Alcoholics Anonymous and the prison within the Wiltshire & Bath Intergroup area and helps co-ordinate the AA meetings held there.

If you work within the prison and would like to understand more about Alcoholics Anonymous, the meetings we hold or how someone can access support, our Prison Liaison Officer can provide information and answer your questions.

This can help prison staff better understand the role AA plays in supporting prisoners who want to stop drinking and how they can access AA while in custody and after release.

There is no charge for AA meetings, visits or information provided by Alcoholics Anonymous.

Would You Like to Know More About Alcoholics Anonymous?

If you would like to understand more about AA, or arrange for AA members to speak to your team or organisation, please contact our Prison Liaison Officer.

This is a free service: There is no charge for talks, visits or information provided by Alcoholics Anonymous.

Email: [email protected]