Free Al-Anon Family Groups — Greater Baltimore, MD | Al-Anon AIS
The Baltimore Area Al-Anon Information Service (AIS) coordinates dozens of free Al-Anon and Alateen meetings across Baltimore City and the surrounding counties of Central Maryland. Al-Anon Family Groups exist for one reason: to help the relatives and friends of people with alcohol problems recover from the effects of living with someone else’s drinking. Whether the person in your life is still drinking, is in recovery, or is no longer around, the patterns you developed in response can follow you long after. Al-Anon is where people work on that, together and for free.
What to Expect
Meetings are held throughout the week at churches, community centers, and online, with in-person, virtual, and hybrid options. Each meeting runs about an hour and follows a simple peer-led format: a reading, a topic or step, and members sharing their own experience, strength, and hope. There is no advice-giving, no crosstalk, and no requirement to speak. Most meetings are closed, meaning they are for family and friends of alcoholics, while some are open to anyone interested. Alateen meetings serve teenagers affected by a family member’s drinking, with adult Al-Anon members serving as trained sponsors. The Baltimore AIS website keeps the current meeting list, announces holiday closures and schedule changes, and offers free newcomer literature. A Spanish-language page is also available.
Who This Group Is For
Anyone in the greater Baltimore area whose life has been affected by someone else’s drinking: spouses and partners, parents, adult children, siblings, and close friends. You do not need to be sure the person is an alcoholic, and you do not need them to be in treatment. Many members describe walking in feeling hopeless and discovering a room full of people who understood without explanation. Al-Anon is a spiritual program but not a religious one, and members come from every faith background and none.
Why Peer Support Works
Al-Anon has been running since 1951, and research on family-focused mutual-help groups shows real gains in coping, reduced depression and anxiety, and better boundaries, regardless of whether the drinker ever changes. The relief starts with recognition: hearing your own story in someone else’s mouth loosens the shame and isolation that living with addiction breeds. The weekly rhythm and the sponsor relationship give people a way to practice detaching with love, focusing on their own recovery, and letting go of what they cannot control.
How to Join
Just show up to any listed meeting. Find current days, times, and locations on the Baltimore Area Al-Anon meeting list at alanon-maryland.org. Meetings are free; groups are self-supporting through voluntary contributions. For help choosing a meeting, call the Baltimore AIS at 410-832-7094 or email baltoaischair@gmail.com.