sorry i'm in a rural area and my HFA spouse does not even admit he has a problem so i have no input whatsoever. The admitting is a start for recovery.
Is the group sponsored through a church ... perhaps you two can meet with the leader prior?

It looks like some are through a church, some meetings family can attend. I can comment an update later with if anything has helped =) thanks for your reply!

AA is by no means a guaranteed solution, but there are generations of recovering alcoholics who have found AA’s 12-step approach a key ingredient in their sustained sobriety journey.

If your partner is sincerely ready to admit a problem and willing to pursue a better way of living, attending some AA meetings is a very low-risk proposition. There are also vast amounts of literature and other resources available online and in print. The common denominator for virtually all of them is this - the alcoholic has to walk the walk themselves.

Best wishes

AA works for those who want recovery. If your partner truly wants sobriety then AA will definitely help. A lot of AA meetings are held in churches but they are not run by the church. The reason they are held in churches is because the rent is really inexpensive and AA (and Al-Anon) groups are fully self-supporting, meaning that they pay their own rent and any other expenses associated with the group. I would highly recommend that you attend Al-Anon meetings as well and maybe go to an open AA meeting with your partner if they are comfortable with that. I have found AA speakers to be very inspiring and helpful. Good luck to you and your partner.

AA works for a lot of people. The program is really good. I think one important key is for him to find a group he feels works for him.

I definitely feel like AA is has helped my AH. It makes a huge difference if they’re wanting to change. He goes to a few different meetings around town, and has found the ones that suit him best. He’s made some really good friends who care about his sobriety and are available each time he calls and needs support. When he stops or slows down from the meetings is when I get worried. Shortly after he falls off the wagon. I definitely think the meetings are necessary for a long period of time. When they work the program some amazing things can happen if they chose to stick with it. Good luck to you and your family❣️

Normally, you can look up local meetings online. For the first meeting, he would attend one that is labelled "open" (I am pretty sure it also says "newcomers" but, it's been a while...) groups labeled "closed" are for members who have attended previous meetings. They are typically held in churches to keep costs down. My thoughts on AA is that it works for those who WANT it to work for them but, many, many of the people who attend are "white knuckling" which, sadly, is part of the disease- holding on for dear life until the next time that they drink. For those who are truly at the end of their rope and are truly there to get and stay sober, it works. For those who are their to make whoever else in their life is "making them" be there- of course it doesn't work! In every group there's going to be those who fall off the wagon or who never get on it to begin with, and then there will be the old-timers who have many years of sobriety under their belt- it's really the choice of the individual who they want to align themselves with. I've attended a couple of AA meetings as well as AlAnon (AA for schooling- I have a psychology degree, AlAnon for myself) personally- it is very dependent on the meeting. Of the three times I've been to AA meetings, I was unimpressed by 2 of them and really liked the third. I hated the AlAnon meeting as everything, everything, was related back to their book which just felt... religious to me? I don't know, it felt like brainwashing, believe this book and live by the codes of this book... nope, not for me. My husband felt the same way about AA- too "church-y" he tried it multiple times and it didn't help him at all, he'd just come home angry about their program and want to drink. We got really lucky with where we live because we have a non-AA based rehab facility that worked wonders on him, 5 months sober now and the craziest part was, as hellish as the program was- he enjoyed it. I sat in on a lot of their classes and was deeply impressed. But, I also know that the program he attended is also not for everyone. I think in the end, what works and what doesn't is specific to the individual and the time- I don't think that the program my husband went to would have worked a moment before he went. It was the right time and the right program. I sincerely hope that your husband finds the support combination that works for him. *hugs*