AA in mexico
AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) Meetings in Mexico
For English-language AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings in Mexico, the next page has a schedule. For general advice on sober traveling in Mexico, there's a lot of experience, strength and hope on this page.
Thank you for the info. I travel to Mexico often and use the info on your website for AA meetings. It has been a lifesaver.
While there are Mexican Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in Spanish in every town in Mexico of any size, English-language AA meetings in Mexco can be found in many Mexican towns and cities now, not only the ones with a large gringo population. Mexican towns with English-language AA meetings are: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Guadalajara, Lake Chapala area, Mexico City, Merida, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Acapulco, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Ixtapa and Zihuatenejo, Puerto Vallarta, San Blas (questionable), Mazatlan, San Carlos, Sonora, Alamos, Sonora, Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point), Cabo San Lucas, Loreto, San Jose del Cabo and throughout Baja. I may have missed some, so let me know of any others. But, please, have a heart and don't bust my chops. I do the best I can to update this page, but it is very time-consuming to try to keep up. I used to have a list in my book, Live Better South of the Border, but a printed list is nearly useless. For the fourth edition, I cut that down to general info on traveling sober. "Mexico" Mike.
Alcoholics Anonymous is thriving in Mexico. The International Directory is sometimes out-of-date, but so am I, so guys and gals, help me keep this up to date! Take this list AND your ID. Thanks to Bobby R. of Guadalajara for the Guadalajara, Chapala update. He found me on an AA bulletin board in Austin, TX. If you visit other boards, please add a link to me, so we can keep this list up-to-date. Thanks, Mike.
The following information was excerpted from Mike's book, Live Better South of the Border. This material is NOT copyrighted and you are free to download it and share it with others. That's the idea, isn't it?
You'll find AA throughout Mexico, even in small towns. NA has a sizable presence in the larger towns. Alanon is almost everywhere. OA, SALA (or SLA) and other programs are less likely to be encountered outside major cities. AA is very visible. I have noted where there are meetings in many cases, but like here, they move or change.
Look for the AA symbol inside a triangle and a circle, usually on a blue background jutting out from buildings. Meetings are usually at 8:00 or 8:30 PM in Spanish. Even if you don't speak Spanish, you will be welcome and often asked to speak. This is true all over the world. Remember, you will always be welcome at a Spanish-speaking meeting, even if you don't speak the language. As an AA, you speak a universal language. I have been to meetings in Cuba, Europe and England (where they speak a foreign language, vaguely similar to English) and have always been welcome. Come to think of it, these are the only places where I can count on being welcome. Go ahead. It will do you good. Meetings last an hour and a half and there are often refreshments and birthdays are celebrated like here, except you might get tamales instead of cake or both. Have a ball.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find English-speaking meetings in most towns with a large gringo presence. Just in case you forgot your International Directory, I’ve included a list of all the ones I know about, arranged by geographic sections of the country.
Just like in the U.S., the locations change, so if a meeting is no longer where I said it was, you have two courses of action (aside from giving up and giving in). Believe me, looking for a meeting is often a better choice than going back to your hotel where the "Chug tequila till you barf" contest is going on. The first option is to check the local English-language newspaper if there is one. The second option is to find a Spanish meeting and ask.
One night I was in San Miguel de Allende and the English-language meeting had moved. I was ready to get drunk at my companion and was crestfallen. I wandered the late-night streets of town, bemoaning my fate. For some reason I looked up and I saw the familiar triangle in a circle. I was in front of a Mexican AA club. The meeting was over, but the guys there could see that I was in trouble. Six of us piled into a Volkswagen and went roaring down the midnight streets.
There I was, in a car of strangers who spoke no English (my Spanish was poor then), going to God knew where. A bar full of happy (?) Americans seemed a lot more inviting. Oh well. They took me to a midnight meeting. While I didn’t understand a word they said, I felt the companionship and caring that is universal. Those guys saved my life. So, if a meeting has moved since I wrote this, don’t use that as an excuse to get drunk. Get off the pity pot and find a meeting. Then let me know about any changes.
For Alanon and NA etc. these places will be able to direct you as well, though NA is not as "popular." You’ll be welcome at an AA meeting. There are two different types of AA in Mexico. One is "Grupo de 24 Horas" (24 hour group). These are more like institutional settings and the message here is hard core, "put the plug in the jug" type.
The other is more like what you are used to. Be prepared for 1½ hour long meetings, with long orations and lots of slang. They are very emotional. You will be asked to say something. Do your best and take care of yourself. If the above fails and you can't find a meeting, try putting up signs in your hotel and others about a meeting in your room. Then stay there.
While we are on the subject of drinking, forget the myth that some folks will tell you that it is a shooting offense to refuse a drink offered by a Mexican. You can refuse to do anything you want if you do it politely. Many times Mexicans are only offering to share something with you because they are being polite. They would never expect you to do something that would cause you harm. If you simply say, "No gracias, no bebo cerveza (tequila, ron etc. or simply alcohól), pero quisiera un refresco," you'll probably get a soft drink instead and no one will be offended.
If the guy insists that you have a drink with him, be as polite as possible, and just as insistent. Plead illness, medication or whatever you are comfortable with. Saying "soy alérgico a alcohol" sometimes does the trick, but saying you are an alcoholic usually elicits a blank stare. If all fails, get up and walk away. Offending a drunk does not rank as a punishable offense in any country and you have to remember what's really important.
Be especially careful ordering tonic water or agua quina in bars or restaurants. You'll often end up with gin and tonic, because the waiter thought you didn't speak Spanish well enough. Stick with agua mineral or Coke or 7-Up, or a local soft drink. There are some great local ones. Toni-Col on the west coast, especially near Mazatlán is one of the best. It does have caffeine, so if you are trying to avoid that, you’d best avoid Toni-Col, but darn, it is good. It’s rather like a vanilla Coke. Of course, I’ve heard of drinkers who ordered J&B and soda and got Jim Beam and Coke.
When asking if a dish has alcohol in it, be sure to ask if it has wine, too. For some reason, wine is not considered alcohol by waiters. Often they will say, "Oh, no, there is no alcohol, only a little wine." I subscribe to the school that it does not cook out. Even if you don't believe that to be true at home, believe it in Mexico. Trust me.
Coffees with fancy names like "Sexy, Spanish, German or Lithuanian (just kidding about the last one)" are suspect. If the price is more than plain coffee (Americano or negro or cafe con leche), then it is a booze drink. It’s rare, but I have had Amaretto poured over flan, the great dessert. Always use the sniff test before eating anything with a sauce on it. If you accidentally imbibe something with booze spit it out and don't worry about it. It happens to the best. Just don't take a second swig or taste and forget about it.
If you have an AA medallion or ring and wear it, you'll be surprised at the people you'll meet. If we ever meet in person, I'll tell you a story that was related to me about that.
That's all the sobriety wisdom I have and I hope it helps at least one person. The main thing to remember is that you are not alone even in Mexico and that you can still have a great trip and not lose your program.
Your help in getting new info is appreciated — you know how these groups move around. Spanish for "meeting" is "reunión" or "sesión". The phone numbers below were either provided by the contact person or came from newspapers so I’m not breaking anyone’s anonymity.