Originally posted by MootPoint63 "I seam to remember that AA membership was possible through the mail if there wasn't a group in the area, so why not online? Do you have to be completely stopped before joining, or are there no hard rules on that"
-------oopsie, forgot this....
Here's a link to the AA webpage itself....... I'm sure they could driect you (through email maybe) to 'loner" groups. I've not yet found any loner groups. But then, I haven't tried the AA main site either.........
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/
Re completely stopping before joining..... absolutely not! All that is required for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking!
Re what Don said........ definately have a look around! Check out SMART and the other "alternative" resources. The link to alternative resources is at the bottom right of the opening page of this website. I like AA and recommend it highly. Don likes SMART. Who's to say what's right (subliminal message "AA's right AA's right" 
) Truthfully, one of the great things about AA is that it's free(great for me, at least, cuz I'm broke), except for Sober 24 (not an official AA site), which I sent you. Hi, Moot,
I'd find it useful if you'd post those links here, and I don't think the moderator would mind. They'd be great to have as references. I have always assumed that AA has online meetings, but don't know how to refer folks to them.
It's hard to imagine a recovery group that would have abstinence as a prerequisite! It is obviously the goal of all of them (not Moderation Mgt, of course, but that isn't really a "recovery" group). But if only sober people could attend sobriety meetings, they'd have a pretty small turnout....:-)
Turning the desire to stop drinking into a firm commitment to do so is the first step. Without that commitment--if you are ambivalent about quitting--you are likely to keep giving yourself permission to drink.
To my knowledge, all recovery groups (except RR) are free.
Don S