Worcester Area Intergroup (WAI) is an Alcoholics Anonymous intergroup serving the still-sick alcoholic and AA community in central Massachusetts.

WAI delegates, trusted servants, and interested AA's, meet monthly on the 2nd Thursday at 7pm (in-person or via Zoom).

    Click for: [Office Hours] [Driving directions] [Brochure]

WAI is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves A.A. members and groups, the still-sick alcoholic, healthcare providers, and those affected by alcoholism. WAI is guided by AA's Twelve Traditions and AA's Twelve Concepts for world service. For more information:

• WAI Guidelines
• WAI Meeting Minutes
• AA Group Contributions to WAI
• A.A. Guidelines for Central or Intergroup Offices

WAI Services

WAI offers local AA services and resources to help the still-sick alcoholic and community, including:

» 24-hour hotline (HALTline, other AA hotlines)
» AA meeting lists (Printed Lists and Online List)
» An office open to the public (WAI Office Hours)
» An inventory of AA materials (Bookstore, Order Form)
» A calendar of local AA events (WAI Calendar)
» A website and newsletter (The Beacon)
» AA service volunteers (Committee Chairs, other contacts)
» A confidential 12th step call list (Signup Form)

Supporting WAI

WAI is supported by volunteers and staff members, purchases by AA members and groups, and contributions.

Volunteers serve on WAI's committees to support AA's primary purpose in central Massachusetts. AA members and groups can purchase AA literature via WAI's office or online bookstore. AA members and groups can contribute online, via phone, mail, or in-person. See the "Faithful Fiver" page to make a monthly contribution.

Mail | Phone Contributions	Contribute Online
Worcester Area Intergroup 100 Grove St Suite 314 Worcester MA 01605 Ph:  (508) 752-9000	Click Here

Worcester Area Cities Towns & Villages

Local districts and towns (meeting links) are shown below. All AA districts in eastern MA are shown here

    * = No AA Meeting

Acton Ashburnham Ashby Ashland Athol Auburn Ayer Barre Bellingham Berlin Blackstone Bolton Boxboro* Boylston Brookfield Charlton Clinton Concord Devens* Douglas Dudley Dunstable* East Brookfield Fitchburg Framingham Gardner Grafton Groton Hardwick* Harvard Holden

Holliston Hopedale Hopkinton Hubbardston* Hudson Lancaster Leicester Leominster Lincoln Littleton* Lunenburg Marlboro Maynard Mendon Milford Millbury Millville Natick New Braintree* North Brookfield Northboro Northbridge Oakham* Orange Oxford Paxton Pepperell Petersham Phillipston* Princeton Quinebaug*

Rochdale Royalston* Rutland Sherborn Shirley* Shrewsbury Southboro Southbridge Spencer Sterling Stow Sturbridge Sudbury Sutton* Templeton Townsend Upton Warren Wayland Webster West Boylston West Brookfield Westboro Westminster* Whitinsville Winchendon Worcester

WAI Officers & Committees

WAI is overseen by two main bodies: a Steering Committee and a Delegates Committee which together constitute the membership of WAI. The steering committee and delegates committee meet monthly on the 2nd Thursday, all interested A.A.s are invited and encouraged to attend (for directions: click here).

The Steering Committee — the officers of WAI — consists of a chairperson, secretary, treasurer and their alternates, the office manager, and four trustees. The Steering Committee oversees the daily operations and finances of WAI. The Delegates Committee consists of the intergroup delegates from local AA groups. The Delegates Committee votes on all matters beyond the scope of the Steering Committee. At the delegates committee meeting , committee chairpersons give reports and all attendees can ask questions or share information or concerns.

WAI officers, staff, and committees are listed here. For more information about WAI, see the WAI Guidelines.

A.A. General Service Structure

A.A.'s general service structure is often depicted as an "inverted triangle", as shown below.


For AA General Service, North America is divided into Regions, with each region represented by a Regional Trustee on the General Service Board (GSB). Each region is divided into Areas, and each area is represented by a Delegate at the annual General Service Conference. Areas are subdivided into Districts, and each district elects a District Committee Member (DCM) as a representative at area meetings and assemblies.

At the top of the triangle are A.A. groups, represented by a General Service Representative (GSR) at district meetings and area assemblies.

At the base of the triangle are two corporations: A.A. World Services Inc. (AAWS) and A.A. Grapevine Inc. (GV), collectively referred to as the General Service Office (GSO). The GSO is governed by the GSB, consisting of AAWS and GV directors and the trustees. The GSB, in turn, is loosely governed by the area delegates via the General Service Conference (GSC). The GSC itself has boards and committees, as depicted in this GSC structure chart. For an overview of how the GSC operates: click here.

Below is a chart of general service entities and the lines of communication.

A.A. Intergroups & General Service

An A.A. Intergroup (also called a Central Office or Intergroup/Central Office — IGCO) is an entity whose purpose is to serve A.A. groups at the local level. Intergroups often have a physical office and a 24-hour hotline and provide resources to support AA's primary purpose at the local level: to help the still sick and suffering alcoholic in collaboration with A.A. members and groups. WAI delegates vote on local matters that affect groups in central MA, such as meeting schedules, whereas General Service Representatives (GSRs) vote on matters that affect the policy of service entities that oversee AA’s worldwide (GSO) operations located in New York.

An Intergroup Committee is mainly composed of Delegates from local AA groups. An AA group may elect a delegate to represent them at Intergroup committee meetings. An intergroup delegate is an A.A. group’s link to an Intergroup, equivalent to the GSRs who represent groups at District and Area assemblies. A district may also elect a delegate or District Liaison to serve as a link between the district and the intergroup. Similarly, an intergroup may elect an Area Liaison to represent the intergroup at area assemblies and committee meetings.

For an overview of A.A. general service, see the pamphlet Circles of Love and Service and for details, see the AA Service Manual. A.A. general service in eastern Massachusetts is documented in The Area 30 Handbook.

IGCOs have existed since the earliest days of A.A. and operate independently of A.A.’s General Service structure. Many IGCOs are incorporated, nonprofit entities governed by charters or bylaws and elected officers and delegates, and may employ paid staff members.

Traditionally, general service committees and IGCOs have performed different functions. IGCOs provide local services; general service committees provide a link between the A.A. groups and the A.A. General Service Board by means of the General Service Conference. So these two separate but vital A.A. service structures coexist and function in mutual cooperation and harmony. The IGCO and A.A. general service structures are depicted below.

Although IGCOs fall under the broader definition of AA "general service" (service beyond the group level), that is not to be confused with "General Service" — a formal reference to the A.A. service structure. In Massachusetts and elsewhere, IGCOs and General Service entities (Areas, Districts) operate and exist independently. For more information on IGCOs, see the Central or Intergroup Offices guidelines.

Massachusetts’ has two areas, Eastern Mass (Area 30) and Western Mass (Area 31).

The Intergroups/Central Offices serving different regions of Massachusetts are listed below.

Eastern Mass Central Service Committee Central Mass Worcester Area Intergroup Western Mass Intergroup Office Berkshire Intergroup Office Cape Cod Intergroup Office Martha’s Vineyard Intergroup Nantucket Intergroup

Since 1963, Areas 30 and 31 have jointly hosted an annual MA State Convention to foster unity, service, and recovery across Massachusetts, with participation from Al-Anon, Young People’s, and Intergroups/Central Offices.