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

To oversee WAI, group delegates hold a monthly meeting on the 2nd Thursday at 7pm (in-person or Zoom).

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

WAI is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving the A.A. community, healthcare providers, and the still-sick alcoholic in Central MA, and others who are 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 delegates and volunteers, by literature sales, and by contributions.

Volunteers serve on committees to support WAI's primary purpose. AA members and groups purchase AA literature via WAI's office or online bookstore. AA members and groups make monetary contributions online or by 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 are shown below. To see all AA districts in eastern MA: click 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 committees hold a hybrid meeting on the 2nd Thursday, all interested A.A.s are invited and encouraged to attend in-person or via Zoom (click here for details).

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 delegates committee meetings, committee chairs give reports and attendees can ask questions or share information.

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 lines of communication.

A.A. Intergroups & General Service

An Intergroup (also called a Central Office or Intergroup/Central Office — IGCO) is a service entity whose sole purpose is to serve A.A. groups at the local level. IGCOs often have a physical office and a 24-hour hotline and resources to support AA's primary purpose locally: to help the still-sick and suffering alcoholic, in collaboration with A.A. members and groups. WAI delegates deal with matters affecting AA groups in central MA, such as meeting lists, whereas General Service Representatives (GSRs) deal with the broader issues and services of AA’s worldwide (GSO) operations.

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

For an overview of A.A. general service, see the Circles of Love and Service pamphet, and for specifics, see the AA Service Manual. For general service in eastern Massachusetts, see 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), this 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 IGCOs in 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

Areas 30 and 31 host an annual MA State Convention to foster unity, service, and recovery across Massachusetts, with Al-Anon, Young People’s, and IGCOs.