Frequently Asked Questions

Emotions Anonymous International (EAI) is a 501(c)(3) international non-profit organization that facilitates the Emotions Anonymous (EA) 12-Step Program. EAI is the administrative arm of the EA Program.

The EA office in St. Paul, Minnesota manages information about the EA groups' meeting information, maintains the EA website, publishes, sells, and ships the EA literature and materials, and generally works to provide information and understanding about the EA program of recovery.

EAI is not a religious or health-care organization. EAI does not offer medical, psychiatric, or therapeutic services. EAI is not affiliated with any other recovery program.

Please see the EA History page, linked above.

EAI is a small (but mighty!) organization. As of 2025, we have three part-time employees (Executive Director, Accountant, and Database/Shipping Coordinator) at our office in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a five-person volunteer Board of Trustees.

There are currently over 280 in-person EA groups worldwide, and 120+ remote meetings. All EA meetings are started and led by volunteers.

For comparison, the original and most well-known 12-Step program, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), has over 80 employees in just one of their offices, and over 123,000 (!) AA groups worldwide.

The EA Program is a 12-Step peer-support group program based on the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step Program, but adapted to people dealing with overwhelming emotions and emotional difficulties.

The EA program is non-professional; it can be a complement to mental health therapy, but it is not necessary to be seeking professional help to attend EA meetings. The EA program is not a medical, psychiatric, or counseling service.

As an anonymous program, members' confidentiality is respected at all times. Members are not required to share any personal details - or even last names - if they do not choose to. As a spiritual program, there is an emphasis on a Higher Power. Experience has shown that the EA program works equally well for people with or without religious affiliations or beliefs.

The foundational components of the EA program include: the 12 Helpful Concepts, 12 Just for Todays, 12 Slogans, 12 Traditions, 12 Steps, 12 Promises, and the 12 Principles.

The program encompasses only EA-approved literature (books, workbooks, emotion-specific pamphlets, program pamphlets, other literature, and the Serenity Prayer).

No, EAI is a completely separate non-profit organization from Alcoholics Anonymous. We are also separate from all other 12-Step anonymous programs, such as Al-Anon or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

The EAI Board of Trustees is made up of EA members from across the world. Trustees help EAI develop and approve new literature with input from EA members.

To learn more, please visit our "EAI Board of Trustee Information" page by clicking "Who serves on EAI's Board of Trustees?" above.

EA members are of diverse ages, races, economic statuses, and social and educational backgrounds. They live all over the world.

Members can work the program by themselves by reading and following along with EA pamphlets, books, and workbooks, or they can work the program in a group setting by attending and participating in weekly EA meetings either in-person or online/over the phone.

Weekly EA meetings are the backbone of the EA program, and we highly encourage all members to attend! Meetings are especially helpful to drive home the message that no one is alone in their emotional struggles, and that there is a community of others who are also looking for a way forward.

Members may have a mental health diagnosis, such as anxiety or depression, but it is not a requirement. All are welcome. Members have many different reasons that bring them to the EA program, but often the underlying emotions are the same or similar.

EA meetings are designed for adults; we encourage those 16 - 18 years old to attend meetings with a trusted adult.

No, you do not need health insurance to join an EA meeting. EA meetings are drop-in and free to attend. You do not need to sign up ahead of time or RSVP. No one will ask you for confidential personal information.

People in EA meetings introduce themselves with their first names only, and are not required to share anything beyond that.

The only requirement for EA membership is a desire to become well emotionally.

Weekly EA meetings are warm and accepting group settings in which to share experiences without fear of criticism. EA meetings are typically about an hour long.

Meetings are either in-person or remote. Remote meetings include meeting over phone calls, chat, or via online video or voice applications such as FreeConferenceCall, Google Meet, or Zoom.

EA members come together in weekly mutual support group meetings for the purpose of sharing experiences, feelings, strengths, weaknesses, and hope with one another while working toward recovery from any sort of emotional difficulties. Through weekly support meetings, members discover they are not alone in their struggles.

There are no fees to participate in or attend a meeting. Donations are encouraged per EA's 7th Tradition.

Select EA books and literature are typically available for purchase after the meeting ends, but are not required.

The leadership of each EA meeting rotates and are non-professional volunteers with no mental health training. The leader's function is to conduct the meeting, ensuring the meeting structure is followed, and that there are minimal disruptions. They are not an authority of the group, the EA program, or the EAI office.

Nope! EA members believe in the "take what you like, leave the rest” mentality - you accept whatever works for you.

All 12-Step Anonymous Programs are based in general spirituality, not religion. The EA Program is not religious and you do not have to believe in God in order to participate.

EA welcomes everyone from any background to participate.

Your personal “Higher Power,” as referenced in the EA literature, can be whatever you choose, outside of yourself.

Some examples of a "Higher Power" can include human love, a force for good, the group, nature, the universe, God, or any other entity/concept a member chooses that resonates with them. You do not need to share with anyone what you personally conceptualize as your "Higher Power."

Yes, you may! EA meetings are open to everyone.

It is common for people to discover EA after having been a member of another 12-Step program, and they may find EA to either be complementary to their current program or a better fit for their current needs.

Someone who has experience in another 12-Step program will likely find the structure of EA meetings very familiar and easy to transition to.

Our office does not facilitate this. You would need to reach out to the contact(s) for the support group meeting that you are interested in attending/participating in to see if they would be willing and able to fill out the necessary paperwork you require.

There are many service opportunities at EA!

Some ideas to consider:
1) Start a new EA group in your area.

2) Tell others about EA! We have small cards and fliers that you can post on community bulletin boards, at local libraries, grocery stores, coffee shops, therapist's offices, medical centers, etc. that provide information about local EA meetings.

3) If you have been in the program for some time, consider becoming an EA sponsor to a newer member in your weekly group! This involves answering questions that they may have about working the program over time and providing encouragement to them. As a sponsor, you may also work through specific literature or an EA workbook with your sponsee.

4) Consider offering your services by serving on the EA Board of Trustees. The Board meets monthly online, and applications for open trustee spots are accepted each spring.

5) Make a contribution! Close to 50% of EAI's revenue comes from member donations, which allow us to continue providing EA materials and services to the membership.

6) If you live in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul region) of Minnesota, in the United States, consider possibly volunteering in-person at the EA Office! The EA Office does not have the capacity to coordinate volunteers virtually from out of state, but in-person volunteers are much appreciated.

EA is fully supported by member/group contributions and EA purchases. Funds donated are used to keep the EA Office (sometimes referred to in EA literature as the International Service Center) staffed and running, which, in turn, keeps EAI active and growing.

The EAI budget includes staff time, office rent, technology costs (website, email, forums, etc.), efforts to build awareness of the EA program and encourage membership, and covering the printing and publication costs of EA literature. EAI is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and all donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

Anonymity is a primary tenet of all 12-Step anonymous recovery programs, and EA is no different.

Besides the publicly-listed contact person or persons on each EA group's listing, the EA Office does not know the attendance or names of members in individual EA groups. This information is not reported to us as each group is autonomous.

Individual donors who contribute to EAI can choose to be listed in our Annual Report by their first name and last initial. EA Groups who donate may also be listed in the Annual Report. Otherwise, donors stay anonymous. The EAI Annual Report is uploaded each year as a PDF to the EA website.

We do not sell any information about EA members. This policy has no exceptions. We do not sell or exchange your information with any other organizations, whether public, private, or non-profit.

If you purchase physical EA materials, such as books or literature, or are sent a thank you letter or donation appeal letter from EA in the mail, the return address will say "EAI," with our PO Box mailing address underneath.

The return address will not say "Emotions Anonymous" or "Emotions Anonymous International," in order to protect the privacy of individual EA members who do wish others to know that they are participating in the EA program.

- To update your EA group's website listing, please fill out the form linked below.

- This form can also be found by visiting EAI's website homepage, opening the "Service Opps" drop-down menu at the top of the page, and clicking on "Update an EXISTING EA Group's Meeting Listing."

- Once the form is submitted, EAI Staff will manually update the group listing on the website. Staff have extremely limited part-time hours, so please submit the form as early as you know changes will need to be made. Updates can take several weeks to be posted. Thank you for your patience!

https://emotionsanonymous.org/service/submit-information-changes-to-existing-ea-group.html