About 202
Established December 18, 1963.
Friendship House has served Nashville's recovery community for more than 60 years.
Our history and work today
Today, 202 continues as a gathering place for people in recovery, those beginning their recovery, families, members, guests, and the broader community.
We provide space for AA and Al-Anon meetings seven days per week, 365 days per year. We currently host 58 in-person meetings per week.
Why this works
Long-term recovery needs long-term community.
Research describes addiction as a chronic condition and recovery as a long-term, nonlinear process. People often need repeated opportunities for support, re-engagement, and connection over time, not only a single treatment episode.
Friendship House is built around that reality. As a recovery community center, 202 offers a steady, low-barrier place to attend meetings, meet with sponsors and peers, celebrate milestones, ask questions, and reconnect after setbacks.
Daily AA and Al-Anon meetings, fellowship space, workshops, study groups, sober events, and resource connections all support the same goal: helping people stay connected long enough for recovery to take root and continue.
Research on mutual-help programs such as AA also shows that continued participation can support long-term abstinence and, in many cases, performs as well as or better than professional therapies for alcohol use disorder.
Research basis
- Kelly, J. F. (2022). Sustaining Successful Remission and Recovery [Presentation]. Massachusetts General Hospital. View source
- Kelly, J. F., Humphreys, K., & Ferri, M. (2020). Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-step programs for alcohol use disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020(3), CD012880. View source
- Vilsaint, C. L. (2024, November 12). How recovery science can dismantle health inequities [Conference presentation]. Cumberland Heights Foundation, Nashville, TN.
Membership
Members are central to Friendship House.
Membership is a core part of belonging to Friendship House. Members help shape the peer support, connection, and community that define the House.
Monthly membership dues also provide reliable support for day-to-day operations.
Join or RenewFacilities
A reliable place for meetings, support, and connection.
Open from 8:30 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days a week, 202 has meeting rooms, places to gather, free internet access, concessions, recovery literature, medallions, and merchandise for sale.
Staff can provide information about recovery resources and outside services when someone is looking for a next step.