How Alcoholics Anonymous AA and Narcotics Anonymous NA Work: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives PMC

It’s difficult to measure how effective NA and other 12-step programs are for its members. Although studies show its effectiveness on participants under 12-step programs, it’s not a complete guarantee. Discussion meetings allow members to share their personal stories.

A Brief Overview of Recovery in 12-Step Programs

You won’t be called upon to answer questions or speak at all. All you need to do is listen and learn as much as you can. This subreddit is in no way affiliated with or sanctioned by the program of Narcotics Anonymous or NA World Services, Inc. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the members and do not represent the thoughts or positions held by the fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous unless specifically cited in copyrighted Narcotics Anonymous literature. For more official information regarding the fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous please go to or follow the links below.

1. While there are some similarities between the two groups, there are also some slight differences.
2. However, you can rest assured that everyone in the room has been in the same place you are now, and the majority are very welcoming to newcomers.
3. However, there are some differences between these two groups too, and they include more than just the addict’s chosen substance.

Meeting Structure

NA is support group for those attempting to recover from drugs other than just alcohol. NA was officially founded in Los Angeles in 1953, and has spread to thousands of locations in 129 countries. Located in Central Ohio, our comprehensive addiction treatment facility offers several levels of care to fit the needs of each individual.

Effects of AA/NA Attendance on Abstinence at Follow-up

But that doesn’t mean it’s always going to work, or that other options aren’t viable. AA’s most recent membership survey of more than 6,000 members, done in 2014, said 22 percent of its members stayed sober for 20 or more years. Other programs, like Narcotics Anonymous (NA), which started in 1953, have used similar models. Not everyone’s a fan, though, and AA is far from being the only option for finding peer support.

Parts of the NA meeting usually include references to “God” and a prayer at the closing of the meeting. The important thing to remember, be it for yourself or for someone you love, is that substance abuse is seldom overcome alone. AA and NA both seek to support those who suffer, and the important thing is that a person who is looking for help finds a place where they feel at home. Moreover, there are also fellowships whose main purpose is to help the families and loved ones of those struggle with addiction but who are not addicts themselves. Alanon and Naranon are subsidies of both AA and NA and offer support to those who are affected but are not themselves afflicted.Remember, it is important to do your own research as well as remain open-minded.

Get Help With Alcohol Addiction

Many people who meet the AA definition of an “alcoholic” have successfully returned to controlled drinking. Among those who started NA and AA attendance, the majority (85% and 91%, respectively) stopped NA and AA attendance for a month or longer. Data support the idea that the 12-Step career, like the treatment career, consists of multiple interrupted episodes of what is a substance abuse counselor participation. In general, 12-Step attendance and involvement decrease over time. Sometimes, Patterson notes, you may meet someone at a 12-step or SMART meeting who is simply attending these meetings and not getting professional treatment. If you want to continue with the program, NA recommends that new members go to a meeting every day for at least 90 days.

You can try several options at once if time and money allow, and stick with all of them or pick the best one for you over time. What works for the majority may not work for an individual. It’s important to consider and try other options, particularly if AA and NA aren’t working. As the COVID-19 pandemic pushes things to go virtual, you can now find a calendar of virtual meetings if you want to give SMART Recovery a try.

This is part of the NA traditions and all 12-step programs. Like other 12-step programs, Narcotics Anonymous also operates on a set of Twelve guidelines called the Twelve Traditions of NA. The goal of the damage cocaine does to the nose twelve traditions is to help members build healthier relationships and live drug-free lives. Dealing with substance use disorder (SUD) may require medically assisted treatment and other lifestyle changes.

In the Big Book he outlines the 12 steps and his own experience with them. From those first drafts and first meetings, an international organization was born. Hundreds of thousands of AA meetings can be found in almost every country on the planet today. The community support and alcoholism: can people with alcohol use disorder recover 12 steps found at NA meetings seem to be the missing link for many people with substance use disorders who wish to stay sober. Of course, there is never a guarantee that you won’t experience a relapse. But, as they say in NA, “we can do together what we could not do alone.”

Meetings typically close with a prayer, moment of silence, recitation of the Responsibility Statement, or by reading a section of another A.A. Is often thought to be affiliated with a certain religion due to “God” and “higher power” references in its literature, but this fellowship stresses that its membership is open to anyone regardless of their beliefs (or non-beliefs). However, the organization reinforces that it is not interested in who made the referral to A.A.

As an answer to this dilemma, Narcotics Anonymous (or NA) was formed. Like AA, NA also utilizes the support group model of therapy because it has shown to be very effective in treating addictions of all kinds. They make use of The Twelve Step Program, just as AA does. Their focus is also on coming to terms with the pain they have caused themselves as well as others in their lives, healing broken relationships and working to help others overcome their addictions. As you can see, there are many similarities between AA and NA, and it’s easy to get them confused.

Kelly et al. found that a key mediator of benefits of AA/NA participation was motivation for abstinence. (In addition, they failed to find that learning coping strategies mediated change.) Possibly, group support processes enhance motivation for abstinence, which then results in longer term abstinence among teens. Chi, Kaskutas, Sterling, Campbell, and Weisner (2009) provided data that suggested that social support and religiosity might mediate effects of AA/NA on abstinence among teens. However, a total of 451 youth recently were assessed (at one time point) by Kelly, Myers, and Rodolico (2008) regarding their experiences with AA or NA. Perhaps, group support, motivation for abstinence, and only some aspects of spirituality, mediate the effects of AA/NA participation. Much more research is needed on mediation of the beneficial effects of AA/NA participation.

NA uses a workbook as well as the Basic Text, and there are questions for each step to be answered by the addict. Aside from the Big Book and the Basic Text, both fellowships also have an abundance of other literature specific to their fellowship covering a wide array of topics. NA meetings are sometimes 90 minutes long, depending on the area where you are attending the meetings, while AA meetings are usually an hour. The differences can change from area to area, and are sometimes less or more drastic depending upon where you find yourself attending meetings. AA focuses on Alcoholism, while NA focuses on all narcotic substances (including alcohol) as well as the disease of addiction.

“Gradually, my drinking started squeezing all three of those out of my life,” Marlon says. Once a new attendee is familiar with the structure of NA and has established a relationship with the group, he or she can start looking for a sponsor. A sponsor is someone who is already established in NA and well-versed in the 12 Steps who can act as a mentor. It is usually advised to find a sponsor who also has a sponsor, so there are multiple layers of accountability.

Meanwhile, speaker meetings involve one or more members speaking for most of the meeting. Many NA members believe regular meeting attendance is a helpful tool for staying drug-free. 12-step programs observe 12 principles to help you stay clean from whatever addiction you’re dealing with. For example, AA’s first step says, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol”.

This step focuses on taking stock of both individual burdens and strengths. It is centered on improving self-awareness and gaining a better understanding of the self. By taking this inventory, people can gain a better understanding of the challenges they might face and the tools they have to help them overcome those obstacles.