Unlike closed meetings, open meetings welcome public members interested in NA. This includes people struggling with drug use, visitors from the community, and media. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a nonprofit program for recovering and active drug users. Members attend weekly (anonymous) meetings to help one another maintain sobriety. The Oxford Group, an evangelical Christian fellowship that flourished in the United States and England in the early 1900s, had a strong influence on the origins of AA.
What Are the Seven Types of Drugs?
A second difference is that AA members focus on a legal substance to overcome, but NA included illegal substances. The reality is that NA will draw a wide variety of people, and some people in AA don’t really feel AA is equipped to handle those addicts that have been addicted to drugs like heroin, crack, meth, and other “hardcore” drugs. If you attend both an AA and an NA meeting, you’ll notice that they’re run about the same. You show up, listen to some literature being read out loud, and then the meeting opens for people to share. People offer their experiences, strength, and hope during the meeting.
AA Vs. NA: The Differences
It was founded by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, and sprung up out of an overwhelming need for better treatment for alcoholics; prior to this the best and only treatment available to anyone struggling with alcoholism was the sanitarium. AA began with the principal lsd: effects and hazards of one alcoholic being able to help another through compassion and understanding, and around that simple principal the steps were created. Bill Wilson began writing the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1938 after his own experience with sobriety.
Making AA and NA Part of Treatment
Often, a person doesn’t choose a fellowship until they have tried both AA and NA for themselves. Both fellowships histories and practices 1 groups and substance abuse treatment substance abuse treatment are different but the message is universal; we can recover. Alcoholics Anonymous found its beginnings in Akron, Ohio in 1935.
What to Expect at an A.A. Meeting
In addition, the author suggests the reasons for somewhat limited participation by teens in more informal, community-based 12-step meetings, and makes suggestions for maximizing participation at meetings in the community. The author concludes that AA/NA participation is a valuable modality of substance abuse treatment for teens and that much can be done to increase teen participation, though more research is needed. Facilitating AA/NA involvement among adjudicated youth is another example of a means to increase the reach of 12-step programming. Dissemination of AA/NA meetings within these facilities would seem warranted. In addition, some states have programs for first and second time offenders that do not require incarceration.
Differences Between AA and NA
If you are ready to work toward recovery from drugs or alcohol, treatment options are available to help. Twelve-step programs such as Narcotics Anonymous can be helpful, but you should start by talking to your doctor about your first steps. If you are preparing to quit, medications are also available that can help you detox and manage your symptoms of withdrawal. Narcotics Anonymous, often referred to as NA, is a 12-step program where people with drug addictions can find support in recovery.
NA and other support groups work best in combination with treatment. You may gain new members every week, and some may not show up at all. Your NA group might operate similarly in structure, but it will differ from meetings in other cities, states, and worldwide. Regardless of where it’s held, gaining new members is the most important part of each meeting.
However, a percentage of teens composing more than 4% of AA/NA would reflect an overrepresentation of teens if it were found. Thus, the absolute percentages involved are small, presenting the possibility that there may be an exaggerated perception of lack of involvement. In addition, Kelly, Myers, and Brown (2005) found evidence that youth who attend young persons’ meetings rate attendance as important and are more likely to attend AA/NA. This is a support group that is also based on twelve steps and was founded in 1953.
The AA programs may suit you better if you’re struggling with alcohol addiction. However, if you’re struggling with drug addiction or other addictive behavior, then you may find NA more appealing. It is a 12-step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and shares many of the same principles, practices, and philosophies. The goal of NA is to create a community where people with substance use issues help each other on the road to recovery. Some criticize 12-step programs for failing to recognize emerging science-based approaches and offering a one-size-fits-all approach to a complex problem. There is also criticism of NA’s approach of focusing on spirituality and requiring members to identify as addicts.
The solution to addiction/negative life consequences in 12-step programs includes conforming to 12 traditions and 12 steps. The 12 traditions outline AA/NA’s basic premises about the organization, such as ensuring members’ anonymity and protecting the privacy and integrity of the organization, its leadership, and the sobriety of its members (Yoder, 1990). The program of recovery in AA and NA are based on the “12 steps”. By following the 12 steps, members learn to trust a “higher power,” which could be their “home group” as well as a deity or another form as a means to obtain a daily reprieve from urges or thoughts of using alcohol or other drugs (e.g., Chappel, 1992).
We also discuss who can join Alcoholics Anonymous and what research has found about the effectiveness of attending these meetings when overcoming alcohol misuse or abuse. Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) is an international program focused on supporting people during alcohol recovery, with a goal of helping them achieve and sustain sobriety. Meetings cost nothing learn the risks of combining ativan and alcohol to attend and are available almost everywhere. Because of this, Kinnon recognized how a 12-step program could help people with drug use problems. If you’re not sure whether to attend AA or NA, talk about your situation with someone who is knowledgeable in both support groups. You can also talk to the person who facilitates meetings to get their input.
- Both are self-supporting and altruistic fellowships and are open to anyone who thinks they may need help in overcoming their struggle with substance abuse.
- One other notable issue is that most of the studies in Table 2 did not show ethnic diversity in the data; that is, a majority of the patients were White teens.
- In discussion meetings, members share their personal stories of addiction and recovery as they relate to their lives.
- If you want to continue with the program, NA recommends that new members go to a meeting every day for at least 90 days.
A 2020 review looked at 27 studies involving a total of 10,565 participants and noted that A.A. And other twelve-step programs are effective for increasing abstinence. The authors also reported that these programs appear to be as effective as other alcohol treatment methods. NA and other 12-step programs are based on the belief that the individual’s life is “unmanageable.” And that unmanageability arose because of a lack of choice or determination within the mind of the addict concerning whether to use the substance again. Closed meetings are only for members of NA unless otherwise stated, where participants remain anonymous. Everyone agrees to keep the details of the sessions and those who attend private.
Approximately, two thirds of formalized inpatient and outpatient treatment programs for teens are constructed at least in part based on the 12-step principles (Kelly & Myers, 2007). Thus, formal treatment for teens currently is very much interlaced with a 12-step component. Alcoholics Anonymous (or AA) began in 1935 by two men who had one unified goal. They wanted to help alcoholics give up alcohol and empower them to help others do the same. The program is centered around twelve steps, which is often simply referred to as The Twelve Step Program. These steps guide the alcoholic into growing spiritually, becoming aware of the hurt and pain they have caused to themselves as well as to others, and making amends for that pain.
The fellowships literature [the Basic Text] was a huge collaborative effort and was written by hundreds of addicts. The literature itself was edited and approved through NA international conferences and was eventually agreed upon by every member of NA who wished to have a say. The 12 steps are similar to those in AA but the literature itself was written by many and includes inspiring biographical stories written by addicts from around the world. Sometimes a referral source asks for proof of attendance at A.A. The nature and extent of any group’s involvement in this process is entirely up to the individual group.