In addition to some differences in philosophy, both AA and NA each have their own literature. Click here for a list of virtual meetings, shown in the time zone from which you’re searching. If you are unable to get in touch with the local NA Area, or would like to speak with someone about services that span a broader geographic area, then reach out to the local NA Region through their website or phone line.
- By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use.
- This is an effective way to connect with a local NA community.
- If respondents felt they could moderate their use of drugs and alcohol, rather than stop completely, this predicted less abstinence at each follow-up occasion.
- Continual participation is the key to the effectiveness of the program.
- This difference tends to draw different types of people to each meeting.
- Participants were drawn from two similar treatment programs with the key difference between them being that one held a weekly 12-Step meeting on-site and the other one did not.
Participants were drawn from two similar treatment programs with the key difference between them being that one held a weekly 12-Step meeting on-site and the other one did not. Participants did not differ significantly across programs in terms of substance use, treatment, or 12-Step history. To read more about aetna insurance coverage for drug addiction treatment this research, please see Laudet (2008a, 2008b). Kelly spoke about the experience and outcomes of adolescents in 12-Step programs. Although it is a common practice for treatment facilities to refer teens to 12-Step programs, the effectiveness of 12-Step programs with this population is not often studied.
There is a difference between being powerless over a substance and being powerless over the addiction. It suggests that in AA, the lack of control is due to the alcohol, while in NA, the lack of control is due to the actual addiction itself. One is external (alcohol) and one is internal (addiction). This difference has led to many people concluding that NA is more focused on the individual, rather than focusing on the assistance of a Higher Power, which is a major part of The Twelve Steps in AA. For many, this approach is appealing because they may not feel comfortable discussing a Higher Power and its influence in their lives. Instead, they may feel that the responsibility lies completely with them and that they need to, in a sense, get out of their own way if they’re ever going to be free from their addictions.
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 alcohol addiction and drug rehab centers in california 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.
Meeting Structure
White talked about why AA was successful among the succession of mutual aid recovery groups. First, AA has been thriving and expanding since 1935, and membership surveys count two million members worldwide. Second, AA is accessible and available in an abundance of communities, whereas other recovery organizations may not have meetings in as many locations. Third, and most significantly, AA is unique in its 12 traditions. Given the effectiveness of 12-Step participation and the observation that attrition rates are high, Laudet has also investigated attitudes toward AA and NA among individuals in an outpatient treatment program. Clients rated the importance of 12-Step programs to recovery 8.7 on a 10-point scale with high scores indicating higher importance.
Insight from the arts and humanities placed empirical findings in a holistic context. If you are struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, it is common to struggle with feelings of loneliness and isolation. Groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) can provide a community of support as you work through recovery.
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Threats to the early survival of AA and NA were the same threats that could undermine any mutual aid recovery group. They include leadership relapse, struggle for consensus about the program, program infidelity and instability, professionalism, issues of money, and limits of inclusion and exclusion. The rise and fall of these blood alcohol content bac groups can sometimes depend on the charismatic leadership of an individual whose personality initially mobilizes and inspires many, but whose personal foibles could also undermine the organization. Other groups fail by way of entanglements related to religion or politics or stagger under challenges to the group’s credibility.
Attending 12-Step meetings, considering one’s self a member of a 12-Step fellowship, and working the steps at baseline were predictive of sustained abstinence over one year. Continuous 12-Step attendance (weekly or more frequent) over 3 years predicted sustained abstinence over three years. Across recovery stages, individuals were 4.1 to 8.6 times more likely to achieve sustained abstinence by continuous 12-Step meeting attendance and involvement. White placed AA and NA in a historical context, noting there have been more than 100 mutual aid recovery groups since the 1730s. Many of these groups are thriving alongside AA and NA currently, and, in the future, more will come into existence.
Big Book ASL – Appendix I – The A.A. Tradition
Clients rated the helpfulness of 12-Step programs 8.02 on a 10-point scale with high scores indicating high levels of helpfulness. Clients stated that their top two reasons for attending AA and NA were to (1) promote recovery/sobriety and to (2) find support, acceptance, and friendship. A series of analyses identified which specific elements of 12-Step involvement were responsible for positive outcomes and whether these elements varied by gender. Women were significantly more likely than men to sustain abstinence over 3 years although genders did not differ significantly at baseline. For men only, being a sponsor was predictive of sustained abstinence over 3 years.
AA 12 Steps
These organizations have been pivotal in helping millions of people attain and sustain abstinence. In 1939, High Watch Recovery Center in Kent, Connecticut, was founded by Bill Wilson and Marty Mann. Sister Francis who owned the farm tried to gift the spiritual retreat for alcoholics to Alcoholics Anonymous, however citing the sixth tradition Bill W. Turned down the gift but agreed to have a separate non-profit board run the facility composed of AA members. Bill Wilson and Marty Mann served on the High Watch board of directors for many years. High Watch was the first and therefore the oldest 12-step-based treatment center in the world still operating today.
Your General Service Office (G.S.O.), the Grapevine and the General Service Structure
After that, you’ll find that meetings are all quite different from each other. Some meetings may include speakers, or people sharing about their experiences. Others will involve discussions or reading from a chosen textbook.
If you’re relatively new to the idea of getting treatment for your addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, you’ve probably wondered about whether you need AA vs NA. There are probably a lot of words that are used in recovery that you don’t recognize right away. You might hear about Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous and wonder what the difference is between the two, for example. In this article, we’ll talk about some of those differences, but we’ll also discuss some of the similarities. First, let’s go over some basic background behind each of these addiction treatment programs. AA meetings are gatherings where recovery from alcoholism is discussed.
History and current activities; sharing from groups, service committees, and individual A.A. Members work together to help the alcoholic who still suffers. There are many opportunities to participate in a variety of ways. The best place to start getting involved is through an A.A. Participating in a group helps ensure that when a person reaches out for help, A.A. The author’s research was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Some meetings are hybrid meetings, where people can meet in a specified physical location, but people can also join the meeting virtually. This is largely due to the fact that the organization keeps growing continually. As of 1994, there were close to 20,000 weekly meetings being held in 70 countries. If someone you care about has a drinking problem, A.A. Has helped more than two million alcoholics stop drinking.