Is there a Difference between AA and NA? STR Behavioral Health

Generally, alcoholics are more comfortable in AA because most in the room have a problem with alcohol and understand the subtleties and unique problems that come with alcohol addiction. Drug addicts are normally more comfortable in NA for the same reason. It can be tough for an alcoholic to give advice and feedback for something they don’t understand like opioid addiction for example. While the story of AA is about acceptance, NA was more about rebellion against AA. NA was founded in 1953 in California by Jimmy K as an alternative to AA but spiritually the same. Up until NA’s founding many drug addicts had taken part in AA for recovery but noted the indifference they received from others who thought AA should only be for alcoholics.

Does Alcoholics Anonymous actually work?

The measure consists of three factor components, each consisting of five items. These three components may map quite well onto the research material on correlates of teen AA/NA participation and reasons for not participating. The severity component would seem to be related to youths’ feeling hopeless, experiencing prior treatment, being involved in relatively long treatment, having worse drug use problems, having worse problems at school, and suffering legal problems.

1. At most meetings you will hear members talk about what drinking did to them and to those around them.
2. When practiced as a way of life, they can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to recover from alcoholism.
3. While this step specifically references God, it notes that it is the individual’s understanding of their own spiritual beliefs that will guide their recovery.
4. Study participants mentioned several qualities of the AA fellowship and the AA program as helpful, such as identifying with other alcoholics, sharing, talking, and telling stories; having a sponsor, and working the steps.
5. For example, AA’s first step says, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol”.
6. Soon you may start to feel a sense of belonging and even make some friends.

How to Choose Between Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous

However, as you dig deeper, you’ll realize that’s not the case at all. While there are some similarities between the two groups, there are also some slight differences. You might be an alcoholic who is more comfortable with healing your addiction than blaming alcohol. If that is how you feel, Narcotics Anonymous might be the better option for you.

The original 12-step program

You may also hear people reciting the serenity prayer or the 12 Traditions. 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.

Is there a Difference between AA and NA?

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In addition to talking about the challenges of drug recovery, NA meetings are also a place for members to offer advice to others, share their success stories, and celebrate their recovery milestones. A sponsor is a member who traditionally has been sober for longer and feels comfortable helping other members work the 12 steps. NA meetings include people of every demographic and at various recovery levels, from many years to just a few days of sobriety. Proof of attendance at meetings is not part of A.A.’s procedure. Each group is autonomous and has the right to choose whether or not to provide proof of attendance at their meeting.

Patterson and Marlon agree that it’s more important to find something that works for the individual than it is to debate the effectiveness of a recovery tool. The truth is, it can be hard to measure the effectiveness of a recovery program. Even 15 years into his recovery, Marlon still attends AA meetings about five times per week. Marlon stuck with AA and went on to work in drug and alcohol treatment and recovery.

Kelly and Myers (2007) provided the first review of predictors of adolescents’ participation in AA/NA and AA/NA behavioral outcomes. After doing a search of PsycINFO and Medline, relevant accessible reference lists using the terms “Alcoholics Anonymous,” “Narcotics Anonymous,” and “12-step” crossed with “Adolescents,” revealed 30, 5, and 32 articles, respectively. Addicts include those who use everything from heroin and cocaine to prescription drugs and a variety of other mind-altering substances. While many of the 12-steps of the NA program or focused on drawing on spiritual influences, you don’t need to be religious or spiritual to attend or benefit from NA.

You might master a later step even before you finish an earlier one, or you may even struggle with some of them. The important thing is to make the effort to accomplish each step. docusate: uses interactions mechanism of action drugbank online Remember to focus on working through the steps rather than criticize yourself based on the outcome. The 12 steps of NA are a guide you can use to help you in your recovery.

This step is about living with intention and continuing to check in to ensure that the individual stays focused on their values and the demands of reality. Various platforms are used depending on what the group members prefer. Still other meetings use a dial-in conference call number. Alternatively, it also allows site visitors to select a specific state or region, providing all meeting locations in that area.

But if not, there is not enough evidence of effectiveness to compel someone to attend. If you’re an alcoholic, you go to AA and if you’re addicted to other drugs you go to NA. Many in AA regarded drug addicts at meetings with disdain and many in NA were envious of AA’s resources but that’s no longer the case. Though the divide of alcoholic vs addict remains, AA and NA are now more open to different types of attendees and won’t shut the door to a drug addict at an AA meeting and vice versa.

NA is also a nonprofit organization, meaning there are no fees or dues as their goal is not to make money, but to help people with addictions. They have an open-door policy, so people can choose to start or stop attending meetings any time. They have eco sober house review found, however, that those who continue to go to meetings regularly stay clean more often than those who skip or stop attending. If you are struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, it is common to struggle with feelings of loneliness and isolation.

These guidelines can help avoid potential problems the organization may have in straying away from its mission. BetterHelp can connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor. The only criteria for joining NA is the desire to be clean and stay clean. The group is welcome to anyone who has an active drug addiction or had one.

Meetings welcome attendees from court programs and treatment facilities. The strength of our program lies in the voluntary nature of membership in A.A.; however many of us first attended meetings because we were pressured to by someone else. Meetings and each meeting takes on the feel of their alcohol definition, formula, and facts local area. At most meetings you will hear members talk about what drinking did to them and to those around them. Most also share what actions they took to stop drinking and how they are living their lives today. Meetings aren’t based on a specific religion, they do include spiritual aspects.

With more than 61,000 meetings held every week worldwide, there are many options to join nearby. You can search for meetings at the Narcotics Anonymous website. This is largely due to the fact that the organization keeps growing continually.