For instance, if you find yourself drinking to relieve feelings of anger, pain, frustration, or depression, you can turn those feelings over to a higher power. Doing so can help reduce the compulsion to drink and help you feel more capable of dealing with life’s challenges. If you’d like to talk to us about your program of recovery, please call today.
Similarities of AA and NA
Bill W., founder of AA, learned about a so-called “spiritual” program of recovery from a good friend who seemed cured of alcoholism. Bill was desperate to recover, so he tried the program and found it worked. If you’ve wondered what goes on “in the rooms,” this guide to what to know about AA, NA and Al-Anon meetings should answer the question. Of course, the best way to learn what happens at a recovery meeting is to attend one. But before you go, learn the basics, what to expect, and how you can get the most from time spent at a meeting. NA is run very similar to AA, with the 12 Steps being a cornerstone of the program.
What Are the 12 Steps of Narcotics Anonymous?
This blog article covers the history of NA, its recovery techniques, and how you can join NA groups near you. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness. This step asks you to apply these principles to every aspect of your life and carry them forward to help others struggling with addiction as well.
- Among those who started NA and AA attendance, the majority (85% and 91%, respectively) stopped NA and AA attendance for a month or longer.
- As you’re reading this, somewhere in the world there’s an AA, NA or Al-Anon meeting taking place.
- Continual participation is the key to the effectiveness of the program.
- AA is built upon the premise of therapy via a support group.
- Marlon checked into a 30-day treatment facility, where he learned more about Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
- Neither AA nor NA is superior to the other, and each has different ways of achieving the same goal.
Multiple Addictions
These may better suit those who are not aligned with the values and philosophy of AA. It’s called 12-step facilitation therapy and is delivered by trained treatment professionals. It shouldn’t be confused with AA, which is a self-help program, rather than being therapist-led. And because the 12-step fellowship is by definition anonymous, some members don’t want to participate in studies that might breach the anonymity of the group. The fellowship itself has been, until recently, cautious about allowing interviews or data to be collected by researchers.
How Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Work: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives
Some people choose God (in whatever form or belief) as theirs, and others do not. NA says that “ours is a spiritual, not a religious program.” When you’re new to NA, the talk about God and the inclusion of prayers at some meetings can be surprising and even uncomfortable. This step centers on the idea that all people have shortcomings. Understanding these failings and being willing to ask for help and draw on spiritual strength is important.
Can You Go to Only Phone or Online Meetings?
You can search for meetings at the Narcotics Anonymous website. Narcotics Anonymous was established in response to the success of Alcoholics Anonymous. 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.
Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website. While you might feel like the outsider or the newbie at first, give yourself time to get comfortable. If you aren’t ready to share, you can also benefit from simply listening and observing. When you are ready to attend your first meeting, visit the Narcotics Anonymous website to find a local meeting. Meetings occur throughout the day almost every day of the week.
Meetings aren’t affiliated with the place that hosts them, so meeting places can and do change if circumstances change. Calling the number listed next to the meeting on the group’s website can help you confirm the meeting details. Addiction is a lonely disease, and addiction is often called a self-centered disease. It makes people turn inward until everything is about their needs, their comfort, their fix. As you consider everything you need to know about NA meetings, AA meetings and more, you may wonder what’s so important about meetings that they’re emphasized throughout the recovery world. It has been difficult to work out how effective AA and NA are because there has not been a lot of good quality research into them.
When you attend AA, you are attending a group that is based upon helping people who struggle with alcoholism. NA focuses on helping people who struggle with all drugs, including alcohol. In addition, there is a small difference in each group’s approach to The Twelve Step Program, and it all begins with the very first step. However, it’s a difference that goes much deeper than that. 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.
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. As the person progresses through the program, he learns the importance of embracing these principles throughout every area of his life. In addition, he also becomes passionate about and learns the skills to help others as they begin and complete their own journey toward sobriety.
These are people who have been where you are, and who want to invest in you the way others have invested in them. There aren’t many places where you will find that kind of support. As AA took off, there was a group of people who were struggling with addiction, but they lacked the type of support people received in AA.
Anyone can drop in an open meeting, including friends and relatives, community members, and college students studying substance abuse. Closed meetings are reserved only for those with addiction issues. This often helps members feel more comfortable about opening up. 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 twelve traditions is to help members build healthier relationships and live drug-free lives.
They have found, however, that those who continue to go to meetings regularly stay clean more often than those who skip or stop attending. You can attend AA, NA, or any other meetings you’re comfortable with regardless if you’re an alcoholic or are addicted to other drugs. Though there’s small differences, both NA and AA use https://rehabliving.net/ the 12-step program that will help any type of addiction. You can attend an NA meeting on Tuesday and an AA meeting on Thursday – whichever helps you the most. 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.
Like all treatment programs, NA works for some and is not enough for others. Finding the right tools is essential to managing addiction; https://rehabliving.net/lean-what-is-purple-drank-why-is-it-so-dangerous/ NA is just one of many tools to recover. It’s important to understand that the meetings aren’t meant to be group therapy sessions.
Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA, has been around for almost 85 years. But up until this week, medical researchers weren’t quite sure just how well AA worked. Well, now a new review published by the Cochrane Collaboration has found that AA may lead to longer breaks from alcohol compared to other evidence-based treatments. Alcoholics Anonymous may be just as good or better than scientifically proven treatments to help people quit drinking, according to a new review.
There are no membership fees, and NA is an independent organization with no links to any treatment centers or religious groups. NA meetings are not based in any religion, but are rather grounded in spirituality. This refers to a higher power without defining what that is, as it can be different for everyone.
