AA vs NA: What You Need to Know About Addiction Recovery Meetings

NA believes in an abstinence model of recovery, which means being completely drug free. But if you’re addicted to opioids, you may be taking buprenorphine maintenance therapy (BMT). The group’s official position is that the only criteria for membership is a desire to stop using drugs. While AA is traditionally reserved for alcoholics and NA for drug addicts, those lines have mostly been erased with both types of addicts going to both types of meetings. Whether it’s AA or NA, find a meeting that you’re comfortable attending and that you believe will help you progress.

Making AA and NA Part of Treatment

People offer their experiences, strength, and hope during the meeting. NA is run very similar to AA, with the 12 Steps being a cornerstone of the program. The biggest difference is that those in NA struggle with an addiction to a drug or drugs, as opposed to just alcohol. Still, researchers found that there may be some benefits in going to NA meetings for people who are taking BMT. Many experts agree that socializing with others and doing service work can be powerful tools for those recovering from addiction.

Members meet regularly to share their experiences and support each other to quit drugs. 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. NA found troubles establishing itself outside of California until the 1980s when the crack and cocaine epidemic caused a surge in membership. NA bases its 12 steps and 12 traditions on AA’s program and has a basic text known as Narcotics Anonymous.

Among these recovery and aftercare programs is joining a support group to share experiences and find strength in other people’s recovery journeys. A second difference is that what happens when you drink alcohol on accutane AA members focus on a legal substance to overcome, but NA included illegal substances. A new type of therapy, with the goal of getting people engaged in 12 step programs and reduce drop out, was developed in the 1990s as part of a large research project. Those who said AA was not helpful said they couldn’t relate to others in AA groups, found there was too much negativity and complaining, or felt they could handle the problem on their own. For a more detailed description of this work, please see Robinson, Price, Kurtz, and Brower (2009).

What Are the 12 Steps of Narcotics Anonymous?

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 solutions based treatment 12-Step meeting attendance and involvement. 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. Because AA was designed to assist alcoholics, those who used recreational or prescription drugs weren’t included.

How Effective is Narcotics Anonymous (NA) for Drug Addiction?

If you’re new to recovery, you might wonder what the differences are between AA and NA. Perhaps you’ve heard people talk about these support groups while attending addiction treatment or have seen them mentioned on various websites. As you begin or continue your recovery from alcoholism or drug addiction, understanding what AA and NA are should serve you well.

Drugs & Supplements

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. He presented findings from his longitudinal study of teens in AA who were followed for 8 years. The sample was composed of 166 male and female teens (average age 16) who had yellow eyes alcohol completed an inpatient treatment program. 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.

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is one of the many support groups available for people who need a support network while recovering. This blog article covers the history of NA, its recovery techniques, and how you can join NA groups near you. Research shows when delivered according to a strict manual, it’s as effective as other established therapies for alcohol and other drug problems. 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.

1. The consensus among AA members is that NA is more appropriate for those struggling with a drug addiction.
2. Because alcohol and other drug problems are seen by AA/NA as an incurable disease, participation is a lifetime process.
3. Data support the idea that the 12-Step career, like the treatment career, consists of multiple interrupted episodes of participation.
4. Women were significantly more likely than men to sustain abstinence over 3 years although genders did not differ significantly at baseline.
5. Drug addicts are normally more comfortable in NA for the same reason.
6. By the end of 1983, NA had expanded into more than a dozen countries, offering almost 3,000 meetings worldwide.

Like all treatment programs, NA works for some and is not enough for others. Finding the right tools is essential to managing addiction; NA is just one of many tools to recover. Even if you don’t want to participate in a recovery program, these meetings won’t require you to sign up for a membership. Besides open meetings, you can also join online meetings (virtual meetings). It’s important to understand that the meetings aren’t meant to be group therapy sessions.

From what we do know, success at maintaining abstinence is fairly low, even according to the fellowship’s own data. One AA study found only 27% of participants were alcohol-free for up to a year (73% relapse rate) and only 13% maintained abstinence for more than five years. These figures are best case because they only include people who were still members of AA, not people who dropped out of the program. Another analysis estimated a 5-10% success rate at best (90-95% relapse rate). Because alcohol and other drug problems are seen by AA/NA as an incurable disease, participation is a lifetime process. Evidence from multiple lines of research supports the effectiveness and practical importance of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

NA (Narcotics Anonymous) and AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) are two of the most influential and effective substance abuse recovery groups. Thousands of people have benefited from these two programs to cure their alcohol or drug addictions. If the ideals and goals of 12-step programs appeal to you, it may be able to help maintain abstinence for a period of time. But if not, there is not enough evidence of effectiveness to compel someone to attend. Kelly spoke about the experience and outcomes of adolescents in 12-Step programs.

The important thing is to make the effort to accomplish each step. Remember to focus on working through the steps rather than criticize yourself based on the outcome. This is compared to an estimated relapse rate of around 40-60% for mainstream treatment. 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. Many of the results are published by the “fellowship”, as the 12-step movement refers to itself.