Should I Go to NA or AA Meetings?

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are both organizations that offer support to individuals struggling with addiction, but they differ in their focus and some aspects of their approach. Here are the main differences between the two:

1. Primary Focus:

   • AA primarily focuses on helping individuals with alcohol addiction.
   • NA, on the other hand, is aimed at people struggling with addiction to drugs, including narcotics, prescription medications, and, in some cases, alcohol.

2. Founding and History:

   • AA is the older of the two organizations, founded in 1935. It was the first 12-step program, and its success led to the creation of other 12-step programs, including NA.
   • NA was founded later, in 1953, and adapted many of the principles and structures from AA but broadened the scope to include drug addictions beyond alcohol.

3. Literature:

   • AA uses the “Big Book,” officially titled “Alcoholics Anonymous,” as its main piece of literature. The Big Book outlines the 12 steps and shares stories of recovery.
   • NA has its own main text, often referred to as the “Basic Text.” The NA Basic Text adapts the 12 steps for a broader range of addictions and includes its own collection of personal stories.

4. Meeting Format:

   • While both AA and NA meetings can vary in format, AA meetings tend to focus primarily on issues related to alcohol.
   • NA meetings are more likely to include discussions about a wider range of substances.

5. Inclusivity of Substance:

   • In AA, the focus is usually specifically on alcohol, and sharing is generally confined to alcohol-related experiences.
   • In NA, members are encouraged to speak more generally about the addiction rather than naming specific substances, making it more inclusive for people with different types of drug addiction.

6. Membership:

   • AA asks only that members have a desire to stop drinking.
   • NA asks that members have a desire to stop using drugs, in general, including alcohol if it is used as a drug.

7. Global Reach and Size:

   • AA is larger and has a more extensive global presence compared to NA.
   • NA, while also international, has fewer meetings globally compared to AA.

Both AA and NA are based on the 12-step principles and have a spiritual component, where members are encouraged to surrender their addiction to a higher power. It’s important to note that what works as a recovery program varies for individuals, and some people might find one program more beneficial or better suited to their needs than the other. Also, some individuals attend both AA and NA meetings.

Yes, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) both use the 12-Step model for recovery. However, there are slight variations in the language they use in the steps.

Here are the 12 Steps as originally published by Alcoholics Anonymous:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Now, here are the 12 Steps as published by Narcotics Anonymous, with a focus on addiction in general, not just alcohol:

1. We admitted that we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

As you can see, the steps are very similar, with the primary difference being that AA’s steps specifically mention alcohol, while NA’s steps refer more generally to addiction. This reflects the broader focus of NA on drug addiction in general, not just alcohol.