AA uses a 12-step model that begins with a person admitting that they’re powerless over alcohol and that their lives had become unmanageable. 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.
Typically, both NA and AA meetings begin with reading the 12 Steps. 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.
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. For men and women, doing service and having a home group was predictive of sustained abstinence over 3 years. Laudet discussed how some of these activities can be translated outside of the 12-Step context to benefit individuals who choose not to participate in 12-Step groups.
- The program is centered around twelve steps, which is often simply referred to as The Twelve Step Program.
- The sample was composed of 166 male and female teens (average age 16) who had completed an inpatient treatment program.
- Sister Francis who owned the farm tried to gift the spiritual retreat for alcoholics to Alcoholics Anonymous, however citing the sixth tradition Bill W.
- Finally, Laudet presented data from a quasi-experimental study on the influence of holding a 12-Step meeting on-site at a treatment program on clients’ 12-Step participation and substance use outcomes after treatment.
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 fentanyl addiction treatment and rehab center in colorado AA who were followed for 8 years. The sample was composed of 166 male and female teens (average age 16) who had completed an inpatient treatment program. Alcoholics Anonymous (or AA) began in 1935 by two men who had one unified goal.
Sobriety in AA: When drinking is no longer a party
Like AA, NA also utilizes the support group model of therapy because it has shown to be very effective in treating addictions of all kinds. 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 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. However, there are some differences between these two groups too, and they include more than just the addict’s chosen substance. While they may be subtle differences, they still exist.
Sober Cast: An (unofficial) Alcoholics Anonymous Podcast AA
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. Online meetings are digital meetings held on platforms such as Zoom.
Please note that .pdf files of NA books are not available online. We do offer e-books for sale online, and we continue to provide over half a million dollars’ in free or subsidize printed literature to addicts in need every year. Even if someone doesn’t put it in your treatment plan, Patterson advises people to try a few different options, including CBT and SMART Recovery, at least once if possible. Unlike AA, it doesn’t ask people to admit they’re powerless. There aren’t any higher powers involved, and addiction tends to be considered a habit rather than a disease. AA and NA literature, like the Big Books, are full of the reasoning behind the 12 steps and tools to help navigate sobriety.
Following his hospital discharge, Wilson joined the Oxford Group and tried to recruit other alcoholics to the group. These early efforts to help others kept him sober, but were ineffective in getting anyone else to join the group alcoholism recovery stages and get sober. Dr. Silkworth suggested that Wilson place less stress on religion (as required by The Oxford Group) and more on the science of treating alcoholism. Has been helping alcoholics recover for more than 80 years.
If you are looking to speak with a member of NA about local services, start by reaching out to the local NA Area Service Committee through their website or phone line. This is an effective way to connect with a local NA community. This search will pull up the closest 250 meetings to the location. History and current activities; sharing from groups, service committees, and individual A.A.
Insight from the arts and humanities placed empirical findings in a holistic context. Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as the “Big Book,” presents the A.A. First published in 1939, its purpose was to show other alcoholics how the first 100 people of A.A.
Understanding the Differences: AA vs NA
Others will involve discussions or reading from a chosen textbook. You won’t be called upon to answer questions or speak at all. All you need to do is listen and learn as much as you can. Like individual groups, the GSO is self-supporting. It does not accept donations from people or organizations outside of AA.
In a recent article, White (2010) expands on the future of AA and NA. In the study sample, 12-Step participation was common and intensive after inpatient treatment but fell off over time. However, despite declining attendance, early posttreatment attendance, even in relatively small amounts, predicted long-term helpful outcomes. Specifically, it was found that for every meeting attended there was a subsequent gain of approximately 2 days of abstinence.