AA/NA - What’s the difference?

Personally, I don't think there really is much difference other than maybe the crowd at NA is usually younger. Some alcoholics used to take offense to people bringing up drugs in AA meetings but it was kind of ridiculous because if you look in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous there are some stories of alcoholics who's experience included drugs. Alcohol is a drug. Not many people these days have experience with just one or the other. It's usually both.

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I’ve seen groups in both fellowships that are older, conservative, mostly one gender, younger, open minded, catering to agnosticism, strongly faith based, and mixes of all the above. I go to NA and AA and DAA interchangeably. I return regularly to meetings I like. Some meetings suck but some great meetings have shitty members. Don’t run from recovery because of one meeting or one person at a meeting. I abused many things but can work steps following any 12 step model.

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Great point Michael. I've talked to people who stopped going to a group just because of one person. I told them, you should not do that because people come in all different shapes and sizes. You're there for the recovery and fellowship. I would just ignore toxic people.
Some are sicker than others.

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The N and the A are different. Come on now that was too easy, I’ve done harder “find the difference” in the back of Highlights magazine :rofl:

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Thanks for your supportive comment! Very helpful :ok_hand:t2:

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Lol I knew it’d help

Not all treatment facilities are equal.

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Michael did Sum it up very well :slight_smile: If AA folk wouldn't have given given narcotic attics such a problem, they would have never had to Of formed the group. A lot of AA members even today misinterpret some of the traditions, Thinking that drugs are an outside issue and shouldn't be brought up. If you read the long form of tradition 10 there's no confusion. Drug addicts can share as much as they want to. Good luck whichever program you choose any one will work if you let it :slight_smile:

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Thank God my small town group doesn’t follow traditional AA structure. Our meetings are both NA/AA. They are meetings for addicts trying to quit. From my experience in the program it’s mostly the old timers (and I’m 50) who were “only” alcoholics. Most everyone 30 and under has drug and alcohol problems. It works for us, but we are only a dozen or so. On a large scale I could see it being problematic

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I have found there are more AA meetings in general. In muu it area, AA cab be mostly white, middle class people holding full time jobs, while people in NA tend to be (not all of them are), people of color, and from poor and working class communities. I

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In my experience A LOT of folks in AA also struggled with other substances; several people have used/ use both programs. It shouldn't be too hard to find a sponsor in either program who has had struggles with both. Have you asked the woman you're working with if narcotics are a part of her story? I'd encourage you to hit up a few different meetings of both; maybe even CA- cocaine anonymous- they use the AA book but are completely inclusive; nothing is this or that; it's all together. If you keep looking I promise you'll find the right fit :slightly_smiling_face:

Principals over personalities...

There is not much of a difference. Honestly, maturity within the groups may be the only difference. AA is more mature. I believe I benefited the most from AA. Alot of old timers. NA is great as well, especially because they will completely unde just how far you went . But really it's all the same CA, AA, NA.. it really , to me atleast, depends on which fellowship(.or group of people at the meetings ) that you feel most comfortable with.

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I love that they do both into one :heart:

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they’re basically identical as far as the program goes. It’s all AA really. NA is just AA packaged to make drug addicts feel more welcome. That’s basically what all the other A’s are too. these days half my AA meetings might as well be NA meetings though so the distinction is basically pointless. We’re all in this together

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Yes, I live in a small rural town. I used to have to drive 45 min for meetings. Now there one 5 min. In such a small town we could never keep an NA & AA going. Plus we are all addicts

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It’s exactly the same program. 12 steps. Just switched around some words to be applied for drug addicts as well. The stigma about NA in my experience just stems from the fact it’s typically a younger crowd and people are judgemental assholes and think young people are incapable of being serious or something. Some of the best, most spiritual, loving people I have ever met, with solid solid programs, were in NA. Give it a try. I will say there are huge diffences in the experience of a drug addict and alcoholic. Hear sooo many people say “yeah that meeting was terrible some dude was nodding off in the back”-So if there’s some newcomers in the meeting, nodding off or tracked out, remember where you are. That’s normal, that’s okay, doesn’t mean it’s a shitty meeting, it means another one of us is trying to get help.

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I got interrupted while speaking in an aa meeting because I brought up drugs. There definitely are some piece of trash purebred aas left. Avoid those scumbags like the plague

Yea a guy was nodding out of the meeting where some scumbag interrupted my talk about my strength and hope. They walked him out like a bunch of a fake prideful idiots