MMN

I'm a newcomer here and haven't yet tried either AA or NA although both are available in my area.
Alcohol has until recently been my poison of choice.
I've been clean for 7 days.

Does anyone here have any perspective on the pros/cons of AA/NA?

Thanks

Spawn

I think it's important to go to as many meetings as possible to see which ones you feel comfortable in.

Dee74

I don't do either - but I've known people here with alcohol problems to use both, or either.
Why not try both and choose that way?

D

Mark75

Oh, you will get lots of opinions on AA vs. NA... If alcohol is your problem, or the main problem, AA is an excellent choice. If drugs are your problem, then NA might be the best choice.

But, you really should try both of them and make your own decision.

Mark

nogard

good advice here, try both and decide after 3 months which one is for you.

Or do both, I do

Lilly03

I just started going, but I do both. The best thing you can do is try a lot of meetings to find the meetings you are comfortable in, like Spawn said.

augustwest

only way to find out is to check out both. i was sober in aa for a year then relapsed for a horrific 3.5 years. upon my return i went to both and found that the identification i was needed was more available in na. my problem was drugs and alcohol, and in na alcohol is drug. it's just where i feel most at home. the process is essentially the same. i'm just glad there are numerous programs so we can find the empathy and identification necessary to begin and continue the recovery process.

julez

Wow, this is a great thread. I didn't realize that you could go to NA for alcoholism. Whats the difference in the way NA approaches recovery?

Anna

Hi,

Welcome!

I don't use either, but I know you will find lots of support here.

Itchy

The approach is pretty much the same julez, the shares are very different in content, but not in the path out. Many times there is a dual substance abuse problem in that the primary substance may be alcohol then the secondary may be from pot to heroin. And vice versa.

Found

I hope NA members will correct me if I'm wrong & add their thoughts on this in any event but meantime -

- on the rare occasions I went to an NA meeting I heard some people saying they were an addict and an alcoholic

- their drug use had been their problem that they bring to that meeting. For some of them that includes alcohol, for some it doesn't (they might be able to drink safely). Alcohol is legal for over (whatever age) whereas some addictive drugs are not, so they tailor the way they share accordingly

- one needs to choose one's sponsor from the fellowship corresponding to the programme one is embarking on

Both fellowships & programmes hold that one should continue using prescription medicines (and I group with these, those OTC medicines my use of which my GP approves of) contrary to what one may be told by some individuals.

Some crossover attendees are passing through and there wasn't a meeting of their usual fellowship at that time/on that day in that locality (that was the case with me when I went to NA), so they were welcomed there on that basis, respecting the differences and especially the sensitivity of the issues.

Julez, if you find yourself in that position why not ask some of their officers, being open with them about where you are coming from & they will I'm sure be happy to give you guidance.

And MMN too, I'm sure people at both fellowships will be keen to brief you. Wishing you many times 7 days - a day, an hour at a time.

I've come to accept that if we get cracking with our programme with a sponsor we can underpin our abstinence as the basis of our recovery.

glitter

I fell in love with narcotics , but alcohol plays a huge role in my addiction as well. I wouldn't necessarily say that I used to drink like an alcoholic, but alcohol does change the way I feel and think and for me would be my substance of relapse. In my opinion, while both 12 step programs are basically the same, the books are different. I enjoy and relate MUCH more to the NA book. I have an NA sponsor.

I do however have a homegroup in both NA and AA where people know me by name and notice if I'm absent from a meeting that I regularly attend. I go to meetings 5-7 days a week, sometimes more if I feel I need it.

In my first 6 weeks of sobriety (I have almost 5 months now) I attended a variety of meetings from small meetings with only 10-12 people to meetings with 50-60 or more. I hardly ever went to the same meeting twice at first. I'm very fortunate to live in an area with LOTS of AA and NA meetings to choose from at all times of the day and night. I eventually found where I felt comfortable. The AA group that I attend has no problem with people sharing about their drug use. Some do and will say so - this has been my experience with the meetings I have gone to.

Like others have said, check out a variety of meetings of both fellowships. There IS a place for you and only you can decide what that place is!

All the best!

glitter

Sometimes I think we think too much in trying to figure out whcih fellowship is a fit for us....the pros and cons....the this substance vs that substance.

I would say just go and find the place where YOU feel comfortable.

It doesn't need to be - and is not that complicated.

Ninsuna

OK, NA folks help me out here.
I am in AA and don't "qualify" for NA. However, I had coffee with an NA member who was telling me about the fourth step in NA's literature. It sounded to me me like it was a lot more exhaustive and provided a long list of questions to use in doing your fourth step.
The way this person talked about NA's lit, it sounded quite different from AA and really intriging.

Itchy

Ninsuna, just go to some NA meetings and see what you think. I went to one and I was just an Alcoholic. That group had no issues with my being there.

DayTrader

Give them both a try and see for yourself. Also, do some "investigating" (ie prayer, meditation, and thinking) about what your reality is. Are you a narcotics addict or are you an alcoholic.

I found my truth - I'm an alcoholic that did drugs too....but I was able to quit the drugs without too much trouble... quit hanging around dealers, thinking through the drug, making healthier choices and so forth. I hadn't lost the power of choice when it comes to cocaine, ecstasy, etc... so that qualifies me as a moderate or heavy user/abuser of drugs but not a real addict. Alcohol, on the other hand, I couldn't give up on my own. All of MY best efforts never worked for long. That makes me a chronic alcoholic.....and I need to be in recovery with other recovering chronic alcoholics. I've heard too many horror stories about NA folks hiding out in AA or AA folks hiding out in NA.

johndelko408

I would suggest the same thing as most of the rest. Try them both and see which one fits you better. I personally do both AA and NA because I was a dual abuser, alcohol and pot. Other than the wording of the steps and traditions and a different book, they both deal with addiction. In AA they ask that you keep your discussions about alcohol. In NA on the other hand alcohol is considered a drug and you are allowed to speak about it. The only time you can't speak about alcohol in a NA meeting is when it is a closed meeting, that means that its strictly for addicts. That's not to say you couldn't sit in and listen, you just can't speak about alcohol. I like them both though, the stories are basically the same, the difference is the drug of choice. In either case your still dealing with addiction. I look at it like this, alcohol and drugs were never my problem, I was my problem, the alcohol and drugs were but symptoms of my disease; addiction. Hope this helps you out.