A.A. vs N.A.

Where each program came from

A.A. (1935)

A.A. began in 1935 in Akron, Ohio, with the meeting between Bill W., a stockbroker from New York, and Dr. Bob, an Akron surgeon. Both had struggled with alcohol; both had been told that alcoholism was a hopeless condition. The first A.A. meeting was their conversation. The fellowship grew slowly through the late 1930s, and the publication of the basic text Alcoholics Anonymous in 1939 (now commonly called the Big Book) gave the program its name and its written foundation.

N.A. (1953)

Narcotics Anonymous was founded in 1953 in Sun Valley, California, by a small group of addicts who had tried A.A. but felt the program did not address their experience with drug addiction directly. They adapted A.A.'s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, changed the focus from alcohol to addiction broadly, and developed N.A.'s own literature over the following decades. N.A.'s growth was slower than A.A.'s through the mid-twentieth century but accelerated significantly from the 1980s onward.

Scope and language

This is where the programs diverge most clearly. The difference is more than vocabulary; it reflects how each fellowship understands the problem.

In A.A., members identify as alcoholics and the program is for people with a problem with alcohol. A.A.'s long-standing tradition of "singleness of purpose" holds that the program is for alcoholism specifically. This focus is what gives A.A. members shared ground at meetings; everyone in the room has the same problem.

In N.A., members identify as addicts and the program treats all mood-altering substances, including alcohol, as expressions of the same underlying condition. N.A.'s literature is consistent about this: alcohol is a drug. Members who previously drank as well as used other substances do not distinguish in N.A. between the two.

Meeting format

The two programs run nearly identical formats. A newcomer walking into either would notice the same shape:

Both run open and closed meetings (open to anyone; closed to members), discussion meetings, speaker meetings, and step study meetings. Both rotate a chairperson at each meeting, open with readings, and close with a group prayer or the Serenity Prayer. Both pass a basket for voluntary contributions, neither requires payment.

The cultural feel of meetings can differ. N.A. meetings tend to have a younger member base on average and often a more demonstrative culture around sharing. A.A. meetings, on average, lean older and run slightly more reserved. These are generalizations and vary widely from group to group; a Tuesday-night A.A. step study in Brooklyn and a Sunday morning N.A. meeting in Phoenix may feel very different from each other regardless of which fellowship they belong to.

Literature

A.A.'s core literature includes Alcoholics Anonymous (the Big Book, first published 1939), Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (1953), and pamphlets published by A.A. World Services. Daily reflection books like Daily Reflections and As Bill Sees It are also widely used by members.

N.A.'s core literature includes the Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text (first published 1983), It Works: How and Why (a step study guide, 1993), and Just for Today as the daily reader. N.A. literature is published by Narcotics Anonymous World Services in Chatsworth, California.

The two bodies of literature read differently in places. A.A.'s Big Book is written from the perspective of mid-twentieth-century alcoholism and reflects the language of its era. N.A.'s Basic Text is written in plainer contemporary prose and addresses substances broadly. Members who have read both often describe N.A.'s text as more accessible on a first reading and A.A.'s Big Book as having more rewards on rereading.

Choosing between them

A practical way to decide:

• If alcohol is your only substance: Start with A.A. The program is built around your specific experience and shared experience among members is more precise.
• If your substance use is broader: Start with N.A., or attend both. N.A. addresses everything at once. A.A. groups vary in how they handle drug-related sharing.
• If you are not sure which problem is primary: Try both for a few meetings each. Most cities have several of each per week; the directory above lists A.A. meetings and many A.A. intergroups can point you toward local N.A. listings.
• If geography or schedule limits your options: Take whatever meeting is available. Both programs are recognized within recovery circles as legitimate; many members report that the early-recovery work of attending meetings consistently matters more than the specific fellowship.

Neither program competes with the other. Both publish literature acknowledging the existence of similar fellowships and recommend members go where they feel best supported.

Attending both

A significant number of recovery members attend both A.A. and N.A. on a regular basis. This is common, accepted in both fellowships, and often described by members as the most practical approach when both substances were part of the history.

If you attend both, you can have a sponsor in each program, take Steps in one and apply them in both, and adjust your meeting schedule as your needs change. Some members anchor their week with a home group in one fellowship and visit meetings in the other; some split evenly. There is no expected balance.

The language can take getting used to. Identifying as an alcoholic on Monday and an addict on Wednesday feels strange at first; most members report that this resolves after a few weeks of attending both.