AA vs NA Meetings

Key takeaway

You can be afraid of the wrong room. A.A. says the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking, and aa.org is not a meeting finder. NA says the only requirement is a desire to stop using, and it does not keep a database of in-person meetings. The finders are separate. Neither fellowship is professionally led treatment.

Last updated: Mon Oct 05 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

You can want a meeting and still not know which fellowship is yours. Walking into the wrong room feels worse when you are already ashamed. The membership sentences are short, and they are not the same sentence. A.A.'s short-form Tradition Three says the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. NA's newcomer pamphlet says the only requirement is a desire to stop using. A.A. says aa.org is not a meeting finder. NA World Services says it does not keep a database of in-person meetings. You can use either finder, or both. The difference between the two fellowships is below. It is not a city schedule.

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Drinking, drugs, and the line NA draws through alcohol

A.A. is a fellowship about alcohol. The newcomer page says you may listen, and that there are no dues or fees. You do not join by paying. Closed A.A. meetings, on A.A.'s own meeting page, are for people with a drinking problem and a desire to stop drinking. Open meetings are available to anyone interested in the program. The open and closed guide stays on that A.A. rule. The first meeting guide covers the hour itself.

NA's welcome pamphlet says the drug used is not the point. Its introduction to meetings says the program begins with abstinence from all drugs, including alcohol. The same text says you are welcome if you are still using, detoxing, or on drug-replacement therapy, and that NA has no opinions on medical matters. The newcomer pamphlet says you do not have to be clean at the first meeting, and that there are no dues or fees. NA's group booklet uses the word addict for the closed-meeting rule: a closed meeting is for addicts or for people who think they might have a drug problem, and an open meeting welcomes visitors who are not members. That is NA's wording. It is not a label anyone else gets to assign you.

A person who drinks and also uses other drugs can find a meeting in either place. The fellowships do not share a roster. A listing on one finder is not automatically a listing on the other. Miami and the NA Miami guide are the same city and two sets of websites. Phoenix and the NA Phoenix guide split the same way.

Two maps, and a third name that is neither

A.A.'s Meeting Guide app is the national tool A.A. describes for meetings. A.A. says the app is free, relays information from more than 500 service entities, lists more than 150,000 weekly meetings, refreshes twice a day, and includes in-person and online meetings. Local intergroups and central offices keep the lists the app reads. If a row is wrong, A.A. says the correction goes to the entity that owns it. The how-to-find A.A. guide walks through that sequence. The online A.A. guide covers the phone and video format.

NA's in-person finder is a map of area and regional service committees. You open the marker, leave na.org, and read the local site. If the map looks empty, NA says to widen the search. Virtual meetings are a separate search. That page says results appear in your current time zone. The how-to-find NA guide and the online NA guide cover those clicks. The meetings page searches public A.A. and N.A. feeds. It does not verify each group, and it is not a SMART Recovery finder.

SMART Recovery is a separate peer program. Its meetings are not A.A. and not NA. SmarterRecovery is a referral helpline. The similar names are a spelling problem, not a merger. The SMART meetings guide keeps that split. Al-Anon is another fellowship again, for people affected by someone else's drinking. The Al-Anon online guide opens that door. A family member looking for an A.A. meeting and a member looking for an Al-Anon meeting are not asking for the same room.

What a meeting will not do

NIDA says mutual-help groups are not led by healthcare professionals, so they are not the same as treatment. NIDA also says groups affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous can complement and extend professional treatment, and that most of the research it describes on mutual-help groups is about 12-step programs, particularly Alcoholics Anonymous. That sentence is not an NA success rate, and it is not an A.A. success rate. NIDA does not print one in that summary.

NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening if a person who chronically drinks heavily stops suddenly, rather than cutting back or stopping with medical support. A meeting is the wrong place to test that warning. The medication guide explains methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone, without doses. Do not stop a prescribed medicine because of a share in either fellowship.

Search FindTreatment.gov or call SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), when the need is a program. Call or text (800) 653-9376 if you want help finding a program. If you want a meeting, pick the finder that matches the fellowship, and confirm the listing with the group.

Additional Resources

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Common Questions

Which meeting is for alcohol, and which is for other drugs?

A.A.'s short-form Tradition Three says the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. NA's newcomer pamphlet says the only requirement is a desire to stop using. NA says the drug used is not the point, and that its program begins with abstinence from all drugs, including alcohol. Start with A.A. for a meeting about drinking. Start with NA for drug use, including alcohol as a drug. Many people try both and keep the one that fits.

Why are the finders different?

A.A. says its website does not contain a meeting finder. It points to the Meeting Guide app, which relays local listings for in-person and online meetings and refreshes twice a day. NA says it does not keep a database of in-person meetings. Its finder shows area and regional markers, and the meeting list is on the local site. Virtual NA meetings are a separate search, shown in your current time zone.

Can I attend if I still use, or if I take medication?

NA says you are welcome if you are still using, detoxing, or on drug-replacement therapy, and that it has no opinions on medical matters. A.A.'s newcomer page says you may listen and that there are no dues or fees. Neither sentence is permission to stop a prescribed medicine. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening if a person who chronically drinks heavily stops suddenly. The medication guide covers methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone without doses. A meeting share is not a prescriber.

Are open and closed meetings the same choice in both?

The words look alike and the rules are each fellowship's own. A.A. says open meetings are available to anyone interested in the program, and closed meetings are for people with a drinking problem and a desire to stop drinking. NA's group booklet says a closed meeting is for addicts or for people who think they might have a drug problem, and that an open meeting welcomes visitors who are not members. NA uses the word addict in that rule. The open-versus-closed guide is the A.A. version of the choice. Read the listing you plan to attend.

Is a referral line either fellowship, or SMART Recovery?

No. SmarterRecovery is a referral helpline. SMART Recovery is a separate peer program with its own meetings and its own finder. A.A. and NA are two more programs, each with its own lists. Al-Anon is for people affected by someone else's drinking, and it has its own meetings. NIDA says mutual-help groups are not led by healthcare professionals, so they are not the same as treatment. If you wanted a meeting, use the fellowship's own finder.