Key takeaway
You wanted a room of people who have lived this, and you are not sure a screen counts. Many national groups hold online meetings. That support can sit beside care. It is not a clinical visit, and a helpline is not the meeting. Tonight, pick one group you can reach and read how it talks about medicine.
Last updated: Mon Oct 05 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
You wanted a room of people who have lived this, and you are not sure a screen counts. Or you reached a helpline and hoped it was that room. Those are different doors.
If someone will not wake, is breathing slowly, or is having a seizure, call 911. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988.
Pick one meeting you can reach
Talking with people who have dealt with similar problems can help, and many national groups hold online meetings. The groups named there are Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and SMART Recovery. The list is there so you can find support. It is not an approval of those programs.
Tonight, open that page and choose one meeting you can actually reach. SMART Recovery is a mutual-help charity. This website is a referral helpline. Compare fellowships in 12-step and other mutual help. A peer specialist is a worker, not a login. That job is described in peer support. A social feed is a third thing, covered in recovery and social media.
If you take methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone, read how the group talks about medicine before you stay. Moderated groups are preferable, and a comment that you must stop a prescribed medicine is not a medical order. Talk to the prescriber. What those medicines are for stays with the clinician.
Keep the clinical plan next to the meeting
In the absence of rigorous studies, digital mutual-help meetings likely mobilize the same supports as in-person meetings. There is limited clinically validated evidence that many recovery apps work. Some apps are free. Others charge for more content or for continued use. A group built around gender, age, or orientation can be the right room, and a neighbor's group can be the wrong one.
Electronic media are not meant to replace in-person contact. A clinical visit on video has its own rules, in telehealth for addiction. Professionally led digital support can fall under health-privacy law. An app may collect and sell information. A mutual-aid meeting is not automatically a clinical record. Privacy rules cover the treatment file.
Search FindTreatment.gov when you need a program, not only a meeting. Call or text (800) 653-9376 if you want help sorting a level of care. Say if you were looking for a meeting instead.
Additional Resources
Sources cited on this page:
- SAMHSA: Find a support group for mental health, drugs, or alcohol
- SAMHSA TIP 65, Chapter 4: Counseling approaches for sustaining recovery and promoting a healthy life (NCBI Bookshelf)
- SAMHSA TIP 63, Part 4: Bringing together addiction treatment counselors, clients, and healthcare professionals (NCBI Bookshelf)
- SAMHSA TIP 60: Using Technology-Based Therapeutic Tools in Behavioral Health Services (NCBI Bookshelf)
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov
Common Questions
Is an online support group the same as a peer specialist?
No. A mutual-aid meeting is a group people run for one another. A peer specialist is a nonclinical worker with lived experience. An online meeting can be mutual aid. It is not a certified peer session by default, and it is not clinical care. Talking with people who have dealt with similar problems can help. Help is not the same thing as treatment.
Does SAMHSA endorse a list of online meetings?
It names four national groups that often have online meetings: Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, NAMI, and SMART Recovery. The list is there so you can find support. SAMHSA is not benefiting from or approving those programs. Meeting times and local rooms live on each group's own site. SMART Recovery is a mutual-help charity. This helpline is a referral line.
Can an online group replace treatment or a local meeting?
Electronic media are not meant to replace in-person contact. In the absence of rigorous studies, a brief review indicates digital mutual-help meetings likely mobilize the same supports as in-person meetings. There is limited clinically validated evidence that many recovery apps are effective. A meeting on a screen can add support. A clinical video visit is a different appointment.
What if I take medication for opioid use disorder?
Check the group's content and tone on medication before you stay. Moderated groups are preferable to unmoderated ones. Internet mutual help, by chat or by a board where you post and wait, can matter in rural and remote areas. A comment that you must stop methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone is not a medical order. Talk to the prescriber.
Is this phone line an online peer group?
No. It is a referral line. The call is not a mutual-aid meeting and not a clinical session. If you wanted a meeting and reached this site, say so. If you might act on thoughts of suicide, call or text 988. For an overdose, call 911.