SMART Recovery vs AA

You wanted a meeting and two similar names got in the way. SMART Recovery and Alcoholics Anonymous are different free peer meetings, and SmarterRecovery, this website, is not SMART Recovery.

That mix-up is maddening when you are already ashamed, or scared, or just trying to get through tonight without a drink. You do not have to solve your whole life before you sit in a chair. You also do not have to pick a team and defend it. Read what each program says about itself, then go to one meeting and listen.

What A.A. says it is

Alcoholics Anonymous describes itself as a fellowship of people who come together to solve their drinking problem. It does not cost anything to attend. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about their drinking. The newcomer page says anyone with a desire to stop drinking is welcome, you can just sit and listen, and there are no dues or fees. Groups are supported by member contributions.

Members use the Twelve Steps. A.A. calls those steps a set of spiritual principles. The program is one alcoholic talking with another about what drinking did and what they did next. A.A. says it is not allied with any group, cause, or religious denomination. Some meetings open with a moment of silence or the Serenity Prayer. A.A.'s meeting page describes that custom. You are not required to join a prayer, and you do not have to speak.

Open meetings are for anyone interested in A.A.'s program. Closed meetings are for members, or for people who have a drinking problem and a desire to stop drinking. If you are there for your own drinking, either can fit. If you are only there to watch, choose an open meeting.

If you want the longer picture of a first A.A. room, read what to expect at your first A.A. meeting.

What SMART Recovery says it is

SMART Recovery says SMART means Self-Management and Recovery Training, and that SMART Recovery USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its meetings, online and in person, are mutual support. Participants design their own recovery plan. The organization says meetings and online services are free of charge, and that donations are requested.

The tools it publishes follow a 4-Point Program: building and maintaining motivation, coping with urges, managing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and living a balanced life. SMART Recovery says those methods include cognitive-behavioral and motivational approaches, and that the methods change as the science changes. It also says the power to change does not depend on a spiritual viewpoint. Using religious or spiritual practice is a personal choice, and it is not part of their program.

On other fellowships, SMART Recovery is plain: the approach differs in some ways from A.A. and N.A., it does not exclude them, and some participants attend both. It supports legally prescribed medication. A meeting still is not a prescriber.

Our SMART Recovery overview says the same thing in more detail, including the part people miss: this helpline is not that organization.

Which one tonight

If you want a Twelve Step meeting about drinking, start with A.A. If the God language or the steps are the thing that has kept you out, SMART Recovery is a real alternative, not a lesser one. If drugs are part of the story, N.A. is the other fellowship our finder covers. Plenty of people visit more than one before a room feels like theirs.

You can do that tonight.

• For A.A. or N.A., open the meeting finder and pick a time you can make. An online meeting counts. You can keep the camera off in a lot of video meetings.
• For SMART Recovery, use their own meeting finder on smartrecovery.org. Our finder searches public A.A. and N.A. listings. It is not a SMART directory.

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. If you are in a mental health crisis, call or text 988. If you have been drinking heavily and you are shaky, sick, or frightened about stopping, talk to a doctor before you quit. A meeting cannot manage withdrawal. There is a longer note on that in how to quit drinking without A.A..

If you also want help finding a treatment program, you can call or text (800) 653-9376. That line is a referral helpline. It is not a SMART meeting, and it is not an A.A. group.

This is general information, not medical advice. A meeting is peer support. It is not a hospital, and it does not replace a clinician.

Additional Resources

Sources cited on this page:

• Alcoholics Anonymous: What is A.A.?
• Alcoholics Anonymous: Need help with a drinking problem?
• Alcoholics Anonymous: What to Expect at an A.A. Meeting
• SMART Recovery: About us
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Common Questions