What Narateen Is, for Teens and Parents

Key takeaway

Narateen is part of Nar-Anon for teenagers affected by someone else's addiction. Alateen is the Al-Anon fellowship for young people, mostly teenagers, affected by someone else's drinking. The teen room is for the young people. If you are the parent who is hurting, Nar-Anon is a meeting you can use for yourself.

Last updated: Tue Oct 06 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

You are a teenager, and the drug problem in the house is not yours, except that you live inside it. Or you are a parent awake in the hall, trying to find a room where your kid can talk to someone who gets it, without you translating every sentence. Either way, the name you want is Narateen, and it is easy to mix up with a different fellowship that sounds almost the same.

Narateen is part of Nar-Anon. It is for teens affected by someone else's addiction. That is the whole doorway. A parent who uses. A sibling. A friend. The person does not have to be in the car with you, and they do not have to want help.

The other name, so you do not walk into the wrong room

Alateen is part of Al-Anon Family Groups. It is a fellowship of young people, mostly teenagers, whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking, whether that person is drinking now or not. Alateen is not a religious program. There are no fees or dues. The Alateen guide is that door. Use it when the thing tearing up the house is alcohol.

Narateen is the door when the thing is someone else's addiction. The names sit next to each other in your head because they were built for a similar kind of hurt. They are not the same meeting. If you send a teenager who is living with pills into a room that is about drinking, they may spend the hour translating. If the bottle is the real problem, Alateen is the closer fit. If the house has both, they can try the room that matches the nights they cannot sleep through. You do not have to declare a winner.

Nar-Anon itself is a worldwide fellowship for those affected by someone else's addiction. The only requirement for membership is a problem of addiction in a relative or friend. The program was adapted from NA, and it has its own Steps, Traditions, and Concepts. There are no dues or fees. It is not affiliated with any other organization. Narateen sits inside that fellowship, for the teens.

If you are the teenager

You can just listen. In a Nar-Anon meeting, one person speaks at a time. There is no dialogue, debate, or cross-talk. You do not have to explain your parent, defend them, or turn the hour into a report for anybody waiting in the parking lot. The focus is on you, not on the other person's problems or their treatment.

The group decides the format, within the traditions. You might land in a meeting that is sharing, a step or tradition study, a topic, or a speaker. If the first room feels wrong, that can be the format, or the people, or the night. Nar-Anon suggests you attend at least six meetings before you decide. Six is a suggestion. It is not a bill you owe, and it is not proof you are broken if you need a different meeting on night two.

Some groups pass a basket for literature, rent, and donations beyond the group. Some ask newcomers and visitors not to contribute. You can keep your hands in your lap. Nobody is going to invoice you for the chair.

You do not have to perform a story about how bad it is at home. If all you can do is sit near the door and hear other people talk, that counts.

If you are the parent

The fellowship is for the young people. You are hurting too, and that hurt has its own room. Nar-Anon is for you if there is a problem of addiction in a relative or friend. That relative can be your child, or it can be the person whose using is landing on your child. The Nar-Anon guide walks through the hour. The focus stays on you. You are not there to manage someone else's using.

If the problem that is eating your family is drinking, your room is Al-Anon, and the young person's room is Alateen. The family guide and the Al-Anon guide are those doors. Al-Anon will meet you whether or not the person who drinks admits a problem or seeks help.

You can look up a meeting for yourself on the same night you look one up for them. You do not have to have the perfect words ready when you tell a teenager a meeting exists. You can say you found a room for people their age who are living with someone else's drug problem, and that you are going to your own meeting because you need one too.

Tonight

Search meetings and confirm the listing before you count on the time. The search on this site is not a verified directory. Read how the group describes itself so you are not sending a teen to an adult meeting by accident, or to Alateen when Narateen is the fit. How to find Al-Anon meetings helps when the problem is drinking. For drug use in the family, start from Nar-Anon's own meeting information, and still confirm the day.

If a young person is being hurt, if someone is overdosing, or if the house is violent, call 911 before you look for a meeting. If they are in a mental health crisis, or you are, call or text 988. A meeting is peer support. NIDA describes mutual-help groups as peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment. If someone has been drinking heavily and stops suddenly, NIAAA says withdrawal can be life-threatening. Get medical help. The withdrawal page is that emergency, not a fellowship question.

If an adult in the house is willing to look at treatment, call (800) 653-9376. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral. The line is not Nar-Anon, and it is not SMART Recovery. SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), is a treatment referral line, free and confidential, in English and Spanish. FindTreatment.gov lists licensed care. The teen can still look for their meeting tonight, whether or not that adult says yes.

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Common Questions

What is Narateen?

Narateen is part of Nar-Anon for teens affected by someone else's addiction. Nar-Anon is a worldwide fellowship for people affected by someone else's addiction. The only requirement for Nar-Anon membership is a problem of addiction in a relative or friend. There are no dues or fees, and the fellowship is not affiliated with any other organization. If the person whose using is wrecking the house is a parent, a sibling, or a friend, this is the teen room that matches drugs.

How is Narateen different from Alateen?

Alateen is part of Al-Anon Family Groups. It is a fellowship of young people, mostly teenagers, whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking, whether that person is drinking now or not. Alateen is not a religious program, and it has no fees or dues. Narateen is the Nar-Anon fellowship for teens affected by someone else's addiction. Drinking points toward Alateen. Drugs point toward Narateen. If the house has both, a young person can try the room that matches what they are actually living with.

Where does a parent go if the teenager needs Narateen?

The fellowship is for the young people. If you are the parent who is hurting, Nar-Anon is there for you. The only requirement is a problem of addiction in a relative or friend. You can just listen. One person speaks at a time. The focus stays on you, not on managing your child's using or their treatment. The Nar-Anon guide is the longer picture of that hour. You get your own chair, and you can look for it on the same night.

Does a teenager have to talk?

No. In Nar-Anon, one person speaks at a time. There is no dialogue, debate, or cross-talk, and you can just listen. The group is autonomous about format, within the traditions, so the hour might be sharing, a step or tradition study, a topic, or a speaker. Nar-Anon suggests attending at least six meetings before you decide whether it fits. That is a suggestion, not a dare. Some meetings ask newcomers and visitors not to contribute to the basket. You can sit there without paying.

What if a teen is in danger tonight?

Call 911 if a young person is being hurt, if someone is overdosing, or if the house is violent. Call or text 988 if they are in a mental health crisis, or if you are. A meeting is peer support. NIDA describes mutual-help groups as peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment. If someone has been drinking heavily and stops suddenly, NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening. Get medical help. A teen meeting cannot detox anybody.