Question about the 12 Step Program

I was just wondering about the 12 Step Program.  Is there a difference in the programs of AA and NA?

My brother is a 19yr in July recovering alcoholic and drug addict and he BELIEVES in AA and the 12 Steps.  He works his program everyday.  I would be asking him this, but he works overseas in the oilfied in Saudi Arabia and is gone right now.  He lives 3 hrs away from me anyway.

Can the 12 step program be done at home with a sponsor or should it be done in a recovery facility?  I know he had to fully complete his 12 steps before he could be released.

I haven't taken that step into NA yet and haven't decided if I am going to or not.  My program has been to rely on God above and hang on everyword that He writes in the Bible for my day to day sanity.  Plus the posts in this forum and the one friend who keeps me on my toes when they haven't heard from me in several days.  I need that encouragement and accountability.

Where can the information be bought for the program?  And, Don't they have a "book" they use in the program.  Sorry for all the questions.  I googled it but couldn't get any definite info.
I think that getting to the root of my addiction is going to be the key factor in my staying clean.  Reading "End Your Addiction Now", by Dr Gant has helped me SOOOO much too.  Didn't realize I have been killing my body!!  One day at a time...one minute, one second.  Recovery is a journey, not a destination.

Until Then,
LL

[Marce4]

I actually went to one NA meeting last year (my first UNSUCCESSFUL detox) and they gave me two books. One has many inspirational stories and I have read that book over and over again and one is their handbook with the 12 steps and how to work them....While I haven't been back to a meeting (I won't make excuses....just afraid to go back!) the book really  has helped me so much.  Would you consider trying a meeting? If you don't like it either find another one or don't go....we have free will right?  It really is good reading and very helpful!

[tztlady]

NA is a great program and you can google Narcotics Anonymous and find a meeting schedule online.  They have meetings literally everywhere.  They also have online meetings.  The 12 steps are awesome not only for recovery but for life.
There is a person on this forum who preaches the NA program and he/she is very mean to others.  This person is not a representative of NA so please don't judge the program by the way this person acts.  Anywhere there is a group of people, there is a person who likes to cause trouble.  If this person (I think it is "look here" or something like that) was truly working a program he would work some steps on his hostility and make amends.

The main difference between NA and AA is that AA focuses on alcohol.  The steps aren't different.  There is even OA (overeaters anony.) and they work steps on food addiction.
If you want to work the steps go to a meeting and just introduce yourself.  When you get to know some people ask someone to sponsor you.  If you don't click with a group, try a different meeting.  I think AA has older people, at least they used to.
Best of luck to you.

[CATUF]

AA & NA follow the same template and format.  AA came first, being formed in 1935 as an offshoot of the Oxford Group, which started in England in the early 1900's.  While AA (and NA) have the 12 Steps, the Oxford Group had 4 Absolute Truths: Absolute Honesty; Absolute Unselfishness; Absolute Purity; and Absolute Love.  (See www.recovery.org/aa/bigbook/ww/chapter_5.html and www.na.org/ips/eng/how.htm)

The 12 Steps are substantively the same for both AA & NA.  The only differences are in Step 1 and 12:

Step 1: We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol [our addiction,] - that our lives had become unmanageable

Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics [addicts] and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

As you'll note if you look over the Steps, alcohol and addiction are not mentioned after Step 1.  The rest of the program (11/12's) is focused on building healthy relationships with God, self and others.  I find that to be the case in meetings too, most of the talk is not about drinking or using - it's about living.  

Although my addiction was most recently, and most severely, with drugs only, I attend AA almost exclusively.  In some areas NA is very good and there are some meetings I love.  But around here the NA crowd tends to be quite a bit rougher (and some of the AA crowd is pretty rough), more into being cool than Recovery - maybe I'm just too old for them.

The magic of AA happens in the Rooms, with other people.  I wouldn't do it at home, alone unless it was not possible to go to meetings.

[longing4life]

Thanks for the information yall.  I am really serious about getting my life back together again, starting from the inside out.

Until Then,
LL