12 Step Meetings & Groups Descriptions

Al-Anon

Al-Anon is an international “fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength, and hope in order to solve their common problems.”

Alateen

Alateen known as Al-Anon Family Groups, is an international “fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength, and hope in order to solve their common problems.” They help families of alcoholics by practicing the Twelve Steps.

Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid movement declaring its “primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.” Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith (Bill W. and Dr. Bob) in Akron, Ohio.

Cocaine Anonymous

Cocaine Anonymous (CA) is a twelve-step program for people who seek recovery from cocaine, crack, speed or similar substances. CA is patterned very closely after Alcoholics Anonymous.

Celebrate Recovery

Christian-focused twelve-step program for recovery from various behaviors.

Clutterers Anonymous

Clutterers Anonymous (CLA) is a twelve-step program for people who share a common problem with accumulation of clutter. The only requirement for membership is a desire to eliminate clutter and bring order into one’s life.

Crystal Meth Anonymous

Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA) is a California Non-Profit, Public Benefit Corporation working as a twelve-step fellowship of recovered and recovering methamphetamine addicts.

Co-Anon

Co-Anon (formerly CocAnon) is a program for families of cocaine users, analogous to Al-Anon for the friends and family of alcoholics.[/column][/row]

CoDA – Co-Dependents Anonymous

Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA) is a twelve-step program for people who share a common desire to develop functional and healthy relationships. CoDA was founded in 1986 in Phoenix, Arizona.[/column][/row]

COSA – Codependents of Sex Addicts

COSA is a recovery program for family or friends whose lives have been affected by someone else’s compulsive sexual behavior. Each COSA member may choose to define him/herself as a codependent of sexual addiction.[/column][/row]

COSLAA – CoSex and Love Addicts Anonymous

COSLAA is another twelve-step fellowship created to support the family members and friends of sex and love addicts.[/column][/row]

DA – Debtors Anonymous

Debtors Anonymous (DA) is a twelve-step program for people who want to stop incurring unsecured debt. Collectively they attend more than 500 weekly meetings in nine countries. Those who compulsively incur unsecured debt are said to be engaged in compulsive debting and are known as compulsive debtors.

Eating Disorders Anonymous

Eating Disorders Anonymous (EDA) is a fellowship of individuals who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problems and help others to recover from their eating disorders.

EA – Emotions Anonymous

Emotions Anonymous (EA) is a twelve-step program for recovery from mental and emotional illness. As of 2004 there were approximately 1,100 EA groups active in the United States.

EHA – Emotional Health Anonymous

Emotional Health Anonymous (EHA), was created from, Emotions Anonymous (EA) which is a twelve-step program for recovery from mental and emotional illness. Neurotics Anonymous is a predecessor of EA.

FA – Families Anonymous

Families Anonymous (FA) is a twelve-step program for relatives and friends of addicts. FA was founded in 1971 by a group of parents in Southern California concerned with their children’s substance abuse. As of 2007 there are FA meetings in more than 20 countries and about 225 regular meetings in the United States.

FA – Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA) is a twelve step program, based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. Its members are people who could not control their eating behavior or were obsessed with food.

FAA – Food Addicts Anonymous

Food Addicts Anonymous is a twelve-step program for people with a bio chemical food addictions, patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous. The program is based on the premise that some people are addicted to refined high-carbohydrate foods and need to abstain from those foods in order to avoid overconsumption.

GA – Gamblers Anonymous

Gamblers Anonymous (GA) is a twelve-step program for problem gamblers. The only requirement for GA membership is a desire to stop gambling.

Gam-Anon/Gam-A-Teen

Gam-Anon and Gam-A-Teen for spouses and children of problem gamblers. In the USA only you can find a meeting or talk to a live GA volunteer by calling 888-GA-HELPS(4357).

GROW

GROW, which is a peer support and mutual aid organization for recovery from, and prevention of, serious mental illness.

LDS Family Services Addiction Recovery Program

Program affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that uses twelve-step principles.

MA – Marijuana Anonymous

Marijuana Anonymous is a Twelve-step program for people with common desire to maintain abstinence from marijuana. Since its inception, MA has followed the Twelve Traditions and suggests practicing the Twelve Steps, which both originated from AA.

NA – Narcotics Anonymous

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a twelve-step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous describing itself as a “fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem.” and it is the second-largest 12-step organization.

NAIL – Neurotics Anonymous

Neurotics Anonymous is a predecessor of EA. Emotional Health Anonymous (EHA), was created independently. To avoid confusion with Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Neurotics Anonymous is abbreviated N/A or NAIL.

Nar-Anon

Nar-Anon is a twelve-step program for friends and family members of drug addicts. Nar-Anon is complementary to, but separate from, Narcotics Anonymous (NA); Nar-Anon’s traditions state that it should “always cooperate with Narcotics Anonymous.”

NicA – Nicotine Anonymous

Nicotine Anonymous (NicA) is a twelve-step program for people desiring to quit smoking and live nicotine free. NicA defines abstinence as “a state that begins when all use of nicotine ceases.”

OA – Overeaters Anonymous

Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a twelve-step program for people with problems related to food including, but not limited to, compulsive overeaters, those with binge eating disorder, bulimics and anorexics.

OLGA – Online Gamers Anonymous

On-Line Gamers Anonymous (OLGA) is a twelve-step program for recovery from video game addiction established as a non-profit organization in the United States.

PA – Parents Anonymous

Parents Anonymous (PA) is a self-help group for parents who have abused their children. Unlike traditional twelve-step programs PA mandates professional involvement and accepts funding from outside sources, but does emphasize the importance of protecting members anonymity.

PA – Pills Anonymous

Pills Anonymous (PA) is a twelve-step program for people who seek recovery from prescription drug addiction. PA uses the book Alcoholics Anonymous as its basic text. Complementing this will be the PA Workbook and the AA book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.

PIR – Pagans In Recovery

Pagans in Recovery (sometimes abbreviated as PIR) is the phrase which is frequently used to describe the collective efforts of Neopagans to achieve abstinence or the remission of compulsive/addictive behaviors through twelve-step programs. [frame][/frame]

SA – Schizophrenics Anonymous

Schizophrenics Anonymous is a self-help group to help people who are affected by schizophrenia to cope with the disease.

SA – Sexaholics Anonymous

Sexaholics Anonymous (SA) is one of several twelve-step programs for hypersexuality based on the original Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. SA takes its place among various 12-step groups that seek recovery from sexual addiction: Sex Addicts Anonymous, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, Sexual Compulsives Anonymous and Sexual Recovery Anonymous.

SA – Smokers Anonymous

Nicotine Anonymous (NicA) is a twelve-step program for people desiring to quit smoking and live nicotine free. NicA maintains that total abstinence from nicotine is necessary for recovery. NicA defines abstinence as “a state that begins when all use of nicotine ceases.”

SAA – Sex Addicts Anonymous

Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) is an organization that describes itself as providing a twelve-step program for recovery from what it calls sex addiction.

SCA – Sexual Compulsives Anonymous

Sexual Compulsives Anonymous (SCA) is an organization that describes itself as providing a twelve-step program for recovery from what it terms sexual compulsion.

Self Harmers Anonymous

Self Harmers Anonymous is a twelve step program designed from Alcoholic Anonymous to prevent self inflicting harm to oneself, which is different or can include suicide.

SIA – Survivors of Incest Anonymous

Survivors of Incest Anonymous (SIA) is a twelve-step fellowship for recovery from consequences of childhood sexual abuse.

SLAA – Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) is a twelve-step program for people recovering from what they call sex addiction and love addiction.

WA – Workaholics Anonymous

Workaholics Anonymous (WA) is a twelve-step program for people identifying themselves as “powerless over compulsive work, worry, or activity” including, but not limited to, workaholics–including overworkers and those who suffer from unmanageable procrastination or work aversion.e