Free Addiction Support Groups: AA, NA, SMART Recovery, and Other Options

Peer support is one of the few things in recovery that is free, widely available, requires no insurance, and usually has no waiting list. It is also where many people find the thing treatment alone rarely provides: other people who have been there.

What peer support is and is not

Peer support means people with lived experience of substance use helping each other, usually in a group or one-to-one setting. It is free, voluntary, and confidential in the sense that what is said in a meeting is not shared outside it.

What peer support is not: it is not medical care. If withdrawal could be dangerous, or if you are having thoughts of suicide, that needs medical or crisis support first. See our crisis resources.

Different groups have genuinely different philosophies. That is a feature, not a problem. You are allowed to try one and decide it is not for you.

Twelve-step programs

The best known are Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Both are free, run by members, and available in nearly every community, in person and online.

• Alcoholics Anonymous (aa.org (opens in a new tab)) holds meetings for anyone who wants to stop drinking. Its program follows twelve steps and encourages working with a sponsor.
• Narcotics Anonymous (na.org (opens in a new tab)) follows a similar structure for people whose primary problem is drug use. NA encourages members to consider any mind-altering substance, including alcohol.
• Al-Anon (al-anon.org (opens in a new tab)) and Alateen are for family members and friends of someone with a drinking problem. These are for the people around you, not for you, though many people benefit from both.

Twelve-step meetings vary a lot between groups, even in the same city. If the first one does not fit, it is worth trying a different meeting rather than concluding the program is not for you.

Secular and science-based groups

If the higher power language does not work for you, there are well-established alternatives.

• SMART Recovery (smartrecovery.org (opens in a new tab)) uses cognitive behavioral tools and a four-point program, with meetings in person and online. It is secular.
• LifeRing Secular Recovery (lifering.org (opens in a new tab)) focuses on what members call the "sober self" and avoids religious language.
• Recovery Dharma (recoverydharma.org (opens in a new tab)) uses Buddhist principles and meditation practices.
• Refuge Recovery (refugerecovery.org (opens in a new tab)) is also mindfulness-based and draws on Buddhist teachings.
• Women for Sobriety (womenforsobriety.org (opens in a new tab)) offers a program designed around the experiences of women.

All of these are free or low cost, and most have online meetings.

Faith-based and specialized options

• Celebrate Recovery (celebraterecovery.com (opens in a new tab)) runs Christ-centered recovery groups, usually hosted by churches.
• Online communities such as In The Rooms (opens in a new tab) host a wide range of meeting types if you cannot get to an in-person meeting.
• Peer recovery coaching is one-to-one support from someone with lived experience, often provided through treatment programs, recovery community organizations, or state-funded programs. Some are free; some are part of an insurance-covered program.
• Recovery community organizations, such as those connected to Faces & Voices of Recovery (opens in a new tab), run meetings, social events, and volunteer programs.

What a first meeting is actually like

Most meetings follow a similar shape:

• People arrive, often a few minutes early, and there is usually coffee.
• The chair opens the meeting. There may be a reading.
• Members may share, one at a time. Attendance is usually tracked as a count, not by name.
• Newcomers may be asked to introduce themselves by first name. You can decline or simply say you are there to listen.
• The meeting ends with a closing, sometimes everyone standing in a circle.

You are not obligated to speak, to have a sponsor, or to share anything. You can leave early if it is too much. Being there once counts.

How to find meetings

• Official finders are the most reliable: aa.org (opens in a new tab), na.org (opens in a new tab), smartrecovery.org (opens in a new tab), lifering.org (opens in a new tab).
• Call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 and ask about local recovery support alongside treatment options.
• Ask at a treatment program or community health center, which often keep a current local meeting list.
• Call 211 if you need help with transportation to get there.

Our recovery support resources page lists these and other options in one place.

Choosing what fits

There is no single right group. Some people need a structured program with a sponsor; others need a room of people who will not judge them, once a week. Some use one group for years; others switch as their situation changes. Trying is the whole method. If the first meeting is not a fit, try a second one, and if you are getting medical care, tell your provider what you are doing so it becomes part of a single plan.