First — if you are in immediate danger
If you are thinking of harming yourself, in withdrawal, in overdose, or otherwise in immediate medical or mental-health danger, please use these resources first:
911 — US emergency services
988 — US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7
112 — EU emergency · 999 — UK emergency
1-800-662-4357 — SAMHSA Helpline (US, substance-use referral, 24/7)
The fellowship is not a crisis line. The numbers above are. Please use them first. AWNA will still be here when you are safe.
If you are not in immediate danger, but you are tired — of the cycle, of starting over, of trying to put one thing down and watching another take its place — this page is a beginning. AWNA is one path among several. We will name the others honestly so you can pick the right one for what you are facing.
Notice what is actually happening
What substances are running your day right now? Be honest with yourself, even if just for sixty seconds. Most of us underestimate. The list is usually longer than we think.
The five substances AWNA addresses are: alcohol, drugs, nicotine, caffeine, and sugar and carbohydrates. If two or more of these are uncomfortably present in your life, AWNA is likely a fit. If just one is the dominant problem, a fellowship dedicated to that substance (AA, NA, Nicotine Anonymous, Caffeine Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, or Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous) may be a better starting point.
Either way: continue.
If withdrawal could be dangerous, see a doctor first
Some substances are dangerous to stop abruptly. Alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opioids all carry medical withdrawal risks — alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal can cause seizures and, in severe cases, death. If you have been drinking heavily and daily or taking benzodiazepines regularly, please consult a physician before stopping. findtreatment.gov is the US federal directory; our safety page has more.
Nicotine, caffeine, and sugar and carbohydrates have uncomfortable but generally non-dangerous withdrawals. AWNA is appropriate without medical supervision for these.
Attend one meeting
The single most useful next step is attending one AWNA meeting. They are online, free, anonymous, and there is one starting within the next twelve hours, every day, all year.
You do not have to identify yourself. You do not have to share. You do not have to come back. Open the link, mute your microphone, turn off your camera if you like, and listen for an hour. Many of us started exactly this way.
The next meeting → — with a live countdown and the correct meeting link.
If AWNA is not the right fit
It might not be. We are honest about this — our comparison page explains when another fellowship is the better choice. Briefly:
- Alcohol only? Alcoholics Anonymous.
- Drugs only? Narcotics Anonymous.
- Compulsive eating, food addiction? Overeaters Anonymous.
- Nicotine only? Nicotine Anonymous.
- Need professional treatment? findtreatment.gov (US) or your country's equivalent.
Whichever path you choose, we are glad you are looking. The hardest step is the one that brought you to this page; the next steps get easier.
Read, quietly
If you are not ready for a meeting today, reading first is a perfectly good beginning. The pieces members find most useful for newcomers:
- A letter to whoever is reading this — short, intimate, for the late hour.
- A first day, gently — what the first 24 hours might feel like.
- For the curious, the unsure, the not-yet — if you are not sure you belong.
- About AWNA — the canonical introduction.