Why a group can help you
When someone you love is drinking or using, your whole life can start to orbit around them. You check their phone, count bottles, lie awake. Support groups are for you, the family member. They don’t require your loved one to be in treatment or even to admit there is a problem.
NIDA notes that family and friends can play critical roles in helping someone enter and stay in treatment. You can do that better when you have your own support. A group gives you people who have been where you are and won’t judge you for how tired you feel.
Groups also give you something practical: ideas that worked for other families, tips on local resources and a regular hour that is just for you. Many people say the biggest relief is hearing someone else describe their own house, almost word for word.
Four kinds of family support
| What it is | How to find it | |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Anon (and Alateen) | A mutual support group for people affected by someone else’s drinking, based on the Twelve Steps. Alateen is for teens. | Meeting search, electronic meetings and phone meetings at al-anon.org |
| Nar-Anon (and Narateen) | A Twelve Step group for relatives and friends of someone with a drug problem. Narateen is for teens. | The Find a Meeting page at nar-anon.org |
| SMART Recovery Family & Friends | Free meetings, online and in person, run by trained facilitators. Uses practical, science-based tools and CRAFT ideas. | Go to smartrecovery.org/family and choose the Family & Friends program filter |
| CRAFT | Community Reinforcement and Family Training: a skills-based approach that teaches families to improve communication and encourage treatment. | Ask a licensed counselor or therapist if they offer CRAFT. Some programs teach it in groups |
What a first meeting is like
Al-Anon describes a few things to know before your first meeting, and they hold true for most family groups:
- You can just listen. If you are asked to share, you can say “I pass.”
- Everyone shares as an equal. No one is there to give you orders.
- What you say stays in the room. Anonymity protects your privacy.
- Al-Anon is not a religious program, even when it meets in a church building.
- Every meeting is different. Al-Anon suggests trying at least six meetings before you decide if it’s for you.
Twelve Step groups like Al-Anon and Nar-Anon focus on your own well-being and letting go of what you can’t control. SMART Recovery Family & Friends and CRAFT focus more on skills, such as how to respond to use and how to invite your loved one toward treatment. Some people try both styles. Neither is wrong.
Finding meetings in Jacksonville
We don’t list meeting times or addresses, because they change often and a wrong time is worse than none. The official finders above are kept up to date by each organization. Search by your ZIP code or by “Jacksonville, FL” to see in-person choices near you, plus phone and online meetings you can join from home. If a listed meeting looks out of date, the finder usually shows a contact for the local office or group.
If your loved one is looking for their own meetings, see our page on AA and NA meetings in Jacksonville.
Want to work on what you say at home? Try how to talk to a loved one, or read caring for yourself if you are running on empty. More guides are on our help for families page.
Support group questions
What is the difference between Al-Anon and Nar-Anon?
Both are Twelve Step groups for family and friends. Al-Anon grew up around someone else’s drinking, and Nar-Anon around someone else’s drug use. Many people find either one helpful, and Al-Anon says anyone concerned about someone’s drinking can attend any of its meetings.
Are family support groups free?
Yes. Al-Anon, Nar-Anon and SMART Recovery Family & Friends meetings are free to attend. Groups may pass a basket for rent, but you don’t have to give anything.
Can I go to a meeting online?
Yes. Al-Anon lists electronic meetings by phone, video and chat, and SMART Recovery Family & Friends holds online meetings too. Online meetings can be easier if you work odd hours or can’t leave home.
What is CRAFT?
CRAFT stands for Community Reinforcement and Family Training. It was developed at the University of New Mexico to help families of a loved one who resists treatment. It teaches you to reward sober time, let natural consequences happen and pick good moments to suggest help.
Is there a group for teens whose parent or sibling uses?
Yes. Alateen is part of Al-Anon, and Narateen is part of Nar-Anon. Both list teen meetings through their official meeting finders.