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Recovery and emotional wellbeing

Alternatives to AA: recovery support without groups

Ways to get support with drink or drugs in the UK if AA, meetings or group work aren't for you.

What this means

AA and other 12-step groups help many people, but they are not the only way to recover. Lots of people can't or won't do groups — because of anxiety, mental health, mobility, faith, or simply preference.

You don't have to stop completely, attend meetings or speak in front of anyone to get support. You can start with one-to-one help, written support or something you do on your own.

Your options

  • Your local drug and alcohol service

    Free NHS-funded services offer one-to-one support with a keyworker. In most areas you can refer yourself without seeing a GP first, and you don't have to join a group.

  • Your GP

    A GP can talk through cutting down or stopping, check your health and refer you on. If you drink heavily every day, don't stop suddenly without medical advice — it can be dangerous.

  • Written support by webchat

    We Are With You offer free webchat with a trained recovery worker. No phone call, no group, and you choose how much to share.

  • SMART Recovery

    A non-12-step approach based on practical, evidence-informed tools. It does use groups, including online ones, but many people find the style very different from AA — and its tools can be used on your own.

  • A quiet, anonymous community

    The BesideYou community needs only a nickname. No meetings, no camera — you can read what others have shared without ever posting.

Things you could do today

Small steps only. Add any of them to your plan — or none of them. Nothing is expected of you.

  1. Choose one option above that feels least daunting.
  2. Look up your local drug and alcohol service and check whether it takes self-referrals online.
  3. If talking feels like too much, open a webchat and type a sentence or two.

Information it helps to have ready

  • Roughly what you use and how often — an honest estimate is fine
  • How you'd prefer to be contacted

If you do not have some of these, ask anyway — not having everything is not a reason to be turned away.

Words you could borrow

Edit, copy and send these yourself. Nothing is sent from BesideYou.

Self-referral asking for one-to-one support

Edit anything in [square brackets]. Only include what is true and what you want to share — nothing is sent from here.

What happens next

A service will usually arrange an assessment — a conversation about what's going on and what you want. You can say that groups aren't right for you.

Waits vary by area. While you wait, webchat and written support are still open to you.

More help

Where this information comes from