Pills Anonymous (PA)

What Is Pills Anonymous?

Pills Anonymous (PA) is a 12-step group program for people recovering from prescription pill addiction. The group provides a safe, non-judgmental space for recovering pill addicts to share their experiences and find solidarity on their healing journeys.

The group is open to people with addictions to any type of prescription pills. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, some of the most commonly abused prescription pills include the following:

• Opioids (e.g., Oxycodone or Fentanyl)
• Benzodiazepines (e.g., Xanax or Valium)
• Stimulants (e.g., Adderall or Concerta)
• Sleeping pills (e.g., Ambien or Sonata)

Some members attend regular PA meetings alongside other support group fellowships or with counseling, depending on their needs.

How Pills Anonymous Differs From Other 12-Step Programs

PA caters specifically to people who have abused pills prescribed to themselves or someone else. This range includes both prescription pill misuse and nonmedical use of medications like opioids, sedatives, stimulants, etc.

For addicts who are recovering from more than one substance (including street drugs or a combination of substances), groups like Narcotics Anonymous (NA) can offer a more generalized type of support.

What makes PA special is that it focuses on the unique challenges, triggers, and experiences those recovering from prescription pill addiction have gone through.

Core Principles of Pills Anonymous

The ultimate goal of Pills Anonymous is to help members find and maintain recovery from pill addiction. Ideally, members will achieve long-term recovery by sharing their stories and following the Twelve Steps.

The program doesn’t have a central organization or leadership. In other words, every chapter manages its meetings on its own.

All Pills Anonymous chapters are peer-led by volunteers and total anonymity is critical! No one will know your identity outside of fellow group members (unless you choose to share).

PA’s end goal is total abstinence from pill abuse rather than harm reduction. Meetings and membership are always free, and chapters are self-supporting through voluntary member donations.

The Twelve Steps of Pills Anonymous

Pills Anonymous adapts its 12 steps from Alcoholics Anonymous.

Like many 12-step programs, Pills Anonymous is not affiliated with any religious group and you don’t need to be religious to follow the steps. While the steps reference “God,” a member only needs to acknowledge a higher power “of your own understanding.”

The twelve steps of Pills Anonymous consist of the following structure:

1. We admitted we were powerless over our addiction to pills and all other mind-altering substances —that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Pills Anonymous Meetings

Pills Anonymous meetings can take place in person or online, depending on the chapter. Some meetings are closed to current members only, while others are open to newcomers and other non-addicts, like family members. The chapter should clarify the meeting type on their schedule.

What Is a Pills Anonymous Meeting Like?

While you might imagine a “sharing circle” commonly seen in movies or TV, not every support group meeting follows this format.

PA’s website lays out various meeting-style templates, which the chapter may adapt at their discretion.

The most common PA meetings are as follows: 

• Step Study: Members discuss the 12 steps, or study a particular step, such as taking a personal and moral inventory.
• Book Study: Members study Pills Anonymous-approved literature, usually the PA Service Manual, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, or the “Big Book” of Alcoholics Anonymous.
• Participation: Participants discuss their experiences and stories with the group one at a time.
• Speaker: A selected PA member leads the group by sharing their story or offering a speech on a particular topic.
• H&I: Meetings intended exclusively for people in the hospital or inpatient rehab programs.

Many meetings open with announcements or a prayer before getting down to business.

How Can I Find a Pills Anonymous Meeting?

Pills Anonymous (PA) offers both in-person and virtual meetings for people recovering from prescription pill addiction. Meetings provide a supportive space to share experiences, work the 12 steps, and connect with others on their paths to recovery.

You can search for a meeting near you using the official PA meeting directory. Meetings are organized by country, state or province, and city. Some meetings are open to loved ones—these are marked with an “O” in the directory.

If your area doesn’t have in-person meetings, Pills Anonymous also hosts virtual meetings via Zoom.

Get Support Through Pills Anonymous

If you’re interested in trying Pills Anonymous and connecting with fellow addicts, you can learn more about the program at PA’s official website, PillsAnonymous.org. The website offers literature, pamphlets, books, and other resources for 12-step beginners.

You can also connect with a local chapter through the in-person meeting directory or begin your recovery journey from anywhere in the world at an online meeting. Since PA meetings are always free and private, reaching out is a risk-free way to gain support at any step in your recovery journey.

You can also find other 12-step, religious, and secular recovery meetings with our Online Meeting Finder.

Written by

Jessica Miller

Editorial Director

Jessica Miller is the Editorial Director of Addiction Help. Jessica graduated from the University of South Florida (USF) with an English degree and combines her writing expertise and passion for helping others to deliver reliable information to those impacted by addiction. Informed by her personal journey to recovery and support of loved ones in sobriety, Jessica's empathetic and authentic approach resonates deeply with the Addiction Help community.

Reviewed by

• Fact-Checked
• Editor

Kent S. Hoffman, D.O.

Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer

Kent S. Hoffman, D.O. has been an expert in addiction medicine for more than 15 years. In addition to managing a successful family medical practice, Dr. Hoffman is board certified in addiction medicine by the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM). Dr. Hoffman has successfully treated hundreds of patients battling addiction. Dr. Hoffman is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of AddictionHelp.com and ensures the website’s medical content and messaging quality.