Narcotics Anonymous: What to Expect at a Meeting

The important thing is to make the effort to accomplish each step. Remember to focus on working through the steps rather than criticize yourself based on the outcome. The 12 steps of NA are a guide you can use to help you in your recovery. Generally, New NA members must complete each step before moving on to the next one. However, these steps are dynamic and non-linear on where you are on your recovery journey. A „Vote withheld“ is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the percentage of shares voted „For“ or „Against“ any resolution.

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There were some other changes to the structure of the book, including the layout and flow of the book, while keeping the original message clear and unchanged. Many NA members identify themselves in meetings by their first name only. NA literature suggests that service work is an essential part of a program of recovery. Service is „doing the right thing for the right reason,“ and is the best example of „goodwill,“ which is the basis for the freedom only from active addiction by the NA program. Service work is usually chairing a meeting, but may be as simple as cleaning up after the meeting, putting away chairs, or answering a phone. If you are not an addict, look for an open meeting, which welcomes non-addicts.

Narcotics Anonymous‘ 12 Steps

Copies of the Basic Text are sold, or given away for free at the group’s expense, at NA meetings, and are available in over 30 different languages. Millions have been sold worldwide, and have been useful to many addicts. In 1953 Narcotics Anonymous, was sleep drunkenness founded in California by Jimmy Kinnon and others.[21] Differing from its predecessors, NA formed a fellowship of mutually supporting groups. Founding members, most of whom were from AA, debated and established the 12 Traditions of the NA fellowship.

1. Like all treatment programs, NA works for some and is not enough for others.
2. This step is about living with intention and continuing to check in to ensure that the individual stays focused on their values and the demands of reality.
3. It is common for a new member to develop a relationship with a sponsor.
4. Admitting your faults to another person can be difficult, so the step helps you prepare by confessing to a higher power first.

Narcotics Anonymous

Many meetings are hybrid, so you can choose to attend in person or remotely. Members understand and agree that what is said in meetings and who they see there stays there. This commitment to privacy creates an environment of security where everyone can feel comfortable opening up and sharing their experiences and feelings. Like other 12-step programs, Narcotics Anonymous also operates on a set of Twelve guidelines called the Twelve Traditions of NA.

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Like AA, NA is a free, community-based resource that anyone can access. Some Zonal Forums actively participate in „Fellowship Development“ to help NA fellowships grow in new countries and geographic areas where NA is still forming. Zonal Forums help NA groups, areas, or regions to work together to translate literature, inform the local community about NA and create new service committees. This is achieved through annual or biannual Zonal Forum meetings together with development visits to NA groups and members in other countries.

It’s important to understand that the meetings aren’t meant to be group therapy sessions. The goal is to create a safe environment where people can connect and support each other’s recovery. The gatherings usually take between 60 and 90 minutes, yet anyone can leave at any moment regardless of how long the NA meeting lasts. If differences between crack and cocaine and myths a closed NA group feels too intimidating, a person can visit an open gathering and simply observe before taking another step. The vast majority of NA gatherings don’t require the attendees to register in advance. A person can find the closest NA meetings by zip code or recommendation and simply show up at the designated place.

This step is a form of surrender that is intended to help you develop a more positive attitude. For instance, if you find yourself drinking to relieve feelings of anger, pain, frustration, or depression, you can turn those feelings over to a higher power. Doing so can help reduce the compulsion to drink and help you feel more capable of dealing with life’s challenges.

This search will pull up the closest 250 meetings to the location. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities. There is one thing more than anything else that will defeat us in our recovery; this is an attitude of indifference or intolerance toward spiritual principles. Three of these that are indispensable are honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness.

The NA program, officially founded in 1953,[17] started as a small U.S. movement that has grown into the world’s largest 12 step recovery program for drug addiction. In a discussion meeting, members are given opportunities to speak and share their experiences. There may also be readings or group discussions about particular topics. Addicts include those who use everything from heroin and cocaine to prescription drugs and a variety of other mind-altering substances. Within the 12 steps of NA, members are asked to admit they are powerless over their addiction and that their recovery relies on a „higher power.“ This phrase can mean a variety of things and up to personal interpretation. „We 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.“

Relapse rates declined over time and friction between NA groups began to decrease. NA calls itself a spiritual program of recovery from the disease of addiction. The NA program places importance on developing a working relationship with a „higher power“.[14] The literature suggests that members formulate art and creativity in addiction recovery their own personal understanding of a higher power. The only suggested guidelines are that this power is „loving, caring, and greater than one’s self and more powerful than the disease of addiction“. Members meet regularly to share their experiences and support each other to quit drugs.