Members are given absolute freedom in coming to an understanding of a higher power that works for them. When you are ready to attend your first meeting, visit the Narcotics Anonymous website to find a local meeting. Depending on where you live, there should be many options to choose from.

Treatment Options for Drug Addiction

In 1944, AA’s co-founder Bill Wilson discussed a separate fellowship for drug addicts.[19] In 1947, NARCO (also called Addicts Anonymous) met weekly at the U.S. Jimmy K., who is credited with starting the NA as we know it today, did contact Rae Perez, a leading member of this NA fellowship. Because that fellowship did not want to follow the 12 traditions written by AA, the two NA fellowships never united. The twelve steps of the NA program are based upon spiritual principles, three of which are honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness, embodied in the first three steps. The Basic Text of NA says, in Chapter Four, about all twelve steps, “These are the principles which made our recovery possible”.

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Regions are made up of multiple Areas.Regions share resources and information on a broader scale than the local Area handles. Regions typically support Areas rather than act as the front line in service delivery. If you cannot find your local NA community or information, please click here to visit NA World Services meeting finder. While you might feel like the outsider or the newbie at first, give yourself time to get comfortable. If you aren’t ready to share, you can also benefit from simply listening and observing. If you attend one meeting and are not too sure about it, go to another one.

You don’t have to be clean when you get here, but after your first meeting we suggest that you keep coming back and come clean. You don’t have to wait for an overdose or jail sentence to get help from NA, nor is addiction a hopeless condition from which there is no recovery. It is possible to overcome the desire to use drugs with the help of the Twelve Step program of Narcotics Anonymous and the fellowship of recovering addicts. NA started in California in the 1950s as an offshoot of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Today, it holds more than 70,000 regular meetings in 144 countries. There are no membership fees, and NA is an independent organization with no links to any treatment centers or religious groups.

NA meetings are one of the major parts of the Narcotics Anonymous recovery program. Members meet regularly at these meetings where they are able to talk about their problems and share their stories with others facing similar experiences. The meetings also allow people in recovery to give and receive support and encouragement from their peers. Anyone can drop in an open meeting, including friends and relatives, community members, and college students studying substance abuse. Closed meetings are reserved only for those with addiction issues. This often helps members feel more comfortable about opening up.

Step 4

The NA program places importance on developing a working relationship with a “higher power”.[14] The literature suggests that members formulate their own personal understanding of a higher power. The only suggested guidelines are counseling for spouses of alcoholics that this power is “loving, caring, and greater than one’s self and more powerful than the disease of addiction”. The community support and 12 steps found at NA meetings seem to be the missing link for many people with substance use disorders who wish to stay sober. Of course, there is never a guarantee that you won’t experience a relapse.

A sponsor is a member of NA who helps another member of the fellowship by sharing their experience, strength, and hope in recovery and serves as a guide through the Twelve Steps. In doing so, NA members often choose a sponsor with experience in applying the NA’s Twelve Steps. When you’re new to NA, the talk about God and the inclusion of prayers at some meetings can be surprising and even uncomfortable. This step involves acknowledging the addiction and the damaging impact it has had on the individual’s life. Meetings are either “open,” for members and non-members, or “closed” (for members and prospective members liberty cap lookalikes poisonous only). Support people and loved ones who are not in recovery themselves are typically welcome to attend open meetings.

During this portion of the meeting, one of the leaders will announce a certain duration of time (30 days, 9 months, etc.) and call for individuals who have been sober for that corresponding period to get a key tag. Dealing with substance use disorder (SUD) may require medically assisted treatment and other lifestyle changes. Among these recovery and aftercare programs is joining a support group to share experiences and find strength in other people’s recovery journeys. In a discussion meeting, members are given opportunities to speak and share their experiences.

1. It is common for a new member to develop a relationship with a sponsor.
2. It has since been adopted by many other types of addiction recovery groups, including NA and Cocaine Anonymous (CA), among others.
3. Meetings are held in a variety of places such as church meeting rooms, libraries, hospitals, community centers, parks, or any other place that can accommodate a meeting.
4. Because that fellowship did not want to follow the 12 traditions written by AA, the two NA fellowships never united.

Step 2

There is also criticism of NA’s approach of focusing on spirituality and requiring members to identify as addicts. Unlike closed meetings, open meetings welcome public members interested in NA. This includes people struggling with drug use, visitors from the community, and media.

This step involves being honest with yourself about the harm done to the various aspects of your life and taking responsibility for your actions. If you are open about your drug replacement therapy, however, you may be asked not to speak at an NA meeting and simply listen. You may not get the full benefits of actively taking part in meetings. Some other members may informally try to get you to stop your BMT. You’ll get another one after 30 days to commemorate the work you’ve put in.

Afterward, the speaker will ask for first-timers and you may be asked to introduce yourself (you will not be forced to participate if you don’t wish to). Like all treatment programs, NA works for some and is not enough for others. Finding the right tools is essential to managing addiction; NA is just one of many tools to recover. Members can share their experiences during NA meetings for 5 minutes or so. 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 first step is critical because it requires you to admit you have an addiction that needs to be treated. This can also make it easier for your friends and family members to accept and admit that you have a substance abuse problem. Most recently in 2022, Narcotics Anonymous published the Spiritual Principal A Day book often shortened to SPAD. This book consists of a short message about a different spiritual principle for each day of the year. This is similar to another book previously published by NA called Just for Today, containing a message for thought on a recovery related topic for each day of the year.

Every meeting has its own atmosphere, and you might find yourself more comfortable in one group than another. There are also apps available that can help you find a local what happens when you drink alcohol on accutane meeting or attend a virtual one. The NA Meeting Search app is available for both iOS and Android. Another app you might find helpful is the NA Recovery Companion. When introducing yourself, you will use your first name only as part of the commitment to privacy and anonymity.

This step helps you build the willingness to change your behavior. The results suggested that all four treatment conditions resulted in similar reductions in cocaine use with the IDC + GDC group (TSF) more effective than the other three groups. One issue with this study is that there was significant attrition of patients, with significantly larger numbers of dropouts from the TSF groups than from the others. “We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them.”

It was decided that the book would use the Little White Book as its outline, filling in and expanding on the subjects discussed in that text. To feel most comfortable, many NA members have sponsors of the same sex although members are free to choose any other member as a sponsor. It is also suggested that one should find a sponsor who has worked all 12 steps of Narcotics Anonymous.