While you may struggle with this step if you’re not religious, it’s intended to be an opportunity to let go of the things beyond your control and start working on the things within your control. It is not affiliated with any religion, government, or other organization, even if the meeting is held in a church or other religious space. This step involves acknowledging the addiction and the damaging impact it has had on the individual’s life. Instead, the purpose of NA is to share the trials and triumphs that come with addiction and recovery. John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
By seeking solace in an NA group, you’re taking a vital step towards reclaiming your life from addiction. The collective strength found within its community offers a foundation of hope and resilience, essential for navigating the road to recovery. Addicts include those who use everything from heroin and cocaine to prescription drugs and a variety of other mind-altering substances. 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.
This sense of belonging and mutual aid is a crucial factor in the healing process, offering members a beacon of hope and a testament to the possibility of leading a drug-free life. 12-step programs observe 12 principles to help you stay clean from whatever addiction you’re dealing with. 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.
Narcotics Anonymous’ 12 Steps
- The strength of NA lies in its collective experience and the unwavering support its members provide for one another.
- NA and AA groups are peer-based models designed to help people share support, advice, experiences, and hope.
- We are not interested in what or how much you used or who your connections were, what you have done in the past, how much or how little you have, but only in what you want to do about your problem and how we can help.
- 12-step groups differ in their approach to the treatment of addiction and recovery.
- We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
It is centered on improving self-awareness and gaining a better understanding of the self. By taking this inventory, people can gain a better understanding of the challenges they might face and the tools they have to help them overcome those obstacles. For many members of NA, the program is the only thing they’ve found that actually worked.
Step 6
An RSC is composed of the regional committee members (RCMs) of all the participating ASCs in a region. It is similar in organization to an ASC but is further removed from the day-to-day activities of individual home groups. Many of the issues dealt with by RSCs are the same ones that will come before the World Service Conference, with the RSC being the best way for local groups to help craft policies that will affect NA as a whole.
Everyone agrees to keep the Understanding the Dangers of Alcohol details of the sessions and those who attend private. One approach is to provide professional 12-step facilitation (TSF) either in an individual or group setting. TSF sessions are designed to introduce the patient to 12-step concepts and facilitate the entry of the patient into community-based 12-step programs.
Regardless of format, NA meetings usually start with readings from our literature. Addicts share their successes and challenges in overcoming active addiction and living drug-free productive lives through application of the principles contained within the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of NA. Embracing the journey of recovery becomes more manageable with the support and guidance found in Narcotics Anonymous.
What Is Narcotics Anonymous?
Some of us used drugs because we enjoyed them, while others used to suppress the feelings we already had. Still others suffered from physical or mental ailments and became addicted to the medication prescribed during ourillnesses. Some of us joined the crowd using drug s a few times just to be cool and later found that we could not stop. Most recently in 2022, Narcotics Anonymous published the Spiritual Principal A Day book often shortened to SPAD.
NA and other support groups work best in combination with treatment. Closed meetings make it possible for members to speak openly and honestly. This is because everyone in the room has the same expectations for privacy. You might master a later step even before you finish an earlier one, or you may even struggle with some of them. 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.
Narcotics Anonymous program
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). Narcotics Anonymous allows its chapters to run almost completely autonomously. As a result, there is bound to be some variation in how meetings are conducted. Aside from following the basic principles, meeting groups are allowed to adapt and change as they wish and conduct themselves in various ways (more on that later). However, there are still plenty of things that these meetings have in common, namely how the beginning and end of meetings are conducted.
Some people choose God (in whatever form or belief) as theirs, and others do not. 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 of recovery involves actively monitoring behavior and being willing to admit and rectify mistakes as they happen. Imperfection and setbacks are expected, but staying accountable and honest can keep people from falling back into old habits.