Members of the program learned what was effective and what was not. 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.
- All participants may choose to attend sessions that are centered around discussions relevant to their recovery.
- Regardless of which diagnosis (mental health or substance abuse problem) came first, long-term recovery will depend largely on the treatment for both disorders done by the same team or provider.
- Also, showing up early, staying late, and asking lots of questions before and after NA meetings will help you get the most out of every meeting you attend… This is according to Narcotics Anonymous (NA)[1].
- Regular meetings, hosted by NA groups, are the basic unit of the NA fellowship.
- For many members of NA, the program is the only thing they’ve found that actually worked.
Support people and loved ones who are not in recovery themselves are typically welcome to attend open meetings. In addition to talking about the challenges of drug recovery, NA meetings are also a place for members to offer advice to others, share their success stories, and celebrate their recovery milestones. Studies show that NAs have been effective at helping people maintain sobriety. It’s best to work with an addiction specialist to receive the proper combination of treatments for your condition.
Some meetings offered AA literature at meetings, while others considered writing their own books on recovery. One group even planned to print a bootlegged version of AA’s Big Book with every instance of the word “alcohol” replaced with “drugs”. The need for a unified text approved by the fellowship’s “group conscience” was recognized, and in October 1979 the first NA World Literature Conference was held in Wichita, Kansas. That year a “Parent Service Board” (later renamed the World Service Board) was formed to ensure that NA stayed healthy and followed closely to the traditions. Confusingly, in 1962, the Salvation Army started a group also called “Narcotics Anonymous” that followed a different “13-step” program, but this program soon died out.
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 reinforces the lessons learned in earlier steps and encourages members to use what they have learned to help others on their path to recovery. 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.
What is Narcotics Anonymous (NA)?
This can be very helpful to those individuals who are striving to reach a decision regarding their personal status as an addict. An open meeting in Narcotics Anonymous is one method our groups use to achieve their primary purpose of carrying the message to the addict who still suffers. Some groups also have open meetings as a way of allowing non-addict friends and relatives of NA members to celebrate recovery anniversaries with them. Also, motivational enhancement therapy: uses benefits techniques showing up early, staying late, and asking lots of questions before and after NA meetings will help you get the most out of every meeting you attend… This is according to Narcotics Anonymous (NA)[1]. People have all sorts of reasons for attending NA meetings, but the purpose of each NA meeting is to give members a place to share recovery with other addicts. If you are not an addict, look for an open meeting, which welcomes non-addicts.
What to Expect During an NA Meeting
The primary purpose of NA is to build strong support groups and help members remain completely abstinent from drugs. Members must participate in sharing sessions and encourage each other to complete a 12-step program. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a nonprofit program for recovering and active drug users. Members attend weekly (anonymous) meetings to help one another maintain sobriety. Meetings are where our recovery happens.This is where addicts come together to help each other stay clean a day at a time.
Membership demographics
While many of the 12-steps of the NA program or focused on drawing on spiritual influences, you don’t need to be religious or spiritual to attend or benefit from NA. The steps of the program can be adapted to suit your individual belief system. “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.” It’s difficult to measure how effective NA and other 12-step programs are for its members. Although studies show its effectiveness on participants under 12-step programs, it’s not a complete guarantee. Even if you don’t want to participate in a recovery program, these meetings won’t require you to sign up for a membership.
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 that this power is “loving, caring, and greater than one’s self and more powerful than the disease of addiction”. For people struggling with opioid use, one recovery tool that’s been attention required! cloudflare available for decades is Narcotics Anonymous (NA). This free program provides support in the form of regular group meetings and fellowship with other people with addictions. A Narcotics Anonymous meeting, whether it is open or closed, is a refuge for addicts. It is intended to be a safe and beneficial place where an addict can hear about and participate in recovery from the disease of drug addiction.
thoughts on “10 Common Narcotics Anonymous Meeting Topics”
The group atmosphere provides help from peers and offers an ongoing support network for addicts who wish to pursue and maintain a drug-free lifestyle. Our name, Narcotics Anonymous, is not meant to imply a focus on any particular drug; NA’s approach makes no distinction between drugs including alcohol. Membership is free, and we have no affiliation with any organizations outside of NA including governments, religions, law enforcement groups, or medical and psychiatric associations. NA is unusual but not unique in its focus on the symptom/substance not being the core problem, but rather the disease of addiction, as is stated in the NA Step 1.