What is the Narcotics Anonymous Program

"What is the Narcotics Anonymous Program?"

"NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. This is a program of complete abstinence from all drugs. There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using. We suggest that you keep an open mind and give yourself a break. Our program is a set of principles written so simply that we can follow them in our daily lives. The most important thing about them is that they work.There are no strings attached to NA. We are not affiliated with any other organizations. We have no initiation fees or dues, no pledges to sign, no promises to make to anyone. We are not connected with any political, religious, or law enforcement groups, and are under no surveillance at any time. Anyone may join us, regardless of age, race, sexual identity, creed, religion, or lack of religion."

Hi Family, My name's Journey and I'm a very grateful recovering addict.

First, let me thank HP for another day clean. Second, thank you to those recovering friends who stop in here for keeping this blog alive. Finally, let me thank those who shared privately with me, in that way you're helping to carry the message of recovery and also inspiring hope in me.

Gosh, my sponsor used to say there are no coincidences in NA, its simply God’s anonymous way to let us know we need to pay close attention to the message (rather than the messenger).

This was exactly how I began my share at a step meeting early this morning on the topic above. I shared this in response to the drugalog that was shared by the speaker (who was from another fellowship). I was very upset that our new chairperson had brought a person with supposed 20 yrs clean who did not share on the 5th step, let alone even mention how the steps worked in his life.

When it was my turn, I shared today’s quote and then I focused my share on how the first 3 steps begin the process combating this disease who would rather have me dead than clean. I shared how the steps are the only known and effective way of combating and dismantling this disease and it’s the only thing that has kept me clean a day at a time for the last 23 years. In my experience the first step addresses immediately the most fatal physical aspects of our disease, by having us surrender and accept that drugs are merely a symptom of something greater – a disease called addiction. It requires me to stay clean so I can begin on a path that will help me recover a day at a time from using. It is only when we put down drugs and put time, distance and effort between ourselves and the drug that we can begin to journey called RECOVERY and learn how to live and stay clean a day at a time.

The 2nd step address the 2nd aspect of our disease which is the mental or psychological. For me it’s manifested by my fearful actions, obsessive and compulsive thinking and behavior. The 3rd step has us look at the spiritual aspect of our disease.

What I have found is that by actually working these steps I can progress in my recovery to then address the remaining core of my disease, what holds me prisoner and a slave to my past actions and thinking which in my case is manifested in my feelings of shame and worthlessness, resentments, guilt, self-centered and self-serving behavior.

For me, writing my 4th step was the final act of breaking through the cloud and haze of denial and forgetfulness’. Those were my disease’s most powerful weapons, and when I wrote my 4th I felt that I was squaring off with my disease in the battle to reclaim my life. Having worked on my relationship with HP I leaned on my love of HP, and with the help and support from of our sponsor and members in our fellowship, I began to fight off and disempower my disease. Mind you, the first time I did my 4th step I was still just at the start of the recovery process, but I have always felt that this step was the turning point and the key to me loosening the grip or hold my disease had on me.

The 5th step, was for me the most transformational of all the steps, because I found it to be the most active, vivid, breathtaking, and immediately rewarding step. For me It has always been the most spiritual step because it actively involved my Higher Power and another recovering addict. This was the step that caused me to move beyond me and reach out to God and others. In the process I learned that I am not my disease, that I’m not crazy or an in-moral subhuman but rather an addict with “a continuing and progressive illness”. I also learned that since I was clean, as long as I continued to not to pick up, the miracle of recovery could continue and I no longer had to be slave to my disease. Yes, I was responsible for what happened but those past active actions and the past active thinking no longer had to define me. The new way of life I had embarked on when I began to work these steps would continue to help me become the person I was supposed to be all along.

Today my life is not controlled by drugs. Today my life is not controlled by anything at all. Instead I am living a life of hope and beautiful dreams. Today, as a direct result of working through these steps on a continual basis I have a peace and a quiet inner joy that I never could have imagined. Today I cherish my spiritual balance and serenity. However, I am a realist. I have seen this past year plenty of people with double digit clean time make the choice of picking up and destroying their lives. I know how cunning, and insidious this disease can is. I know that while I have been recovering and working these steps, my disease has been working hard to and perfecting its subtle ways in which it can entice me and make ways of escaping fun and intriguing. I now if I follow that way of thinking I will return to its ultimate destination, Jail institutions and its final aim… death.

For today, I choose a much better way, I follow the NA Way to recovery so that I can live in the solution, which is living life without the use of drugs each and every day and being grateful for this process called recovery. Thank you for being here and contributing to my recovery.