NA & NA Meetings-What are they like?

[Done-With-It!]

Narcotics Anonymous (N.A.) is a twelve-step program of recovery from drug addiction, modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous. It describes itself as a nonprofit "fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem",

Does it cost to go?


Narcotics Anonymous members are not required to pay any dues or fees. Group expenses are covered entirely by voluntary contributions from its members. Groups meet costs such as meeting room rental, tea and coffee, and any literature that the group provides for free from these contributions, after which surplus funds are passed to the service structure. Group often provide some literature items such as IPs (Double sided single sheet pamphlets) and keytags/chips celebrating clean time. Area Service Committees are typically funded from Group contributions plus money raised by events such as dances and recovery events attended by members


What are Meetings like?


Regular meetings, hosted by N.A. groups, are the basic unit of the N.A. Fellowship. 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.
Members who attend the same meeting on a regular basis to establish a recovery network and reliable routine understand this to be their "Home Group". Group members are able to participate in the group's business, and play an important role in deciding how the group's meetings should be conducted.



What is the Home Group? <hr style="color: rgb(209, 209, 225);" size="1"> "This is where the AA member begins to learn about the how of Alcoholics Anonymous. By selecting a home group, the newcomer begins to feel he bleongs somewhere. He begins to know people and let people know him. He feels safe in this meeting because he knows everyones story and where they come from. He gets to watch people come and go, so he can actually see what works and what does not work. He develops close friendships and when the seas get rought, he has people who can see above the swelling waves." Anonymous.



Sponsorship-What is it?


One addict helping another is an essential part of the N.A. program. It is therefore highly recommended that members of Narcotics Anonymous find a sponsor. A sponsor is a member of N.A. who helps another member of the fellowship by sharing their experience, strength and hope in recovery and serves as guide through the Twelve Steps. A substantial number of N.A. members suggest getting a sponsor of the same sex (or of opposite sexual preference) with over one year clean time, although there are no such rules. Any N.A. member is free to choose any other member as a sponsor.


Meeting Formats

There are two basic types of meetings, "open" and "closed". Anyone is welcome to attend an open meeting, while closed meetings are limited to addicts and to people who think they may have a problem with drugs.
Meeting formats vary, but often include time devoted to the reading of N.A. literature–literature that was written by and for members of N.A. regarding the issues involved in living life clean. Many meetings also include an "open sharing" component, where anyone attending has the opportunity to share. There is usually no direct feedback during the sharing, thus only one person ever speaks at any given time during this portion of the meeting. Some groups choose to host a single speaker (such meetings are usually denoted "speaker meetings") to share for the majority of the meeting time.
Other meeting formats include round robin (sharing goes around in a circle or each speaker picks the next person to share). Some meetings focus on reading, writing, and/or sharing about one of the Twelve Steps or some other portion of N.A. literature. Some meetings are "common needs" (a.k.a. special interest) meetings, supporting a particular group of people based on gender, sexual identity, age, language or other characteristic. These meetings are not exclusionary, as any addict is welcome at any N.A. meeting. NA Communities will often make an effort to have an open meeting run at the same time for members who don't identify with the common needs meeting.
During the meeting, some groups allot time for N.A.-related announcements, and many meetings set aside time to recognize "anniversaries" or "birthdays" of clean time. Lately, N.A. birthdays have also referred to as "cleaniversaries." Individuals are sometimes given an opportunity to announce their clean time to the group. In some meetings, and for certain anniversaries, keytags, and medallions, which denote various amounts of clean time, are distributed to those who have achieved those milestones. In some areas, the addict who is celebrating a "cleaniversary" will be able to have support group members read the readings for the meeting and he or she will have a speaker carry the N.A. message. Then the addict celebrating will have his or her sponsor or a friend or family member, give them a medallion at which time the friend will share some of the celebrating addict's achievements during the last year, or from during the entire course of his or her recovery. Then the addict celebrating can share his or her experience, strength, and hope with the group on how they did it.
"Each group has but one primary purpose--to carry the message to the addict who still suffers" (Narcotics Anonymous' Fifth Tradition). Therefore, the newcomer is considered to be the most important person in any meeting. The message of Narcotics Anonymous is hope: that there is another way to live. The one promise of N.A. is that "an addict, any addict, can stop using, lose the desire to use, and learn a new way of life" (Basic Text). According to the Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text, the "Twelve Steps" are the source of this hope and freedom when worked to the best of one's ability.



N.A. Groups

Narcotics Anonymous is fundamentally made up of N.A. Groups. An N.A. Group is a number of N.A. members who meet regularly; usually at the same time and place each week. Some Groups have more frequent meetings but are considered to be part of a single Group. Groups have one primary purpose, to carry the message to the addict who still suffers. Groups are largely independent from one another and members of N.A. are encouraged to choose a home group to belong to, a group they attend regularly and where they will be missed if they are absent. Each Group elects any number of leaders, or "trusted servants", to serve the needs of the Group they made include: a secretary, a treasurer, a chairperson, a GSR (Group Service Representative), and an alternate GSR. This election process is carried out by the Group Conscience which is a business meeting made up of the members of the Group who strive for consensus based decisions. With each group being autonomous, without affecting NA as a whole, the responsibilities of trusted servants vary from meeting to meeting. These responsibilities or "group policies" are contrived through the group's business meeting by inviting a Higher Power to guide each individual recovering addicts' decision, also known as a group conscience. An example of one specific trusted servants responsibilities are, "The secretary is responsible for opening the meeting, choosing someone to chair the meeting, making sure coffee gets made, etc. He or she also arranges for purchasing supplies and keeping group records. The treasurer keeps financial records and pays the group's bills. The GSR attends the Area Service Committee meetings and represents the group to the ASC. The alternate GSR assists the GSR and prepares to replace the GSR when need be."


Anonymity-Do I have to give my name?


"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities." (12th Tradition, Basic Text)
Many N.A. members identify themselves in meetings by their first name only. The spirit of anonymity is about placing "principles before personalities" and recognizing that no individual addict is superior to another, and that individual addicts do not recover without the fellowship or its spiritual principles.
The Twelve Traditions state that N.A. members "must always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films."



Spirituality

Narcotics Anonymous calls itself a spiritual program of recovery from the disease of addiction, not a sect, cult, or religion . The N.A. program places importance on developing a working relationship with a "higher power". The literature suggests that members formulate their own personal understanding of a higher power. The only suggested guidelines are that this power be "loving, caring, and greater than one's self." Members are given freedom in coming to an understanding of a higher power that works for them. Individuals from countless spiritual and religious backgrounds, as well as many atheists and agnostics, have developed a relationship with their own higher power. N.A. also makes frequent use of the word "God" and some members who have difficulty with this term substitute "higher power" or read it as an acronym for "Good Orderly Direction."
The twelve steps of the N.A. program are based upon spiritual principles, three of which are honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness, embodied in the first three steps. According to NA members these principles, when followed to the best of one's ability, allow for a new way of life.
N.A. meetings often close with the Third Step Prayer ("Take my will and my life. Guide me in my recovery. Show me how to live.")




Literature-If want to read more, what should I read?



Narcotics Anonymous currently has several book length pieces of "Fellowship-approved" literature. These include the following bound books:

• The Basic Text is divided into two books. Book one discusses the basics of the N.A. program and the twelve steps and traditions. Book two is composed of many personal stories.

• It Works: How and Why offers detailed discussion of the twelve steps and traditions.

• The Step Working Guides is a workbook with questions on each step.

• Just For Today is a book of daily meditations with quotes from the Basic Text and other NA approved literature including the "Information Pamphlets".

• Sponsorship is an in-depth discussion of the role of sponsorship in N.A., including the personal experiences of members.

N.A. has also produced dozens of "Informational Pamphlets", or "IP's", of varying length, that cover a wide range of recovery related topics including questionnaires for those who think they may have a drug problem, and information for those addicts trying to stay clean while still inside hospitals or institutions.

WHY WE FIGHT
Voices of Uncertainty
Hollywoods A Union Town.

[Velvet]

Another bump for anyone struggling with drug addiction.

[Kaceykaseum]

I am sure struggling right now. In about 2 months and like 2 or 3 weeks I will have 2 years clean god willing. Right now I am at this point where Im not sure how I feel or why i feel it. I mean things have been going good. Im going to Na meetings, I have a sponsor who I call or see everyday, I have a good support network, I read my na book, im in na service work, Im working on my steps. In fact I just finnished my 4th step today YAY!!!!! But I feel like im stuck in this rut or something. I just dont know why im staying clean. The courts are off my back, I dont get random drops anymore, I just dont know why i am staying clean. And the more I think about it the more I put myself in to dangerous situiations.

Ive been calling old using buddies...even going so far as to have them come over and visit me and Im thinkin about staying the night at their house soon to. I know these are bad decisions but im doing them anyway. I mean I know whats right and whats wrong But i just dont care. I dont know what to do. Every day i have to fight to not pick up that first one and frankly im gettting sick of the fight. Im ready to throw in the towel and be done with it.

I could really use some help with this or something because im driving myself crazy.

[Done-With-It!]

Originally Posted by Kaceykaseum

I am sure struggling right now. In about 2 months and like 2 or 3 weeks I will have 2 years clean god willing. Right now I am at this point where Im not sure how I feel or why i feel it. I mean things have been going good. Im going to Na meetings, I have a sponsor who I call or see everyday, I have a good support network, I read my na book, im in na service work, Im working on my steps. In fact I just finnished my 4th step today YAY!!!!! But I feel like im stuck in this rut or something. I just dont know why im staying clean. The courts are off my back, I dont get random drops anymore, I just dont know why i am staying clean. And the more I think about it the more I put myself in to dangerous situiations.

Ive been calling old using buddies...even going so far as to have them come over and visit me and Im thinkin about staying the night at their house soon to. I know these are bad decisions but im doing them anyway. I mean I know whats right and whats wrong But i just dont care. I dont know what to do. Every day i have to fight to not pick up that first one and frankly im gettting sick of the fight. Im ready to throw in the towel and be done with it.

I could really use some help with this or something because im driving myself crazy.

Why do you think you are stuck in a rut? I have a tendency to put myself in dangerous situations when I feel like I'm stuck also, and end up going backward quickly.
I think fear of the unknown sometimes keeps some (me) stuck in areas of our lives in where we are unhappy. You know you do care or you wouldn't be here posting.
Instead of making the wrong choices, start by making one choice that you know is better for you. You know you don't want to go back to using, and stop calling and hanging out with people who are using. Hang out with people who have what you want.

[Peggy Power]

Definitely, strongly suggest avoiding people who are actively using -- especially right now. For WHATEVER reason you're struggling, it's a good idea to get to a meeting, or just surround yourself with other people who are enjoying their clean lifestyle. This TOO shall pass!