Introduction to Narcotic Anonymous
James Patrick Kinnon, known as “Jimmy K.”, is commonly credited with founding Narcotics Anonymous (N.A) in 1953 in Los Angeles, California, for the purpose of helping its members stop using addictive substances.
At the time, Alcoholics Anonymous had been in existence for almost 20 years, gaining international recognition for helping its members stop using alcohol. However, A.A focused only on alcohol and not drug use. Kinnon recognized the benefits of the A.A 12-step program and how a 12-step model could also help those with drug use problems.
N.A’s earliest literature, the White Booklet, describes the program as “a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem.” N.A welcomes members with either a drug or alcohol problem or both.
N.A membership is free. The only requirement to be a member is the desire to stop using drugs or alcohol.
12 steps of recovery
Derived from the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the 12 steps of Narcotics Anonymous (N.A), are a step by step guide to help you on your recovery journey. NA members will complete each step before moving on to the next in line.
The 12 Steps of N.A are as follows:
Step 1: Powerlessness. During step one, you acknowledge that you are powerless in your drug addiction. Admitting to yourself that you have a drug problem and are powerless on your own is the key to recovery.
Step 2: Hope. Next, step two asks you to look to a higher power for guidance and support. This higher power can be religious, such as a god or deity, or it can be a powerful concept that reminds you that you don’t have all the answers.
Step 3: Surrender. By surrendering to a higher power, you admit that there is something out there that is greater than you are. It also reminds you that there is more to life outside of your addiction.
Step 4: Inventory. Doing an inventory is an exercise in self-reflection. During step four, you examine the mistakes you have made throughout your addiction.
Step 5: Confession. Step five takes place shortly after step four and asks you to be honest about your mistakes. Speaking your truth might seem hard at first, but is an important part of living with integrity during recovery.
Step 6: Acceptance. Once you acknowledge your flaws and mistakes, you will then take time to accept yourself for who you are. Everyone has good and bad characteristics, and our mistakes do not define us.
Step 7: Humility. Step seven asks you to turn to your higher power for support and inspiration. You might pray for guidance or examine a deeply held philosophy and see how it inspires you to acknowledge that you don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.
Step 8: Amends List. During step eight, you will make a list of the people you might have hurt as a result of your drug addiction.
Step 9: Make Amends. Now that you have created a list of those you have wronged, step nine asks you to reach out to those people and offer them an apology. (Sometimes, people on your list may not be open to having a conversation. It is more important that you tried to make amends rather than received forgiveness.)
Step 10: Maintain Inventory. Step ten encompasses your entire recovery process. You will continually check in with yourself during your recovery journey and remain honest about your progress.
Step 11: Reflect. For step eleven, you will engage in prayer or meditation to consider your life’s purpose.
Step 12: Be of Service. Many people likely helped you throughout your recovery journey. Step twelve asks you to take the new chance at life that you’ve been given and use it to help others
Sponsor, and sponsee relationship
A sponsor is a recovering addict with a long experience and personal growth, or progress, in the N.A program and shares that experience continuously on an individual basis with another addict who is attempting to attain or maintain sobriety through N.A
A person who familiarizes themselves with the 12-Step approach and works their way through the steps may be able and willing to help guide newcomers and those looking for extra support.
The role of an N.A sponsor, then, is to do what they can with their knowledge and experience to help the newcomer, or “sponsee” get clean from substances, and stay clean through the 12 step program. A sponsor is essentially a guide, or a mentor, in that they use their knowledge, and experience, to assist their sponsee in their recovery. They felt they had three very distinct jobs to perform as sponsors:
- They needed to encourage sponsee to work the 12-Steps of sobriety.
- They felt obligated to provide ongoing support to sponsees.
- They felt that they should share their own personal experiences of N.A, to help boost the chances of a sponsee’s recovery.
This may seem like a short to-do list, but there is quite a bit involved. An N.A sponsor might be required to provide around-the-clock crisis support for sponsee, so those people have someone to call when they are in the midst of being triggered and experiencing overwhelming cravings.
A sponsor might also feel compelled to understand and work the 12 steps even harder on a personal level so it will be easier to provide instruction for someone in need. Sponsors can also help sponsees with relapse prevention and talk to them with first-hand knowledge about repairing relationships post rehab.
What Is a Sponsee in N.A?
Anyone who is moving along a journey of recovery from an addiction could be a sponsee. Sometimes, a sponsee is new to sobriety and the 12-Step movement, and needs a little guidance from a mentor in order to understand the challenges and expectations of the recovery process.
Most participants of 12-Step programs are strongly encouraged to become a sponsee and find a sponsor.
Sometimes, a sponsee is an experienced member of the 12-Step movement who would like to brush up on lessons with someone else. Anyone who spends time in the movement can be a sponsee.
NA meetings may be open or closed. Anyone can drop in on an open meeting, including friends and relatives, and community members. Closed meetings are reserved only for those with addiction issues. This often helps members feel more comfortable about opening up.
The group’s facilitator will ask at the beginning of the meeting if there are any new members in attendance. This is your chance to raise your hand and introduce yourself. There will be people at the meeting who are also new to the program. Others may have quit using for a long time.
A meeting usually runs between 60-90 minutes. In a discussion meeting, members are given opportunities to speak and share their experiences. Speaking time is usually under 5 minutes. There may also be readings or group discussions about particular topics. Speaker meetings give members a chance to talk for longer.
You’ll receive a welcome key tag on your first visit. You’ll get another one after 30 days to commemorate the work you’ve put in. You’ll also get key tags when you reach 60 days, 90 days, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, 18 months, and then yearly from that point on.
The meetings aren’t meant to be group therapy sessions. The goal is to create a safe environment where people addicted to substances can connect with each other and support each other’s recovery.
NA is welcome to any person who thinks they’re addicted to substances and wants to change their life. If for any reason you walk away from your first meeting feeling like you didn’t connect with the style or the people there, you can try a different meeting to find the right fit for you.
If you want to continue with the program, NA recommends that new members go to a meeting every day for at least 90 days. From there, progress looks different for everyone. You may be nervous at your first meeting, and it may take some time for you to feel like you can stay with the program and your recovery. Soon you may start to feel a sense of belonging and even make some friends. In general, the more invested you are in the NA program, the more helpful it will be for you.
Relapse
What is relapse? Recovering from drugs, or other substances, is a process that can take time. A relapse (or multiple relapses) is one part of recovering from drug dependence and can often be a feature of the recovery. A relapse happens when a person stops maintaining their goal of reducing or avoiding use of drugs and returns to their previous levels of use.
Why does relapse happen?
Many things can lead a person to relapse. There’s a strong connection between dependent alcohol or other drug use and personal challenges. These can cause problems at work, ongoing emotional and psychological issues, and social or economic problems such as financial hardship, rejection by social support networks and challenges in personal relationships.
Much like dependent drug behaviours themselves, the process of recovery – and the reasons for relapse – can be very personal. A relapse isn’t a sign that the person is ‘weak’ or a ‘failure’ – it’s just a continuation of old coping patterns that need to be replaced with new ones.
Causes of relapse
There are a range of circumstances that may promote relapse.
- Situations that tempt the person to return to drug use – for example, circumstances or places where the person would previously have used alcohol or another drug.
- Circumstances that act as a trigger for substance use as a coping strategy – for example, insecure housing, professional or personal setbacks, social pressures or social stigma.
- Pre-existing mental health or emotional issues.
- Pre-existing physical health issues. Poor physical health can cause some people to use non-prescription pharmaceutical drugs, particularly when they have persistent pain.
- Guilt caused by lapsing. A person trying to abstain from substance use can experience internal conflict or guilt if they end up lapsing. If not managed properly, this situation can lead to self-blame and guilt that in turn mean the person is more likely to continue substance use as a coping mechanism.
How to get help
Asking for help is not usually an easy thing for us, especially when we are at our bottom. Thankfully, receiving help has never been more available and accessible than it is today. By admitting to yourself that you have a problem with drugs and/or substances, you are starting the first and most crucial step of recovery. Our team at Can-Am Interventions, have a vast knowledge, and decades of firsthand experience in Narcotics Anonymous, and other 12 step programs. We are ready, and committed, to assist you in the beginning of your recovery today. Contact us for any, and all, treatment options.
For More Information:
E: patti.pike@canaminterventions.com W:www.canaminterventions.com
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