arcotics Anonymous is for any addict who wants to recover from the disease of addiction. If you are currently in treatment, you may have entered for some reason other than a desire to stop using drugs. No matter what your initial motivation for entering treatment may have been, if you want to stop using drugs and continue your recovery, Narcotics Anonymous may be for you. Once we stopped using drugs, many of us started comparing ourselves to other addicts. We focused on our differences rather than our similarities. Seeing only the differences made it easy to think that maybe we didn’t belong in NA.
Denial is a prominent aspect of the disease of addiction. Denial keeps us from seeing the whole truth about ourselves and our disease. Feeling that we are different from other addicts is a manifestation of this denial. It helps to take an honest look at the unmanageability of our lives that resulted from our drug use. We look especially at our relationships, our employment, our living conditions, and our financial obligations. Instead of thinking about the good times we had using drugs, we try to remember when we may have said, “What am I doing here? Why do I feel this way? How long has it been since drugs worked the way I wanted them to?”
Eventually, we all face a basic question: “Do I want to stop using drugs?” Many of us could not answer this question immediately. However, when we willingly and honestly looked at our past, we found many reasons to stop using drugs. Your answer to this question can set the course for your future recovery.
The disease of addiction is progressive. Our experience during active addiction proved that to us. Continued drug use destroys us in body, mind, and spirit. We believe that, for addicts, continued use of drugs leads to jails, institutions, or death. Breaking through denial gives us a clear picture of the destruction in our lives. With this in mind, we can look for solutions to our problems.
We learn that we are powerless over our addiction. The use of drugs is one aspect of the disease of addiction, although this disease affects all areas of our lives. We begin to recover when we abstain from all drugs. Admitting our powerlessness is a surrender, an admission that we don’t know the solution to our problems. Surrender begins as we become willing to consider new ideas. We can ask for help and accept it when it’s offered.
<DIR> “I had a difficult time surrendering that I was powerless over my addiction. With surrender, I became responsible for my actions. I was one to blame outside things for my problems. I learned that I needed to take responsibility if I wanted to stay clean and recover. Because I had admitted I was powerless, I knew that I needed the help NA members had to offer. I needed to be willing to do the things necessary to recover.”
</DIR> We are taught that we are responsible for our recovery. This means that we must act. No one else will do it for us. We need to learn how to take care of ourselves.
We suggest, if possible, that you attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings while you are in treatment. Talk to other addicts in meetings and ask them questions. The friends you make now will be part of your support when you leave treatment. We also suggest that you take the time while you are in treatment to read available Narcotics Anonymous literature. During treatment, you may be given the opportunity to attend outside NA meetings. Exchange phone numbers with members that you meet at those meetings. You will develop a network of support with other recovering addicts. Becoming familiar with NA and meeting some members will help make the transition from treatment a little easier.
