:: A Closer Look At 12 Step Literature ::
"While using, we lived in another world. We experienced only periodic jolts of reality or self-awareness. It seemed that we were at least two people instead of one, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. We ran around and tried to get our lives together before our next run. Sometimes we could do this very well, but later, it was less important and more impossible. In the end, Dr. Jekyll died and Mr. Hyde took over." - NA BASIC TEXT, PAGE 6.
"Our addiction enslaved us. We were prisoners of our own mind and were condemned by our own guilt. We gave up the hope that we would ever stop using drugs. Our attempts to stay
clean always failed, causing us pain and misery." - NA BASIC TEXT, PAGE 7
"What is the NA Message? "That an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live". - NA BASIC TEXT, PAGE 68.
"As addicts, we have an incurable disease called addiction. The disease is chronic, progressive, and fatal. However, it is a treatable disease. We feel that each individual has to answer the
question, “Am I an addict?” How we got the disease is of no immediate importance to us. We are concerned with recovery." - NA BASIC TEXT, PAGE 7
Photo credit: 8 months clean from heroin.[Boredpanda.com recovery photo essay]
"The only alternatives to recovery are jails, institutions, dereliction, and death. Unfortunately, our disease makes us deny our addiction. If you are an addict, you can find a new way of
life through the NA Program. We have become very grateful in the course of our recovery. Through abstinence and through working the Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous, our lives
have become useful. We realize that we are never cured; and that we carry the disease within us for the rest of our lives. We have a disease, but we do recover." - NA BASIC TEXT, PAGE 8
ABOUT NA
Narcotics Anonymous is a global, community-based organization with a multi-lingual and multicultural membership. NA was founded in 1953, and our membership growth was minimal during our initial twenty years as an organization. Since the publication of our Basic Text in 1983, the number of members and meetings has increased dramatically.
Today, NA members hold nearly 76,000 meetings weekly in 143 countries. We offer recovery from the effects of addiction through working a twelve-step program, including regular attendance at group meetings. 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. Through all of our service efforts and our cooperation with others seeking to help addicts, we strive to reach a day when every addict in the world has an opportunity to experience our message of recovery in his or her own language and culture.
To learn more about NA visit:
www.na.org or our sites NA resources page.
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Additional photo credit: [Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde artwork by Vidi - Deviantart.com]
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