Narcotic Anonymous : A Ten Step Group

The Narcotics Anonymous meeting which I attended was named 7 Days of NA which was located on 1212 North Wolfe Street at an organization called Dee’s Place. Just as the Alcoholic Anonymous meeting previously attended, the location appeared to be in a covert and quiet place to hold a support group. We entered through the rear entrance, which seemed to be staged that way to secure participants identity. As before at the last support group I attended, I searched around the room to see again, a 12 steps guide posted on the wall, a relatively thick NA ‘Basic Text’ textbook on the desk of the facilitator and this

Narcotics Anonymous is a group that has taught me many values. They have twelve values, twelve traditions, and twelve steps. As a group we learn to accept all of the above for

For the self-help meeting in regards for my reaction paper, I attended a Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting. NA is a nonprofit, community-based, 12-step recovery organization for recovering drug addicts (Bowens, 2011, p. 1). The meeting I attended took place outside on a Saturday afternoon at Magnolia Park in Garden Grove, California. It is an open-group tag meeting, where one speaker will tag another person to share and welcome for anyone to attend. It was very easy to locate the meeting, as it was right in front of the park’s only parking lot with members sitting in a circle on benches and lawn chairs. The meeting started at 12:00pm and ended around 1:30pm.

As member of alcoholics anonymous for 2 years, I could see that Narcotics Anonymous have the same structure as Alcoholics Anonymous. To illustrate, in Narcotics Anonymous ware people that told me the differences between them and AA. They told me that because AA meeting became mix, and the program was for specific issue that is alcohol. The members of Alcoholics Anonymous suggested to Narcotics to start their own program based in the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. That is why in the 1950s, Narcotics Anonymous emerged. In addition, I noticed that both programs open and close each meeting the same way. Members let people talk in front of them, and they let them have therapy if they need it. The duration is the same time for both meetings, 1 hour and 30 min. They have sponsor if someone need it. In my opinion, those programs are important for personal recovery. I could experience by myself. I see the work that this programs develop in each human been when we face some issues. Sometimes, we do not have the advice that we need in our families to recover our self from addiction. Sheltering us with the hope that one day someone will comes, and helps us to recover from the pain and addiction that we are passing through; there were Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous to rescue our souls from the

Narcotics Anonymous is a support group using the same principles as Alcoholics Anonymous but designed for individuals addicted to narcotics (Fortinash & Holoday Worret, 2012). The programs emphasize both personal responsibility and mutual accountability by means of a social model recovery program which is peer-driven. Recovery Kentucky utilizes care and change as their foundation for the peer-driven model. Participants are often reminded the program is not just a pit stop for drug and alcohol use but a commitment to change the whole body, mind and spirit. They are required to attend community meetings and complete a twelve step program where the client will acknowledge the problem, recognize a solution and develop a plan of action that will support the ultimate goal of sobriety (MIC Program Description, n.d.).

The NA meeting is a support group consisting of men and women that are recovering addicts who meet regularly to stay clean. The NA group practices twelve-steps of NA. These support groups offer social and psychological support for many years following abstinence from drugs. Members will learn social and prevention skills that will decrease the risk of relapsing (Keene, 2001). Twelve Step programs are free programs as a supplement to treatment and are associated with positive outcomes to maintain sobriety. Hence the reason providers encourage twelve-step program

In the United States, many Americans can argue that we are facing a drug epidemic whether it is alcohol or illicit drugs other than medicinal marijuana. In response to this drug epidemic, organizations were created that are supported by the government and law enforcement in an effort to give addicts a chance to get clean. For example, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotic Anonymous are two organizations that focus on helping people who struggle from alcoholism or any addiction cope with the symptoms of withdrawal in efforts to stay clean with the support of their organization’s community. Although these two organization’s goals are similar, they attack these problems differently beginning with step one out of their twelve step program to help addicts get clean.

The Monday that I chose to attend had a low membership for that day. There was only the leader and 1 other member that day. The Leader was a Caucasian male about 40 years of age. The member was a Caucasian male about 60 years of age.

As being a family support attendee for my stepfather, the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) support group, this group main focus is to stay clean from drugs. The members of NA learn and expressed ways on coping, to staying away from drugs, and live a drug-free life with the help of their 12 Step Program. When present at the meeting, the support group was on Step Seven, reading about asking God to remove their shortcomings. Even though the support group is near the end of reading and using the 12 Step Program as part of their lives, an individual wanting to go into recovery is an attempt in making a change. However, the goal is to stay clean and away from drug to keep from having a relapse to alcohol and substance use. An onset to alcohol and substance

Through my observations of the Narcotics Anonymous meeting I believe that my analysis could be beneficial to the realm of medicine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014) released a study that displayed, “health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for painkillers in 2012, enough for every American adult to have a bottle of pills.” Considering the mass amount of prescriptions being written nationwide, it is not surprising that one of the members in the NA meeting I attended was able to easily obtain painkillers from her doctor. The specific interaction I encountered during the Narcotics Anonymous meeting where the woman described that her addiction was being supported by the constant prescriptions written by her doctor

The meeting consisted of twenty-five people including myself. The leader began by welcoming all returning addicts and non-addicts to the NA meeting. The meeting started with a moment of silence followed by everyone reciting the serenity prayer. After the prayer, the leader asked for volunteers to read the short messages about what the meeting is about and why they were there. Each person that volunteered to read one of the short messages began by saying, “Hi my name is (blank) and I’m an addict.” This was something that the group members did so that they could face the truth and admit that they had an addiction. The meeting continued by a volunteer reading the Twelve Step Traditions. This was a list that the members followed to achieve recovery from their addiction to narcotics. The leader then spoke aloud to the group about which of the twelve steps they were focusing on for the night. The leader then left it open for any group member to share a personal story about where they were on their road to recovery. Everyone who shared their story was open with the group and shared very personal experiences that they had. Everyone listened to each personal story that was shared. No one judged anyone from where they came from or what they had done in the past. Everyone was there to receive help and support those who were on their way to recovery as well. The meeting ended with

person who works there but other people who have the same addiction as charlotte. At the meetings charlotte can voice her concerns, tell someone if she’s struggling, it will not be uncommon for charlotte to be nervous when she attends her first meeting but once charlotte has settled in she will start to feel more comfortable in her new surroundings. Charlotte can also get help line numbers from the meetings so can speak to a professional is she feels she needs it. Narcotics anonymous is a anonymous programme and your anonymity will be held in the strictest confidence, nothing will be spoken to anyone about in your meetings or any thing else you chose discuss with a member of staff only unless you have given permission.

The second meeting that I attended was an Alcohol Anonymous. The occasion of this meeting was Breath of Fresh Air that took place at 7:30 pm on Thursday at 7046 Pershing Ct. - Functional

The main purpose of this meeting is for the attendants to stay sober and help other members achieve and/or maintain sobriety. The only requirement of attending is the desire to stop drinking. It was an open speaker meeting which meant that alcoholics and nonalcoholics were welcomed to attend. This meeting was the type of meeting the members of A.A. share their stories, their problems with alcohol, what brought them there, and how

The only time when the all the staff members got together was during the weekly meeting in the managers office.The meeting was held with members sitting in around a round table ,so that the group members could freely themselves verbally and non verbally.The atmosphere was usually relaxed(except during emergency meetings)with drinks and snacks being served.It was during these meetings that projectscheduling, recurring problems and internal matters were disciussed.The meeting as was the office ws run democratic manner.All members of the group was encouraged to offer their input.When there was disagreement over a certain issue it was often put to the vote. As an intern these meetings were the highlight of the week because of the many brilliant ideas that were born from the brainstorming sessions that often went on during them.Group think was to a large part avoided by the fact that we all knew that the manager door was