Narcotics Anonymous

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.

Many people do not understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. Drug addiction is a complex chronic disease that causes impairment with the mind to express emotion, engage into physical activities and simply being one’s self. In fact, through scientific research, people understand more about how drugs work in the brain more than ever, and they also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated with some help from those who want change in the death rates amongst drug addict Americans. No one will ever truly understand why a person performs such deadly behaviors, but this is their way of crying out for help. It is time to take a stand and help those in need of escape from drugs and

Various levels of governments in different communities across North America have initiated programs to deal with the opioid epidemic and its effect. Some of these initiatives will be examined in more details below.

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

The first meeting that I attended was a Narcotic Anonymous meeting. The meeting time was 7pm-8pm on September 13, 2016. The group was made up of 12 individuals, 4 females and 8 males. The overall feeling of the group illustrated positive energy. Each person gave the perception that they truly wanted as well as needed to be there. I did observe that most of the participants depicted a very high anxiety level based on their body language and the tone in their voices. There were no “new comers”, which is the terminology used for a person who is new to the world of Narcotic Anonymous. The dynamics of the group, included persons who were in recovery as well as persons whose addiction is still active.

The content of this paper is an interview with Laura Crain from the McHenry County Substance Abuse Coalition. In the paper I touch on the history of the Coalition and how its evolved throughout the years. The coalition has a lot of involvement with the community in various counties. The work on a larger scheme rather than on a one to one basis. This interview covered the mission and goals set for the Coalition. Laura discussed with me the influences internal as well as external that affect the Coalition. Another thing we discussed was the struggles that come along with running an organization like this. I also touched on my personal experience and my thoughts regarding my internship.

“It is the mission of the Southwest Metro Drug Task Force to provide a comprehensive and multi-jurisdictional effort to reduce drug trafficking and its harmful consequences and to provide effective drug awareness education through the coordination and resource sharing of its participating agencies.”

Dr. Jarlais’ statement would surely raise eyebrows at the next research convention but is that what we can base the tremendous acceptance and success rate of AA on? In my personal experience, I can agree with the supporters of the 12-step method. The reasons are many but one comes to mind each time I read the opposing views – Are we complex human beings or lab rats? Is it necessary as recovering addicts and psychodynamic therapists alike to use a scientific approach to confirm the resounding results? AA works and if personal response or “storytelling” along with the admitting that we are powerless over our addictions helps, well, that is enough proof for me. Terry M. states, “Our primary goal is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.” (Terry M. 1998) This statement is enough proof that I believe the people who attend AA are more useful than any scientific influences. A Dr. and a patient formed AA; this alone also shows the importance to respect what has been a foundation to recovery – the honesty and no judgement policy of recovery.

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.).

Last night, I attended a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. This was not quite a new experience for me, be my late father was an alcoholic and narcotics addict that died of cirrhosis later on in my life this is why I identified myself with them. Narcotics Anonymous is a fraternity or association where there a recuperating addicts and their main purpose is stay clean. Consequently, the member of this fraternity were well-groomed, yesterday was ice cream sticks day where they had a keyword written on a little piece of paper, such as “perseverance”. Anyone can be a narcotics or alcohol user.

The meeting for Narcotic Anonymous that I attended was at 7:30 pm on March 09, 2017, at the Rolling Hills Baptist Church Fairfield, Ohio. The meeting lasted one hour and a half and approximately 50 people attended (approximately due to the fact that people kept constantly coming in and out of the meeting), the census was a mix of males and females from diverse ages. A group of three students attended the same meeting, we wore our Miami University badges at all times and arrived a few minutes early in order to introduce ourselves to the leader and the group in general. The group leader was a twenty eight years drug free member, as the meeting started he asked anyone who is under the influence or who had drugs on his/her possession to leave

The group was open, but to fully participate in the group the member would be a recovering from addiction,

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