myths & realities myth 1 na is a secret society
TRANSCRIPT
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Myths &
Realities
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Myth 1
NA is a secret society.
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Reality 1• We are a private organisation.• We do our best to protect the
anonymity of our members, though we do not guarantee it.
• Anonymity makes it safer for people to share, and creates equality in meetings, regardless of background or circumstances.
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Myth 2
Narcotics Anonymous is a cult.
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Reality 2• There are no leaders in NA; neither do
we have any central value system.• The core of our programme is the
therapeutic value of one addict helping another.
• Membership of NA is free, and any contributions towards our running costs collected at meetings are entirely voluntary.
• Our members are free to leave at any time.
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Myth 3
NA is for heroin addicts only.
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Reality 3• NA is open to anyone, regardless of
what they used.• Our surveys show a membership with
very diverse histories of drug use.• NA is a program of complete
abstinence from all drugs, including alcohol.
• NA’s help is available to all, regardless of age, race, class, religion or sexual orientation
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Myth 4
NA is not for those on prescribed
medications, such as methadone.
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Reality 4• The only requirement for
membership of NA is a desire to stop using.
• NA pretends no medical expertise, and we encourage anyone coming to NA who is on any form of prescribed medication to seek medical advice before stopping.
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Myth 5
Everyone in NA is using or dealing drugs.
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Reality 5• This is not our experience: in hundreds of
meetings we have never seen drugs used or sold.
• You do not have to be clean to attend NA meetings.
• If a person goes to an NA meeting seeking drugs, it’s possible that they might find what they are looking for (although this is true almost anywhere).
• At the same time, if a person goes to an NA meeting with a desire to stop using drugs, there will definitely be members in the meetings willing to help them.
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Myth 6
NA is a religious organization.
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Reality 6• The NA program is based on a set of spiritual
principles that are not associated with a particular religion. Our steps call for finding and believing in a power greater than oneself.
• Members are free to choose a belief that works for them personally. There is no opposition to anyone’s choice within Narcotics Anonymous.
• Experiences of our members show that the spiritual principles work for all members, whether devoutly religious (in any faith), atheist, or agnostic.
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Myth 7
NA is part of criminal justice ~ church ~
probation
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Reality 7• We are not affiliated with any
outside organisations.• We have no opinion on outside
issues.• However, Narcotics Anonymous is
keen to build co-operative relationships with any organisations, based on our common goals.
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Myth 8
NA doesn’t work if you are forced to go.
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Reality 8• Whilst the program of NA may not suit
everybody, we have found that regular exposure to NA has helped many people stop using drugs and find a new way of life.
• Many people who voluntarily commit to the program of NA have stopped using drugs; we see no reason why those who attend as part of a treatment order or DRR should not have the same success.
• Many of us first encountered NA when we were sent to meetings by treatment centres, or attended a meeting in prison. Once we learned that recovery is possible in NA, we continued to come of our own accord.
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Myth 9NA is not a safe place, especially for women.
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Reality 9• One of the goals of NA is to establish and
maintain a safe and welcoming environment, which we call ‘an atmosphere of recovery’.
• Meetings are facilitated by people with at least a year’s clean time in order to achieve this.
• There are a number of meetings such as women-only, men-only, and gay/lesbian and child friendly where some members may feel more comfortable.
• NA encourages members to support each other and often suggests that MEMBERS seek THE SAME SEX TO support in their recovery efforts.
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Myth 10
NA is just like AA.
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Reality 10• NA, founded in 1953 is a fellowship
in its own right, with 61,800 meetings worldwide (and over 800 in the UK).
• NA has adapted the 12 Steps and the 12 Traditions, for our own use.
• In particular, our first Step uses the word addiction rather than referring to any specific substance.
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Myth 11
Only addicts can attend NA meetings.
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Reality 11• There are two kinds of NA
meetings: • A closed meeting is for people who
think they may have a problem with drugs.
• An open meeting is exactly that; open to anyone who wishes to come..
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Myth 12
There’s no point. Addicts always use again.
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Reality 12
• NA may not suit everyone, but we believe that those who apply themselves to our simple program can find freedom from active addiction.
• We believe the statement “Once an addict, always an addict” is a lie.
• Narcotics Anonymous has approximately 61,800 groups in 136 countries around the world; we have literature translated into 65 languages.
• This simple program, known as Narcotics Anonymous is proving itself in the lives of addicts around the world.
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Thank you !
If you have any questions then please ask.
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