AA / NA meetings ; 12 steps

[Dolby]

Just wondering if any forumites have themselves attended - or know someone attending - one of these two groups and what their general feeling on the groups are?

Negative? Positive? Effective?

 

[Deenem]

If by NA you mean NarcAnon, you you know that they are just a cover for the Scientologists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narconon

Don't go there.

 

[Dolby]

Yup - Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholic Anonymous

 

[Waaib]

I've been to an Al Anon meeting once. The meeting was positive overall. There where some great stories and some sad stories. The thing that stands out most to this day was that in the meeting there was no stigma attached to anything of any kind. The focus was on staying dry. No-one judged anything in your past or your current situation.

 

[Dolby]

Attended only once ? Why, if I may?

 

[Waaib]

Attended only once ? Why, if I may?

I went to support a mate. He's 6 years clean now. Not that it is relevant but he is a cocaine addict. 12 Steps can work for both drugs and booze.

 

[Sherbang]

I have a friend who was in rehab for heroin use. They use the 12 step program and although they are not 'Narcotics Anonymous' they did host a Narcotics Anonymous meeting once a week for recovering addicts and family/friends. She's been clean for 3 months now which is the longest she's been clean in years, so fingers crossed. Unfortunately the success rate of AA/NA or any other rehab is not very high (no pun intended), and often repeated attempts and relapses occur before success.

Narcotics Anonymous or NA is NOT the same as Narconon (Note the spelling, narconon, not narcanon) which, as Deenem, pointed out, is based on scientology and is pseudo-scientific and can be dangerous.
(http://www.na.org.za/ is the legitimate one, http://www.stopaddiction.co.za/ is the scientology one)

Also, if you're an athiest you may have problems with the 12 steps!

 

[semiautomatix]

I thought there were 13 steps, Dolby?

 

[Dolby]

I thought there were 13 steps, Dolby?

You're right - there are!

I think for some, the 13th step is the most important and the reasoning for going to these groups tbh