Immediately after my divorce I developed a drinking problem. I'm not ashamed to say that I went to AA. I'd have been a fool not to. I stopped drinking and began to, if not see things differently, then at least to admit the possibility that I was living in a kind of darkness, and making my life something other than it should be.
There are many 12 Step programs. Here are just a few:
Alcoholics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous
Nicotine Anonymous
Over-eaters Anonymous
Seksual Addicts Anonymous, etc.
They are all based on the basic principles of AA, which has an almost astounding success rate. The concepts are fairly simple. While there is no substitute to going to meetings, "For the benefit of one addict helping another is without parallel," I'd like to share at least a little, and maybe encourage others in trouble to go. Just enter the name of the program in Google Search, and you can go straight to it.
One of the main principals is that happy, well-balanced people don't drink (to excess), drug or smoke themselves to death. The unhappiness of the addict may have many causes, but it results in one very destructive belief: there is no God, no Order, no fairness, etc. And from this develops an emptiness, a hole inside us that we try to fill with all the wrong things: booze, dope, indiscriminate seks, even food.
Needless to say this doesn't work. Our problems get worse, our dependence ever-increasing, our self-esteem and reason to live less and less.
What the 12 step programs do, after first getting us to admit we have a problem, and our lives have become unmanageable, is to substitute something healthier and more real. We call it a Higher Power. Doesn't have to be God, per se, and if the only spirituality you can find is to walk into one of those rooms and see people who've been hateful, hurtful, selfish and destructive welcome you with a smile, talk about where they were and where they're trying to go..... I myself started at AA, but was directed by accident to NA. There I saw bikers, freaks, former criminals; and the damnedest thing is that they were hugging each other, me too if I would have let them, and talking about love, forgiveness and good works. That was enough for me to start wondering what had so completely changed them. That was my initial higher power.
None of us will ever be perfect people, but we're trying, would do anything for each other, and for you if we could. That fills up that hole with light and love instead of garbage. You feel better about yourself, you make better decisions, you learn when to let go (The Serenity Prayer), and learn to live without alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, whatever it is that's killing you.
So if you feel you've got a problem, any problem, give it a try. Here's a website with links to just about every program out there:
yep,my disease brought me to na,because it deals with the disease and not the symptems.i did alot of recovery shoping that first year,but my disease does best with na.
hey,you were the guy looking for meetings.we got one on the above post and would love to have you involved.
thanx chris
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dalin a unity means oneity...one god, one fellowship,one sponsor,one program...many gifts
Thanks Chris, for that awesome share. We need you here, my friend.
I also agree with Dalin that drugs or alcohol or food or sex or gambling is not at the root of my problem, it's just a manifestation of my actual problem which is me as a being that has been affected physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually by the disease of addiction. And I have been a part of and continue to be a part of many 12 step fellowships for the atmosphere of identification for my addiction's other manifestations and benefit a lot from those too, to put a stop to many of my obsessions, but NA, I found is all-encompassing, and that is more evident than any other 12 step program in the First Step itself where our powerlessness and unmanageability is not only over drugs, but over addiction itself...
No doubt, the core of any recovery program is the Twelve Steps, and I'm grateful to those kindred spirits who evolved this wonderful program so that I don't have to reinvent the wheel at all in search of my recovery...
The problem for me, with the online meetings here at Miracles In Progress Chatroom is that me being from India and the time difference between EST and Indian Time is (+ 9 1/2) hours, and that means sometimes, I have to stay awake and make this meetings in the middle of the night or wake up very early in the morning to make these meetings. But nonetheless, I would love to make these meetings from hereon, and looking forward to the next meeting... Shall check the meeting schedule to see when it is...
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"If we do an honest examination of exactly what we are giving, we are better able to evaluate the results we are getting."Chapter 10 - Emotional Pain - NA Way of Life.
My basic identification here in NA is that Im an addict and you are an addict,,,,
but very clearly DRUG ADDICT !!!!
Like it says,,,
close association and identification with others in NA Gropus is the best ground for growth !!!
However life can again become very unmanageable because of other addictions,,, and i can decieve myself self and say to myself and others who are concerned or me,,
"""
YEAH WELL SURE,,, BUT AS LONG AS IM NOT ADDICTED TO DRUGS OR ALCOHOL ITS OK """
Well yes,,,, ive justified myself many times in my recovery about other things like sex,money and shopping !!!
I thought that as long as i dint use alcohol or drugs that was ok !!!
But we are reminded that recovery as experienced thru our 12 Steps is our goal and not mere physical abstinence !!!
Then I read the Ip ANOTHER LOOK,,, by chance !!!
It had a definite answer for me !!
So now I figure that anything that hasnt goodwill or freedom or creativity is based on addictive logic and needs to be replaced by recovery behaviour !!!
Thats why for me NA ALSO MEANS NEW ATTITUDES !!!!!!
God Bless all the addicts !!!
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Raman an addict clean and serene just for today in NA Worldwide ; live to love and love to live the NA Way !!!
That's very well put, Raman, thanks big brother. Glad we have you here. Hugs.
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"If we do an honest examination of exactly what we are giving, we are better able to evaluate the results we are getting."Chapter 10 - Emotional Pain - NA Way of Life.
There are many 12 Step programs. Here are just a few:
Alcoholics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous
Nicotine Anonymous
Over-eaters Anonymous
Seksual Addicts Anonymous, etc.
Hi. I'm also a recovering Self-Injurer. Anyone who has a problem of Self Injury, and wants to find a way out of it, please check out this link to SELF INJURERS ANONYMOUS. This 12 Step Program has been only started a few months back, by myself and a few other recovering and suffering self-injurers from across the world, addressing the specific goal of freedom and recovery from the obsessions and compulsions to Self Injure, in an atmosphere of identification and empathy.
"If we do an honest examination of exactly what we are giving, we are better able to evaluate the results we are getting."Chapter 10 - Emotional Pain - NA Way of Life.
