When I first tried getting sober, I knew I liked to drink, but more often than not, powders won out. Drinking had become more of a side option that I used to control, slow down, or use it as a time-waster until I was able to get my drugs of choice. Because of this, I always thought I belonged in NA, rather than AA. At the time, I identified more with the folks in the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous. We spoke the same language, did drugs the same way, and seemed to be after the same things. After relapsing several times in a year on alcohol, since I hadn’t been convinced that it was a problem for me, I landed up in a treatment center once again followed by AA - a place I never thought I belonged. I ended up staying here because I found the solution I personally needed, and I just recently spoke on a panel at a young people's conference about being an addict in AA and it got me to thinking, what are the differences between Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous? The Short Answer There aren’t any. Not at their core at least. The same fundamental ideas are present in both throughout. They are: Work the 12 steps with a sponsor Find a community and become a part of the fellowship Stay clean and sober from all mood and mind-altering drugs At the fundamental level, both NA and AA are rooted in the same belief structure that by abandoning the self, the ego, and of course, addiction, we are placed in a position to be...
When people asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up, chances are “a member of alcoholics anonymous” was never any child’s response. Personally, I wanted to be a doctor… and a circus clown. During our addictions, the last thing we ever want is to become a part of Alcoholics Anonymous, yet, here we are. Except now, it is less of a punishment and more of a second chance at life. So now that we are here, and our only option is through, how do we actually become members of something that we wanted nothing to do with, but is the only thing that can save us? These are the guidelines you will hear at every AA, NA, CA, or any other fellowship meeting. Go to meetings, get a sponsor, work the steps, stay in the middle. Simple, but not easy. Here is how to do it. Go to Meetings In the beginning, meetings can go one of three ways, depending on where you are in your stages of detox. You feel completely relieved to have found “your people” and you immediately know you are home. You are still in a state of mental fog and remember literally nothing apart from people saying words, clapping, and then standing and holding hands at the end. You feel completely uncomfortable in your skin, everyone within a ten-foot radius makes you want to throw punches, and you probably leave before the meeting is over. Regardless of how you feel in the first meeting, it is important that you actually make it to a second one, and then a third, and then...
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