And I also dont understand why they would not prefer NA for themselves....not in a mean way I promise!!!! There might be reasons and I just dont understand.......
Please no wars just trying to understand
I know everyone is welcome, and they have just as much right as I do to come and get help, to seek support....but would they relate even more in NA?
UGH, I am sorry, my sponsor has a past with drugs as well so I do understand...she also has a past with drugs, maybe both AA and NA? so confusing!!!!!

I think that drugs are mostly present because many have verified their downfall today to both...AA has traditions and the singleness of purpose has been left on some side of road where drugs are concerned....another tradition in preamble says we oppose nobody...your validity is good...true and right...just boundry has never been AAs way of giving help;...hope this helped...

if you were to investigate NA you would find less consistant recovery there...as that fellowship has lots of downright horrid situations as far as bottoms are concerned...and plentiful relapse rates...

I can understand that...And maybe that does help....
I dont think Im in a good place right now, I hate when I start thinking about these things too much!
I know I need to focus on the things I can relate to and with any addiction there is a lot of the same things that do happen. We are a lot more a like than different.
I know too that there are still a lot of YETS for me out there if my thinking is not on the right track and if I am not focused on the right things...
thank you so much, bigbear and bill
it does help

I was always told by my husband that we could score in a different area just by going to NA

AA was founded by and for Alcoholics, along with some non-alkie help. Really back then there wasn't alot of drugs....they approve of any legal prescription.

Because the condition of alcohol has complected causes and side-effects, it was well-thought to focus solely on alcohol. There is a large number of functioning alcoholics, alas the same cannot be said for drug addicts, some do however.

AA assisted NA as NA formed...if more addicts supported it...it would fly. I personally new over 8-10 cranksters that never used booze.

It is all in the identification between people. It also is very easy to set up a NA group in your area

1 1/2 cents but I was nice again :)

Best best

Interesting thought-

If AA staunchly encouraged drug people maybe more of them would get NA going. Are we standing in the way by making it easy?

whoaaa well I was good but thought of that

Ashley, I know exactly what you are saying and where you are coming from. My home group is predominately Mexican males. Was anyways.... It was also predominately drug addicts. It was also predominately crowded with people who were court-ordered. Predominately crowded with people who had no transportation. If you had a license and were a legal residence...you were living on the high end. No pun.
I came to the conclusion that obviously there was no NA meeting available to them close by. The book does recognize drug addiction.....
I would say that my only beef was that people would ask me if I did drugs and somehow made me feel that because I didn't do drugs I wasn't in the real crowd of being an "addict". I lied. That wasn't my only beef. I had a really, really hard time with the court-ordered coming late, taking 40 min long "bathroom breaks", making drug deals outside, coming back in and getting their papers signed.
I do realize that many, many, many court-ordered folks finally "get IT", but the disrespect I have seen is enough to make my blood boil.
Actually, their druggie stories dumbfound me. I count myself lucky ( or unlucky ) that my drug of choice is legal. I secretly wish that alcohol and cigarettes were illegal. Another lie. I don't secretly wish, I do wish.
I suggest you just let it go. Alcohol is a drug. It's just a legal drug that doesn't land our sorry asses in jail as much as street drugs do-nor as long.
Of course I'm discounting DUI's as any alkie knows they have gotten away with that one at least 40 times if not hundreds.
Talk about something to be grateful for:
I have never killed nor harmed a human while drinking and driving.
Just let it go. It's probably the only place they can go to.
Funny, I've experienced NA meetings during a rehab stay and I have to say that those were the best meetings I have experienced.
Perhaps they feel the same way about AA.
Who knows....We're all addicts.
And don't feel guilty. Soon enough it will be brought up by someone in your AA meetings.
Kate

The Third Step states that "The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking". So if a person is there to get sober from alcohol, even while they have narcotic addictions, of course that's straight forward, they are a member no questions asked as far as I'm concerned.

I don't mind people identify by saying, "Hi I'm Robert and I am an alcoholic addict. But if a person WHOLE SHARE is about drugs alone, that's more difficult for me, because at that level the sentence, "Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety" applies. And also it's probably usless to both them and the rest of the meeting.

To confradict myself, if someone is living in a town where there if no AA and they are not in a position to move to somewhere which has those meetings, I welcome them.

As someone said, and I have been told this by several friends who are sober and clean, there is probably greater strength in AA so it atttracts people from a lot of different 12 Steps groups.

Most drug addicts are also alcoholics, but not all alcoholics are drug addicts.

Addiction is addiction and if you look at a 12 step program for any addiction you will see it's all the same, only the food that feeds the addiction is different.

many times NA is not as available as AA - that might the situation also.

if steppers want to think they own an exclusive market to a 12 step program then so be it - but if they research all the 12 step programs that stem from the AA program it doesnt take a rocket scientist to see that the root of it all is "addiction" and the patterns that people live with in addiction are the same - it's the fuel thats feeding the addiction that is different.


Peace!

I actually agree with you BBH - the UNINFORMED of a 12 step program can get confused very easily - again it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out a 12 step program, any 12 step program since they are all basically the same -

But again, many alcoholics think they are in an exclusive club but the reality is there not.

Peace!

Twelve-step program
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

A twelve-step program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems. Originally proposed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a method of recovery from alcoholism,[1] the Twelve Steps were first published in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism in 1939.[2] The method was then adapted and became the foundation of other twelve-step programs such as Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Co-Dependents Anonymous and Debtors Anonymous. As summarized by the American Psychological Association, the process involves the following:[1]

* admitting that one cannot control one's addiction or compulsion;
* recognizing a higher power that can give strength;
* examining past errors with the help of a sponsor (experienced member);
* making amends for these errors;
* learning to live a new life with a new code of behavior;
* helping others who suffer from the same addictions or compulsions.



Woo Hoo - on my way to being a rocket scientist - boy that was DIFFICULT to become informed on!!!!

12 step program exclusive to only alcoholism, I think not.

Peace!

I tread carefully on this issue. I rehabed with drug and alcohol patients, and I came to believe that an addict is an addict, regardless the choice of substance. We all had many common denominators. We all shared similar life issues. I know some folks distinguish between alkies and druggies, and I understand some of the reasoning in that. But, as another poster said, 12 step is 12 step.

the last one - helping others with the same addictions may make the alkie think they are in an exclusive club - but so not the case when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction -

i have yet to know a drug addict who was not an alcoholic - many drug addicts won't admit it - as they stop the drug but continue drinking - most druggies drink - it's part of the social drug enviroment and many times you have to drink to bring you down from the highest of all highs -

So granted, i see where alkies in AA think they are exclusive but the reality of is MOST druggies need help in both areas - so they speak of their drug addiction more often than their drinking, many times that is because they haven't accepted that they have an alcohol problem too - many times they are in AA as when they begin drinking they loose control of their thoughts which easily triggers wanting to drug again.

For those alkies that are not drug addicts you may never understand and truthfully i am glad you don't - as that would mean that youve been in the drug world - and it's more hell than the alcohol world IMO -

Peace!

Here's a link to mentioned pamphlet:

http://www.aa.org/pdf/products/p-35_ProOtherThanAlcohol1.pdf

It still boils down to relating our experiences.

As as I would like to relate (hubby was) to a Crack smoker...I can only have Compassion.

And yes, of course there are many different 12 step programs...Doesn't that alone make it blatantly obvious they need to relate to others in their situation.

The judge, to my knowledge..used AA to either punish or help offenders....creating one heck of a mess. I feel sorry for the addict to have to set thru a meeting of AA.

If more NAers would do it....start and attend NA they could have the availability we do....they don't.
My experience is knowing many drug addicts do not drink, if they have their drug of choice. I rarely if ever had alcohol while I was actively addicted to other substances. I am off illegal drugs over 15yrs.......alcohol 2yrs.
Going to AA without the experience of full alcoholism only dilutes the base.

I feel very sorry for anyone one that would have to lie :(

I stay with my posts on pg 1

Why make the word exclusive sound so bad? Many groups are exclusive....any hobby has it's exclusive members. Why would I join a running club when I need a cane. If NAers would put time and effort out they could be very large. Funny that all AA has done is grow and drug addicts are lying to get in.