Comments on: 1953 NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS

By: lisa

lisa — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:05:27 +0000

Very, very well said! Thank you. Maybe some will hear.

By: lisa

lisa — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:58:31 +0000

Thank you Noah…well said and true! If I am on the prowl to find something negative to say I can always find it and that has happened here. I am a member of Alanon and my husband is a member of both NA and Alanon. His experience was that when he went to AA years ago and was honest, he was told to leave and to go to NA. He did and has been clean for many years thru working the steps and having a HP…God. I am active in alanon and also have worked in the recovery field professionally for some time. I love many many people in AA but, as a fellowship, NA has been MUCH more supportive of Alanon than has AA, which I think is sad and weird Let’s focus on the positive in each fellowship (as I have seen miracles from ALL fellowships) and encourage people to be led to the group where they feel the strongest spiritual connection. As all of the groups are made up of mortals…I am sure there are some groups that are not as healthy as they should be…but that is a group issue NOT a whole fellowship issue. AND, it is not just in NA…there are unhealthy Alanon and AA groups as well. Let’s face it….most of us would be better off in the worst group imaginable than where our disease had us when we got here. Do we really want to be bickering in the doorway when precious newcomers come into our rooms? And that is the answer…if all we have to do is focus on perceived flaws of other fellowships we may need to ask God to provide us a newcomer to work with so we can see the disease through THEIR eyes and we could eat up some of that free time that apparently is available.

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:12:22 +0000

In reply to the post above, I would say that pretty much all alcoholics are, in fact, addicts. Alcohol is a drug after all. Most alcoholics just don’t admit/realize that they too, are addicts. The majority of the people in AA tend to not understand the difference between the fellowships. NA treats the disease of addiction, which is all encompassing. We begin by treating our addiction to drugs, but that is only the beginning. Drug use is merely a symptom of our disease. After getting clean, we see how our addiction manifests itself in many other ways, and we work on them and continue to grow.

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:54:43 +0000

I cant find a way to email you, i am deff a hopeless addict lacking power even though my power is growing. and the worst part is im 19, my tolerance kick’s 40 year addict’s tolerances to shit, my withdrawal is uncomprehendable. i know i still have a huge life ahead of me and im pretty sure ill get better because of what im making myself go through at this moment, with the help of my clinic of course. I dont know, i felt every word you said in your hopeless lacking power addict little comment thingy up I’ve finally learned to let people think they understand what im going through but they really fucking dont so i spend most of my time alone but i will be going to a meeting soon. whatever, i need help.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:10:58 +0000

Someone really needs to let me know how an alcoholic isn’t an addict on the most basic level…. there is no difference, and if you see one, maybe you should do some more step work.

By: brian g.

brian g. — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:13:29 +0000

i am trying to find halt [hungry angry lonely tired] in the basic text. can you help?

By: rob

rob — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:00:29 +0000

1st, this articles is sad. sad as in it is AA biased and trash talking NA.

2nd, i have no respect for ppl of either or no fellowship who judge a whole fellowship on a few bad seeds….i’m an addict in recovery tho NA for 3yrs and have the upmost respect for AA, or any other A and any club/religion/fellowship that helps ppl overcome their struggles.

3rd, i didnt see the line in the 6trad from the basic text about “cooperation not affiliation” with other fellowships.

- rob k., addict.

By: KeithN

KeithN — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:08:02 +0000

It has been my experience having been involved wholly in both fellowships I am an alcoholic and an addict. Therefore I believe for me I have the disease of addiction. I have met people in AA that share with me they have the disease of alcoholism but not the disease of addiction. I thought that was true for me at one time in my life only to find out the hard way (as usual) that for me this did not work. Not only could I not take just one drink, I couldn’t take just one mood altering drug either. For that matter, not just one of anything mood altering. I believe whether you have one or both diseases that you check out which ever fellowship, wherever God or chance leads you to, works best for you. From my experience there are great meetings for both fellowships, great people in both with blessed recovery, and there are also immature meetings and immature people at both. Don’t ever give up and you have to work the steps for any fellowship to work, for me a few percent of my effort brings a hundred fold results from either! Oh, and I have also learned not to worry for my pride when precious lives are at stake.

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 11:57:31 +0000

Thank you for helping clarify both my points. As you stated, alcohol is a drug, and sobriety equals freedom from alcohol.

By: Jim H

Jim H — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 19:52:03 +0000

Here are a few excerpts from A.A. literature that clearly defines the purpose of AA. Nowhere in A.A. literature does it state that AA’s focus is anything other than the drug alcohol.
Found at:
http://www.aa.org/pdf/products/p-35_ProOtherThanAlcohol1.pdf

Conversely, A.A. literature clearly states “Sobriety” means “freedom from alcohol”. To put my money where my mouth is, I am willing to apologetically retract my statement to anyone who can show in A.A. conference approved literature where it states that A.A. is a :program of complete abstinence from all drugs”

Below are statements from Problems other than alcohol -
A.A. conference approved literature which was written by Bill W. (co-founder, Alcoholics Anonymous) and appeared in the AA Grapevine in February 1958.
This literature was approved by the A.A. General Service Conference in 1969 and reaffirmed by the A.A. General Service Conferences of 1970 and 1972.

Here are clear and concise statements found in the document:

“Now there are certain things that A.A. cannot do for anybody, regardless of what our several desires or sympathies may be.
Our first duty, as a society, is to insure our own survival. Therefore, we have to avoid dis¬tractions and multipurpose activity. An A.A. group, as such, cannot take on all the personal problems of its members, let alone the problems of the whole world.
Sobriety — freedom from alcohol — through the teaching and practice of the Twelve Steps is the sole purpose of an A.A. group. Groups have repeatedly tried other activities, and they have always failed. It has also been learned that there is no possible way to make nonalcoholics into A.A. members. We have to confine our membership to alcoholics, and we have to confine our A.A. groups to a single purpose.”

“Therefore, I see no way of making nonalco¬holic addicts into A.A. members. Experience says loudly that we can admit no exceptions, even though drug users and alcoholics happen to be first cousins of a sort. If we persist in trying this, I’m afraid it will be hard on the drug user him¬self, as well as on A.A. We must accept the fact that no nonalcoholic, whatever his affliction, can be converted into an alcoholic A.A. member.”

“We cannot give A.A. membership to nonalco¬holic narcotics addicts.”

I hope that this provides clarification.
A.A. is for those who have a problem with alcohol and who wish to
“be free from alcohol”.