NA’s Relationship To Alcoholics Anonymous
May 30, 2008 by Mark
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
From the Narcotics Anonymous World Services web site I’d like to reproduce a few paragraphs and then direct you to the link to read through the entire bulletin. The good folks at NA obviously put a great deal of thought into this and it is certainly worth the read.
Some thoughts regarding our relationship to Alcoholics Anonymous
“The question of just how Narcotics Anonymous relates to all other fellowships and organizations is one which may generate controversy within our fellowship. In spite of the fact that we have a stated policy of “cooperation, not affiliation” with outside organizations confusion remains. One such sensitive issue involves our relationship to the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. Letters have been received by the World Service Board of Trustees asking a variety of questions about this relationship.
Narcotics Anonymous is modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous. Nearly every NA community in existence has leaned to some degree on AA in its formative stages. Our relationship with that fellowship over the years has been very real and dynamic. Our fellowship itself sprang from the turmoil within AA over what to do with the addicts knocking on its doors. We will look at our roots for some perspective on our current relationship to AA.
Bill W, one of AA’s co-founders, often said that one of AA’s greatest strengths is its single-minded focus on one thing and one thing only. By limiting its primary purpose to carrying the message to alcoholics, and avoiding all other activities, AA is able to do that one thing supremely well. The atmosphere of identification is preserved by that purity of focus, and alcoholics get help.”
Which says a lot… read the entire bulletin, please.
Cool
good stuff
I know of many members of AA who go to NA as well. Some members get a bit irritated when they talk about drugs at AA meetings but I don’t mind that much if they don’t talk about it excessively. The atmosphere of identification mentioned there is vital for any 12 step meeting to be effective.
I subscribe to Sean A’s thoughts about some of the oldtimers who get irritated about talk of drugs – they get irritated because they’re jealous that they didn’t get the opportunity to do half the crap we did…
Thanks for posting this, Mark. It’s something I’ve often wondered about.
In my neck of the woods, you’ll often find drug addicts at AA meetings and alcoholics at NA meetings. I didn’t know about this – much less understand why – until someone in my life entered rehab for drug addiction, then moved into a fellowship home for alcoholics, and attends both NA and AA meetings. At one AA meeting, I listened as one of the alcoholic “oldtimers” talked about how he had little patience with others who didn’t want drug addicts to come to AA meetings, and while I can’t remember the details of the story he told (it involved a kid who’d overdosed a few days after he attended an AA meeting where someone told him he wasn’t “eligible” to be there), it made sense to me.
Too, in this area many drug addicts favor the AA meetings over the NA meetings because, sadly, the NA meetings in this area have a bad reputation for people showing up high. One drug rehab facility in my area takes its clients to AA meetings only for this very reason.
Thanks Alicia – your experience is fairly commonplace – I’ve heard and seen stories like that before. The good thing is that there IS help and direction…
Someday HP will make the solution known to all of us
That is very naughty Mark, – your 9.21 30 May comment!! I BOIL with resentment when AAs don’t want addicts. I was never offered any drugs when I was drinking so I’m just a plain ‘ol acoholic.
Any time an AA says addicts are not welcome: BB there are those that have problems other than alcohol.
3rd edition BB P439 Doctor Alcoholic Addict
p210 – he took barbiturat
p457 – drug addict
p478 – heroin addict
p497 – took in addicts
p517 – addict
p544 – addict