More Cool StuffNA Members Share Recovery Sharing Recovery
Sharing is what happens at our meetings. The miracle of recovery happens addict to addict in the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous. In this section our members share what it was like, how they found NA and how they stay clean today.
NA Say-Your-Name
So at my home group meeting when we go around and introduce ourselves I claim I'm one of the characters from the television program Glee*. That is, each week I rotate through the list of characters' names. This all started a year ago when I began talking, only to be interrupted with "Who are you?", the oft heard demand that the speaker always say his/her name before continuing.
"I'm Sam. I'm an Addict."
"Hi Sam!!"
Then I'm permitted to speak. It creeps me out, frankly. After all, the organization is called Narcotics ANONYMOUS, not Narcotics Say-Your-Name.
Rather than scold the woman for interrupting me I decided to quietly (passive/aggressively it could be said I suppose) make the point that saying my name is irrelevant by borrowing someone else's name. Evidently, the tenet is that I have to spit out a name to get past the Imaginary Rule Matron. Fine, last week I was Emma.
I had a vague notion that this past Sunday, a year after I'd started name rotation, I'd go back to Sam. Turns out, though, that this thing has legs, it's taken on a life of its own. Unexpectedly, I've found that people take pleasure in my ever changing identification, reminding me who I was last week, asking who I'll be this week. People I run into from other meetings tell me with a smile that they've have heard about my unusual convention.
Really? This is what people talk about to each other? They don't have a clue what I'm protesting, or even that I am protesting. They just like it that I'm being naughty, breaking the rules so blatantly. After all, everyone knows I'm not Mercedes or Santana.
Sheesh.
In the end, in order to protest the mindless ritual, I've accidently created a mindless ritual. Kind of makes you wonder doesn’t it?
How NA Began
The first meeting of Narcotics Anonymous was held on Monday October 5, 1953 in Sun Valley, CA at the Dad's Club on the corner of Cantara Avenue and Clybourn Street.
- Frank C. Chaired
- 17 people attended
- $10.81 was collected
- $0.91 was spent on coffee
To see the flyer for the 1st NA Meeting Cllick Here.
Notice "Our Purpose" on the 1st meeting Flyer. Jimmy got that from the Oct 5th 1952 'Key Newsletter' that was printed inside Lexington Federal Prison in Lexington Kentucky at the Narcotics Farm print shop, last page: Our Purpose.
Here is the Sign-in Sheet from that 1st Meeting: Sign-in Sheet (JK signed in Last)
Why Dad?
I began using when I was twelve years old, and used for 36 years; my clean date is 20 February 2006. I had many opportunities to find recovery, but I refused to change. The events of my life are not very much different from those of many of my fellows in NA. What it takes for an addict to find recovery may be as diverse as our personalities. For me, it took devastating events and my eleven-year-old asking, "Dad, why does this have to happen?"
Walking Through
In my twelfth year of recovery, I found myself going through a divorce after 30 years of marriage.
My recovery remained as a primary focus for staying committed to living one day at a time. I used the tools of recovery to make it through each day. I learned that sharing in meetings about going through a painful period of my life was not the end of the world or a reason to relapse. I told my sponsor that I needed to be accountable as I walked through this, and that I wanted to contact her daily. I remained consistent with my meetings and the women I sponsored.