HOW NA WORKS AND WHY IT DOES
Narcotics Anonymous is a very special programme. The very name evokes many to turn and run screaming “cult” or worse. Yet, the very essence of the programme may be exactly what most people need. Even though how and why NA works will elude many, perhaps to their peril. At it’s core it is a programme of daily principles, available to everyone without strings attached, that works if you work it. It is a programme that follows the age old principles that the truth, letting go and accepting what is will indeed set you free. Narcotics Anonymous themselves discuss the much asked questions of how and why NA works.
So here’s how and why NA works
The disease of addiction can manifest itself in a variety of mental obsessions and compulsive
actions that have nothing to do with drugs. We sometimes find ourselves obsessed and behaving
compulsively over things we may never have had problems with until we stopped using drugs.
We may once again try to fill the awful emptiness we sometimes feel with something outside
ourselves. Any time we find ourselves using something to change the way we feel, we need to
apply the principles of the First Step.
We are never immune from having our lives become unmanageable, even after years of
recovery. If problems pile up and our resources for coping with them dwindle, we may feel out
of control and in too much pain to do anything constructive for ourselves. We feel overwhelmed
by life, and that feeling seems to make everything worse. When our lives seem to be falling
apart, we reapply ourselves to the basics of the NA program. We stay in close contact with our
sponsor, work the steps, and go to meetings. We surrender again, knowing that victory lies in the
admission of defeat.
The feeling of love and acceptance we find in the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous allows us
to begin recovering from our addiction. We learn a new way to live. The emptiness from which
we suffered is filled through working and living the Twelve Steps. We learn that our addiction is
being addressed in all its complexity by this simple program. We have found a solution to our
hopelessness.
There is a deeply spiritual nature to our program of recovery. The Twelve Steps of Narcotics
Anonymous will take us on a journey that will far exceed our expectations. Working and living
the steps will lead us to a spiritual awakening. Step One is the beginning of this spiritual journey.
To get started on this journey, we must become willing to surrender to this program and its
principles, for our future hinges on our willingness to grow spiritually.
We are starting a new way of life, one that offers great joy and happiness. However, recovery
doesn’t exempt us from pain. Living life on life’s terms combines moments of happiness with
moments of sadness. Wonderful events are mixed with painful ones. We will experience a full
range of feelings about the events in our lives.
By honestly looking at what we have become in our addiction, we recognize the powerlessness
and unmanageability of our lives. Moving beyond our reservations, we accept our addiction,
surrender, and experience the hope that recovery offers. We realize that we can no longer go on
as we have been. We are ready for a change. We are willing to try another way. With our
willingness, we move on!!
Just for today: I don’t have all the answers, but I know where to find the one’s that matter. Today, I will seek out a Nar-Anon meeting and ask “How does it work?” This is how and why NA works
For more help with addictions, or on how and why NA works and to learn about obsession and addiction treatment, contact Pathways Plett Rehab on +2744 533 0330. You can also email us or chat live online.
For local NA meetings click here.
