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| Opinion | |
How do we assign a level of importance to those things that help other addicts and ourselves in recovery? We generously share about not using, no matter what. We encourage every addict to “keep coming back.” But what about the phrase “Work the steps or die”? Perhaps our own experience of getting a sponsor was the most important thing we did in our recovery. Regardless of the seemingly endless direction we can share, what is the most important thing for us in the NA program? The NA Fellowship is in a phase of soliciting ideas about leadership and infrastructure. What better time would there be to inventory the ways in which we have helped ourselves, as a way to help others? If we embrace the rich diversity of our members without the fear of branding them as practicing uniqueness, this may broaden the attractiveness of our fellowship; hence, more addicts will hear the message and stay to carry that message. By my staying around the fellowship and humbly working the program, my understanding of the idea that “there is no model of the recovering addict” has grown. It is here that our leadership may diverge by imposing mistaken NA standards and expectations on others. I was told we share our experience, strength, and hope; we do not dictate to others the rulebook of what recovery is. For as many people as we may be helping to stay here, that many more may be turned away. I also believe there is no way around the basics—quit using, go to meetings, get a sponsor, and work the steps. Even then, how do I interpret the Third Tradition, which says that “the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using”? My sponsor helped me in making amends. When I wrote my list, he asked me what was the most important thing on that list—in other words, which amends could I not do and still stay clean? My Higher Power-influenced answer to that question was “none.” All of the amends I had listed were equally important. So what is the most important thing we do in NA?
I would like to first recognize and commend the staff of The NA Way for their commitment to facilitating the creative expression of viewpoints within our fellowship. The quality of the writing and graphic design in the magazine is impressive, and it keeps getter better. As an NA member and NA Way reader for the past eleven years, I was quite surprised and concerned by the article published in the January 2005 issue titled “What Is It About Medication?” In this article, the heart of Narcotics Anonymous is described as “the belief that we are guided by a loving God made manifest in our group conscience.” I am confused. What Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship was Bruce W writing about? The NA Fellowship I joined makes very clear that the heart of NA is sponsorship. Its message is unmistakably clear: “An addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live.” Its primary purpose is even easier to understand: “to carry this message to the addict who still suffers.” I am forever grateful to those who came before us: to those in AA who recognized that our needs as addicts were different from theirs, and to the NA pioneers whose hard-won experience gave us the steps and traditions of NA, our NA message, and the practical and effective concept of complete abstinence. Now if this makes me an NA purist, then I humbly accept the label with honor. I have to question the wisdom of having a section entitled “Opinion” in a publication dedicated to a fellowship that has “no opinion on outside issues.” Furthermore, the NAWS website makes this confusing statement on its “Facts about NA” page: In Narcotics Anonymous, members are encouraged to comply with complete abstinence from all drugs including alcohol. It has been the experience of NA members that complete and continuous abstinence provides the best foundation for recovery and personal growth. NA as a whole has no opinion on outside issues, including prescribed medications. Use of psychiatric medication and other medically indicated drugs prescribed by a physician and taken under medical supervision is not seen as compromising a person’s recovery in NA. This last sentence is most definitely an opinion and contradicts the NA message as a whole. This statement has done much to fuel the medication controversy in the home group ambiguously mentioned in the January article. It must be removed before any more of the “dire consequences” implied by the author happen. Even we NA purists know and agree with the statements found in the In Times of Illness booklet, which was specifically written and approved to address the use of pain medication, not antidepressants. I will be the first to admit that I have no personal experience with psychotropic medications. Fortunately for me, I heard the message before the use of medications became popular as a treatment method. I do, however, have a great deal of experience with depression. I found the Twelve Steps of NA ineffective in treating my depression until I completely abstained from all mind- and mood-altering substances. Then, and only then, did the steps begin to work for me. Through complete abstinence, I now have more than eleven years clean. I also believe that those who are dependent on daily psychotropic medications and believe in their use as a form of treatment should be encouraged to start their own fellowship, much in the same way that the AA fellowship helped us to get started, instead of confusing and blurring the already proven NA message of complete abstinence. The NA purists who continue to light my way have taught me that “it is not a sign of weakness to ask for guidance, nor is it a crime to be uninformed, but to choose the path of ignorance is unforgivable.” Believing in the use of psychotropic medications as a viable alternative to complete abstinence goes beyond ignorance, confusing and blurring our proven message to the addict who is still suffering. In our meetings, it used to be said, “I care and share the NA way so that no addict seeking recovery need ever die without first hearing our message.” Now what message are the newcomers hearing? That any addict can stop using —or take meds to get clean? I pray that God continues to bless the purists who keep our message clear and free of outside opinion. Only He knows how many lives were saved through their uncompromised and incorruptible beliefs.
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