How do addicts anonymous meetings start and end

In 1948, one of the graduates from the NARCO program moved to New York City and started a similar group in the New York Prison System. This group, based on the 12 steps of A.A., called itself NARCO or Addicts Anonymous, and continued to meet weekly for over twenty years. In early 1947, a group of drug addicts began to meet as part of a treatment center in Lexington Federal Prison in Lexington, Kentucky. The idea for creating a 12-step program specifically to help drug addicts had emerged several times. Officially founded in 1953, NA started in the Los Angeles area in the late 1940s. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is the largest and best known of the 12-step fellowships addressing recovery from drug addiction. The following section briefly describes the major drug recovery 12-step fellowships based on available information from each of these organizations. While alcohol users need only a few dollars to buy a bottle legally at the corner store, drug dependent persons by definition are engaging in illegal activities in the process of obtaining the substance of dependence. Individuals dependent on drugs, particularly illicit drugs, are often forced into a lifestyle that differs significantly from alcohol-dependent persons because of the criminalized aspect of drug use (acquiring, possessing and using drugs). Moreover, a second key aspect of the 12-step program that necessitated specialized fellowships for dependence on substances other than alcohol is the importance of identification with peers who seek a solution to a shared problem. First, one of the key principles of AA is РІР‚Сљ singleness of purpose,РІР‚Сњ most evidently expressed by a statement frequently made at the opening of AA meetings: РІР‚Сљin keeping with AA's singleness of purpose, please limit your sharing to alcohol.РІР‚Сњ While many drug users may also have used alcohol, those who do not identify alcohol as their primary problem substance may not be able to maximally benefit from support groups where alcohol is the primary topic of conversation. The advent of these specialized fellowships is likely multi-determined. AA meetings, however, may not have been suited for those dependent on substances other than alcohol and the 12-step recovery program started to be adapted to provide support for persons wishing to address dependence on substances other than alcohol. Inc., 1952) the 12-step recovery program became increasingly recognized as a useful recovery resource for persons wishing to overcome substance dependence. Twelve-step fellowships focusing on recovery from drug dependenceР”Р‡ollowing the increasing popularity of AA after the publication of the first edition of the Big Book ( Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1939-2001) and the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions, ( Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. In this chapter, we explore the influence of the AA model to self-help fellowships addressing problems of drug dependence first, we review the fellowships that have adapted the 12-step recovery model to other substances of abuse next similarities and differences between AA and drug-recovery 12-step organizations are examined finally, we present empirical findings on patterns of attendance and perceptions of AA and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) among polydrug dependent populations, many of whom are cross-addicted to alcohol.Р”Сћ.

eating, sex), cultures ( Humphreys, 2004 Makela et al., 1996) and belief systems (e.g., Christianity) 258 fellowships use the 12-steps or the name РІР‚СљAnonymousРІР‚Сњ ( Kurtz, 1997) and there are 94 РІР‚СљverifiedРІР‚Сњ twelve-step fellowships ( White & Madara, 1996). The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, AA's Basic Text laying out the 12-step program of recovery ( Alcoholics Anonymous World Services Inc., 1939-2001) has been translated in 28 languages, spreading worldwide the message of this РІР‚Сњdesign for living that works.РІР‚Сњ The AA recovery program has also been widely adapted to other behaviors (e.g., drug use, gambling, overeating. in 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous grown to become the largest and most well-known self-help organization for alcohol problems not only in the US but worldwide.

How do addicts anonymous meetings start and end