For Those in Treatment

Once we stopped using drugs, many of us started comparing ourselves to other addicts. We focused on our differences rather than our similarities. Seeing only the differences made it easy to think that maybe we didn’t belong in NA.

Denial is a prominent aspect of the disease of addiction. Denial keeps us from seeing the whole truth about ourselves and our disease. Feeling that we are different from other addicts is a manifestation of this denial. It helps to take an honest look at the unmanageability of our lives that resulted from our drug use. We look especially at our relationships, our employment, our living conditions, and our financial obligations. Instead of thinking about the good times we had using drugs, we try to remember when we may have said, “What am I doing here? Why do I feel this way? How long has it been since drugs worked the way I wanted them to?”

Eventually, we all face a basic question: “Do I want to stop using drugs?” Many of us could not answer this question immediately. However, when we willingly and honestly looked at our past, we found many reasons to stop using drugs. Your answer to this question can set the course for your future recovery.

The disease of addiction is progressive. Our experience during active addiction proved that to us. Continued drug use destroys us in body, mind, and spirit. We believe that, for addicts, continued use of drugs leads to jails, institutions, or death. Breaking through denial gives us a clear picture of the destruction in our lives. With this in mind, we can look for solutions to our problems.

We learn that we are powerless over our addiction. The use of drugs is one aspect of the disease of addiction, although this disease affects all areas of our lives. We begin to recover when we abstain from all drugs. Admitting our powerlessness is a surrender, an admission that we don’t know the solution to our problems. Surrender begins as we become willing to consider new ideas. We can ask for help and accept it when it’s offered.

We are taught that we are responsible for our recovery. This means that we must act. No one else will do it for us. We need to learn how to take care of ourselves.

We suggest, if possible, that you attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings while you are in treatment. Talk to other addicts in meetings and ask them questions. The friends you make now will be part of your support when you leave treatment. We also suggest that you take the time while you are in treatment to read available Narcotics Anonymous literature. During treatment, you may be given the opportunity to attend outside NA meetings. Exchange phone numbers with members that you meet at those meetings. You will develop a network of support with other recovering addicts. Becoming familiar with NA and meeting some members will help make the transition from treatment a little easier.

Some addicts leaving treatment feel overconfident of their ability to stay clean on their own. It’s not unusual for addicts to develop a false sense of security in the structured environment of treatment. An overconfident attitude can be dangerous, however. Thinking that “I don’t need anyone’s help” often leads to a relapse, a return to active addiction. Acknowledging our vulnerability helps us become willing to prepare for our discharge. We encourage you to have a plan of action before leaving treatment. Here are some suggestions that have worked for us:

Sponsorship is a practice that reflects our belief that addicts can best help each other recover. A sponsor is another recovering addict who can help us learn about the Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous. Often our sponsors give us the sort of individual care and attention we need to learn about staying clean and living life without drugs. You can find a sponsor by listening carefully to addicts in meetings and asking yourself who has the kind of recovery you want. If you do not have a sponsor yet, we recommend that you choose one as soon as possible.

If you have a sponsor, call him or her often and make plans to get together face-to-face. While your sponsor may give you a great deal of support and guidance in your recovery, a sponsor will not keep you clean. We are still responsible for our own personal recovery.

While talking about ourselves and sharing our feelings, we find an identification with other recovering addicts. It’s important for us to share our feelings and our experience. Unless we tell others how we are feeling, no one will be able to help us. We invite the sharing of experience when we ask questions of other NA members. The program of Narcotics Anonymous helps us help ourselves in recovery.

Once we have stopped using drugs, we need to learn how to live life clean. We need to learn how to recover in all areas of our lives. We can become comfortable with ourselves, without drugs, by applying the Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous in our recovery program. We can have freedom from active addiction by consistently practicing what has worked for other recovering addicts. By working the steps, we change and grow. Recovery from active addiction can continue as long as we are willing to practice what we have learned.