Recovery NA - What’s the Deal?

[Fiori di Bella]

I’m trying to kick my Oxys habit. I get 120 of the 20mg pills prescribed monthly.

I used to attend NA meetings with my dad, because he and I had a coke problem by the time I was 16-17.

However, I recently started attending NA meetings again (NA Zoom Meetings). The change from the old NA meetings to the current NA meetings is that alcohol is not tolerated in any amount.

Should I act like I am free of drinking since nowadays drinking is so awful to the NA peeps?

And should I lie as I will always make kidney stones, and have since birth due to a congenital lack of enzymes? A life free of opiates is simply not possible since I will always make stones.

Currently, I’m drinking but that is all. I’m not taking Oxys daily as I’m concerned about having another bout of uncontrollable renal pain and I don’t want to run out of the Oxys during a time I really need them. I’m going through a rough time with my right kidney and I like having plenty of Oxys to see me through.

 

[Bella Figura]

I don't think there's any need to lie, I think the only real concern they'd have is if someone was so loaded they weren't able to sit and pay attention i.e. their behaviour was disruptive to the meeting.

They expect people to relapse and show up high, and lie even I guess.

I've only been to one meeting and the guy sitting next to me reeked of puke and was just babbling out loud the entire time clearly fucked on something (and eventually walked out).

 

[Jabberwocky]

yeah don't lie. they should accept you regardless.

i have sat in meetings nodding out, gone off to smoke a pipe in the bathroom, seen other people obviously very drunk, etc, and mostly people have been welcomed. there is always one judgemental arsehole but fuck them, mostly they at least have the good grace not to be judgemental to your face.

NA really really helped me in my early recovery so it is an valuable resource. good luck kicking the oxys!

 

[Jabberwocky]

I've found NA really helpful when I was on a run and I felt i couldn't stop. I'd go while still pretty high from the day before, but before I had anything that day and it would kind of short-circuit me and I'd be able to not use. I'd keep doing that for as many days in a row as it took to feel I had a grip on myself and the binge had stopped. Basically I found in NA vs the cravings NA worked quite well. But that's amps not opiates.

 

[JessFR]

NA has its faults, as do all the 12 step fellowships. Still, if you can accept it for what it is, it can provide social support that is hard to find elsewhere.

I wouldn't bother lying.

 

[Jabberwocky]

yeah the social support element is crucial. there are other groups you can get it from, but its important to get it somewhere.

 

[Blankenstein]

Have any of you tried SMART meetings?
I was looking for alternatives to AA/NA and stumbled across these online.

Pre covid they did in person meetings where I live, but now it’s all online and I can’t get onboard with online meetings. I like to do that sort of thing in person.

 

[Zephyn]

yeah the social support element is crucial. there are other groups you can get it from, but its important to get it somewhere.

Yeah I might go to meetings if I didn't feel too disturbed to socialize afterwards usually. My social anxiety has gotten as bad as my baseline anxiety it seems, for someone who was once rather outgoing. I keep planning to go when im high to make some friends but never wind up going

 

[Zephyn]

Have any of you tried SMART meetings?
I was looking for alternatives to AA/NA and stumbled across these online.

Pre covid they did in person meetings where I live, but now it’s all online and I can’t get onboard with online meetings. I like to do that sort of thing in person.

SMART is pretty cool, they don't like to use the term addict to continue to identify once sober, is all evidence based, and has no religious component. I also noticed they were receptive to my comments about medicating with ketamine and psilocybin, which was cool. They are all online now though. Lots of cbt paperwork basically and a HR approach.

 

[Blankenstein]

SMART is pretty cool, they don't like to use the term addict to continue to identify once sober, is all evidence based, and has no religious component. I also noticed they were receptive to my comments about medicating with ketamine and psilocybin, which was cool. They are all online now though. Lots of cbt paperwork basically and a HR approach.

Ah ok nice. Hopefully they reopen and I can go check them out.

Yeh I liked the sound of the lack of religious component of it.

I mean I am grateful to NA/AA for providing support and being a place I can go and share and talk to people going through the same thing, but it just feels a little weird with all the old literature and kind of culty aspect of it. I mean I don’t want to bag it because it has been super helpful for me, but yeh...

 

[emkee_reinvented]

What my understanding is the name NA is not protected by an patent or something. Anyone can use it and start meeting's which explains the difference's between all the NA's we have over here.

The most hardcore NA I found prohibited contender's to speak if they are under the influence of a substance. The group that I visit weekly isn't that strict.

But because of the total openness during the session's lying imo is out of the question. But inside I do have some criticism on there program.
-The fact that you are allowed to have your own god, doesn't go well with Marihuana. Rastafari's tell us its a plant of god. A gift.
-They work with a system of metal plates for each stage of sobriety. I have a white one for showing up but as long as I toke and don't lie that's all I am gonna get. Childish.
-They still treat addiction as disease ( they seem to have missed the rat in the cage vs. rat's paradise experiment. Its more like a social exclusion disorder at best. And they don't have a clue about DOC (drug's of choice ).
-Tobacco isn't psychoactive so its okay. While I know that was THE stepping stone drug for me.

Btw it was Alcohol that brought me there NA seemed more appropriate looking at my history of drug use.

 

[emkee_reinvented]

SMART is pretty cool, they don't like to use the term addict to continue to identify once sober, is all evidence based, and has no religious component. I also noticed they were receptive to my comments about medicating with ketamine and psilocybin, which was cool. They are all online now though. Lots of cbt paperwork basically and a HR approach.

Do they do hugs?

The NA session's contain a lot of hugs at least the one i visit. This seems one of the contributing factor's to abstaining from drugs. As you feel human again. We are not solitary animal's. But during the worst of my addiction I was heading that way.