The
SoberRecovery Glossary of Recovery Terms
Marijuana
Anonymous
Marijuana Anonymous, also known as MA, grew out of Alcoholics
Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. The purpose of MA is to help
people recover from marijuana addiction.
The MA program uses the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, substituting
the word marijuana for the word, alcohol. The MA program is spelled
out in a series of pamphlets available at their web site and at
MA meetings.
MA meetings or groups are found mostly in the United States,
Canada and the UK. They are generally small in size, rarely exceeding
20 or so people. Most groups meet once a week. Most meetings are
discussion groups where members share their experience with a
particular topic, and step studies where members discuss their
experience working with the 12 Steps. All meetings are based,
one-way or another, on the sharing of members experience, strength
and hope.
Membership in MA is informal. A person becomes a member when
they decide they want to stop using marijuana and begin attending
meetings. There is no registration; no attendance is taken, although
the group’s secretary may note the number of people in the
room. The commitment to anonymity is taken seriously and people
can attend NA meetings with little fear that others, outside the
meetings, will find out they have joined.
MA meetings can be found in various ways. There are meeting lists
on the web. In the United States, Marijuana Anonymous may be found
in the white pages of most telephone books; a call to information
will also sometimes results in a phone number where meetings can
be located. |
