Thank you for sharing Gmoney. I also have a question about those individuals who medically have to use opiates be it Methadone, MS Contin, Oxycontin as pain relievers due to illness and injury (for example, chronic pain sufferers). I am not on MMT, it wasn't right for me, but I am a chronic pain sufferer who was advised by a pain specialist to try several medications until I found only one that works for my type of pain (and it is a narcotic), that I will most likely be on for the rest of my life. Does this also make me "not clean" in the eyes of NA? I can somewhat understand MMT patients not being considered clean because its a substitution of one drug for another specifically FOR addiction which is the disease that NA is helping other members to fight against. But for us pain patients that have no choice but to be on long-term narcotic pain relievers for tough illnesses and conditions, what of us? Can we be counted as clean as long as our doctor prescribes us the medication, we take it as prescribed, stay active in NA, have a trusting and loving sponsor, and have someone else (a non-addict) giving us our medication on a daily basis instead of the addict being in charge of the medication? I just want to know because I love NA but I still feel unsure that I'll be accepted because I am still on narcotics, but not for maintenance (I wasn't on MMT for maintenance either, I had to use it for pain management while I had no insurance, so they found out and had me wean off the MMT program and find a pain mgt doctor who accepts uninsured patients, they were nice about it because I am an addict and they didn't want me to give up on recovery just because I have chronic pain). So what's the word on this? Thanks.
Jaz