Re: Clarity Statements (approved version)
Just want to clarify a couple of points.
Re: the disease concept.
Narcotics Anonymous views addiction as a disease. We use a very simple, experience-oriented 'disease concept'. We do not qualify our use of the term "disease" in any medical or specialized therapeutic sense, nor do we make any attempt to persuade others of the correctness of our view. The 'disease concept' works well as an analogy by which our members can understand their condition.
The experience of our members has been that total, continuous abstinence from all drugs has provided them with a reliable foundation for recovery and personal growth.
Narcotics Anonymous views alcohol as a drug, and we find the "drug of choice" designation irrelevant to our program since we focus on the disease of addiction itself, not any particular drug or drugs.
Narcotics Anonymous makes a clear distinction, based on very different program goals, between itself and other anonymous fellowships, for instance, Alcoholics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous. The primary distinction is noted in our First Step; in being powerless over our addiction, not merely a specific substance.
Richie