gravity

Hi Everyone,

After my AA meeting the other night, an older lady (AA member) was asking for advice. Her adult son has developed a cocaine/crack addiction and she is not sure how to help him (he has sort of asked her for help). She was trying to find out if there is a difference between quitting drinking and getting off of cocaine. He has had severe alcohol & gambling addictions in the past (left him homeless). Any information I could pass on would be appreciated. Thanks.

C2H5OH_Free

If you see her again, lead her to the literature table at your AA meeting and help her find the Narcotics Anonymous pamphlets. If for some reason there are none, find any phone book and look it up in the White pages.

Aa_vark

Hello,

Am a recovering addict who has found successful recovery from crack addiction in NA . Here is a good starting point for information, pamphlets, helplines and local meetings in canada.

Canadian Assembly of Narcotics Anonymous

bonsai12

Hello Gravity,

We have a crack addict with severe alcohol & gambling problems in the past. It sounds like our friend here is just switching seats on the titanic. I would not send anyone to an NA meeting based on the fact that if I identify myself as an alcoholic I am not allowed to share my Experience, Strength, and Hope. If my God does not censor what I have to say then I’m sure not going to send someone to a place that does.

Any AA meeting I attend will receive this person with open arms actually any meeting would be of great benifit. I hope you are able to help this woman and her son, good luck!!!!

gravity

Thanks for the responses!

I feel so bad for this dear lady (I just met her). She has 20+ years of sobriety and is so frightened. All I could really do was listen and pray for her son. She is from out of town and came to the AA meeting on a gut feeling & believes that it was to meet me (so humbling). We did have a long talk about spiritualism & both left feeling better. I just wish I could do more. I will get her some NA literature and tell her that he is welcome at AA meetings as well.

CarolD

That's all you or anyone else can do....
you did the correct action Grabity

Tazman53

I have never heard of AA hurting an addict, we have quit a few recovering addicts in our AA rooms in my area, they are more then welcome in AA and are very respectful of AA's primary purpose. Several of them use AA rather then NA for thier recovery, either way, AA or NA has never hurt anybody.

bonsai12

In the 3rd addition of the Big Book one of the stories in the back mentions herion adiction. We AA's didnt throw her out we put her story in the Big Book.

Impurrfect

I am a recovering crack addict, and was always welcome at AA. NA meetings weren't as frequent, and we had an alano club, so there were lots more AA meetings. I always got what I needed, when I needed from the people at AA.

Hugs and prayers!

Amy

Aa_vark

i've seen addicts struggle to fit it in AA, and also leave because they could not identify with someone who shared a common experience or common solution.

the problem isnt the substance or the bottle, its the thinking... But societies (criminal) perception of addicts plays a bigger role in an addicts perception of their own problem... in all honesty an addicts thoughts and feelings are quite important in context of their chances of recovery. Many of us were beyond help of society, and could not find hope untill we found our own identity and were introduced to other addicts in recovery, people in whom their common problem was solved.

Narcotics Anonymous has grown since 1953. We have the depth of experience, to reach out to addicts who want to do something about their addiction. WE have a common solution that works for ADDICTS WHO WANT TO RECOVER. It works for any addict, regardless of what substance we used. WE're not interested in how much you used, where you got your dope.. There is no glory pay for the best war stories.... The disease can be arrested before you end up in jail, rehab, the morgue... I cant remember the last time i did a home invasion or sold my body for another beer...

Your comments ARE appreciated, bonsaii... what page of the big book of alcoholics anonymous is that on?

more will be revealed...

bonsai12

I just got back from a morning meeting and had a lengthy conversation with another AA member. We were talking about the Big Book, AA and stuff. I mentioned the chapter with the Heroin. I’ve never really been much on the stories I mean I have my favorites but for the most part stick to the first 164 pages and Bob's story. Yesterday I came across a chapter and the word Heroin jumped out at me. I read the story and this lady stopped drinking and got into Heroin for two years and during that time she didn’t drink. It also makes mention she almost died half a dozen times and that she lost her brother to Booze and pills.

This guy I was talking to got upset and said he couldn’t help anyone with a drug problem and that he could only help people with an alcohol problem. My response was I couldn’t help anyone with anything but God could and would if he were sought.

Tonight I have speaking engagement and I can tell you I will mention drugs because they are mentioned in the Big Book and they are part of my story. If there is an issue about drugs being mentioned at any AA meeting from this point out I can calmly point out 3rd Edition page 478-482 Belle of The Bar.

Funny thing about this story is that I went to a Football game last Sunday and had you told me last year I would be enjoying something like this sober, I would not have believed you…..

More will be revealed….