Category Archives: Narcotics Anonymous

NA Blog: Narcotics Anonymous Meetings Los Angeles

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Narcotics Anonymous meetings Los Angeles

As stated in the Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text, on page nine, “Narcotics Anonymous is a nonprofit Fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean.”  Here at the NA Blog, we are dedicated to keeping anyone in the recovery community informed about Narcotics Anonymous meetings and events throughout the US.  This specific article focuses on Narcotics Anonymous Meetings in Los Angeles.

The NA 12 Steps tradition is embraced at all of the 31,000 weekly meetings held around the world in the 100+ countries that form the Narcotics Anonymous fellowship.  Luckily, there is now a resource one can access easily online for up to date NA meetings information.  That resource part is offered through In the Rooms and can be located at: meetings.intherooms.com.  Below, please find a listing of just a few Narcotics Anonymous meetings the NA Blog has filtered through to provide those area-specific to LA.  We hope it helps someone out there find recovery.  For the full listing, click here.

Narcotics Anonymous Meetings in Los Angeles:

AADAP
5318 South Crenshaw Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90043 Sunday 4:00PM

Agape Home Mission
2205 South Hobart Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90018 Saturday 7:30PM

AT Center
1773 Griffith Park Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026 Wednesday 8:30PM

Avalon Carver Center
4920 South Avalon
Los Angeles, CA 90011 Wednesday 7:00PM

BHS Community Center
3421 East Olympic Blvd
Downstairs Wednesday 8:00PM

Cafe Tropical
2900 West Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Silverlake Monday 12:00AM

California Building Plaza
5419 West Sunset Boulevard # 7
Los Angeles, CA 90027 Friday 5:00PM

Casa Mexicana
2900 Calle Pedro Infante
Los Angeles, CA 90063
enter at Calle Pedro Infante Thursday 8:00PM

Circle of Help Foundation
2120 West 8th Street Suite 330
Los Angeles, CA 90057
Third Floor Wednesday 4:30PM

Covenant House
1325 North Western Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Speaker on 1st Sunday of month only Sunday 7:00PM

NA Blog: Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text (Online)

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Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text

The NA Blog has recently discovered that the Narcotics Anonymous basic text is now available in its entirety online for viewing.  This a great opportunity for those that haven’t committed to going to Narcotics Anonymous meetings but are interested in learning more about the NA fellowship.

Although there are many additions of the Narcotics Anonymous book, the online version is the most current and up-to-date available by the NA fellowship.  Please check out the full version as a PDF at the official NA website: www.na.org.  To find it, look under the section titled “NA Literature.”  We here at the NA Blog hope that this post can reach everyone and anyone out there that’s still on the fence.  Please get help and remember “It works if you work it.”

The Narcotics Anonymous Basic Text includes the following chapters:

1. Who Is an addict?
2. What Is the Narcotics Anonymous Program?
3. Why Are We Here?
4. How It Works
5. What Can I Do?
6. The Twelve Traditions of Narcotics Anonymous
7. Recovery and Relapse
8. We Do Recover
9. Just For Today – Living the Program
10. More Will be Revealed

Report Shows Online Recovery Programs Are Effective

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Online Recovery Programs

According to a recently published report by John Hopkins University, online drug treatment programs can provide short term counseling that is considered “just as effective” as traditional in-person group counseling. Former U.S. drug czar, Barry McCaffrey, was on hand for the announcement and said: “People need effective, science-based treatment that is appropriate for their community. This Internet delivery behind health care is going to be a big thing for us in the coming years.”

To prove the effectiveness of online recovery programs, researchers put 37 participants that sought a methadone treatment program into two groups, the first being a traditional counseling group and the second an online video-based group. Sic weeks later, researchers found that the online group attended 90 percent of the time, while the traditional group had only attended 76 percent of the time.

The findings are very exciting for individuals of low-income status that cannot afford the often pricey cost of in-patient treatment. However, traditional meetings such as AA and NA charge nothing for attending, while many online sessions, similar to those mentioned in the article “cost $50 each, and participants take part for 24 sessions. That comes to $1,200 for twice-weekly sessions over three months, only slightly less than in-person treatment,” according to Greg Warren, executive director of Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems.

Still, there are now social networking websites, such as IntheRooms.com that are a marriage of the two, by providing free memberships to recovering addicts seeking online recovery interaction with others. In the Rooms is considered a website were recovering addicts can go between their traditional group meetings to connect with others in the community to supplement their recovery efforts.

New Trend: Recovery High Schools and Sobriety High Schools

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According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), more than a quarter of a million youths in the US are admitted to rehab treatment centers annually.  To put it in other terms, that’s 1 out of every 70 youths (Middle school to High school aged).  Thankfully, some US organizations, like the Association of Recovery Schools, have taken progressive action to curb youth addiction and substance abuse.  Currently, there are more than 20 “Recovery High Schools” across nine US states.  But what exactly is a Recovery High school?

Most of these innovative High schools are usually funded by a mix of support from statewide Department’s of Public Health and local school districts.  Their aim is to provide students more intimate drug-free environments (smaller class sizes, typically, 50 students), where they can focus on their studies.  In addition, the majority offer group sessions, 12 step programs as part of the curriculum, as well as random, weekly urine tests.  Upon completion, students are awarded a state-certified diploma authenticating their accomplishment of the program.

Although some of the schools that form the Recovery High schools, haven’t been around very long, others like Sobriety High first opened 1987 outside Minneapolis.  Since the first Sobriety High school’s opening, three more of its kind have sprouted in the surrounding area.  For a nationwide index of currently active Recovery High schools, click this link: http://www.recoveryschools.org/schools_highschool.html

Included on the list is Northshore Recovery High School, which has been around three years and was recently featured in CNN’s new documentary, Addiction – Life on the Edge.  One student interviewed by host Sanjay Gupta, Lucy Gross, said that Northshore Recovery High School, “helps me so much,” adding, “I can’t imagine staying clean without it.”

New Online Survey: Am I Addicted to Narcotics?

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For some people, there comes a time in their lives when they may ask themselves, Am I addicted to narcotics? The question seems simple enough. Yet, the process that it takes to come up with a just and honest answer takes courage and the willingness to admit one’s faults.  
 
At InTheRooms.com, they’ve developed one of the most comprehensive surveys online. The InTheRooms.com survey can help you answer the question, Am I addicted to narcotics? Admitting that you have a problem with alcohol abuse is one of the first steps towards recovery. At InTheRooms.com, you can find individuals, just like you, that are looking for support and someone to talk to.

Am I Addicted to Narcotics?

Take this brief survey to learn more about yourself.
Take Survey Now

Whether or not you are an addict is a question that only you can answer. However, InTheRooms.com hopes to help those suffering from an addiction to narcotics, or those who feel they may be prone narcotic addiction, by providing them with these valuable surveys.

If you want to find the answer to the question, Am I addicted to narcotics?, simply click on the “Take Survey Now” icon in this article. It’ll take you to the interactive survey at InTheRooms.com. Afterwards, feel free to take part in any one of our other surveys and join the #1 recovery community online, www.InTheRooms.com.

Stories of Addiction: R.E.C.O.V.E.R.Y

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Here at TheNABlog.com, we are always happy to share true stories of addiction from the people who lived through them. In this short essay, an anonymous contributor describes what recovery means to him or her:
I’m not one for words and talking about my recovery don’t come easy.  I lived life hard for many years and life rode me hard right back. 

If it got me a high, I did it.  I stole, I lied, I cheated to get me that next fix so I could stop being sick.  I did jail time, I was homeless and I became like this other person that would stare back at me from bathroom mirrors or the car windows to see what I was really on the insides.

I’ve been clean and sober for five years now. Some people think that don’t say much but any addict can tell you it aint easy. I struggle every day but I never struggle alone! It took me a hell of a long time to get to the place where I am now and I fight every day never to go backwards.  One of my counselors suggested I keep a journal to help me get down on paper what I was feeling when I was getting myself clean. 

I still keep a journal to this day but one of the first entries I ever wrote is with me everyday in my pocket.  The title is RECOVERY.  It reminds me of the strength we each have inside even if there are days when we dont always feel strong.

- Respect
- Effort
- Contemplate
- Overcome
- Vindication
- Everyday
- Responsibility
- You can do it

In my meditation class at rehab I learned to concentrate on the words and I repeat them in my mind every single time I want a drink. It’s a powerful exercise for your spirit and it’s these kinds of things you can learn in recovery once you get yourself a good support system going. Now with the internet its easy to do. Signup, get help, be strong!

Exposing the Facts: Marijuana (THC)

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Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. It is a dry, shredded green and brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves derived from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The main active chemical in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; THC for short.


Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (joint) or in a pipe. It is also smoked in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana. Since the blunt retains the tobacco leaf used to wrap the cigar, this mode of delivery combines marijuana’s active ingredients with nicotine and other harmful chemicals. Marijuana can also be mixed in food or brewed as a tea. As a more concentrated, resinous form it is called hashish, and as a sticky black liquid, hash oil.* Marijuana smoke has a pungent and distinctive, usually sweet-and-sour odor.

Scientists have learned a great deal about how THC acts in the brain to produce its many effects. When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body.

THC acts upon specific sites in the brain, called cannabinoid receptors, kicking off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the “high” that users experience when they smoke marijuana. Some brain areas have many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. The highest density of cannabinoid receptors are found in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thoughts, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.

These facts were provided by The National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Staying within Faith and Looking towards a Brighter Future

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In today’s economic recession, more and more people are becoming jobless, homeless and just plain depressed. Not very good factors when it comes to relapsing, experimenting, and peer pressure. Times like these are what drugs and alcohol strive on. Making you break down and give into the numbness of intoxication.

All of us have to be able to differentiate between good times and bad times. Things will get tuff, things will get considerably difficult, and the path to drugs and alcohol are NOT the answer. Without hardship and tuff times, what good are the good times? For every good thing in your life there is always going to be an equal quality negative experience. Some of these negative experiences last longer than others and it makes losing the faith that much easier in the long run.

Keeping your head up and always looking towards the future and good things to come is what can separate you from the rest of our negative based society. The realization that bad times are inevitable and that they can and will be overcome, is the most important factor towards a drug and alcohol free life. No one needs to resort to these measures, they just do because its that easy. But sadly, in the jist of it all it only adds to the problem and creates a cloud of negative energy around yourself which is like a beacon light just calling for more and more negative experiences for yourself. Who wants that??

Surrounding yourself with positive people who share a lust for living life to its fullest is important when trying to make yourself see the light of positivity. Negative people will only bring you down, and the further down you get, the more desperate you are to get out. We are all in this together, so be there for your friends, make them see that YOU are that positive beacon of light and it will rub off on others. Bringing hope and joy to anthers life is what will keep your good times coming and your bad times at a lesser scale. Be the change that you need in your life and the rest will follow behind!

Beginning YOUR Recovery: Rehabilitation

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Rehabilitation centers are always the next best and most health conscious choice. Rehabilitation from drugs and alcohol is not just a destination, but a long journey.

Once addiction has taken hold, it’s permanent and it takes a lifetime of abstinence to maintain a healthy life. There is no cure for addiction as of yet, but there is treatment and it is that treatment, or rehabilitation that saves thousands of lives every year.

Many Rehabilitation facility’s are found in government funded centers, where the treatment programs offers sliding scale payment programs, payment assistance, or addiction treatment free of charge. Alternatively, there are many rehabilitation centers offered by private owners dotting the country, having higher concentrations in states like Florida, Arizona, and California.

Generally, inpatient drug-related rehabilitation programs have a standard length of stay of 28-30 days. Many addicts, however opt to stay longer and most rehabilitation programs offer lengthy stays of several months to a year.

Research has shown that the longer the rehabilitation program, the greater the chances for prolonged years of being drug-free.

Stories of Perseverance: Marjorie's Story

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I’m trying.  My name is Marjorie and I’m three days sober.  I know this isn’t a long time and I’m still scared and anxious and confused and weighed down by my demons but I’m trying.  This isn’t my first attempt at sobriety either. I’ve tried to stay clean already three times but it’s hard.

I guess life is hard too and I know I’m not the only one to have tried and failed before.  But I’m hoping this time I can stick with it.  Writing about it helps me get through those moments where you feel the dark fingers of addiction closing around your throat to the point that you feel like you can’t breathe. 

I’ve moved back in with my parents because I had to break ties with my old “friends” for lack of a better word.  I know my life and my recovery have to be about me right now but I’m not used to thinking about myself or putting myself first. 

I know there are a lot of success stories about recovery on the internet and I hope mine becomes a story of success too.  I know some people would consider three days with no drugs a success but I’m hoping for that long-term success where I can write about having a loving husband, a little house and a family. 

I think I would even like a dog or a cat too.  It’s hard, it hurts but I want to succeed.  Thanks for listening.  I know I’m not there yet but I’m getting there.