Estephania Esparragoza SOC 3382 – Summer 2023 Narcotics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous is an international organization with the sole purpose to support those with a substance abuse problem, including illicit or prescription drugs or alcohol. It was founded by James Patrick Kinnon in 1953 in Los Angeles, California. As the organization gained recognition and started growing, more and more meetings started being offered in big cities across the United States. The organization then spread to different countries such as the United Kingdom and Colombia, offering almost 3,000 meetings worldwide by the end of 1983. Narcotics Anonymous uses the same 12 step method as Alcoholics Anonymous does, with various key differences such as the statement they start their meetings with. Various studies have been conducted which indicate those who suffer from addiction come from all ethnic and religious backgrounds but those in lower socio-economic levels are more prone to developing an addiction (BDARTF). The Narcotics Anonymous meeting I decided to attend is provided by a group called Rainbow of Hope. The meeting was on a Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m. and there was two methods people can attend the meetings which were in-person or through zoom. The topic for the meeting I attended was how people find serenity in prayer when going through recovery from addiction. The name of the meeting chair was Patrick. During the meeting, first Patrick introduced the name of the organization, introduced himself and shared a little of his role within the organization, and mentioned the main topic of conversation for the meeting of that day. He then conducted a welcoming exercise where everyone introduced themselves and those who were new to the group had an opportunity to introduce themselves and shared their motive behind joining the meeting. Patrick then went over the 12 steps for the program to be effective and reminded everyone that these steps are to be Estephania Esparragoza SOC 3382 – Summer 2023 completed at an individual pace and to compare recoveries is never beneficial. He also went over some ground rules which were that the conversations had in this meeting were not to be brought into professional settings, to focus on humanity and common experience, to consider one’s talking time in order for those who wanted to share could, and to be able to admit our flaws. People then proceeded to share their stories and when time ran up, everyone stood in a circle and prayed while holding hands. One of my favorite things about the meeting is being able to experience how these people who have an illness that is not understood by many, were able to find a community that not only supports them during their hardships but also celebrates every milestone in their journey. I was able to experience how much these connections mean to them specially when their addictions have pulled them away from many of their loved ones. So many addicts are only left with the community they create and within this group I was able to experience what it’s like to only have your chosen family because they’re the only ones that truly understand you. I also really liked how open people were to answering questions after sharing and just an overall feeling of courage from all the people sharing their stories. One study in the topic of Narcotics Anonymous, it is described as a program where youth may benefit but the conclusion of effectiveness from the study is limited by their only being a small number of studies published, not including recovered patients in studies, evidence in existence is purely based on observations, and the only recovering method being 12 step meetings (Kelly & Myers, 2007). Another study found that being involved with the twelve step meetings is more effective in maintain someone’s sobriety compared to only attending meetings. This study found that there are some tactics that promote the regular attendance of young people such as peers of the same age group attending although this initial incentive fades over time. It Estephania Esparragoza SOC 3382 – Summer 2023 also found that those who are involved in twelve step meeting from a young age will decrease their attendance to meetings as they become adults (Kelly & Fallah-Sohy, 2018). Additionally, there was a study conducted to compare the effectiveness of twelve step meetings to programs based on those meetings. This study found that programs that boldly mention the use of Narcotics Anonymous as part of their treatment have patients do just as well in other programs on average (Sussman, 2010). I think as a sociologist, the effectiveness of twelve step meeting programs is based on someone’s intersectionality and their positionality. Where they live, their ethnicity, their support system, their income (if any), their gender, their job, and more can all affect someone’s ability to take time to attend meetings and be involved with the program. If there happens to be someone in an abusive relationship who provides the substance of their addiction, they might not be able to get access recovery as easily as a single, childless, independent adult. In order for us to truly consider the effectiveness of Narcotics Anonymous we would have to conduct qualitative interviews with a great number of people and pinpoint who was successful in recovery and the reason behind the success. Estephania Esparragoza SOC 3382 – Summer 2023 References A brief history of narcotics anonymous: The growth of NA. Turning Point of Tampa. (2020, March 16). https://www.tpoftampa.com/brief-history-of-narcotics-anonymous/ Kelly, J. F., Bergman, B. G., & Fallah-Sohy, N. (2018). MECHANISMS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE IN 12-STEP APPROACHES TO RECOVERY IN YOUNG ADULTS. Current addiction reports, 5(2), 134–145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-018-0203-1 Kelly, J. F., & Myers, M. G. (2007). Adolescents' participation in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous: review, implications and future directions. Journal of psychoactive drugs, 39(3), 259–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2007.10400612 Sussman S. (2010). A review of Alcoholics Anonymous/ Narcotics Anonymous programs for teens. Evaluation & the health professions, 33(1), 26–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163278709356186
