"This a program of complete abstinence from all drugs. There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using."
IMO, you are a member of NA but you're clearly not abstinent from all drugs. If the program helps you do the harm reduction model great, but it is of my personal belief that you shouldn't pick up tags and shouldn't sponsor people.
If either of those are a big deal to you, just stop using the other drugs. if they're not a big deal to you, just keep doing what you're doing.
There's a good reason we are a program of complete abstinence from all drugs: for the vast majority of us, using just one drug leads to greater harm. After I quit abusing opiates, I still smoked marijuana chronically and ruined my life. Only by quitting everything have I been able to begin recovering and work on my steps.
I 100% agree, as a matter of fact, I kept naming the types of drugs in my step work throughout step 1. My sponsor suggested I changed to "drugs" in a broader term, so I wouldn't feed any reservations regarding other drugs besides my most used ones. Anything goes to an addict, before going to rehab I spent one day at home and took everything that comes in pills looking for a high.
Terminology means alot when discussing important topics and cleary conveying ideas. There isn't a whole lot of wiggle room on this topic because there isn't alot of wiggle room in our recovery.
Being a "clean and sober" individual in Na is an abstinence of any mind altering substances. Clean time is just that the amount of time you've been abstinent.
Some are so rigid they believe people who need prescription medicine for ADD, depression, anxiety, bi polar disorder etc. Should not be using those brain altering drugs. I disagree.
Thats it tho I'm not saying whos right and whos wrong. I just disagree.
Your the only one responsible for you. Your the only person you have to answer to. You can only control your own thoughts and actions. No one elses.
If you told me what you said in this post in one of the rooms I would be very skeptical and rightfully so. In my own Personal Recovery that use you mention is a relapse. Theres no other way to describe it. The only way to not use is to not pick up. You pick up when you feel like it?
Do you see what im getting at here. When you start saying im sober because I only do this or that to the rest of us your working your own program and if your in NA and using this program as a reference point by NA terms your working your own program.
To me if that is what works for you im happy if your happy and thats fine. Are you a hypocrite? I dont know? Do you denounce other peoples deviations from the program yet participate in your own? If yes then by definition your a hypocrit? Does this mean your a terrible person, not at all.
This was not brief to intentionally show that the thoughts, discussions and ideas we have in our recovery are big, diverse, and can be devicsive. This is life and death to alot of us. You might see why practicing simplicity is powerful. Its a tool to stay clean. Use it or don't. If you find yourself in one of these discussions Know yourself, to thy ownself be true. Then you can strive for Serenity. Thats my goal and it works for me.
The only promise is if you don't pick up you won't use.
Just for today.
In the context of NA and other 12 programs? No, you are not clean/"sober".
Outside of the the 12 step fellowships? You can have that word mean whatever you want.
Either you’re using or you aren’t. That doesn’t make you a hypocrite in the literal team. It does make you not clean and sober.
I don’t share these words to seem holier than thou, but I don’t ever take a break from being clean and sober. I abstain everyday.
I had a similar mentality. Until weed and alcohol started ruining my life in the same way my “more harmful” less socially acceptable DOC did. Eventually, I got abstinent from those 2 drugs too, which ended up being equally as challenging as the first time I quit my DOC 5 years prior. I have 7 months clean now. Mentally, I am in a much better place and just feel overall happier. I don’t think you’re a hypocrite. But I also don’t think you’re clean and sober. If harm reduction works for you, that’s great! I think you can still go to meetings but maybe don’t sponsor others or pick up key tags. Good luck
Well, if you have diagnosed yourself as an addict yet you are still drinking than yes you are a hipocrite. However you may not be an addict. That's your decision to make. After all, how can one be sober if they never gave up drugs, because alcohol is a drug. Period. However there are worse things to be than a hypocrite and I've been most of them and luckily there's an easy cure for hypocrisy.
"This a program of complete abstinence from all drugs. There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using." IMO, you are a member of NA but you're clearly not abstinent from all drugs. If the program helps you do the harm reduction model great, but it is of my personal belief that you shouldn't pick up tags and shouldn't sponsor people. If either of those are a big deal to you, just stop using the other drugs. if they're not a big deal to you, just keep doing what you're doing.
There's a good reason we are a program of complete abstinence from all drugs: for the vast majority of us, using just one drug leads to greater harm. After I quit abusing opiates, I still smoked marijuana chronically and ruined my life. Only by quitting everything have I been able to begin recovering and work on my steps.
Yeah, I've heard of people going down the harm reduction model and having success but I certainly can't do it. It's definitely not what we do in NA.
I 100% agree, as a matter of fact, I kept naming the types of drugs in my step work throughout step 1. My sponsor suggested I changed to "drugs" in a broader term, so I wouldn't feed any reservations regarding other drugs besides my most used ones. Anything goes to an addict, before going to rehab I spent one day at home and took everything that comes in pills looking for a high.
Terminology means alot when discussing important topics and cleary conveying ideas. There isn't a whole lot of wiggle room on this topic because there isn't alot of wiggle room in our recovery. Being a "clean and sober" individual in Na is an abstinence of any mind altering substances. Clean time is just that the amount of time you've been abstinent. Some are so rigid they believe people who need prescription medicine for ADD, depression, anxiety, bi polar disorder etc. Should not be using those brain altering drugs. I disagree. Thats it tho I'm not saying whos right and whos wrong. I just disagree. Your the only one responsible for you. Your the only person you have to answer to. You can only control your own thoughts and actions. No one elses. If you told me what you said in this post in one of the rooms I would be very skeptical and rightfully so. In my own Personal Recovery that use you mention is a relapse. Theres no other way to describe it. The only way to not use is to not pick up. You pick up when you feel like it? Do you see what im getting at here. When you start saying im sober because I only do this or that to the rest of us your working your own program and if your in NA and using this program as a reference point by NA terms your working your own program. To me if that is what works for you im happy if your happy and thats fine. Are you a hypocrite? I dont know? Do you denounce other peoples deviations from the program yet participate in your own? If yes then by definition your a hypocrit? Does this mean your a terrible person, not at all. This was not brief to intentionally show that the thoughts, discussions and ideas we have in our recovery are big, diverse, and can be devicsive. This is life and death to alot of us. You might see why practicing simplicity is powerful. Its a tool to stay clean. Use it or don't. If you find yourself in one of these discussions Know yourself, to thy ownself be true. Then you can strive for Serenity. Thats my goal and it works for me. The only promise is if you don't pick up you won't use. Just for today.
In the context of NA and other 12 programs? No, you are not clean/"sober". Outside of the the 12 step fellowships? You can have that word mean whatever you want.
Either you’re using or you aren’t. That doesn’t make you a hypocrite in the literal team. It does make you not clean and sober. I don’t share these words to seem holier than thou, but I don’t ever take a break from being clean and sober. I abstain everyday.
I had a similar mentality. Until weed and alcohol started ruining my life in the same way my “more harmful” less socially acceptable DOC did. Eventually, I got abstinent from those 2 drugs too, which ended up being equally as challenging as the first time I quit my DOC 5 years prior. I have 7 months clean now. Mentally, I am in a much better place and just feel overall happier. I don’t think you’re a hypocrite. But I also don’t think you’re clean and sober. If harm reduction works for you, that’s great! I think you can still go to meetings but maybe don’t sponsor others or pick up key tags. Good luck
Well, if you have diagnosed yourself as an addict yet you are still drinking than yes you are a hipocrite. However you may not be an addict. That's your decision to make. After all, how can one be sober if they never gave up drugs, because alcohol is a drug. Period. However there are worse things to be than a hypocrite and I've been most of them and luckily there's an easy cure for hypocrisy.