Nar-Anon is a twelve-step program for friends and family members of drug addicts.
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Nar-Anon is a 12-step group that offers support and guidance to families and friends of individuals who are struggling with drug addiction. Founded in 1968, Nar-Anon is a sister organization to Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and shares many of the same principles and practices. In this article, we will explore the history and purpose of Nar-Anon, the 12 steps and traditions, and the benefits of joining the group.
History and Purpose of Nar-Anon
Nar-Anon was founded in Southern California in 1968 by the wife of a Narcotics Anonymous member who realized that families and friends of addicts also needed support and guidance. The organization grew rapidly, and by the early 1980s, there were more than 500 Nar-Anon groups in the United States and Canada. Today, Nar-Anon has expanded to include groups in more than 25 countries worldwide.
The purpose of Nar-Anon is to provide a safe and confidential environment for families and friends of addicts to share their experiences, strength, and hope with one another. Members of Nar-Anon work the 12 steps, attend meetings, and provide support and guidance to one another as they navigate the challenges of loving someone with a drug addiction.
The 12 Steps and Traditions of Nar-Anon
The 12 steps of Nar-Anon are based on the original 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), but have been adapted to address the specific needs of families and friends of addicts. The 12 steps are as follows:
We admitted we were powerless over the addict – that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.