Nar-Anon Family Groups
The twelve steps:
- We admitted we were powerless over
addiction - 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
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.
- Make 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 a
result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to
practise these principles in all our affairs.
About the twelve traditions
The Twelve Traditions are as
much a part of our spiritual
foundations as the Twelve Steps. They serve as guidelines for the unity
of Nar-Anon's
ethical and financial values, Group membership, public relations and
anonymity.
The Twelve Traditions are designed for the collective good of
the Fellowship and can be interpreted for personal application in
recovery.
The twelve traditions:
- Our common welfare should come first;
personal progress for the greatest number depends upon unity.
- For our group purpose there is but one
authority - a loving God as he may express himself in our group
conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
- The relatives and friends of addicts,
when gathered together for mutual aid, may call themselves a Nar-Anon
Family Group, provided that, as a group, they have no other
affiliation. The only requirement for membership is that there be a
problem of addiction in a relative or friend.
- Each group should be autonomous, except
in matters affecting another group, Nar-Anon or Narcotics Anonymous as
a whole.
- Each Nar-Anon Family Group has but one
purpose; to help families and friends of addicts. We do this by
practising the twelve Steps, by encouraging and understanding the
addict and by welcoming and giving comfort to families and friends of
addicts.
- Nar-Anon Family Groups ought never
endorse, finance or lend our name to any outside enterprise, lest
problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary
spiritual aim. Although a separate entity, we should always co-operate
with Narcotics Anonymous.
- Every group ought to be fully
self-supporting, declining outside contributions Nar-Anon twelfth step
work should remain forever non professional but our service centres may
employ special workers.
- Our groups, as such, ought never be
organised but we may create service boards or committees directly
responsible to those they serve.
- Nar-Anon Family Groups have no opinion
on outside issues; hence our name ought never be drawn into public
controversy.
- Our public relations policy is based on
attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal
anonymity at the level of press, radio, TV and films.
- We need guard with special care the
anonymity of all our addicted relatives and friends.
- Anonymity is the spiritual foundation
of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before
personalities.
A
note on the God-word!
Nar-Anon is not a religious
program, but a spiritual way of life based on a Twelve
Step/Twelve Tradition philosophy embracing all beliefs.
Throughout the
literature and philosophy of Nar-Anon (and all 12-step programs),
there are various references to "a power greater than
ourselves", "a higher power", "God", "God as we understood him",
and other similar
expressions. These terms are used fairly interchangeably,
and refer only to the concept that there is a spiritual aspect to our
lives
which transcends our normal, everyday way of functioning. In
12-step work
it is the tapping into this spirituality that is one of the keys to
recovery.
No particular religious beliefs
are advocated by these programs.
At the same time, they do not conflict with any religious beliefs
already held by
individuals, but respect all beliefs. At Nar-Anon meetings one is
likely to find people of any
and all religious backgrounds, including atheism. All are equally
welcome
and able to participate. Preaching, or the advocating of
particular
religious beliefs is not permitted at meetings.
FOR
ALL YOUR NAR-ANON LITERATURE NEEDS
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NAR-ANON Family Groups
[Australia] Inc.
PO Box 4032 Balgowlah Heights
NSW
2093
PHONE [02] 8004 1214
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PLEASE DONATE TO NAR-ANON
Nar-Anon relies entirely on anonymous donations
and literature sales. We do not accept any corporate or government
funding.
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