On Sunday January 14th, I had the privilege to attend my first NA meeting as a supporter. My new gf is in recovery and was there to celebrate three years clean. I am very proud of her.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. You see AA meetings in the movies and I wondered if that’s how it would be. It was to a point. Everyone sat in a circle and if you had something to share with the group, you would announce yourself like “Hi, I’m ___ and I’m an addict”. That part is true. But what you don’t see are the real people who have real addictions and this organization called NA (Narcotics Anonymous) is their saving grace.

I say that I feel privileged to have gone for a few reasons. One, to be let in on the side of life that is very personal to my new girlfriend. Two to be included in a group that shares real life tragedies, sorrows and hardships. However, they also share positive energy, encouragement, support and yes, hugs! As I was introduced to someone there I went to shake her hand, and she responded with “Oh, we don’t shake here we hug!”. And she was right. Everyone gave hugs big hugs, little hugs, hugs of encouragement, hugs of gratitude, hugs of support and hugs of love.

There were a lot of people who shared whatever was on their minds. In this open and supportive group, it is very much encouraged and an important part of recovery. There were stories about dealing with the death of family members and and even about frustrations with a child not catching onto potty training.

There were many moments when my eyes filled up with tears to the point that I thought they’d come streaming down. The first was being a witness to someone who was attending their first meeting and seeing the fear and the courage come to the surface when he said that infamous phrase, “Hi, I’m ___ and I’m an addict” for the first time. Immediately everyone starting clapping for him and practically everyone got up to give him that hug of support and encouragement.

There was a women who was struggling with feelings of resentment towards her father who had now passed away. That was very emotional for me to hear as well and I learned a lot from her sharing her feelings so openly like that.

Then, there was a young man who let everyone know that he was only 14 days clean and he was having a hard time resisting the urge to drink alcohol. He knew that alcohol would lead to other drugs and he was feeling very discouraged. Later, a lot of the others in the room gave him words of encouragement, including my girlfriend.

And lastly, my girlfriend was given her three year coin for staying clean. Her sponsor was there and said wonderful things about her and the journey she has had to get where she is now. Almost a Senior in college, working full time, managing friends, family, me and two sponsee’s that now look to her for guidance with their own recovery. That was a wonderful thing to witness.

If you have an addiction to drugs or alcohol, there is help out there. There are people that will take you into their arms and help you through what you think of as rock bottom. It isn’t the end of your life and it doesn’t have to be the way it is right now.

For help contact you can go to: www.na.org or www.alcoholics-anonymous.org

Or, talk to me about it. I’m not a doctor, but I’ll be there for anyone who needs help.

If you know someone who may have a drug or alcohol addiction, there is assistance for you too. Stay tuned for more information on where to go and how to approach someone you think may need help.

We need to take care of each other.

~Juliet