NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS CELEBRATES 17 YEARS OF SERVICE

Narcotics Anonymous, a fellowship offering recovery from drug addiction completed 17 years in Mumbai on September 8. Comprising entirely of addicts, this fellowship is unique in many ways. Using the simple principle that 'one addict can best understand and help another addict', Narcotics Anonymous (NA) has been instrumental in the recovery of hundreds of addicts in Mumbai.

The past 17 years has seen hundreds of addicts, most of whom were hopeless, sick, tired and unemployable metamorphose into beautiful human beings - loving, caring and most of all honest. These also saw successful careers, responsible relationships, freedom and happiness in the lives of many addicts.

NA traces its history to Southern California in 1953, when a group of addicts met for the first time to recover from drug addiction. In 1983, the first Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting was held in Mumbai at Mahim on the September 8. The first NA meeting had a handful of addicts desperate to recover. The initial meetings were spent in trying to understand the programme of recovery which was based on simple spiritual principles.

By 1989, there were NA meetings at seven places in Mumbai. Today the figure has grown to 11 groups and 21 meetings a week in Mumbai alone. Drawing inspiration from addicts' experiences in Mumbai, addicts from other parts of India started NA meetings and began recovering. Today, meetings are regularly held in Pune, Goa, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and many other places including some treatment centres in most of these places.

NA defines addiction as a disease and their uniqueness lies in the 'therapeutic value of one addict helping another'. Also there are no questions asked at the time of admission and there are no initiation fees or dues.