My FirST NA meeting! ya gotta read

So I went to my first NA meeting lastnite and WOW was I surporised..... I live about 1 hour north of
LOs Angeles and our city has more crime than normal and we get alot of parolles
because its in Los Angeles County... Well I had 4 meetings to choose from so i chose one
that was at a church i was familar with... So I go and walk towards the entrance and a bald headed
tatooed Hispanic man approaches me(mind you that Iam a 24 year old blonde white girl and
hispanic boys is all I really date! so i wasnt scared...) He says hey your new? I said yeah    iam can u tell me where
to go? so he then says well are you sure u need to go u dont "look" like u belong here? and that
Infiniti G35 ur driving is too expesive of a car for a druggy? I laughed and said u know we are ALL here for
a different drug and mine are PIlls.... I then went inside and their were bout 10- 15 people and i would
say that 1/2 of them were using the F word.... We then went around the room and shared our story and out of 16 people, 14 of then were addicted to Meth and 1 addicted to cocaine and I was the only one their addicted to pills. I stayed for about 30 min but then left because it just wasnt my thing
so any advice for me ? should i try another meeting else where? can anyone share their experinces with me?  I hope this didnt make me sound stuck up but somehow I hold down a full time job to support myOLD pill  habit and drive a nice car..

[VicUser]

A different meeting might work. I have only used this forum and have found all the support I need, so far. However, I know different people need different types of help and support.

[Army220]

I have to agree with VicUser.  I have gotten all my support from this forum.  No NA meetings for me.

Everybody is different.  Try the forum out and see how ya do.  It is a great place to express your feelings.  Everybody here will keep your chin up and make you laugh.

Good Luck Sister...

Army

[goldenarm]

The NA guy was teasing you,,what he meant by that is have you had enough yet? Most people who finally quit have hit rock bottom,and then they are ready,,he thinks you havent went deep enough into the depths..and most people in NA have crashed and burned ,,Been to Prison,,,lost everything ,,ended up on the streets,,went to NA thru rehab facility,,etc,,And going to NA and meeting some of these people is way different than your average board talk,..

[kim715]

I have known people trying to recover from drugs in the past who have preferred the AA meetings as opposed to the NA.I have been been to AA meetings with my husband in the past,he is a recovering alchoholic three years sober,and I have always found the people there to be very warm and welcoming.I have never been to an NA meeting,so I can't personally comment,but perhaps it's another option for you.Goodluck.

[lovepat906]

Although I would like to follow advice here and encourage my son to attend NA or AA- I have reservations based on my former experiences with them and the folks  in our vicinity who attend. First, since my son is using Sub to do a slow taper detox from Methadone, the attitude is that he is still "dirty". Second, the folks at these meetings seem to love to share "war stories" and they border on bragging rights about who was the " baddest boy". Almost like a badge of honor- don't see that as helpful. And IF you aren't a "Dumpster Diver" you get the feeling that hey- maybe your problem isn't all that bad.
Also, in my lttle town, there is ONE meeting a week that does not interfere with my son's work schedule. So... I'd like to pay for private counseling- but the fact is, the cost of what he is doing now is almost breaking the bank. I have turned him on to this web site and am going to encourage him to find some friends to communicate  with on a daily basis. Folks who can help him with his thinking- which he needs. Any way-just my 2 cents. I am sure that there are places and meetings that are excellent out there. He is going to check out the one Friday morning that he could attend. I just hope that it doesn't set him back.

[cocobeanlisa]

Dear love pat,

I am so sorry I do not agree with what you posted.  I have been to maybe over 10,000 AA meetings and maybe around 200 NAmeetings.

I have found AA more helpful for me, because their recovery is longer and better base of people.  Most of us in AA/NA do not tell war stories, matter of fact we do not like it when other people do.  We believe that everyone that wants to be there should be there and the people who are
really working a program of recovery do not want to be the baddest big boy.  We feel that there are many kinds of bottoms, you do not need to be homeless.  My husband and I are what they call high bottom drunks and addicts.  We have a home, jobs 2 cars and all of the stuff, but we lost our souls and minds.  
KiKi, if you want to go to a NA/AA meeting keep trying, I have found that I not only like the meetings but these people have become my friends.  People I go to the movies, out to dinner with.  I have made some great friendhips in AA..   Find another meeting, or try a AA meeting.  Most people Iin AA now are what they call cross addicted.

[Rose703]

I went to many AA meeting with my mother when she was alive because she was an alcoholic. I met so many nice people there and never felt out of place since at that time I used NOTHING. Now I'm a recovering pill addict, but instead of meeting I come here for many reasons, one being that I have chronic pain and can't get around that much,
My advice would be to either use this forum or try another meeting. So sorry you felt so out of place there!!

[bandnmom]

That is exactlt what happened to me. i as the only pill user and everyone else was addicted to coke and meth. They were talking about things like they were so excited that they could wear short sleeve shirts this summer cuz they r not shooting up etc. I was uncomfortable. I never went back. The next day i found this forum and obviously it worked for me I am 4 months clean cuz of everyone here.

[poetrygirl1960]

I haven't been to N/A since my stay in rehab two months ago, but I felt a kindred spirit among them.  Maybe it just wasn't the meeting for you, or maybe this forum is enough which is totally cool.  I've decided this is what I'm doing, I pick the time, the place, and how long.  Can't beat that, right?

[random288]

I encourage you to search for another meeting. I  have just broken up with a fiance that is addicted to heroin.  He claimed that he didn't like the meetings last time he came out of rehab and that they didn't work for him, since he relapsed he has gone to a few meetings and he has realized although he doesn't always like hearing about people and their horror stories, there is something in those meetings that he can take out and that can help him try and stay clean...I don't if he is clean right now hopefully he is, but I think the meetings can work for you if you are ready to let them!  I'm no one and don't know much about all this just what I have experienced through him....I encourage to continue to search for a meeting until you possibly find one that works for you, you never know!  Stay strong  xoxox

[toxictome]

I agree totally w/ cocobean lisa. I also go to AA mtgs...you will be welcome there. I think this forum is good...but how are you going to learn the tools for recovery? I don't believe there is enough of that wisdom on here because many are just getting clean themselves and don't have any 12 step program recovery  experience...I guess everyone has to decide what works for them.
I hear more in a one hr. AA mtg. than I get in 8 hrs. here.....just my 2 cents worth!

Good luck...!!

[mommy52713]

my brother also tried na 4 pills andsaid it wasn't 4 him he switched 2 aa and loves it he says alcohol and oills go hand in hand and there are alot more people he can relate with.

[Mikeinthesouth]

I agree with the folks talking that it will take some sort of life adjustment after getting through withdrawals. I am sorry you experienced that at that meeting, but thank your lucky stars you did not go to those extremes. I have done a few things I would consider to be junkie actions but am in no way proud of any of it and have not gone into detail as that does not matter one iota. WHat matters is we are all detoxing and feel the same dopesick. I am sure I will find my niche when through this and will look around for some kind of support I hope is there. Hang in there and don't give up. Remember thank your lucky stars you still have a car. I still have my family my house and three cars in the drive but it is all meaningless as I could lose it in a heartbeat. Bank accounts could be sucked up in a second too so keep trying honey.

[addictedme]

You may try a na meeting that actually follows the guidelines,,if you come out of an na meeting and know what everyone used then there not correct in their meeting. Na makes NO distinction between drugs. I go to meetings daily and rarely hear someone mention a specific drug and many times drugs arent even mentioned. If you dont like the area its in then find a meeting at a hospital. I attended an na convention in LA last year and they have tons of meetings.I"ve also heard people with significant clean time tell newcomers that war storys are not acceptable.gl

[untwisting]

I was really reluctant to go to NA. Tried a couple of different meetings but didn't feel like they fit. I guess 3rd time's a charm because I've found a group that works. I work in an office environment and am always afraid I'll stick out. This new group has people that look like bank executives, the next door neighbor and the guy with tattoos on his neck (which is completely o.k.). Just saying it's just a big group of regular people that I feel comfortable in. Meetings help me stay focused on recovery and the people there are really encouraging. It's nice to hear your story coming out of someone elses mouth - not so alone.  So - maybe look for another meeting - you'll find one that fits.  Hope that helps - good luck!