12 Steps of NA Explained
Curious about NA? Here are the 12 Steps of NA explained
When you have an addiction to narcotics, you may or may not be familiar with the various treatment options for that addiction. One of the most popular and most well-known treatment options for a narcotic addiction is the 12 Steps of NA (also known as the 12 Steps of Narcotics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous 12 Steps). While many people have heard of the 12 Steps of NA or AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), the majority do not know what those NA steps entail. Get to know more about the 12 Steps of Narcotics Anonymous so that you can determine whether or not this type of program is right for you and your narcotics addiction.
The 12 Steps of NA
Step One: Admitting that You Have an Addiction and that You Have No Power over It
The first step in overcoming an addiction to narcotics is essentially realizing and admitting that you have an addiction. This admittance also includes acknowledging that the addiction has gotten out of control and severely impacted the person's life. For many people, this is the most difficult step in the process and can take the most time to work through.
Step Two: Believing in a Higher Power to Help Regain Control
The majority of the Narcotics Anonymous 12 Steps program has a faith-based focus. This means that the steps revolve around believing in a higher power that can help restore a person's sanity and grip on their life, and that can help them combat (fight) their addiction. This is the emphasis in step two and is a step toward letting go of an addiction and having faith that you do not need narcotics to get through your days.
Step Three: Turning Over Your Life to that Higher Power
In step three, the recovering addict moves toward relinquishing control over their life and existence to the higher power and putting trust in a higher power to look out for their well-being. Willingly deciding to surrender yourself to another being helps a person to move further away from narcotics abuse.
Step Four: Moral Inventories
A moral inventory is essentially a self-assessment that allows you to determine your own values and the characteristics and traits that make you who you are. While the emphasis here is on the positive, it is important to also recognize flaws and deficits.
Step Five: Confession
Step five is another challenging NA step as it involves admitting your wrongdoings to yourself, to others, and to your Higher Power. This is tough on people because addicts and laypeople alike prefer to try to brush their bad behavior under the rug rather than confess to it or confront it.
Step Six: Ready to Allow Character Flaws to Be Removed
Again, here the emphasis is on God or a higher power removing a person's character flaws and deficits from them and essentially washing their character clean. This is a way to accept your flaws and also to let them go.
Step Seven: Ask Higher Power to Remove Flaws
In step seven, a person will ask God or another higher power to help them by relieving them of their flaws. This is an act of humbleness and is designed to help the person continue overcoming their flaws.
Step Eight: Listing Those Who Have Been Harmed
Next, a recovering narcotics addict is asked to develop a list of all of the people that they have hurt or harmed over the course of their addiction. This is not only a list of names but also of the ways in which the person was harmed and ideas for how to make amends to that person.
Step Nine: Actively Attempting to Make Amends
In the ninth step of the 12 Steps of NA, a person uses that list they generated and begins to actively try to make amends to the people that they have hurt through their addiction. This can be a grueling process and some of the people on the recovering addict's list may not be ready and willing to forgive or move forward in the amends-making process.
Step Ten: Reassessment and Personal Growth
Once at step ten, the goal is to maintain progress and continually reassess behaviors and actions so a person keeps improving and growing.
Step Eleven: Growing the Relationship with a Higher Power
In step eleven, the focus is once again on building trust and love for a higher power and making that the primary relationship in a person's life. This involves meditation, prayer, and reflection.
Step Twelve: Sharing the Message
Finally, in step 12, the recovered addict become an ambassador of sorts for the 12 Steps of NA and tries to help others struggling with an addiction to narcotics.
Now that you have a more comprehensive understanding of the 12 Steps of Narcotics Anonymous you can be sure that you choose the right addiction treatment program for your needs.