My Experience at an Narcotics Anonymous

Marvin Torres

HUSR 242

Field Experience

I attended a Narcotics Anonymous meeting called The Thursday Night Fix.  It’s located in the city of Santa Ana.  The date I attended the meeting was April 30, 2017.  It was a meeting that was started by a local street level gang member that was sick and tired of his life of struggles and addiction.  He first was introduced to Narcotics Anonymous in Los Angeles County when he went into a treatment program.  He immediately got a sponsor, built a foundation for himself and felt a burden to bring this type of program to Santa Ana where he was originally from.  The power of the program of Narcotics Anonymous truly shows that there is no division between race, gangs or past rivalries.  The Thursday Night Fix meeting has been in place for approximately 10 years.  There were no men’s stag meetings in Santa Ana and The Thursday Night Fix met this need.  He saw the destruction of drugs run rampant in his neighborhood and surrounding gang areas and felt a true need to deliver a message of hope in his own community.  

The purpose of this meeting is catered towards recovering drug addicts and basically one addict helping another addict.  It’s about sharing your experience, strength and hope, what life was like before getting sober and what life is like for you now.  This is the typical format of a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.  The reason I specifically chose this meeting is because they do not harp on their war stories.  They emphasize the true meaning and value of being solution-based, directly connecting to working the 12 steps of Narcotics Anonymous, having a sponsor and working with other addicts.  In this setting, they don’t sugar coat and can just be straight up, uncut, raw with respect, really driving the point home and the power of a 12 step program.  

I see value in both Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous but what I like about the Narcotics Anonymous program at this particular location is how they convey their message with conviction, passion and stress the importance of being of service.  I can really identify with this particular meeting because it primarily caters towards Hispanic gang members that I have a heart for and can relate to on more levels than not.

The meeting has grown rapidly and is self-supporting by its own contributions from those who attend.  The program is similar to Alcoholics Anonymous where it is based on attraction and not promotion.  The purpose of people giving a brief description of what their lives were before they got sober is so that others can identify with a recovering addict.  It is possible to achieve a better life despite the difficulties and troubles one must go through to abstain from drugs and alcohol.  The beauty of one addict telling another addict what his life is like now is to give others a glimmer of hope that they can do it.  It also helps people find the process of who they really are which begins with who they don’t want to be.