Narcotics Anonymous (Nar-Anon) Family Groups held their first meeting in Moose Jaw Monday night at 7 p.m. at Alliance Church on the corner of Ninth and Thatcher.
The group is intended to support those who are close to someone struggling with a substance use disorder. Organizations such as the Moose Jaw Crystal Meth Strategy Committee, Moose Jaw Family Services, and Square One, Inc. have endorsed the meetings, which will continue on a weekly basis for the foreseeable future.
The problem of destructive addiction to substances is growing in Moose Jaw, and those involved in addressing the crisis agree that supports are severely lacking. Of particular concern is the impact of strong negative cultural stigmas surrounding the problem, resulting in enforced silence for fear of judgment, discomfort, avoidance, or isolation.
People who begin using drugs want merely to relax, enjoy the company of friends (or experience acceptance by them), relieve anxiety, or escape from emotional pressure– drives everyone can relate to. But addiction often completely takes over their lives with terrifying speed, leaving the families of those affected feeling both powerless to help, and bewildered at how the lives (and futures) of their loved ones could have changed so drastically.
Nar-Anon Family Groups uses the same 12-step program as Narcotics Anonymous and AA. They stress that addiction is best understood not just individually, but as a family problem because substance use disorders are, by definition, out of control. Literature is supplied by the organization to help explain what has happened in the past and to provide guidance into the future. However, the group’s organizers emphasize that no denominational belief system is necessary to the program, and that they are meeting primarily as a support group.
Nar-Anon Family Groups promises anonymity to its members as the most basic safety requirement of their meetings. They also affirm a promise of non-judgment, which can be vital to those whose life context has shifted from “normal” to a realization that every normal plan for their lives must be re-assessed– and possibly abandoned.
No membership fee is necessary, and the group will remain unaffiliated with specific causes in order to keep the focus on supporting its members.
All those whose lives have been affected by another’s addiction are welcome and encouraged to attend.
