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THE FIRST 30 DAYS
WELCOME to Cocaine Anonymous!
We
are all here for the same reason - our inability to stop using cocaine. The
first step towards solving any problem is understanding the problem.
The
Problem. The Problem, as we see it, consists of an obsession of the
mind and a compulsion of the body. The obsession is a continued and
irresistible thought of cocaine and the next high . Once we have given in
to this thought, our bodies take over. Our compulsion consists of an
absolute inability to stop using once we begin. Thus, our recovery begins
with complete abstinence from cocaine and all other mind-altering
substances. This allows us to begin living in the solution.
The
Solution. We wish to assure you that there is a solution and that
recovery is possible. It begins with abstinence and continues with
practicing the Twelve Steps of recovery one day at a time.
Take
it easy. Addiction is not a moral issue. Addiction is a disease - a
disease that kills. Here are some suggestions to help you stay clean and
sober for your first 30 days: Abstinence. Do not use any mind-altering
substances! Experience has shown us that the use of any mind-altering
substance will ultimately lead us back to addiction in another form or to
our drug of choice, cocaine.
A
Meeting a Day. Attend at least one meeting a day... or more. Meetings are
where we go to share our experience, strength, and hope with each other.
Get a
Sponsor. It is a good idea to get a sponsor during your early days,
when C.A.
seems unfamiliar. A sponsor is simply a sober addict who can give you more
time and attention than is available at meetings. Use the Telephone. Get
phone numbers from C.A.
members and use them. A vital part of our recovery process is reaching out
to others. If no one is available, call Cocaine Anonymous.
Use
the Telephone. Get phone numbers from C.A. members and use them. A
vital part of our recovery process is reaching out to others. If no one is
available, call Cocaine
Anonymous.
One
Day at a Time. We stay clean and sober one day at a time, and, when
necessary, one hour or even one minute at a time; not one week, or one
month, or one year, just one day at a time.
As we get
clean and sober, our feelings begin to surface. Cocaine helped us escape
from ourselves; it altered our reality. It helped us cover up, avoid, and
deaden our feelings. Getting clean and sober can be painful, but with help,
we find our lives get better one day at a time.
When we
attended our first C.A.
meeting, we knew deep down inside that cocaine had become a problem in our
lives. Seeing this was just the beginning.
This is
where the program of Cocaine Anonymous comes into play. We begin by
surrendering and working the Twelve Steps of recovery.
STEP
ONE:We admitted we were powerless over cocaine and all other
mind-altering substances-that our lives had become unmanageable.
Most of
us disliked the idea of being powerless over anything. We thought that
cocaine made us invincible and powerful, when in actuality, it wiped us out
financially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. We were out of
control and had reached the depths of despair. The extent to which our
lives had become unmanageable, of course, was different for each of us.
The fact
remained that our lives had become unmanageable. Not until we got honest
with ourselves and surrendered, did we begin to know peace.
STEP
TWO:Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could
restore us to sanity.
Step Two
involves open-mindedness. Having admitted we were powerless over cocaine
and all other mind-altering substances, we became open minded enough to
believe that a Power greater than ourselves could remove our obsession to
use and restore us to sanity. The obsession to use will be removed. This
Power may be, but does not have to be God.
Many of
us use the Fellowship of C.A. as our Higher Power. After all, what we had
failed to do alone, we are succeeding in doing together.
STEP
THREE:Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the
care of God as we understood Him.
Cocaine
Anonymous is a spiritual program, not a religious one. We claim spiritual
progress rather than spiritual perfection. Some of us arrived with a God,
while others used the group until they found a Higher Power of their own
understanding. A key phrase in this Step is "as we understood
Him." ln Cocaine Anonymous, each individual can choose a God of his or
her own understanding.
As we
worked the Twelve Steps of recovery, we began to see some of the Promises
coming true in our lives:
If we
are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed
before we are halfway through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new
happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We
will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far
down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit
others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will
lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will
change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will
intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will
suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for
ourselves.*
*Reprinted
from Alcoholics Anonymous, Pages 83-84, with permission from A.A. World
Services, Inc.`
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