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The First 30 Days
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, 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 the International Referral
Line - (800) 347-8998
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." in 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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Approved
Literature. Cocaine Anonymous World Services, Inc. Copyright 2003. |
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