Cocaine Anonymous
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Cocaine Anonymous
Cocaine Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem, and help others to recover from their addiction.
Purpose
Cocaine Anonymous is solely concerned with the personal recovery and continued sobriety of individual drug addicts who turn to its Fellowship for help. Cocaine Anonymous does not engage in the fields of drug addiction research, medical or psychiatric treatment, drug education, or propaganda in any form – although members may participate in such activities as individuals.
Who Can Join
Cocaine Anonymous is open to all individuals who express a sincere desire to stop using cocaine, including “crack” cocaine, as well as all other mind-altering substances. There are no dues or membership fees. Expenses of Cocaine Anonymous are supported by the voluntary contributions of its members. The organization respectfully declines all outside contributions. Cocaine Anonymous is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution.
Cocaine Anonymous is a Fellowship of, by, and for addicts who are seeking recovery. Friends and family members of addicts are encouraged to contact Co-Anon Family Groups as this is a Fellowship dedicated to the very different needs of those individuals.
History of Cocaine Anonymous
The Cocaine Anonymous program of recovery was adapted from the program that Alcoholics Anonymous developed in 1935. Cocaine Anonymous, like Alcoholics Anonymous (with which Cocaine Anonymous is not affiliated), uses the Twelve Step recovery method – which involves service to others as a path toward recovery from addiction.
Cocaine Anonymous began its Fellowship in Los Angeles in 1982. Since that time, Cocaine Anonymous has expanded throughout the United States and Canada and now has groups forming in Europe. The Fellowship’s first book, “Hope, Faith and Courage: Stories from the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous,” was published in 1994. The literature of Cocaine Anonymous is available in English, French and Spanish. As of 1996, the organization estimated membership at 30,000 members in more than 2,000 groups.
How It Works
The Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous believes that the process of one addict talking to another can provide a level of mutual understanding and fellowship that is difficult to attain through other methods. When one individual has recovered from addiction freely passes on this experience to another person in the Fellowship, this is a powerful message for the individual who is desperately looking for some kind of an answer to their own addiction. A bond emerges among Cocaine Anonymous members that transcends all other social boundaries.
Cocaine Anonymous holds regular meetings in an effort to further this fellowship of members, as well as to allow new members to find their way into Cocaine Anonymous and, perhaps, to find the answers they seek.
Meetings
Meetings are the heart of the Cocaine Anonymous recovery program. Anyone who has a sincere desire to stop using cocaine, crack cocaine, or any other mind-altering drug can attend any meeting. Cocaine Anonymous meetings generally use a set of formats in order to guide the meeting. This allows each member – including new members – to participate in running meetings without prior experience.
Types of Meetings/Groups
There are Open meetings, attended by Cocaine Anonymous members, their families, friends and other interested individuals. Closed meetings are limited to Cocaine Anonymous members only. Step Study is a meeting where the group studies and discusses the Twelve Steps. In Book Study meetings, the group studies and discusses any of the following books: Alcoholics Anonymous (the “Big Book”), Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (“12 and 12”), Hope, Faith and Courage – Stories from the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous (the Cocaine Anonymous Story Book”).
The 12 Steps of Cocaine Anonymous
The twelve steps listed here describe the program of recovery used by Cocaine Anonymous. They have been reprinted and adapted by Cocaine Anonymous with permission from Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. This does not mean that Alcoholics Anonymous is affiliated with Cocaine Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous is an alcoholism recovery program.
1. We admitted that we were powerless over cocaine and all other mind-altering substances – that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
The Twelve Traditions of Cocaine Anonymous
These twelve traditions comprise organizational guidelines under which autonomous Cocaine Anonymous groups function. Like the twelve steps, the twelve traditions are reprinted and adapted by Cocaine Anonymous with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. This does not mean that Alcoholics Anonymous is affiliated with Cocaine Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous is an alcoholism recovery program.
1. Our common welfare comes first; personal recovery depends upon Cocaine Anonymous unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as He may express himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
3. The only requirement for Cocaine Anonymous membership is a desire to stop using cocaine and all other mind-altering substances.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or Cocaine Anonymous as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the addict who still suffers.
6. A Cocaine Anonymous group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the Cocaine Anonymous name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
7. Every Cocaine Anonymous group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. Cocaine Anonymous should forever remain nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
9. Cocaine Anonymous, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. Cocaine Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence, the Cocaine Anonymous name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, television and films.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
--Suzannekane 15:22, 30 May 2011 (MDT)
