STEP ONE
“We admitted we were powerless over heroin–that our lives had become unmanageable.”
Admitting we were powerless over heroin was a difficult task for many of us. We desperately tried convincing ourselves we were in control; at certain times felt we were, but ultimately found we were not.
Our loved ones pleaded with us about our heroin addiction. Despite our sincere desire to stop for our parents, spouse/partner, or even our own children, it was not enough. No matter how much others begged us to stop using heroin, it was to no avail. ~Read More~
HOME GROUP
When we found ourselves being directed towards the fellowship of Heroin Anonymous a common piece of advice we received was to join a home group. Many of us had no idea what a home group is or why we should join one. In the end, we have found being part of a home group to be one of our most beneficial and rewarding experiences.~Read More~
HIGHER POWER
If will power alone were enough for us to manage our own lives and stay sober, it would not be necessary to find a Higher Power. Our experience clearly shows that we have not been able to do this by ourselves. Many of us tried to stay sober for a variety of reasons, but we were unable to achieve the lives we desired to live on our own power. As a result of unsuccessful attempts at sobriety, we concluded that we needed to seek help from a Power greater than ourselves.~Read More~
SPONSORSHIP
When many of us entered Heroin Anonymous the concept that we never had to use again seemed like an impossible objective. We struggled to achieve even a few days of sobriety and in many cases, our lives were in disarray. Many of our personal relationships were in ruin, life often seemed to be lacking any purpose other than getting high, and some of us had lost our jobs and our homes. For some of us, it was our first time in the rooms, and we were met with confusion as we gazed upon the steps. For others we were coming back after finding we could not achieve long term sobriety working the program on our own, taking the parts we liked while discarding the ones we did not. That is why we of Heroin Anonymous find it essential to have a sponsor. ~Read More~
WHO IS A HEROIN ADDICT
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop suffering from heroin addiction (HA 3rd Tradition).
For some of our members, admitting we were heroin addicts happened long before we ever made it to our first meetings. For others, coming into the rooms and introducing ourselves as heroin addicts seemed humiliating. Perhaps we were down on our luck or ran into some legal trouble, but all we needed was a break from heroin to be all right. If only we could make it through the withdrawals, we could put our lives back together. Whatever our initial conceptions, we found we had to honestly determine if we were heroin addicts before we could recover.~Read More~
THE FELLOWSHIP AND THE PROGRAM
What is Heroin Anonymous (H.A.)? Heroin Anonymous is both a fellowship of individuals who have found a solution to heroin addiction as well as a spiritual program of 12-Steps that enables us to live a life of sobriety. What is the fellowship? What is the program? Why is it important to make this distinction between the two? By describing both parts, we hope to answer these questions. ~Read More~
SELF-SUPPORTING
MONEY, RESPONSIBILITY, AND SPIRITUALITY
The 7th Tradition states, “Every H.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.” As active heroin addicts, we hustled, robbed, and manipulated people into taking care of us, instead of taking responsibility for our own lives, materially or spiritually. The 7th tradition reminds us as recovered heroin addicts we should strive for self-sufficiency as an ideal. Likewise, Tradition 7 suggests that all groups should strive for this same ideal. ~Read More~
