Nar-Anon Family Groups are twelve-step support groups
for friends and families of addicts and drug abusers,
who are affected by the problems related to addiction
or are trying to help the addict. Anyone who has a
close friend or relative whom they suspect may have a
drug dependency problem is welcome to attend our
meetings, regardless of what drug is involved --
whether it involves prescription medication or
recreational drugs. Our members have included the
spouse, husband, wife, partner, parent, mother, father,
child, son, daughter, sibling, brother, sister,
employer, employee, and co-worker of an addict. All are
welcome whether or not the addict is in recovery or
receiving treatment for addiction or mental illness,
whether or not he/she still uses, whether or not the
addict even admits that there is a problem. Addition is
a family disease, so when a friend or family member
becomes involved, it becomes their problem as well, and
they are welcome to join Nar-Anon.
How do I join a group?
There is no need to register – just come to the
meeting.
What is the fee?
The Nar-Anon Family Groups are free. We do not have
dues or fees, but collect voluntary contributions from
members to cover our cost of rent and literature, and
to support the Golden Gate Area, the Northern
California Region, and the World Service. Many members
contribute a few dollars each meeting. Newcomers do not
contribute at their first meeting, and will even
receive a free packet of Nar-Anon literature.
Additional literature is offered for sale with prices
ranging from 50¢ to $20.
Which communities are covered by this website?
The Golden Gate Area of Nar-Anon Family Groups includes
the cities of San Francisco, Novato, and Pacifica in
California. We are associated with the
Northern California Region
of Nar-Anon Family Groups and the Nar-Anon Family Groups
World Service.
The groups in the Golden Gate Area support the local
phone service, this website, and special events.
How do groups work?
Our meetings are self-help recovery support groups
where we help each other by sharing our experience in
dealing with drug addiction and substance abuse in our
friends, family, or co-workers. We learn through each
other's experience, strength, and hope, and from our
literature written by Nar-Anon members.
During the meeting each person speaks one at a time
about his/her own experience. We do not question or
comment about other person's shares, so there is no
fear of being criticized. We do not give advice. Each
person works the program in his/her own way. All of us
are working towards a common goal, but recognize that
this is a work-in-progress, and that nobody has the
perfect answer. We take those parts of other people's
experience that may help and inspire us, and leave the
rest, accepting that we all have different beliefs and
ways of living our lives.
We do not have professional therapists or "experts"
working in the groups, nor do we give referrals. We
simply learn from each other's experience – the
kind of experience that only relatives or close friends
of an addict can have. The meetings are run by our
members. Individuals can work the Nar-Anon program
alone, or along with other rehabilitation, recovery, or
psychotherapy programs of their choice. Members can
make a commitment to themselves to work the program,
and after they have some experience, may do service to
help run the group and share their experience with new
members.
Each group may send a representative to the Golden Gate
Area business meetings and the Northern California
Region business meetings to support activities in the
Golden Gate Area and the Northern California Region.
How do members work the program?
We read
Nar-Anon literature,
share our experience with each other in our group
meetings, work one-on-one with a Nar-Anon sponsor, and
use the Twelve-step method to better our lives. The
Twelve Steps
teach us to let go of things we cannot control, regain
hope that change is possible, learn new ways to deal
with situations, accept the consequences of our
actions, maintain humble honesty with ourselves and
other people, and take responsibility for the parts of
our lives that we can control. A member can work with a
sponsor, who is a more experienced member of Nar-Anon.
These are the same Twelve Steps as Narcotics Anonymous
uses. While we work in a similar way, we are completely
independent from other Twelve-step fellowships.
What is the Golden Gate Area?
The Golden Gate Area consists of local groups who
have decided, through their group conscience, to form
the area. Because of group autonomy, as expressed in
our Fourth Tradition, only the groups themselves can
determine to be part of an area. Thus, we cannot make
a definite statement about the boundaries of an area.
Historically, the Golden Gate Area has included
groups in the San Francisco, Marin, and northern San
Mateo Counties of California, with meetings in
San Francisco, Novato, Pacifica, and San Rafael.
Currently, there are meetings in
Novato, Pacifica, and San Francisco.
The Golden Gate Area will enthusiastically include
any nearby group that wishes to join the area. On the
other hand, a group in these counties is not
compelled to be part of the area.
Through the Golden Gate Area, its groups help support
each other. They do this by operating this website
and phone service. They also organize local
activities, such as picnics, unity days, and other
events, for local Nar-Anon members to meet,
participate, and share our experience, strength, and
hope.
For more information on how Nar-Anon is structured,
download the "Guide to Local Services" from the
Service Literature
page of the World Service website.
For more information about Nar-Anon Family Groups
world-wide
, please see the
What's Nar-Anon?
page of the World Service website.
