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best way to reach someone is to speak to them on a common level The
members of C.A. are all recovering addicts who maintain their
individual sobriety by working with others. We come from various
social, ethnic, economic and religious backgrounds, but what we have
in common is addiction.
The only requirement for
membership is a desire to stop using cocaine and all other
mind-altering substances.
Anyone who wants to stop using
cocaine and all other mind-altering substances (including alcohol
and other drugs) is welcome.
There are no dues or fees for
membership; we are full y self supporting through our own
contributions.
We do ask for voluntary
contributions at meetings to cover expenses such as coffee, rent,
literature and services to help those who are still suffering.
However, newcomers need not feel obligated to contribute. We do
not accept donations from organizations or individuals outside the
fellowship.
We are not allied with any
sect, denomination, politics, organization or
institution.
In order to maintain our
integrity and avoid any possible complications, we are not
affiliated with any outside organization. Although C. A. is a
spiritual program, we do not align ourselves with any religion.
Our members are free to define their spirituality as they see fit.
Our individual members may have opinions of their own, but C. A.
as a whole has no opinion on outside issues. We are not affiliated
with any rehabs, recovery houses or hospitals, but many do refer
their patients to Cocaine Anonymous to maintain their
sobriety.
Our primary purpose is to
stay free from cocaine and all other mind-altering substances and to
help others achieve the same
freedom.
The only purpose of Cocaine
Anonymous is to offer recovery to individuals who are suffering
from addiction. Our experience has shown that the most effective
way to attain and maintain sobriety is to work with others
suffering from the same malady.
We use the twelve step
recovery program because it has already been proven that the twelve
step recovery program works.
The Steps of C.A. are adapted
from the original Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. The steps of
Cocaine Anonymous read:
- We admitted we were powerless
over cocaine and all other mind altering substances - that our
lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power
greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity .
- Made a decision to turn our
will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood
him.
- Made a searching and fearless
moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to
ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our
wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have
God remove all these defects of character .
- Humbly asked Him to remove
our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we
had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all
- Made direct amends to such
people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them
or others.
- Continued to take personal
inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- 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.
- 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.
Additional literature is
available for more information on C.A.'s Twelve Steps.
PREAMBLE
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 other to recover from their addiction. The only requirement for
membership is a desire to stop using cocaine and all other
mind-altering substances. There are no dues or fees for membership;
we are self-supporting through our own contributions. We are not
allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization, or
institution. We do not wish to engage in any controversy, and we
neither endorse nor oppose any causes. Our primary purpose is to
stay free from cocaine and all other mind-altering substances, and
to help others achieve the same freedom.
We use the Twelve Steps of
Recovery because it has already been proven that the Twelve Step
Recovery Program works.
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