I will describe the Nicotine Anonymous program primarily by referencing some of the pages on the NicA Web site ( at http://www.nicotine-anonymous.org ). This document might be succinctly described as 'Jim L's guided tour of the NicA Web site'. This discussion of the NicA program is entirely my interpretation of it, and my viewpoint of it. It is in no way an 'official' view. Nor is it a complete or comprehensive view.
The NicA program has the purpose of helping people quit using nicotine, and to stay quit. For those needing quick practical easy - to - use - right - now tips, be sure to see the 41 tips on the TIPS FOR GAINING FREEDOM FROM NICOTINE ( tips.html ) web page.
Nicotine Anonymous® is a fellowship of men and women helping each other to quit smoking OR ANY OTHER FORM OF NICOTINE USE and live our lives free of nicotine. We share our experience, strength and hope with each other so that we may be free from this powerful addiction. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using nicotine. There are no dues or fees for Nicotine Anonymous membership; we are self supporting through our own contributions. Nicotine Anonymous is not allied with any sect, denomination, political entity, organization or institution; does not engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any cause. Our primary purpose is to offer support to those who are trying to gain freedom from nicotine. (Reprinted for adaptation with permission of the AA Grapevine.)
The first link on the home page is to the HOW IT WORKS ( h_itwks.htm ) page. It begins with a good succinct description of who and what NicA is. Then, it suddenly gets real heavy with these words:
For those who have worked a 12 step program like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), this page and its 12 steps may seem familiar and appropriate. For those who have never been exposed to a 12 step program, it might look religious (God is mentioned in the steps 5 times) and pretty overwrought. After all, we're trying to quit smoking, so why the spiritual and moral makeover? Well, personally, I don't know, I can't explain how it works or why it works, but the experience of many in NicA and other 12 step programs proves that it works. It is particularly helpful for the long adjustment to living life as a non-smoker.===== beginning of excerpt from the HOW IT WORKS page: =======
If you have decided that you want to be free of this powerful addiction and that you want what we have, you must be willing to go to any length to get it. Then, you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these, we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked for God's protection and care with complete abandon.Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery from addiction to nicotine.
1. We admitted we were powerless over nicotine--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 God.
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 it out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other nicotine users and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Many of us exclaimed, 'What an order! I can't go through with it.'
Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, we are willing to grow along spiritual lines, and to accept a spiritual solution to our problem of nicotine addiction.
The Twelve Steps, together with our personal stories of addiction and recovery, make clear three pertinent ideas:
A. That we were addicted to smoking and nicotine in any form and that our lives were in danger;
B. That we could not stop using nicotine alone;
C. That a Power greater than ourselves could help us if He were sought in the fellowship of other nicotine addicts.
===== end of excert from the HOW IT WORKS page =======
The program is a spiritual program, not a religious program. The word God is qualified with 'as I understand God'. Most NicA members are at least somewhat religious. However, there are many agnostics and atheists that are members of NicA and other 12 step organizations. For some, 'God' is the group, or a force for good. To me, Jim L (I am an agnostic), 'God' is another name for my conscience. Other agnostics / atheists strip the 'God' part off the steps completely, and just discuss their own understanding of the 'intent' of the step. Certainly, the 12 steps make more sense initially to religious people than to non-religious people. But non-religious people can also and do also work the 12 steps. Both religious and non-religious people are heartily welcomed in NicA and all other 12 step programs.
The web page, A SMOKER'S VIEW OF THE TWELVE STEPS (smokview.html) discusses the steps and how it relates to the nicotine user. Hopefully it helps bring the steps and the program 'down to earth' to the level of typical newcomers who are trying to quit their nicotine habit.
Nobody in NicA expects a newcomer to understand and talk the steps. Understanding and beginning to 'work the steps' is a process that takes several meetings.
Besides the twelve steps, there is a lot of discussion in NicA meetings of other aspects of nicotine addiction, such as how using affected one's life, how things are better now (for those who have quit using) and more ordinary and immediate techniques to quit using. See the web page TIPS FOR GAINING FREEDOM FROM NICOTINE (tips.html) for 41 tips for quitting or coping with cravings. The tips range from the serious mental preparations and assessments as in tip 2 below, definite action steps like tip 4 below, and simple coping techniques as in tip 24 below.
Tip 2. Square off with your smoking habit. Look at it and size it up. Ask yourself exactly what it is doing for you; then ask yourself what it is not doing for you. You can begin with your hair and work your way down to the tips of your toes. It is a medical fact that smoking affects every organ in the human body in a harmful way.
Tip 4. Set a date. Make a commitment. Give it a try. Remember, it is alright if you don't succeed at first. Just keep trying. The only way you can lose is by ceasing to try.
Tip 24. Have something to fidget with. We are accustomed to holding a cigarette; being without one might leave our hands at a loss. Get a small rubber ball or a yo-yo. Play dough is good also, or a piece of clay.
Please also see the web page INTRODUCING NICOTINE ANONYMOUS (whatis.htm). It gives a good discussion of the following topics:
* What is nicotine addiction?
* What are the symptoms?
* What is Nicotine Anonymous?
* What are Nicotine Anonymous meetings?
* Who belongs to Nicotine Anonymous?
* How does Nicotine Anonymous help?
* Do young people and seniors join Nicotine Anonymous?
* How much will Nicotine Anonymous cost me?
* What if meetings are not available?
* Who runs Nicotine Anonymous?
* What does Nicotine Anonymous not do?
* How can I find out more about Nicotine Anonymous?
I also like the web page THE SERENITY PRAYER FOR SMOKERS (serenity.html). It helps to relate the spiritual part of the NicA program to the struggle of the nicotine addict who is trying to quit.
The web page, TO THE DIPPER OR CHEWER (dipper.html) gives a really good description of the distorted thinking and the struggles of all kinds of nicotine addicts, whether dipper, chewer, or smoker. At least that's how it struck me (Jim L) -- even though I am an ex-smoker, (rather than an ex-dipper or ex-chewer), I felt that this page described me very closely.
Many find the OUR PROMISES (12proms.htm) to be helpful and inspirational. Those who have quit for a while can attest that these promises pretty much all come true, at least to some degree, and generally to a very substantial degree.
The TWELVE TRADITIONS (12trads.htm) are, in practice, the general guiding principles and rules of NicA. These traditions are the same as those of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), except for minor wording changes replacing 'alcohol' etc. with 'nicotine' etc. They were developed by AA through the crucible of harsh experience and have served it well for 50 years. Consequently, NicA has adopted these traditions. Three of the traditions, 6., 7., and 10, are worth repeating here, because they are the reasons NicA (and AA) are very careful not to endorse other programs or products:
Tradition 6. A Nicotine Anonymous group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the Nicotine Anonymous name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Tradition 7. Every Nicotine Anonymous group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Tradition 10. Nicotine Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the Nicotine Anonymous name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
I'm trying to keep this document from being too grossly long, so I can't discuss all of the web pages. But for convenience, I'll list all of the web pages that I have discussed above as well as all of the pages on the web site that I haven't discussed (as of 1/1/98) below:
Pages Discussed above:
* Introducing Nicotine Anonymous -- whatis.htm
* Twelve Traditions -- 12trads.htm
* The Serenity Prayer For Smokers -- serenity.html
* To The Dipper or Chewer -- dipper.html
* Tips For Gaining Freedom From Nicotine -- tips.html
* A Smoker's View Of The Twelve Steps -- smokview.html
Pages Not Discussed:
* Newsletter Order Form -- 7minonly.html
* Brochure/Information Order Form -- order.htm
* Meetings-United States Directory -- http://rampages.onramp.net/~nica/united1a.htm
* Meetings-International -- http://rampages.onramp.net/~nica/inter1.htm
* A list of new meetings that are not yet in either of the above 2 directories -- index.html
By The way, the http://rampages.onramp.net/~nica/ is the old Nicotine Anonymous web site, and http://www.nicotine-anonymous.org is the new Nicotine Anonymous web site. However, the meeting directories are being kept at the old site for the indefinite future, because of the fast speed of the OnRamp service. Also, at least the home page will likely be kept at both the old site (as well as the new site) for the indefinite future.
If there are no nearby meetings, then the Internet quit smoking discussion groups (groupsa.html) , Methods For Quitting Smoking (methods.html), and the quit-smoking cards (cardsA.html) will probably be particularly valuable. The resources, methods, and suggestions in the above 3 pages are not part of the NicA web site, and are only my (Jim L) and only my viewpoint and suggestions, and in no way are they endorsed by NicA
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