Marijuana Anonymous
Let Marijuana Anonymous help you!
Marijuana Anonymous is a type of marijuana addiction treatment that is a support program that uses 12 steps and principles in order for people to stop using marijuana. The 12-steps are based on the ones used in Alcoholics Anonymous, which has been very successful in helping people get over their addiction to alcohol. People that have an addiction to marijuana should attend Marijuana Anonymous meetings and get the support of a sponsor, as these things can give a person a good chance of success in dealing with their marijuana addiction.
Understanding Marijuana Anonymous and 12-Step Treatment
Marijuana Anonymous is a spiritual based 12-step program that is open to all types of people that are addicted to marijuana. The 12-step program is a great pillar of support for addicts and sponsors are also used to help the person deal with their addiction. A sponsor is a person that has gone through the 12 steps successfully and knows what it takes to complete them. The person new to the program works with the sponsor to finally admit they have a problem with the drug.
There are many symptoms to marijuana addiction and many times they can be hard to determine. For people that are new to the program they are given 12 questions that include do you ever get high alone, do you plan your life around your marijuana use, and has smoking marijuana stopped being fun? If a person answers yes to any of the questions they are encouraged to take advantage of what Marijuana Anonymous has to offer.
Marijuana Anonymous deals with more cognitive behavior type of treatment, as it is not as intensive as other types of narcotic treatment. They can also get other therapy in the program, which helps the user understand their addiction and how they can spot the warning signs to relapsing. The user is taught how to change how they think and behave in order to get on the path of sobriety and lessen the chance for suffering a relapse.
The 12-steps of Marijuana Anonymous
Here are the 12 steps of Marijuana Anonymous and what they basically mean in how the person can follow those steps to get over their addiction
1. We admitted that we were powerless over marijuana and that our lives had become unmanageable – This step is first and foremost about the user being honest with themselves and how their marijuana use has taken control of their life.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity – Step 2 is about an introduction to hope for the user and that spiritual help is needed in order to get over the addiction.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God – Step 3 asks the user to make a decision to get the help of God in order to get over their addiction after admitting they are powerless to get off the drugs and that there is a help in a higher power.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. – This step makes the user take stock of their problem and take responsibility for it. By not taking a personal inventory a person has a lesser chance to get sober.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs – This step requires the user to be totally honest and admit their problems not only to his or herself, but also to God and the other people in their lives.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove these defects of character – This is the step of willingness of the user to trust that God will help them get over their addiction even though it will not be easy and it may be a lifelong process.
7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings – Step 7 asks the user to surrender themselves to a higher power having the total belief that God can help them with their addiction more then they can themselves.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and become willing to make amends to them all – This step deals with the willingness for the user to show how they have hurt others with their addiction. This helps the user restore their relationships with the people they have hurt.
9. Made direct amends wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others – Step 9 is the direct step after 8 and not just in numbers, but after admitting they have hurt others the user will then take action to repair their relationships with the people that they hurt through their drug use.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it – This step makes the user realize that their sobriety is a continual process and they need to take daily action to stay on the right path both physically and mentally.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood, God, praying only for knowledge of Gods will for us and the power to carry that out – This is the spiritual awareness step where the user will take down the walls that gets in the way of a Higher Power.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to marijuana addicts and to practice these principles in all our affairs – The last step deals with having a spiritual awareness and that the user has to keep going over the 12 steps in their daily life.
The 12-Principles of Marijuana Anonymous
The 12-step program in Marijuana Anonymous is guided by the 12 spiritual rituals. The user is taught to use these principals in order to look to a Higher Power for help with their addiction. By practicing the 12 spiritual principals the user can deal with their addiction one day at a time. The 12 steps are tools that the marijuana addict can use in order to discover the principles.
Here are the 12 principals in Marijuana Anonymous:
1. The person practices both courage to face the truth of their addiction and also practices the principal of honesty.
2. The person practices the principal of hope in the second step.
3. The person practices the principal of faith in the third step.
4. The person practices the principal of courage in the fourth step.
5. The person practices the principal of integrity in the fifth step.
6. The person practices the principal of willingness in the sixth step.
7. The person practices the principal of humility in the seventh step.
8. The person practices the principal of forgiveness in the eighth step.
9. The person practices the principal of justice in the ninth step.
10. The person practices the principal of perseverance in the tenth step.
11. The person practices the principal of spiritual awareness in the eleventh step.
12. The person practices the use of service in the twelfth step.
Marijuana Anonymous Meetings
There is not a treatment center where marijuana addiction treatment is held, as they are usually held in places such as houses, community centers, churches, and schools. Marijuana addiction treatment in this type of 12-step program is typically free to join and it also helps and there are other 12-step programs that are the same that can help people deal with their other types of addictions.
There are speaker meetings, participation meetings, book meetings, and sometimes even candlelight meetings in Marijuana Anonymous meetings. Speaker meetings are usually when a speaker, who has been in the program for at least 90 days, shares their story and how they got on the road to sobriety. The participation meetings can be very helpful, as users can share with each other their addictions. This is especially the case for people new to the 12-step program, as they can see other success stories and know that the program does work, which can give them a sense of hope. No matter what type of meetings it is a person can get a lot of support from other users as well as people that have successfully kicked their habit.
