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The First 30 Days
Welcome to Cocaine
Anonymous!
We are all here for the same reason - our inability to stop using
cocaine. The first step towards solving any problem is understanding
the problem.
The Problem
The Problem, as we see it, consists of an obsession of the mind and
a compulsion of the body. The obsession is a continued and
irresistible thought of cocaine and the next high . Once we have
given in to this thought, our bodies take over. Our compulsion
consists of an absolute inability to stop using once we begin. Thus,
our recovery begins with complete abstinence from cocaine and all
other mind-altering substances. This allows us to begin living in
the solution.
The Solution
We wish to assure you that there is a solution and that recovery is
possible. It begins with abstinence and continues with practicing
the Twelve Steps of recovery one day at a time.
Take it easy. Addiction is not a moral issue. Addiction is a disease
- a disease that kills. Here are some suggestions to help you stay
clean and sober for your first 30 days:
Abstinence. Do not use any mind-altering substances! Experience has
shown us that the use of any mind-altering substance will ultimately
lead us back to addiction in another form or to our drug of choice,
cocaine.
A Meeting a Day. Attend at least one meeting a day... or more.
Meetings are where we go to share our experience, strength, and hope
with each other.
Get a Sponsor. It is a good idea to get a sponsor during your early
days, when C.A. seems unfamiliar. A sponsor is simply a sober addict
who can give you more time and attention than is available at
meetings.
Use the Telephone. Get phone numbers from C.A. members and use them.
A vital part of our recovery process is reaching out to others. If
no one is available, call Cocaine Anonymous.
One Day at a Time. We stay clean and sober one day at a time, and,
when necessary, one hour or even one minute at a time; not one week,
or one month, or one year, just one day at a time.
As we get clean and sober, our feelings begin to surface. Cocaine
helped us escape from ourselves; it altered our reality. It helped
us cover up, avoid, and deaden our feelings. Getting clean and sober
can be painful, but with help, we find our lives get better one day
at a time.
When we attended our first C.A. meeting, we knew deep down inside
that cocaine had become a problem in our lives. Seeing this was just
the beginning. This is where the program of Cocaine Anonymous comes
into play. We begin by surrendering and working the Twelve Steps of
recovery.
STEP ONE: We admitted we were powerless over cocaine and all other
mind-altering substances-that our lives had become unmanageable.
Most of us disliked the idea of being powerless over anything. We
thought that cocaine made us invincible and powerful, when in
actuality, it wiped us out financially, emotionally, physically, and
spiritually. We were out of control and had reached the depths of
despair. The extent to which our lives had become unmanageable, of
course, was different for each of us. The fact remained that our
lives had become unmanageable. Not until we got honest with
ourselves and surrendered, did we begin to know peace.
STEP TWO: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could
restore us to sanity.
Step Two involves open-mindedness. Having admitted we were powerless
over cocaine and all other mind-altering substances, we became open
minded enough to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could
remove our obsession to use and restore us to sanity. The obsession
to use will be removed. This Power may be, but does not have to be
God. Many of us use the Fellowship of C.A. as our Higher Power.
After all, what we had failed to do alone, we are succeeding in
doing together.
STEP THREE: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to
the care of God as we understood Him.
Cocaine Anonymous is a spiritual program, not a religious one. We
claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection. Some of
us arrived with a God, while others used the group until they found
a Higher Power of their own understanding. A key phrase in this Step
is "as we understood Him." ln Cocaine Anonymous, each individual can
choose a God of his or her own understanding.
As we worked the Twelve Steps of recovery, we began to see some of
the Promises coming true in our lives:
If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will
be amazed before we are halfway through. We are going to know a new
freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to
shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we
will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we
will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of
uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in
selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will
slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will
intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not
do for ourselves.*
*Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous, Pages
83-84, with permission from A.A. World Services, Inc.
Approved Literature Cocaine Anonymous World Services Inc. ©
2000
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