Young Addicts
Young Addicts in Recovery is an EDM Fellowship Development workgroup that started in 2016. This is a passion project of many EDM servants regardless of age. We started to notice amazing recovery activities organized by young people all over the world, and their message touched us very deeply:
“It’s never too early to start recovering in the program of Narcotics Anonymous”.
Our focus is on informing, and connecting young addicts all over the globe, helping to gather and exchange their experience – what helped them stay in the rooms of NA and helped focus on our similarities and not differences, what specific challenges they had to overcome and what motivates members to get involved in service.
We are trying to find what makes the process of identification easier – tools like Young Addicts Meetings, Youth Conventions, Aftermeetings, and Fellowshipping Activities. Current tasks at hand are:
- Creating an e-book “Young Addicts Sharing” where we would collect personal stories that could help NA members identify.
- Starting an online english speaking “Young Addicts” meeting to provide a “Home Group Atmosphere” for NA members that travel a lot or are living in rural areas.
- Listening to experience and requests of Young members committees all over Europe, trying to provide help/experience they need with their projects like conventions, starting a meeting, ECCNA special needs activities.
- Helping NA events/conventions become more accessible to Young addicts, by integrating young speakers. Putting together guidelines, where we would list some pitfalls that members could be facing, what usually works and what doesn’t, how can we best focus on the process of integration and not the exclusion of this special needs group with the focus on the spirit of unity and identification.
And our ultimate goal is to carry the message to any addict who suffers, regardless of her/his race, sex, AGE, creed, religion or lack of it.
Young Addicts Sharing
We are now working on a e-book project and would like members who got clean young from around the world to share their stories. If you are not sure how to write one we have some guidelines you can use. If you are interested in this project please contact us. If you have any questions don´t hesitate to ask.
Here are some directions to help you with writing your story:
- Start by introducing yourself.
- Write about your life´s key turning points or significant changes in your life.
How you find the way into NA recovery. How is your life today. - Tap into your emotions and the story behind it.
- We will publish your story in English. WRITE IN YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE, if it feels more easy for you.
We can take care to find a translator. - Text length can be up to one A4 page.
- We will revise your story and will send it back to you for approval.
- Deadline will be 30 NovemberWe will compile an e-Book with 15-20 stories, which we will select from submissions.
Writing your story can be a wonderful challenge to let other young members know that recovery is possible, at early age as well.
Even though our workgroup always talks about “Young at Heart” the e-book project is being made to focus more on younger NA members. We are looking primarily for stories from members that got clean under 26 years of age. The reason is that younger and younger addicts are coming in the rooms all around the world and staying clean. We want to collect some stories and share them with you.
Send your story to: fdc@edmna.org
Young Addicts Pamphlet Sept 2021