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Policy Statement
Number 6
August 1995
NAMA is well aware of the importance Methadone Anonymous has had on
patients across the United States. Organizing a 12 step group is hard work and
the commitment of Methadone Anonymous to the recovery of methadone patients is
apparent. Methadone Anonymous contends with the same discrimination and stigma
that NAMA has battled with. We believe that Methadone Anonymous, like NAMA are
methadone advocates and believe in the same things we do and is on our side.
NAMA is not against 12 step groups, nor, for that matter, Methadone Anonymous.
In fact we have facilitated a 12 step group here in New York called, Methadone
Is Recovery. The reason that we worked so hard to set up a 12 step group is for
the same reason that Methadone Anonymous also worked hard to organize and exists
— because methadone patients are sometimes excluded from other 12 step groups
and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) has specifically excluded methadone patients. But
no only are methadone patients excluded from many NA groups, very often if they
attempt to participate that are ostracized and humiliated in front of their
community of recovering addicts by — of all people — other recovering
addicts.. And while we are aware that some NA groups allow the full
participation of methadone patients, the national policy of Narcotics Anonymous
considers methadone patients on a substance and therefore excludes them.
Alcoholics Anonymous is quite different; their national policy states that
“members should not play doctor” and therefore do not exclude
methadone patients from participating. Unfortunately, many local AA groups do
not follow national policy and exclude methadone patients. How ironic this is
when it was AA, the father of all these groups that fought so hard for the
disease concept of alcoholism to then be the ones to discriminate against
patients who are being treated medically for their addiction.
NAMA applauds the work of people who have set up 12 step programs for
methadone patients. It is only the name that we believe adds to the confusion
and discrimination of all methadone patients, especially those patients who are
functioning, paying their taxes and supporting their family like anyone else but
must live every day in fear of being found out. Many methadone patients can not
even tell their families, or the person that they live with that they are on
methadone.
As an advocacy group we believe that NAMA must object to the name Methadone
Anonymous because it adds to the confusion about the medication methadone and
thereby contributes to the prejudice and discrimination of all methadone
patients. NAMA wants to make it clear that it is only the name Methadone
Anonymous that we dispute. NAMA applauds the work of Methadone Anonymous and
others who have set up 12 step programs for methadone patients.
NAMA is concerned with quality treatment and the human rights of methadone
patients to be treated with dignity, this is what we fight against and struggle
with. We are concerned about ALL methadone patients and things that affect the
quality of life for ALL methadone patients.
This is why we believe that the name, and please remember it’s only the name,
“Methadone Anonymous” is confusing and only adds to the misconceptions
and myths about methadone. When we first heard about Methadone Anonymous NAMA
was concerned about the confusion that the name of group could create. So we
conducted a “man in the street” survey, interviewing about 100 people
from all walks of life.
We asked people:
“What do you think Methadone Anonymous is?”
Most of the answers were, “It’s a detox group” or “for people
wanting to get off methadone”, or a group “for people who have detoxed
from methadone.” Very few answered correctly, less than 18% responded that
Methadone Anonymous was a 12-step group for and by methadone patients.
In other words, no one understood what
exactly Methadone Anonymous was for!
This made it clear to NAMA–as we had suspected–that the name Methadone
Anonymous was confusing to people.
And this is where the confusion lies. Aren’t all the Anonymous groups
struggling with the work preceding Anonymous? For example, Alcoholics anonymous
struggles with alcohol, Gamblers Anonymous struggles with gambling, Cocaine
Anonymous struggles with cocaine, Over Eaters Anonymous struggles with over
eating. So then what does Methadone Anonymous struggle with? Methadone!
Would not “Heroin Anonymous” be more correct? Methadone patients
are struggling with heroin, not methadone!
But we also wonder why a methadone group would mimic Narcotics Anonymous, a
groups that has historically stigmatized and ostracized methadone patients and
refuses to recognize the recovery and accomplishments of methadone patients.
We hope that Methadone Anonymous will consider our position on this issue. We
do not expect Methadone Anonymous to change their name, but we hope that you
will consider the impact this has on ALL methadone patients. Despite our
disagreement regarding the name, NAMA applauds the work of Methadone anonymous
for creating and providing a welcome 12 step group for methadone patients.
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